MOURNERS have gathered for the funeral of Michael O’Sullivan – the Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey who died aged 24.

Racing has been in mourning since Sunday after his tragic passing was confirmed.

PA

The coffin of Michael O’Sullivan is carried into St John the Baptist Church as racing remembered the tragic 24-year-old jockey[/caption]

PA

Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey O’Sullivan sadly died as a result of the injuries he suffered in a fall[/caption]

PA

O’Sullivan died as a result of the injuries he suffered in a fall at Thurles on February 6[/caption]

O’Sullivan, a rising star of the weighing room, suffered injuries in a fall at Thurles racecourse in Ireland on February 6 from which he never recovered.

As the tributes poured in he was remembered as a ‘beautiful person‘ – with the sport lucky to have such an accomplished, confident and intelligent young man among its ranks.

His awful passing at a young age and just weeks before Cheltenham Festival has left a huge hole in people’s hearts.

The funeral mass at St John the Baptist Church in Cork was packed with mourners remembering a much-loved and respected rider.

His coffin bearing the blue and gold flag of his GAA club Kilshannig was met at the church door by a guard of honour made up of over a dozen jockeys he raced with.

Ahead of his funeral, his family spoke of how proud they were of all his accomplishments, which included winning two races in one day at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival.

A post on rip.ie read: “On Sunday, February 16, 2025 after a trojan battle to recover from injuries sustained in a fall, Michael died peacefully a few days short of his 25th birthday, surrounded by his heartbroken parents Bernie (née Goulding) and William, brother Alan, partner Charlotte and extended family.

“Michael had accomplished so much in his short life.

“As a family we are so incredibly proud not only of his achievements in the saddle, but of the extraordinary young man he had become.

“He was full of kindness, integrity, ambition and love, always striving to be the best person he could be.

“Michael will be very sadly missed by Bernie, William, Alan, “Granny Mary”, aunts Kathleen, Marie, Anne, Marguerite and Marie, uncles Connie, Willie, Sean, Andy, Patsy, Eugene, Patrick and Michael, aunts-in-law, uncles-in-law, cousins, Charlotte, his many friends as well as his weigh room colleagues and the wider racing community.”

More to follow.

JACK Whitehall left fans taken aback when he made a crude joke about his sex life with his future wife.

The comedian, 36, made a rather crude joke about his sex life with Roxy Horner at a star-studded F1 event on Tuesday night.

Splash

Jack Whitehall hosted the F1 75 Live ceremony on Tuesday night at the O2 Arena in London[/caption]

Getty

The comedian cracked a crude joke while on stage[/caption]

Getty

Jack is engaged to model Roxy Horner, whom he shares a daughter with[/caption]

Rex

Charles Leclerc was included in Jack’s X-rated joke[/caption]

The joke comes after The Sun revealed that Jack and Roxy, 33, got engaged before Christmas at the end of last year.

Jack hosted the Formula 1 season launch event earlier this week, with Take That and country star Kane Brown performing during the night.

As he was opening the season, Jack introduced Lewis Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc.

Introducing him, Jack also quipped that he was “the most handsome man on the grid”.

Before revealing it was Charles who he was talking about, he made a crude joke about the racing car driver.

“The man my fiancee imagines when we make love, and the guy I imagine when me and my fiancee make love,” he said before saying Charles’ name.

This comes as Jack and Roxy plan their wedding after getting engaged at the end of 2024.

The couple met while Jack was on a trip to Australia in 2020 and they ended up isolating together in London during the coronavirus pandemic.

They welcomed their first child Elsie in September last year.

FIRST TIME PARENTS

Jack announced the news online and said: “In awe of my partner who has been amazing throughout this journey and is going to be the greatest mum ever.”

At the time of The Sun revealing Jack and Roxy’s engagement, a pal said: “Jack and Roxy are going into Christmas as an engaged couple.

“He asked Roxy to marry him earlier this month and she said yes straight away.

“They could not be happier together and are looking forward to planning their wedding.”

Roxy, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2021, has previously praised Jack for his support.

SUPPORTIVE PARTNER

She told Marie Claire: “My boyfriend has been incredible. I am so lucky in that respect.

