SEVEN years after hanging up his headphones for the final time on Radio 1’s Breakfast Show, Nick Grimshaw is ready to wake up the nation again.
Today he kicks off his brand-new show on 6 Music after taking over the role from his good pal Lauren Laverne — and despite having to set his alarm for 5.45am, Nick assures me the new full-time slot is a breeze compared with his hedonistic days in the studio next door.
“Radio 1 Breakfast was so high-octane, I’d always feel knackered when I left,” Nick tells me across the desk in his new home at Broadcasting House.
“I wouldn’t want to speak to anyone else for the rest of the day.”
But he adds: “6 Music is a softer place to land. It’s a different pace. We’re starting the new show at 7am. At Radio 1 it was 6.30am so this feels leisurely.
“Plus, I see those freaks on Instagram who are like, ‘Start your day at 5am!’
“I feel like starting my day at 5.45am isn’t that bad — and I am totally wrapped up by 10am.”
Nick then breaks off politely as he picks up the phone to his mum Eileen, his legendary sidekick who fans often see on Instagram.
“I’m just sorting her an Uber,” Nick says. “Her phone is so old the app does not work.
“And she only wants a driver with five stars.”
With Mother Grimshaw safely in her taxi, we continue our chat and Nick tells me how 6 Music — where he has taken over since Lauren underwent treatment for cancer — has always been a favourite of his.
He says: “I first did 6 at Glastonbury with Beth Ditto who was brilliant but unruly, shall we say.
“I never thought they’d ask me back after that but when Lauren was ill they asked if I could cover.
“Now Lauren has a new slot at the station and I am on Breakfast.
“I’ve always listened to 6 Music — I love it and it feels like home. Beth is with me too.
“I want her as sort of an agony aunt for the show.”
And Nick asks: “Is there a problem you’d like Beth to solve, Ellie?” Racking my brain, I tell Nick I’m looking to rescue a dog.
“The BBC used to let you bring them in and now they don’t,” Nick says, before adding, with a cheeky glint flashing in his eye: “Sara Cox’s dog chewed through a wire.”
During his time at 6 Music, Nick has already clocked up a load of top celebrity guests on his show including Keira Knightley, Jesse Eisenberg and Eddie Redmayne.
And there are plenty more to come, including Sir Elton John — who Nick joined at his home in Windsor last year with rising Scots star Jacob Alon.
“I had an existential crisis when I was in Elton’s house,” Nick recalls.
“When you interview him, it’s like if you interviewed Madonna in a conical bra.
“He wore the suit and he has the hair and the glasses.
“I was listening to him talking to Jacob about the music he loves, like Kneecap and Fontaines DC, and in my head I was like, ‘Wow, I am in your house’. I started to freak out a little bit.”
As he launches his new show today, Nick has plenty more big-name celebs booked in to shoot the breeze with.
“We’ve got a mix of new artists and legends,” he says.
“ShyGirl is coming on, Paul Simonon from The Clash and Goldie.
“Goldie is really into yoga and he’s trying to make me go with him.
“I’d be so zen after that.”
I reckon a daily downward dog would certainly make that 5.45am alarm even more of a breeze, Nick.
FRIDAY: Blackpink’s Lisa will lead the new releases with her debut solo album Alter Ego, while there will be other new records from Sports Team, Andy Bell, Banks and ShyGirl.
SATURDAY: Sabrina Carpenter, Teddy Swims, Shaboozey and Jade will be among the acts at the Brit Awards, live on ITV1 from 8.15pm, where Charli XCX is set to win big.
SUNDAY: The glitziest weekend of the year continues with the biggest night in movies, the Oscars, in Los Angeles.
THEY have defied the odds as a band by staying together for over a decade, which is not a milestone many pop acts reach.
But Clean Bandit have admitted they did once have a screaming match, although it’s thankfully one of very few disagreements they’ve had.
Grace Chatto, who fronts the group with bandmate brothers Luke and Jack Patterson, told me: “There was one between me and Luke when we were in America backstage. I think it was when we were promoting Symphony with Zara Larsson.
“We ended up screaming at each other in front of everybody, which was quite extreme.
“But if we do have any fallings out, we make up quite quickly. And we’ve been together so long it feels like we have got such a strong trust that nothing can really go too wrong. Often it’s me and Jack who disagree on things – then Luke has to be the peacekeeper. But as brothers, they are actually just very solid.”
The trio will be back on stage this Friday for a one-off headline concert at the London Palladium as part of the charity gig series Brits Week For War Child, where they will be joined by guests including Jess Glynne and Wes Nelson.
Grace teased: “We’re playing a lot of unreleased songs because we thought that, in the intimate setting, it would be really cool to play new stuff that isn’t even finished, to gauge which ones feel right.
And we just finished our new single yesterday.
“It’s with Tiesto and Leony, who’s an amazing singer we met up with in Berlin and made the track there.”
GONE are the days of competing girl groups, as British trio Flo are busy helping to launch the career of a fledgling act in South Korea.
