38 m. 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

42 m. ago 'Michael Sheen's act of kindness changed my life – I didn't even know he'd done it'

Hollywood actor Michael Sheen established a debt acquisition company and paid off the loans of 900 people from his local are in Newport – and one of those was left gobsmacked after she found out

Politics

59 m. ago Plane passenger who went viral for refusing to give up window seat to crying child details 'nightmare' experience

Jeniffer Castro, 29, went viral after a passenger filmed and berated her for refusing to give up her seat to a crying child... now she details how this 'nightmare' experience changed her life.

Politics

66 m. ago ‘They came across as muppets’: Christo Grozev on being target of Bulgarian spy ring

Investigative journalist called ‘modern-day Sherlock’ by Alexei Navalny on unsettling photos, reprisals and being exiled from ViennaChristo Grozev was sitting in a New York cafe in February 2023, expecting to fly back to his home in Vienna that evening, when US law enforcement officials delivered some news that changed his life.“I was told that it’s not a good idea for me to leave back to Austria, because there’s been some intelligence suggesting there’s a red team waiting for you,” said Grozev, a Bulgarian-born investigative journalist who has infuriated the Kremlin by exposing numerous Russian intelligence operatives in recent years. Continue reading...

Events

6 h. ago Michael Barrymore abandons plans to start new life in Spain over 'self

Michael Barrymore quit London with his pet dog Lara last November to start house-hunting near Barcelona after making the life-changing decision to emigrate

Politics

7 h. ago Armando Iannucci opens up about what changed his life: best podcasts of the week

The Thick of It creator tells all in a revealing new podcast from actor Rebecca Front. Plus, a smash-hit history show launches a juicy spinoffLewis and The Thick of It star Rebecca Front tries to prise intimate interviews out of celebrity guests by asking about three people who’ve changed their lives. First up, her friend of 40 years Armando Iannucci talks about the person who opened a library near his Glasgow childhood home, and the founder of an NHS unit for higher risk pregnancies that led to all three of Iannucci’s kids being born. His third choice? Alan Partridge. Alexi Duggins Episodes weekly, widely available Continue reading...

Politics

24 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

25 h. ago 'I sold my virginity for £1.6m to Hollywood star and have no regrets'

A student has opened up about her life-changing experience of selling her virginity to an 'extremely well-known Hollywood actor from Los Angeles', who splashed out an eye-popping £1.6 million on the sale

Economics

26 h. ago Crumble, cookies and madeleines – recipes of hope for Iran’s jailed women

Sepideh Gholian’s diary of prison life came out four years ago. Next month, she will publish a cookbook to honour her fellow inmatesMaziar Bahari used to feel sceptical when people talked of the way that books can change lives. Such statements always seemed like so much hyperbole to him.But when Sepideh Gholian, one of Iran’s most famous political prisoners, came into his life, everything changed. “If anyone wants to know why writing matters, her book is the best example,” says Bahari, a London-based journalist, documentary maker and the founder of the news website IranWire. Continue reading...

Society

27 h. ago 'I left London for a digital nomad life in Croatia but one thing brought me home again'

Remote working opened Kirsty Hanson's eyes to new flexible lifestyle possibilities so she took the plunge, ditched high London costs and moved abroad for a new life but then everything changed

Politics

28 h. ago ITV BGT's Amanda Holden says moment she 'died' changed life forever

Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden was left in a coma fighting for her life after the 'difficult birth' of her daughter

Events

31 h. ago ‘I’ve always hated hayfever season but this one small thing has changed my life’

With nearly half of the UK population suffering from hay fever, also known as allergic rhinitis, the beginning of a new season can cause an increase in symptoms

Politics

40 h. ago Footballer, 16, forced to retire after discovery of rare medical condition just before life

A 16-year-old footballer has been forced to retire due to a rare medical condition. The player had been undergoing medical tests in January ahead of a move to Hoffenheim

Politics

47 h. ago 'Feral' sisters blinded stranger in brutal attack after being refused into pub

The victim's life was changed forever by the attack as she can no longer do simple tasks without the assistance of her family due to losing her sight in the random assault

Events

48 h. ago Britain's Got Talent judge KSI opens up about depression, 'midlife crisis' and secret therapy sessions

KSI, the newest star on Britain's Got Talent's judging panel, has been a hit on the show - however, he has previously opened up about his struggles with overwhelming fame, revealing that therapy has been life-changing for him

Events

49 h. ago Three sisters and pal beat stranger so badly she's now blind

Their victim was left with life-changing injuries including a bleed on the brain

Politics

49 h. ago Daylight saving time 2025: When do the clocks go forward in the US tonight?

Some Americans may experience potential health effects when the clocks ‘spring forward’ on Sunday, March 9, 2025

Events

50 h. ago Mother, 39, who ballooned to size 22 after 'horror' pregnancy complications says weight loss jabs changed her life

Nahid Mir, 39, from Birmingham, was a size six before falling pregnant with her twins - but gained a considerable amount of weight after being diagnosed with preeclampsia.

Events

56 h. ago Women in wine: How female winemakers are rewriting the rules – and pouring the good stuff

For years, the wine industry has been a boys’ club, but a new wave of women is shaking things up. From the cellar to the sales floor, Sarah Burvill, Julie Pitoiset and Sue Daniels talk breaking barriers, blending brilliance and why it’s time to toast to talent over tradition

Politics

69 h. ago AD FEATURE: The Apprentice candidate launches drive to recruit Manchester talent for dream job in Dubai

Treo Homes is offering life-changing career opportunities in Dubai’s booming real estate market

Society