THE prestigious World Indoor Bowls Championships is rolling into a thrilling finale at Potters Resorts!
Jason Banks – who won the mixed pairs earlier this week – is through to the semi-finals after beating Paul Foster MBE 2-1 in a mammoth last-eight clash.
Stewart Anderson had been the firm favourite to win the open singles title once again this year after he picked up the iconic award for a third time in 2024.
But the Scotsman was sent CRASHING OUT by David Gourlay MBE, who will face Robert Paxton in their semi-final later today.
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CASEY O’Gorman is back for this third stay in the Love Island villa after turning up as an All Stars bombshell this year.
Viewers may have been experiencing a bit of deja-vu as Casey, 28, was a Love Island All Stars bombshell last year.
This time he’s flying solo, with best mate Tom Clare happily loved-up with Molly Smith after they won the first series of the spin-off.
But fans weren’t shocked to realise Casey is already familiar with one of the girls in the South African villa.
Shortly after his somewhat-unsurprising entrance, series two star Tina Stinnes stormed the villa.
And Casey was left gasping, telling Ronnie Vint that he and Tina – who met while filming Made In Chelsea – enjoyed a holiday romance in Antuiga.
But Tina is far from the only person Casey has dated in recent years…
Professional bombshell Casey first shot to fame as a latecomer during the 2023 winter series.
Despite initially making a play for Lana Jenkins, he ended up with Claudia Fogarty – the daughter of motorcycle champ Carl.
But Casey later had his head turned by another bombshell, resulting in Claudia being dumped from the villa.
Rosie was responsible for turning Casey’s head and they were together from week six until they were dumped during week eight.
Although they left the villa together, Casey and Rosie split shortly after that series’ reunion episode.
During his first All Stars stint Casey ended up sharing a villa with series three star Georgia.
It was later revealed he and Georgia had enjoyed a secret fling prior to being reunited on the show.
But a conversation between the pair in the villa last year revealed Casey had “ghosted” her after the “spiritual” Islander brought up his late grandfather.
During last year’s show, Casey sat down with Georgia and explained his reasons for creating distance between them on the outside world.
He said: “You mentioned my grandad and stuff like that, and that really threw me off.”
But Georgia obviously didn’t take his explanation seriously as she was slammed by fans for an “insensitive” comment after Casey’s recent return was revealed.
She wrote on social media: “Grandad said good luck.”
Casey was previously in a three-year relationship with French Instagram star Lea Broc.
She describes herself as a “Private jet broker. Former figure skater. French girl with a Yorkshire accent living in London.”
Casey raised some eyebrows when he confidently claimed during an episode of Love Island All Stars last year that he’d never been unfaithful.
But things took a turn when it was reported otherwise.
MailOnline revealed that Casey’s long-term relationship with Lea ended after she caught him cheating.
Lea Broc – Casey dated Lea for three years up until 2022. It was later claimed that he had cheated on the French influencer.
Claudia Forgarty – Casey was coupled up with Claudia on the show in 2023 but ditched her when a new bombshell arrived.
Rosie Seabrook – Casey left the villa with Rosie and they briefly dated in the real world before calling it quits.
Georgia Harrison – The hunk had a fling with Georgia before his second stint on the show. It ended badly between them when she famously told him she had seen his late grandfather.
Joanna Chimonides – Casey was briefly couple up with on All Stars series one.
Kaz Kamwi – Kaz was another short lived romance on All Stars.
Eve Gale – Casey ended up leaving the villa with Eve but there romance was also not to last.
Tina Stinnes – Casey and Tina slept together when they appeared on Made In Chelsea together.
FEELING particularly tired and moody this January?
Before you go blaming the dreary weather, it might be worth taking a look at your diet.
Because however much we stick to our five-a-day, we can still end up nutrient deficient, according to pharmacist Jana Abelovska.
“While a healthy diet that contains a wide variety of nutritious foods will generally give you the vitamins and minerals you need, some people are at a greater risk than others for developing a deficiency,” she says.
“In the colder months, symptoms like low mood, fatigue or a weakened immune system could all be signs of a nutritional deficiency.”
Studies in the UK have shown one in 20 people above the age of 65 have chronically low levels of B vitamins.
And up to 60 per cent of the UK population are considered to have insufficient levels of vitamin D.
But before you rush to the pharmacy for a box of supplements, take a moment to listen to your body.
Here’s how to read its cues, so you can figure out what you might be in need of, and how to fix it…
Symptoms:
The government advises that everyone should take vitamin D supplements in the autumn and winter.
When we are exposed to sunlight, our bodies make this essential vitamin.
So during the winter, it’s harder for people in the UK to maintain a healthy level of vitamin D, with shorter, darker days.
Vitamin D has been linked to tiredness and low mood, which could be mistaken for winter blues, the NHS says.