I’ve learned the girls – Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma and Renee Downer– have written a debut single called The Chase for K-pop’s newest act Hearts2Hearts.
It is out today and has been described as a dreamy yet mysterious introduction to the eight- member Asian group.
Despite this being their first tune, they have already been announced to play at SMTOWN Live in London at Twickenham Stadium on June 28, alongside a load of other K-pop acts.
Meanwhile Flo are gearing up for their European tour, including shows in Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and London, which kicks off next month.
ALEX SCOTT and Jess Glynne looked loved up as they attended a London Fashion Week show.
The couple, who have been dating since 2023 and are no strangers to attending a glitzy event together, held hands as they smiled for cameras outside the venue.
Ex-Lioness Alex and singer Jess were joined by Ella Eyre at Abbey Road Studios for the showcase from menswear brand Labrum.
OASIS are on course to land their first No1 single in 20 years this week.
The lads have re-released their non- album single Whatever, which originally came out in 1994, and that is propelling it all the way to the top, according to midweek data from Official Charts.
But they still face tough competition from current chart-topper Kendrick Lamar and his single Not Like Us, which is only 500 copies behind, so it may well leapfrog them by Friday.
HIS viral hit A Bar Song (Tipsy) was up for best International Song at Saturday’s Brit Awards.
But if Shaboozey wins the gong he won’t be there to pick it up in person, after he was forced to pull out of appearing.
The US star, who was also due to perform, shocked fans last night with a sudden statement on Instagram.
Shaboozey said: “For reasons beyond my control I sadly won’t be making my planned appearance at the Brit Awards. I want to say good luck to all the nominees and the performers on the night.”
Shaboozey was one of the first acts to be announced in January as a performer at the ceremony at London’s O2 Arena, and we were excited to see him live.
Whatever the reason, he won’t have taken the decision lightly and we wish him all the best.
MO SALAH’s record-breaking season continued in style as Liverpool saw off Manchester City at the Etihad.
The Egyptian forward, 32, scored and assisted as the Reds ran out comfortable 2-0 winners in the Premier League champions’ backyard.
Salah has now racked up an incredible 51 combined goals and assists this season across all competitions.
He has now reached 25 goals and 16 assists in the Premier League alone – with 11 top-flight games still to go.
The remarkable season comes as the 32-year-old’s contract future at Anfield remains uncertain.
But fans were left in awe as he put in a world-class performance to shatter SIX more records in a single evening.
Salah swept in Liverpool’s opener at Eastlands, finding the top corner as City’s defenders gave him far too much space from an early set-piece.
He later laid on the second goal for Dominik Szoboszlai, cutting in from the left before the Hungarian lashed past Ederson.
Salah’s goal and assist make him the first player in Premier League history to register over 40 goal involvements in TWO different seasons, per Squawka.
He is also the first player in Europe’s top five leagues to be directly involved in 50 goals across all competitions this season.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
Salah has now scored AND assisted in 11 different Premier League games this season.
That’s the most since a certain Lionel Messi achieved the same feat for Barcelona in 2014/15.
Former England midfielder Steve McManaman had long held the assist record at Anfield, grabbing 15 in the 1995/96 season.
But Salah has now taken that record as well, with his 16 assists this season more than any other Liverpool player ever in Premier League history.
And Salah’s record-breaking day didn’t end there.
His goal and assist made him the first player in Premier League history to score AND assist in both games against the reigning champions in a single season.
To top things off, Salah is now the first player to score over 25 goals and register more than 15 assists in a single Prem season.
He is also closing in on Messi’s all-time greatest LaLiga season, which saw the Argentine rack up 61 combined goals and assists, per StatMuse.
Liverpool fans were also keen to compare Salah’s heroics with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the same age.
Aged 32 in 2019/20, Messi made 58 goal contributions during his time at Barcelona.
Ronaldo was at Real Madrid in 2017/18 when the same age, securing 52 goals and assists.
Salah has 51 contributions as of February 23 – and still has at least 14 games left to go.
THIS is the mad moment a match in Uruguay got out-of-hand over the weekend.
Paysandú Interior faced off against rivals Mercedes in the OFI National Selection Cup.
The home team prevailed in the first leg – beating the current champions 1-0.
But, the game won’t be remembered for Kevin Guinco’s goal halfway through the second half.
With two minutes remaining, tempers flared in the tight contest.
A foul by the visitor’s player Mario Gonzalez led to a melee involving Enzo Echeveste, who charged towards his opponent.
Echeveste grabbed Gonzalez from behind by his neck as Paysandú Interior players surrounded him.
Unperturbed, Gonzalez swung a right hook towards Echeveste – connecting with his chin.
The punch knocked the player out – leaving him motionless on the pitch as the perpetrator walked off.
Unsurprisingly, Gonzalez was shown a red card for the act of violent conduct.
Last month, a similar incident happened on our shores when a frustrated coach hit out at a linesman.
Robert Williams-Jones was managing Amlwch Town FC when he grew frustrated at his team’s 8-0 scoreline.
Just 15 minutes into the match, the 43-year-old was filmed landing a blow on the linesman – leaving him sprawled on the ground.
