Entertainment

Merlin Griffiths has shared an important update on his treatment after being diagnosed with bowel cancer , revealing that he received an ‘all clear’ result from his final one-year scan.

In September 2021, the TV personality – best-known for serving up beverages at the First Dates restaurant as the resident bartender – shared that he had been diagnosed with cancer .

He has since been undergoing treatment after a 4.5cm wide tumour was found in his bowel, thanking the NHS for the ‘lifesaving’ surgery that he underwent.

In a new update posted on social media, the barman shared an email that he received about a CT scan that he had.

A CT scan, otherwise known as a computed tomography scan or a CAT scan, uses X-rays and a computer to ‘create detailed images of the inside of the body’, the NHS explains.

The email that Merlin received read: ‘Hi Merlin, hope you are well. Your CT scan has just come through. All looks good, there are no signs of reoccurrence. Hope this is reassuring.’

In his caption, he added: ‘Final Year 1 scan results are in, and it’s ALL CLEAR for now. Nice. Thank you #NHS #bowelcancerawareness.’

Several of his Instagram followers celebrated his brilliant news, with one person who’s going through a similar situation to him commenting: ‘Amazing news! I had my 2 year scan results at the weekend! Like you, all clear! Always such a relief! #scanxiety is real!’

‘Well done merlin amazing news ❤️ keep well and enjoy the new found health x,’ someone else said.

Others who are awaiting their own scan results congratulated Merlin on his news, while expressing their hopes that they’ll receive similarly positive news.

Chef James Martin added: ‘Brilliant news fella just brilliant see you at the house and stay for a glass or 4.’

In April this year, Merlin showed his stoma scars live on TV while opening up about his bowel cancer journey to raise awareness of the condition and symptoms to look out for.

Going on Lorraine, he said: ‘Going through it all myself, you get very comfortable talking about this stuff [checking your poo] because you have to and you’re dealing with medical professionals and treating your diagnosis,’ he said.

‘But I think there is a bigger point and people have to be comfortable talking about this before this happens.’

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The Crown is reportedly returning in the form of a feature film once the sixth and final series drops on Netflix this year.

Season 5 of the royal drama was set in the 1990s, covering the Queen’s ‘annus horribilis’ in 1992 and the fire severely damaging Windsor Castle , as well as the fallout of Princess Diana and King Charles’ marriage.

The time has come for the streamer programme to conclude with the sixth series , which is being filmed now, and after seasons of drama, the show will end on a joyous note.

Although it is believed the upcoming season will be the last, it looks like The Crown might be heading to the big screen.

A source shared: ‘Although this sounds like a drastic change, it’s one that proved a huge success for Downton Abbey , which ran for 52 episodes before continuing as two hit films.’

The insider added to The Sun : ‘Down the line, there’s the option to revisit the 21st century royals, perhaps focusing on Harry meeting Meghan [Markle] and his fallout with William.’

The premiere date has been kept under wraps, but series six will also depict Princess of Wales, Princess Diana’s death in August 1997, where she was injured in a fatal accident in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris.

In October 2022, Netflix crews in the French capital were seen filming the lead-up to Princess Diana’s death.

The Crown has faced major backlash in recent years with former Prime Ministers Sir John Major and Sir Tony Blair slamming the depiction while Dame Judi Dench called for a disclaimer to be added to each episode, saying it has begun to verge on ‘crude sensationalism’.

Metro.co.uk has reached out to Netflix for comment.

The Crown is available to stream on Netflix.

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A former The X Factor Australia contestant has been charged with murdering a baby five years ago.

Mitchell David Callaway was arrested at a house in Bowraville, New South Wales, on Thursday morning after an investigation by detectives from Orana Mid-Western Police District.

The 37-year-old has now been charged with murder following an investigation into the circumstances of the death of the nine-month-old in the state’s Central West in 2018.

He appeared in Macksville Local Court, and while he did not apply for bail, it was refused.

The arrest was reported to have been the culmination of five years of investigations by Strike Force King, which was established to investigate the baby’s death five years ago, as reported by the ABC .

About 10am on Monday, July 23, 2018, emergency services were called to a home in the town of Binnaway following reports a nine-month-old girl was unresponsive.

She was taken to Coonabarabran Hospital by paramedics but died a short time later.

At the time the home was analysed by specialist forensic officers, which then lead police to conclude that the death was suspicious.

Last week, NSW police renewed calls for information from the community in light of fresh evidence relevant to the case.

