81 m. ago ‘I tried to escape with drugs, pills and alcohol’: Björn Borg on his misery and mayhem after quitting tennis

The sporting superstar walked away from success and adulation at 26 – much to everyone’s bemusement. He opens up about his secret life and the depression, cocaine, overdoses and aggressive cancer that almost killed him‘I’m a person who doesn’t say very much,” Björn Borg says with a wry smile. Which may be the understatement of the century. Borg, the greatest tennis player of his day, has spent 42 years saying nothing since he announced his retirement at the age of 26.When he broke that news in 1983, it was one of the biggest shocks in the history of sport. Not simply because he was at his peak, but also because he was the rock star tennis player – beautiful, mysterious and followed by a flock of teenybopper fans. When Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz triumphed in the US Open earlier this month, aged 22, he became the second youngest player to have won six major tournaments. Borg beat him by four months. Continue reading...

Events

86 m. ago In Pictures: Edinburgh heritage site Calton Hill experiencing 'erosion emergency'

Erosion at the Unesco World Heritage Site is “severe”.

Politics

1 hour ago Football Daily | Diego Simeone, Anfield and some shouting in the workplace

Prepare the tiny violins! Someone has been shouting at Diego Simeone! Famously thin-skinned and a bastion of all that is right and pure in this world, the Atlético Madrid manager was sent off on Wednesday night at Anfield after reacting to a fan’s jibes from behind the dugout, following Liverpool’s latest Slottage-time winner in their Bigger Cup tie.While admiring John Waugh’s ‘more is more’ celebration of the extended Bigger Cup format (yesterday’s Football Daily letters), he evoked Albert Camus as justification for his case. As we all know, Camus owed everything he knew about morality and the obligations of men to football, but, whereas life may be meaningless, his love of his team RUA was so deep that when he went to Paris he went to watch Racing Club, because they wore the same kit as RUA, so he could pretend to still be watching his favourite team. ‘After all,’ he wrote (in French), ‘that’s why I loved my team so much – for the joy of victories, so wonderful when paired with th...

Events

2 h. ago Scotland in 1962: Here are 23 remarkable pictures of Scottish life 63 years ago

Scotland was a very different place in the first part of the 1960s.

Politics

2 h. ago West Ham identify Slaven Bilic and Nuno as potential Potter replacements

Bilic was club’s manager from 2015-17 and is out of workGraham Potter’s future not thought to hinge on SaturdayWest Ham will consider turning to Slaven Bilic if they sack Graham Potter, who is under growing pressure after a poor start to the season.Although there is a belief that Potter’s immediate future does not hinge on the outcome of Saturday’s home game against Crystal Palace the wider picture is less than encouraging for the former Chelsea manager. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Blind dog known as the ‘hot mess express’ lights up the internet after being put up for adoption

Sailor, an eyeless 7-year-old terrier at Medina County SPCA in Ohio, is up for adoption and ready for his furever home

Politics

3 h. ago John Lennon’s school desk goes on display at Beatles Museum in Liverpool

Desk from Quarry Bank high school had been hidden by staff as teachers had considered Lennon a ‘nuisance’A desk used by John Lennon has gone on display after being found in the attic of his former school, where teachers had not wanted to remember the musician because he was a “nuisance”.Lennon attended Quarry Bank high school in Liverpool between 1952 and 1957, and the name of the Quarrymen, the band that would become the Beatles in their formative years, was inspired by the school’s name. Continue reading...

Culture

3 h. ago We were stunned to spot a STRANGER in our wedding pictures and spent four years trying to unmask him

The happy couple tied the knot four years ago, but as they were sifting through the snaps from their special day, they saw a tall man in a blue suit they just could not recognise.

Politics

3 h. ago Life experiences and peace of mind: what can your money do for you?

Sam Goult, financial planner and director at AC Wealth, explores what matters when it comes to making decisions with your money

Politics

3 h. ago Plane passenger spots man with sunglasses on easyJet flight before clocking who he is

A woman was left gobsmacked when she spotted a man wearing sunglasses on her easyJet flight and she then realised who he was and knew she had to get a picture with him

Politics

3 h. ago A rediscovered Picasso and a Black Sabbath ballet: photos of the day – Thursday

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world Continue reading...

Culture

5 h. ago WRU boss Dave Reddin drops clearest hint yet players may be changing his mind

Reddin is also set to meet with individual players following the announcement that the playing group did not support the WRU's plans

Sport

5 h. ago Cowardly Manchester Arena bomb plotter refuses to leave his cell to appear in court over 'attack on prison guards with boiling oil and makeshift blades'

Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi, pictured, allegedly refused to leave his cell to attend court this morning. He is charged with attepting to kill and injure prison officers.

Events

6 h. ago Trump v the Truth review – no other broadcaster would attempt TV so daring (and mind

Channel 4’s use of facts to correct almost everything the US President has said since taking office in January is a monumental flex. Sadly three hours of him speaking is deadeningly boringIf nothing else, you have to applaud their commitment to the bit. Broadly speaking, the British media responded to Donald Trump’s state visit with a series of cautious little inserts nestled within scheduled news programming. Then along came Channel 4, which decided to go big, junking off a full night’s schedule to deliver an unbroken almost three-hour, fact-based, point-by-point repudiation of almost every single thing that Trump has said since he retook office in January. This sprawling extravaganza, entitled Trump v the Truth, formed the backbone of what effectively became Channel 4’s Trump Day on Wednesday. Preceding it was episode two of The Donald Trump Show, a weird hour that overlaid an arch Come Dine With Me narration over old Trump clips. And throughout the day, continuity announcers were...

Politics

6 h. ago Sheridan Smith to star in new production of Alan Ayckbourn play

Described as a ‘gripping exploration of identity, family, and mental escape’, Woman In Mind will be performed in London, Sunderland and Glasgow.

Politics

7 h. ago 'I tried rare Nando's breakfast at Gatwick Airport and one thing blew my mind'

Shivani Khosla recently sampled something rare - a Nando's breakfast. You can snap the feast up at Gatwick Airport, and she said one thing about the experience blew her mind

Politics

7 h. ago American in UK visits McDonald's and 'can't understand why people eat there'

People said they have been left "mind blown" after watching a tourist react to the UK McDonald's menu

Politics

7 h. ago Camp Rock 3 leaves fans 'outraged' as one star won't return for long

Camp Rock 3 is officially in the works for Disney+ and Disney Channel, 15 years after the original sequel was released

Politics

8 h. ago Social media users warned over AI scam using your pictures and videos

A tech expert has shared a warning to social media users over an artificial intelligence scam that could see crooks take advantage of images and videos you have uploaded online

Events

8 h. ago Camp Rock 3 confirmed but fans left ‘outraged’ as one huge star won’t be returning

A long-awaited threequel for the beloved Disney Channel franchise Camp Rock has been confirmed, with one big name missing from the cast list

Politics