Footage then showed spectators and staff rushing over to the dugout to help the official, whose age hasn’t been released.
Williams-Jones pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm but avoided a prison term.
The thug was instead handed a 24 week sentence suspended for 12 months at Caernarfon Magistrates’ Court.
DANCING On Ice fans were left completely stunned as a fan favourite became the sixth celebrity to be axed from show.
After a tense skate off, Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean, Oti Mabuse, Ashley Banjo chose to eliminate Mollie Pearce.
Earlier on in the night, both Mollie Pearce and Dan Edgar failed to impress viewers despite receiving high scores for their respective ice-dancing routines.
Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern made the nail biting announcement as all four couples received scores of of over 35 points.
However, both stars recieved the least amount of votes from the public which meant they had to skate once again in a head-to-head duel.
It was down to The Traitors personality and The Only Way Is Essex star Dan Edgar to battle it out on the ice.
Both respective pairings faced stiff competition in the skate off after a series of impressive performances during Musicals Night.
Former footballer former footballer Anton Ferdinand, Corrie actor Sam Aston, and Springwatch presenter Michaela Strachan were sent straight through by the viewers.
After the two tense performances, it was time for the judges to decide to save their favourite competitor to skate in the semi-finals.
The Dancing on Ice judges chose to save Dan for his Oklahoma-inspired musical performance, but the judges were split.
Despite Oti wanting to send Mollie through, it all came down to head judge Jayne Torvill who chose to save Dan.
Now, only four competitors remain to battle it out in the long-running ITV celebrity skating competition.
Next week, Anton Ferdinand, Mollie Pearce, Dan Edgar, Sam Aton and Michaela Strachan will compete for a place in the final.
This comes after actress Chelsee Healey, Ferne McCann, Olympic rower Steve Redgrave were all eliminated.
Love Island’s Chris Taylor was previously forced to skate away and former EastEnders actress Charlie Brooks was axed by the judges last week.
Last year, former Coronation Street actor Ryan Thomas emerged as the victor after beating Radio 1’s Adele Roberts and Made In Chelsea personality Miles Nazaire.
EastEnders legend Charlie Brooks
Traitors finalist Mollie Pearce
Coronation Street favourite Sam Aston
Olympic legend Sir Steve Redgrave
Towie’s Ferne McCann
Comedian Josh Jones
Springwatch presenter Michaela Strachan
Towie’s Dan Edgar
Love Island’s Chris Taylor
Hollyoaks actress Chelsee Healey
Ex-Footballer Anton Ferdinand
Paralympian Dame Sarah Story
Dancing On Ice continues on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.
WHEN it comes to weddings, the old saying goes that the bride is always right.
However, one woman’s list of demands for her big left had been calling her “insufferable”.
A screenshot of the bride’s rules were shared on the Reddit forum Wedding Shaming.
The woman had listed the six requirements she had for her bridesmaids in an Instagram post.
And it was more than simply: “Don’t wear white to my wedding”.
She explained that she would be sharing the list “every day til the wedding”.
For her first requirement, the bride-to-be reminded her friends that it is “not your day” as she warned them: “Do what the bride asks or don’t be in the wedding.”
She again reminded her bridesmaids that it is “not your day” before informing them that they will have no say in their hair or make-up for the day.
“If the bride wants make-up or certain hair for everyone, and you don’t wear make-up – don’t be in the wedding,” she wrote.
“It’s usually the ones who scream ‘I don’t want all that’ who ends up looking less flattering.”
She added that the only way she would be flexible is if people had a “specific haircut” that required different styling such as “locs or a pixie cute”.
The cheeky bride once again pointed out that it was her day, not her friends’ as she told them to “act how you would want your bridal party to act, if it was your day”.
For her next rule, she explained that her bridesmaids would “look jealous when you object to every little thing”.
“Especially things you have not paid for, be grateful or don’t be in the wedding,” she said.
Next, she reminded her bridesmaids that they are on “team bride” and should act accordingly.
“If you wish to act like anything less, switch to team guest,” she told her friends.
“Have a seat and throw rice, preferably uncooked.”
If you're struggling to decided on a dress to see you through wedding season, here's a few rules on what not to wear so you don't get in trouble.
Finally, she laid out her expectations for her bridal party when it comes to finances.
“If you can’t afford to be in the wedding, let the bride know up front,” she said.
“Don’t accept and then penny pinch, especially if it’s one year or more out.”
Reddit users shared their thoughts on the bride’s demands in the comments section.
“At least she’s giving everyone a daily chance to join TEAM NOT GOING,” joked one reader.
“I would be on team not going just so I could not get this letter every day, ‘Please unsubscribe me from this list’ would be my dream response,” said another person.
“TEAM NOT EVEN SENDING A GIFT,” commented a third Reddit user.
The appeal of Attack on Titan lies in its plot progression and how the story evolves into a profound commentary on the innate nature of humans. The unraveling of different ideas and events in the story is glorious to witness, but even if people lose interest after the first few episodes, they can’t be blamed. […]
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire