Thursday 25 June 2020

JACKIE STEWART SUFFERED PAINFUL OP DURING LOCKDOWN



Beverley Lyons 
RACING legend Sir Jackie Stewart has suffered cracked ribs, broken wrists, shoulder injuries and skin cancer, yet he claims an operation he had during the early weeks of lockdown was the most painful experience he’d ever suffered. 
Three time Formula One champion Sir Jackie, 81, from Milton in Dunbartonshire has been spending isolation at his idyllic home in Switzerland with his dementia stricken wife Lady Helen and her two dedicated neuro nurses. 
Having won 99 Grand Prix as well as Formula 1 races in 1969, 1971 and 1973 he is nicknamed The Flying Scot and is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in the history of motorsport. 
As the last surviving Formula 1 world champion from the 60s, he has encountered his fair share of accidents and had his knee and hip replaced through the passage of time, however an operation to his right foot just weeks before his birthday this month put him in need a pit stop. 
He said of the injury: “Well it’s sensitive, put it that way. My right foot did a lot of work in its day. When men were men, we had to wear very light shoes and then we had two pedals for the right foot and only one pedal for the left foot so the left foot is in great shape. The right foot has been abused and it’s amazing. If you look at my hands here you see that is the big toe. Let’s assume that’s these are the other four. The doctor cut them all in two pieces and put them all together in the right place. That was three weeks ago and they said it would take seven days before I could walk properly. It’s painful - The most painful thing I’ve had ever because your weight is all in your foot.”
He laughed: “I’m a married man. I’m used to pain.”
Jackie also took the opportunity during his In The Pink podcast interview to express his fears over Formula 1 taking place without a British Grand Prix. 
He said: “I hope that doesn't happen. That should not be allowed. That's why you've got to have quality and you've got to have integrity and you've got to remember history as well. It would be a mistake. In any case it would be said to have no spectators there. But not to have a British Grand Prix when you consider that Britain started Formula 1 grand prix racing, it was the first time ever there was a world championship Formula 1 race, and it's had such a strong history with tremendous attendances always, to lose that I think would be a disaster for motor sport. I think if they're not careful, that could be the beginning of not such a good time.”

Friday 19 June 2020

LAURA ANDERSON INTRODUCES NEW FELLA TOM TO PARENTS IN SCOTLAND




Beverley Lyons
LOVE Island’s Laura Anderson has returned from London to Scotland with her new beau - and she introduced hunky Tom Brazier to her dad for the first time since they made their lockdown love public. 
The 32 year old former air hostess who has been living in London got together with fitness coach Tom Brazier during Covid 19 isolation and couldn’t wait to return to her home town of Stirling to introduce him to her dad David in time for Father’s Day. 
Laura revealed that the two lovers were off to Scotland and that her gym instructor man Tom insisted on taking a package full of his own food for the trip. 
She said in an Instagram story: “We’re actually going to Scotland, getting the train and this is what Tom is bringing. That’s his food. Little does he know my dads a feeder.”
Laura and Tom took an Uber from their neighbouring apartments in Chiswick  to London Euston among with Laura’s Pomeranian dog Buddy. 


The two wore face masks and Buddy was strapped to a dog carrier which was fixed at different points to Laura and Tom’s chest, and later lay on the table of the train whole Tom who also posted highlights from the journey on his Insta caught up with some emails. 
As Laura sat back and relaxed in the garden at her dads house in Stirling, she watched him and Tom have a table tennis tournament. Joking that Tom was sh** as he missed the ball, she said it was a ‘Scotland versus England’ match.