After receiving this, they executed a warrant and later arrested Callaway.

The country singer competed in the third season of the reality singing series in 2011, auditioning for the show with Keith Urban’s song Tonight I Wanna Cry.

He was mentored by singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte, ultimately placing seventh in the competition after being eliminated in a showdown with Home and Away star Johnny Ruffo.

He is due to face court again next week.

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Love Island star Molly Marsh might have found a spark with Mitchel Taylor in the first few days of the 2023 summer season, but fans are currently speculating that she could have history with a former star of the show.

In 2019, Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague were introduced to fans of the ITV2 reality competition in the fifth series, finishing as the runners-up and going on to have a daughter together , who was born in January this year and is named Bambi.

As Love Island fans pore over the social media profiles of the new islanders, some have spotted a TikTok video that Molly, 21, shared in May 2020.

In the video, the musical theatre performer rubbed her face with her hands as a caption appeared on screen that read: ‘You dated Tommy Fury before he went on Love Island?’

Miming along to the song playing in the background, Molly mouthed: ‘Yeah.’

The next caption read: ‘You are still in touch with each other..’, as the reality star mouthed ‘yeah’ again.

The next writing that appeared on screen read: ‘You and Molly Mae are good friends now..’, as Molly nodded and mouthed ‘yeah’ once again.

She then added: ‘What now?’ at the end.

So did Molly (other Molly, not Molly-Mae) and Tommy actually date before he achieved nationwide fame on Love Island?

Did Love Island star Molly Marsh date Tommy Fury?

While it might appear as though Molly insinuated that she had a romantic history with Tommy, and fans are jumping to that conclusion after her TikTok video circulated on social media… it isn’t the case.

Who are you rooting for on the Love Island 2023 summer series? Have your say below Comment Now

Metro.co.uk understands that at the time that the clip was posted online three years ago, the social media star was simply jumping on a viral trend that had swept TikTok.

She apparently wasn’t the only influencer to take part, with others seemingly making similar videos featuring the made-up claims.

While Molly might not have dated Tommy in the past, Love Island fans quickly spotted that she and Molly-Mae shar e a similar trait – their love of cuddly toys.

During the 2019 series, Molly-Mae’s love of her elephant Ellie Belly knew no bounds, with Tommy even carrying the toy when they shared an emotional reunion after Casa Amor.

Molly, meanwhile, has already introduced her own stuffed animal to Mitchel as they shared a bed together, called Plop.

Love Island returns tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.

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Slipknot announced they were splitting from one of their founding members Craig Jones after 27 years.

The keyboardist’s departure was shared with fans in a now-deleted social media post and detailed that the 51-year-old would no longer be performing with the heavy metal band.

Craig joined the group over a decade ago in 1996 and made a name for himself as the spiky face masked piano player, featuring on all seven of the outfit’s studio albums.

However, fans were faced with uncertainty over the musician’s future as the tweet releasing news of his exit was deleted shortly after it was uploaded.

According to MailOnline , it read while active: ‘To our fans, Slipknot is announcing that we have parted ways with Craig Jones.

‘We wish Jones all the best for the future.’

Craig has yet to release any comment regarding his time with the band and fans expressed their confusion online.

One wrote after reading the unexpected news: ‘Craig Jones left slipknot, man i loved that spiky guy im gonna miss him [sic].’

Another said: ‘Craig Jones leaving Slipknot has come as a surprise. Great career, what next for Craig!??? [sic].’

‘I JUST WOKE UP FROM A 3 HOURS SLEEPS AND SAW THAT CRAIG JONES HAS PARTED WAYS WITH SLIPKNOT?!! WTF?? [sic],’ a Twitter user exclaimed.

A confused supporter then commented: ‘So last night, Slipknot put up a Tweet saying they were parting ways with Craig Jones, to then have the Tweet deleted and finally they share a picture of a potentially new masked person. It’s not easy being a Slipknot fan atm [sic].’

The last message came after the band’s Twitter account shared an image of a seemingly new member wearing a hooded cloak and terrifying mask with a zip for a mouth.

Offering no explanatory caption, the metal group’s fans began demanding explanations under the post and guessed it could be Craig wearing a new mask.

‘What if its Craig with a new mask?’ suggested one account while another said, ‘So you issued a statement, got everyone in an uproar, and then deleted it. What exactly is happening?’

Metro.co.uk contacted Slipknot and Craig’s reps for comment.

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