“I’ve quietly decided to spend less time with the people who haven’t understood.

“I’m really listening to my body and hoping by next year I’ll be able to get back to my normal self again.

“I know I will always have diabetes with me and that occasionally I’ll have to take time out but that’s okay.

“Right now, I’m taking baby steps.

“I’m trying to get back my peace, surround myself with loving, understanding people and just getting the hang of this.”

jackwhitehall/instagram

Roxy and Jack share a child together[/caption]

Getty

The glamorous couple reside in London[/caption]

WAYNE Rooney is training up the next generation of football stars – including former England teammate Kyle Walker’s six-year-old son.

Ex Manchester United ace Rooney has been spotted at an £8,000 kids’ football camp based at a five-star Dubai hotel.

Reuters

Walker remains in Milan for football training after last night’s draw[/caption]

Football Escapes

Rooney is coaching the kids’ team after a setback in his own career[/caption]

The legendary goalscorer, 39, is back coaching this February half-term – two months after being sacked as Plymouth Argyle manager after just seven months in charge.

Pictures show Wayne’s son Cass, also six, playing footie with Walker’s third child Reign as his dad’s AC Milan team were knocked out of the Champions League.

Walker, 34, looked gutted last night to lose out at the play-off stage with a 1-1 draw to Dutch team Feyenoord, having quit Man City for the Italian club and admitting: “Winning the Champions League would be a dream come true. I have experienced it in a great final with City.”

Meanwhile his football mad son Reign is almost 4,000 miles away in Dubai with his mum Annie Kilner and brothers Roman, Riaan and Rezon, where Rooney is hosting a special event at the stunning Jumeirah Beach as the new Football Escapes ambassador.

Running from February 17-21, Wayne is putting the kids through their paces as they learn from one of England‘s all-time greats.

A spokesman for Football Escapes posted on social media: “Wayne Rooney’s first Football Escapes course is in full flow, and it’s been nothing short of amazing.

“Expert coaching, plenty of laughs, and memories being made on and off the pitch.”

Since leaving Plymouth Argyle, Rooney landed a punditry gig for Amazon Prime‘s live coverage of Man City’s Champions League efeat to Real Madrid last week.

He’s now back coaching again in his new role as ambassador for Football Escapes – after being sacked for winning just four of his 23 Championship matches.

He’s being used as a way to entice parents to splurge on the package, with prices for a family of four averaging between £7,500 and £8,650.

“While the children learn from one of football’s most celebrated players, parents can relax by the private beach”, says the event website.

“Indulge in fine dining, or explore the many family-focused activities the resort has to offer.

“From football coaching with a Premier League legend to relaxing in Dubai’s luxurious setting, this Football Escapes holiday strikes the perfect balance of fun, learning, and quality family time.”

Football Escapes

Rooney got involved as he put the kids through their paces[/caption]

ZAC Efron’s brother Dylan has thrown his name into the ring for Celebrity Bear Hunt series two.

Outdoorsy Dylan, who recently starred in The Traitors in the US, has been a lifelong fan of survivalist Bear and his A-list sibling, 37, even filmed with him for a 2014 episode of Running Wild.

Splash

Dylan Efron attended F1 75 Live in London last night[/caption]

Splash

He’d love to take part in Celebrity Bear Hunt[/caption]

Celebrity Bear Hunt launched on Netflix earlier this month and immediately became the number one most viewed show on the platform.

It followed a group of 12 celebs who were tasked with a series of adrenaline-fuelled challenges in Costa Rica. If that wasn’t enough, they also had to evade Bear in a sprawling outdoor area chillingly named The Bear Pit.

A second series seems inevitable, and Dylan, 33, said he would take on any challenge Bear sent his way.

Speaking to The Sun at F1 75 Live last night, he said: “Anything with Bear Grylls, sign me up. I’ve been watching him since I was a kid. I would do anything out there.”

When it was put to him he might have to do some pretty stomach-churning things such as drinking his own urine, Dylan remained undeterred.

“Look, I’ll do it,” he smiled. “I’ve done a lot worse off camera.”