She joked: “I’m having a great time.Scotland v England, Tickets for the ping pong show £7.50 guys.”  
It is thought that Laura who said she intended to move back home for good will also visit her mum Barbara Turner, a carer from Glasgow while she is here over the next few days.   
She also managed to spend time with some friends for a birthday party. 
From Scotland with Love

Saturday 13 June 2020

KIRSTY GALLACHER REVEALS HORRID COVID SYMPTOMS



SHE might be a well known face of sport but Kirsty Gallacher said that having coronavirus caused her to have ‘horrific’ sickness and shortness of breath that left her ‘struggling to do anything‘.
The glamorous Edinburgh born former Sky Sports presenter and model claims she was struck down by Covid 19 during the early stages of lockdown and said she was hit by loneliness and major anxiety during it. 
Kirsty, 44, who has been spending lockdown in the middle of the countryside in her new £1.4 million home in Berkshire and has had her sons Oscar, 13 and Jude, 10 living with her for only part of it - after sharing time with their father - admitted she had been really unwell. 
The brunette beauty who now hosts a variety of sporting events including Soccer Aid said: “I actually had coronavirus quite badly just before lockdown. I had it over that period. I didn’t feel normal for about a month at the start of it.  I was very unwell. I completely empathise with people who have had all different strains of it and things go on. I had the whole lot. It was awful. I had the breathing thing which I thought was anxiety because of the lockdown situation. I was full on working the week before lockdown and at the time I didn’t know had it. All these symptoms were not actually really documented until weeks later - like loss of sense of smell and taste and sickness and all those nice pleasant things .”
Kirsty whose father is the former Ryder cup captain Bernard Gallacher split from her husband rugby star Paul Samson in 2014. She had visited Edinburgh in the days before lockdown for a promotion with Gavin Hastings. 
The presenter who takes her fitness and well being seriously, and packs in three personal training sessions a week plus running and swimming on top of sustaining a well-balanced diet of fruit, vegetables, lean meat and fish, admitted that she had suffered anxiety during her illness. 
She said: ”It’s been hard in many ways as well. I was on my own and that was when I felt the loneliness and was really unwell. I was not sure of what was going on and I had major anxiety. I had real trouble breathing. I didn’t go to hospital or anything. I controlled it. Coronavirus is a very strange virus is all I can say. Every day I had something different and  new. The cough actually came last for me which was weird. The shortness of breath, I struggled  just doing anything. having a walk was almost impossible, it really was. 
Kirsty who has tried to get her fitness levels back throughout lockdown with a variety of exercises and took part in Wheels For Heroes on Sky Sports this week said: “It was dreadful and the sickness was horrific. I’m trying to get back to  normal and it’s really hard.”
Now that she is feeling a bit better Kirsty claims she has been enjoying  wearing little to no make up during lockdown. 
She said: “I am low maintenance. One thing about lockdown I’ve been loving is having no make up. I was on Good Morning Britain and had to put on some and almost forgot how to do it.  I’ve been loving not having to do it and it’s been lovely having a rest from it. On TV you end up wearing so much and on TV with high definition you have to have it trowelled on.”

Friday 12 June 2020

KT TUNSTALL, WET WET WET, LUKE LA VOLPE SAVE SCOTTISH VENUES


KT Tunstall, Wet Wet Wet, Luke La Volpe, Be Charlotte, Fatherson and Hunter and The Bear are just some of the musicians supporting grassroots music venues this week. 
The Xcerts, Hue & Cry, HoneybloodAnchor LaneKerri Watt, Seil Lien, Declan Welsh, The Jellyman’s Daughter and Bow Anderson also join host Vic Galloway to perform across three virtual stages on Friday June 19. 
 Streamed on livefrom.eventsthe festival will be raising money to support Scotland's vital grassroots music venues facing closure due to Covid-19.
Luke La Volpe, who has already organised 2 successful fundraising events for Music Venue Trust’s #saveourvenues campaign said, “It’s an absolute surprise and honour to be invited to be a Patron for the Music Venue Trust. When I looked at who else they have as patrons I was in shock. The past few weeks have been difficult for absolutely everyone on the planet and I was thinking of ways I could do something positive and all I really have to do that with is music. When I came across the MVT and found out what they do for Grassroots venues it was a no brainer to put something together to help them and spread awareness. 
Every artist starts off in these grassroots venues, including all the other MVT patrons, however big they've got, and without them you have no music business. I’m glad to be part of such a great initiative and will do my bit to ensure that the venues survive and can have us all back playing in front of people before too long.”
 Stina Tweeddale aka. Honeyblood added, “I honestly don’t know where I would be without the grassroots venue touring circuit in the UK. Not only as an artist but as a music lover, these places are the building blocks of the musical community. A venue is so much more than a room where gigs take place - it’s walls soak up every show that goes on within it, creating a history of live music right before our eyes and ears.”
Save Our Scottish Venues kicks off at 8pm on Thursday 18 June with an exclusive set from Fran Healy (Travis) free to view at https://www.facebook.com/musicvenuetrust/. The main festival starts at 8pm on Friday 19 June with 3 stages of music and chat. Line-up and ticket details here: http://musicvenuetrust.com
    Tickets are on sale now from 