It’s not always easy to pinpoint the causes of aches and pains in the body, but a vitamin D deficiency may very well be a cause.
The vitamin D receptor is present in nerve cells which sense pain.
It could also be involved in the body’s pain signal pathways, which may play a role in chronic pain.
A 2014 study found 71 per cent of people with chronic pain had a deficiency in the vitamin.
Separate research, by Belgian scientists, suggests there is a link between vitamin D deficiency and the immune system not working properly, which may increase the risk of infections.
For anyone suffering frequent infections or illness without any known cause, it’s best to speak to your GP about the appropriate supplements for your overall health.
How to fix it:
Symptoms:
Iron deficiency can leave you feeling tired, moody, and weaken your immune system, making you more vulnerable to coughs and colds, according to the NHS.
This condition can be caused by not eating enough iron-rich foods, heavy periods, or pregnancy.
If it progresses into iron deficiency anaemia, the body’s iron levels become so low that it can’t produce enough healthy red blood cells.
This makes it harder for the body to carry oxygen through the bloodstream.
According to the American Society of Hematology, people with this may experience cold hands and feet, especially in winter.
They may also have symptoms like heart palpitations, which can sound like a whooshing in the ears, and shortness of breath.
When oxygen levels drop, it can also affect the brain, leading to brain fog and making it harder to concentrate.
Some people also develop a craving to eat ice or clay, known as pagophagia.
While the exact cause isn’t fully understood, it’s believed that these cravings could be the body’s way of trying to get the minerals it’s lacking.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) estimates that one in seven women under 50 in the UK, and as many one in 20 older women and men have some degree of iron deficiency anaemia.
How to fix it:
By Eliza Loukou, Health Reporter
THERE has been a “troubling” increase in the number of people being admitted to hospital with health problems caused by dangerous vitamin deficiencies, fresh data shows.
In 2023/24, there were 191,927 hospital admissions in England due to a lack of iron – this number was up 11 per cent on the previous year’s 173,227.
The figure is also almost 10 times higher than the 20,396 hospital admissions for a lack of iron in 1998/99.
Meanwhile, there were 2,630 admissions in 2023/24 whose main reason was B vitamin deficiency (other than folate), up 15 per cent on the 2,236 recorded in the previous year and more than triple the 833 in 1998/1999.
Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia led to 3,490 hospital admissions in 2023/24, similar to the previous year, but up four-fold from 836 in 1998/99.
The numbers were even higher when taking into account patients admitted for any reason but also recorded as having a vitamin deficiency.
In 2023/24, there were 804,936 courses of NHS treatment involving people who had iron deficiency anaemia, up from 721,650 the year before.
There were also 38,140 courses of treatment involving people with vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia, up from 35,983 the year before, alongside 227,097 for other B vitamin deficiency, up from 201,320.
The data further showed 486 courses of treatment involved people with vitamin C deficiency, up from 338 the previous year, while 773 involved a lack of calcium, up from 758.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “It is very concerning that cases of nutrition-related anaemia serious enough to warrant hospital admission have seen such a substantial increase over the past 25 years.
“The near 10-fold rise in admissions for patients with a diagnosis of iron deficiency and a four-fold increase in folate deficiencies – primarily caused by a lack of nutrition in the diet – is particularly troubling.
“While treatable with supplements or dietary changes, it comes with the risk of complications – in children, iron deficiency can be detrimental to development and has been linked to poorer attainment at school.”
Symptoms:
Low levels of B12 and B9 (folate) can lead to a type of anaemia called vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia.
This happens when the body makes unusually large red blood cells that don’t work properly.
A primary symptom of B12 deficiency is fatigue – a level of tiredness or exhaustion so deep that it affects daily life activities.
Other symptoms are neurological and may include tingling in the extremities, confusion, memory loss, depression and difficulty maintaining balance.
Scientists say some of these can be permanent if the vitamin deficiency is not addressed and treated.
Older people are especially at risk – about one in 10 people over 75 and one in 20 aged 65 to 74 have low B12 or B9 levels.
How to fix it:
Symptoms:
Not technically a vitamin, Zinc is an essential mineral that plays several crucial roles within our bodies.
It helps keep our immune system in check, as it affects how our cells respond to infections, and can help keep inflammation under control, according to experts at Holland and Barrett.
In fact, some evidence suggests that taking zinc lozenges or syrup within a day of the onset of cold symptoms can help shorten the length of the cold.
If you tend to get ulcers and cracks in the corners of your mouth, these can be signs of a zinc deficiency.
This is because zinc is crucial for cell growth, wound healing, and of course, immune function.
These issues combined can leave people more prone to skin issues.
Being deficient in it can also leave your taste and smell a bit off.
This is because zinc helps our taste and smell receptors to work properly, according to the Mayo Clinic.
How to fix it:
