9 h. ago Athol Fugard was a dreamer, listener and master storyteller – on stage and at home | Barney Norris

The South African writer, who has died aged 92, was grateful for his extraordinary life and wrote out of love rather than angerI feel that Athol Fugard and his wife, Paula Fourie, changed my life in the autumn of 2022 when I visited South Africa to spend time with them and their daughter Halle. We were supposed to be working on a book together, and we did; but our time became so much more than that. There were lunches in the house or the restaurant round the corner; walks in the woods; a braai that went on past midnight.Over coffee in the mornings I’d sit with Athol and we’d use an app on his phone to identify the calls of all the birds in the garden. Then he might tell me a story from his life – the awe he felt when he asked Yvonne Bryceland to smash a chair to bits during rehearsals for Antigone and she proceeded to do so for a full 30 minutes; the journey he made by sea at 18 from Cairo to Japan, when an illiterate Somalian sailor used to watch him every night as he wrote a novel...

Politics

29 h. ago Ten Pound Poms star Faye Marsay's life from her 'true love' to fan backlash

Faye Marsay is returning to our screens this month as she reprises her role in the BBC drama Ten Pound Poms - but what is there to know about the actress away from the screen?

Politics

33 h. ago How relearning the tango taught me the steps to recover from trauma

After suffering a violent attack in Buenos Aires, the writer rediscovered her love of danceDance can be life-changing – it’s a lesson we learn every year on Strictly Come Dancing, but it bears repeating. Last year’s winner, comedian Chris McCausland, the show’s first blind celebrity, defied expectations and changed people’s attitude to his disability, while 80-year-old presenter Angela Rippon demonstrated in 2023 that age is no barrier to dancing.Over my two decades as a dance writer, I’ve tried a little of everything – ballet, ballroom, even breaking, but nothing has moved me like the Argentine tango. And I’m not talking about the version you see on Strictly – that’s the choreographed stage tango, with dancers kicking up their legs in performative tricks; few of us ever get to do that – but rather, the social dance style. Continue reading...

Events

46 h. ago Lucky loser Van de Zandschulp stuns struggling Djokovic at Indian Wells

Five-time champion loses 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in second roundJack Draper sails to 6-4, 6-0 win despite tough drawNovak Djokovic’s difficult start to the season continued on the North American hard courts as he crashed out of Indian Wells with an extremely poor performance in his opening match, losing 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in the second round to the world No 85, Botic van de Zandschulp.Despite producing arguably the best performance of the year in his four-set victory over Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open, Djokovic has now lost three consecutive matches since that triumph. The thigh injury Djokovic suffered during his win over Alcaraz forced him to retire from his semi-final against Alexander Zverev and then he fell in the first round of the Qatar Open last month to Matteo Berrettini. Continue reading...

Politics

52 h. ago The moment I knew: he did silly struts around the dancefloor. I’d never felt so at ease

Sara Pascoe was so comfortable in Steen Raskopoulos’ presence, she almost didn’t notice she was falling in loveFind more stories from The moment I knew series hereOn a night out many years ago, Tara, the older sister of a friend, was politely listening to me slag off my then boyfriend. “Blah Blah Blah, then he did this, then I did that, then I saw this on his phone,” I went on at her, enjoying my own drama.Tara was only a couple of years older than me but married with kids. Something I was not coveting for myself. Living in London, I was not dating to find “the one” (statistically unlikely) or to commit for life (too long), I fell in love for sex, gossip and the subsequent weight loss that accompanied my broken heart a few years later. I felt very “French” about the whole thing, y’know; lovers, life experiences, smoking and motorbikes*. I thought I was living life brilliantly, but on reflection Tara must have thought I was a knob. Continue reading...

Politics

59 h. ago He ate breakfast every day beside his late wife's tomb... and told friends his life was over. Then a friendship of 30 years took an unexpected twist

Eighteen months ago Lord Saatchi, 78, realised he was falling in love, after 12 years of mourning his beloved wife Josephine Hart (inset), with their old friend Lynn Forester de Rothschild (left).

Politics

3 d. ago Meghan Markle’s set from With, Love Meghan is down the road from her Montecito home — and you can rent it

Meghan’s show was not filmed at her house, but at a nearby rental property worth $8 million

Politics

3 d. ago Warwick Davis' Hollywood romance with late wife Samantha as he finds love again

Star Wars and Harry Potter actor Warwick Davis has opened up about a new love in his life, more than a year after the tragic death of his beloved wife Samantha

Events

3 d. ago Who was Desmond Cussen? A Cruel Love star's role in Ruth Ellis' life

Desmond Cussen was a key figure in the story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain, who is depicted in the ITV drama A Cruel Story: The Ruth Ellis Story

Politics

4 d. ago Meghan Markle celebrates Netflix series’ popularity amid scathing reviews

The Duchess of Sussex’s lifestyle show was released on Netflix on Tuesday

Culture

5 d. ago Meghan Markle’s $129 Zara dress from With Love, Meghan has already sold out — but you can still buy her $50 pants

The Duchess of Sussex’s new cooking series is now streaming on Netflix

Politics

5 d. ago Ruth Ellis' son's tragic life and heartbreaking final act away from A Cruel Love series

A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story begins on ITV1 tonight and tells the story of the last woman to be hanged in England, but her son's life was just as tragic as hers

Events

5 d. ago Coronation Street star's real life personal link as he stars in ITV's A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story

Nigel Havers is starring in the new true crime drama and it has a link to his life off-screen

Politics

5 d. ago Maura Higgins tells mum 'gory details' about love life and racy bedroom antics

Most people can't think of anything worse than having to tell their parents about what they get up to in the bedroom, but Maura Higgins apparently tells her mum every single detail

Politics

5 d. ago A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story – The tragic real life crime behind the ITV drama

A new ITV drama is set to reignite interest in the famous execution that shook post-war England and advanced the abolition of the death penalty

Events

5 d. ago Ruth Ellis and the tragedy of her children as new drama broadcast on ITV

New ITV drama A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story will see the tragic life of the last woman to be hanged in Britain explored, including her two children

Events

5 d. ago Meghan Markle 'flustered' over turnip in candid moment in new Netflix show

The Duchess of Sussex's new cooking show, 'With Love, Meghan', gives fans a glimpse into the Duchess's life in Montecito - and is chock full of candid moments, including her bonkers comments about a turnip

Politics

6 d. ago Love Island stars Alex and Olivia Bowen reveal they lost one of their babies to vanishing twin syndrome

The longtime couple met on season two of ‘Love Island’ in 2016

Politics

6 d. ago Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray resume partnership and the ‘Next Gen’ set to make run at Indian Wells

Five key storylines to follow as Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Iga Swiatek all look to make history at the ‘fifth grand slam’

Politics

6 d. ago Rob Burrow's wife Lindsey says rugby legend's death is hitting her now 'more than ever'

Lindsey Burrow has penned a memoir about losing the love of her life, rugby league legend Rob to motor neurone disease and how it has shone a light for her on Britain's unpaid carers

Events