It’s not the only reality adventure show he’d be keen to test himself on.

Survivor and Celebrity SAS are two programmes he believes he’d be well suited to tackling.

He said: “As a kid I always wanted to do Survivor just because I watched it growing up. But look, there’s so many new shows, like Special Forces. Any of those where I’m going to go and have fun and challenge myself, I’d consider.”

A move into acting could also be on the cards, though he doesn’t expect to be rivalling brother Zac anytime soon.

Launching his career with the hugely popular High School Musical franchise, Zac has gone on to star in the likes of The Greatest Showman, The Iron Claw, A Family Affair.

He also controversially portrayed and received acclaim for playing serial killer Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

Dylan said: “No, if anything, I have a huge respect for actors, like my brother. Because I know it’s a skill set. I know I’m not going to play Ted Bundy in my first role.

“I can play a role that’s similar to me. Like, Into the Wild, give me that role, I can crush that. Luckily, there are a lot of roles that are like me.

instagram

Dylan with his younger brother Zac[/caption]

PA

Zac filmed with Bear for an episode of Running Wild in 2014[/caption]

“I’ve changed my jobs a thousand times. I’ve been a writer, a stunt guy, a producer. I like to see what’s next. I could see a little acting; my bread and butter is adventure shows. I love travelling and I love learning new things.”

Dylan’s certainly had a varied career so far.

He’s worked on the set of films such as Steven Spielberg’s futuristic Ready Player One, The Accountant, Live by Night and war biopic American Sniper.

And he was a producer and starred in his brother Zac’s travel series Down to Earth with wellness advocate Darin Olien.

More recently he took part in The Traitors and quickly became the season’s heartthrob.

While the show is famed for its backstabbing, treachery and lies, Dylan was just happy to be himself and go along for the ride.

A THUG hurled a fire bomb into the face of a reveller during a vicious bust-up outside a bar.

Shocking CCTV footage showed the victim fall to the ground and roll around in a desperate bid to extinguish the flames.

Twitter

The man was petrol-bombed in the face by an axe-wielding yob[/caption]

Twitter

Shocked passers-by rushed to his aid but were beaten back by the heat[/caption]

Twitter

The shocking CCTV footage showed the victim fall to the ground[/caption]

Shocked passers-by rushed to his aid but were beaten back by the heat.

He eventually managed to pull his top off to put out the fire and staggered to his feet as the violent fracas continued inside Peggy Junes bar, in Redcar, North Yorkshire.

Further footage showed the attacker dressed all in grey storm into the bar.

People inside the packed night spot screamed and rushed to the rear of the building as the man chased them.

He then smashed up the bar and appeared to steal the till before breaking windows on his way out.

Earlier footage shows what appears to be the same man with two women outside the bar engaged in a row with people inside.

He throws a bottle at the window before storming off down the street.

Revellers later told of their terror.

One posted on Facebook: “I was on the floor getting liquid squirted all over my back.

“There was other things but I’m just glad someone was watching over me last night.

“I genuinely thought I was a goner at one point but grateful this morning to be at home with my family.”

Three people were taken to hospital with serious, but not life-threatening injuries, after the incident just after 8pm on Saturday.

The bar later posted online: “From the bottoms of our hearts we want to send our sincerest apologies to all that were affected at the incident.

“It was unprovoked but also could not be avoided. My heart is broken to all of you that were affected or witnesses.”

Cleveland Police said three people have been charged following the incident and will appear in court.

A 33-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated burglary, criminal damage and assaulting.

A 37-year-old man has been charged with assisting an offender and a 36-year-old woman has been charged with assisting an offender, possession of a blade in a public place and assault.

Twitter

Further footage showed the attacker dressed all in grey storm into the bar[/caption]

Twitter

He then smashed up the bar and appeared to steal the till[/caption]

Twitter

He can be seen breaking windows on his way out[/caption]

This isn't the first time it's happened, either.

NS&I is making a big change to the Premium Bond prize fund.

You can back the Briton to keep his belt.

She hasn't been met with congratulations.

Liverpool and West Ham are also interested.