Tuesday 9 June 2020

TORCHWOOD AND DOCTOR WHO STAR JOHN BARROWMAN RUSHED MUM TO HOSPITAL AFTER FALL




SCOTS actor John  Barrowman ended up having to go to hospital with his mum after she had a bad fall at home during isolation. 
The 53 year old Tochwood and Doctor Who actor from Mount Vernon now lives in Palm Springs with his actor husband Scott Gill.    
The two men ended up in accident and emergency after John’s mum Marion who also lives in Palm Springs at a £500,000 home gifted to her by John with her husband John senior had to be rushed there for treatment. 
John said of his mum who celebrated her 65th wedding anniversary two weeks ago: “My mother had a fall resulting in a fractured pelvis. We had to deal with it today so our social distancing went out the window but we wore masks and lots of sanitizer and alcohol spray. 


“We took her to the hospital. We got her x rayed and obviously we didn’t go in with her. My dad went in with her because only one person was allowed but the doctors who did her hip operation said she’s just going to need bed rest for a couple of weeks and then she is going to be able to get up again. She was in a lot of pain.
He added: “Mum is resting now and comfortable and my dad has put on his chef’s hat and his nurses outfit. It’s a sight to see but they are both doing well. We made sure of it.


He urged fans to send messages to her on his Instagram adding: “If you want to leave them a message go ahead and I will make sure they see it. It would really boost her spirits.”
After Trisha Goddard, Emily Attack and Keith Lemon sent their well wishes, John admitted: “I’m shattered.” And that he was going to have a really big cocktail.

Monday 1 June 2020

SCOTS FAMILY HOLD THEIR OWN FESTIVAL DURING LOCKDOWN



Beverley Lyons 
A Scots family were missing music festivals so much during isolation that they decided to hold their own in their garden. 
Rebecca Geddes, 20, from Invergordon and her mum Lynne Laird, 41,  and stepdad Alexander Laird, 39, took a week to plan and build their festival site at home. 
As well as all the virtual top acts, Rebecca, a nursery practitioner, Alexander, a painter and Lynne a careworker, even had their own fairground complete with washing whirligig merry go round, a Slam shed blaring out the latest tunes, snack bar selling big baps  and a firework display consisting of a sparkler to end the event. 
Their hilarious footage of the T in The Garden festival even shows them queuing up for passes and having their bags checked before camping out in the garden. 
Rebecca said: “My stepdad has gone to a festival every year since he was 16 and it would be a shame to miss out a year due to events being cancelled. Everyone was needing to have a bit of a laugh!”
The family had planned to attend a range of events including Belladrum this year as well as Party at the Palace (not cancelled just yet), Peat and Diesel Irish tour, Hunter and the Bear, Skippinish, Westlife, and Davy and Sam Cowan. 


Rebecca said: “We thought up the idea last weekend and building started on Friday. We were lucky that we had scaffolding, tents, gazebo, portaloo and a saw to cut a hole in the shed. The next door neighbours saw it all from their garden and windows. Entry was free for us as long as you had fun. 
We had Peat and Diesel headlining on the pyramid stage, Davy Cowan and Sam in the Arch Inn and Flynn in the Slam shed. We had a nice clean toilet, campsite, burger van, stall, and shows.”
We never expected it to go viral but are really happy that it did.