admin

Ant Middleton forced to sell UK home after £1.2m tax bill and SAS Who Dares Wins axing

ANT Middleton has been forced to sell his family home after business debts worth £1.2 million left him facing bankruptcy.

The former SAS star, 44, purchased the sprawling five bed property in Essex back in 2019 for £1.16 million.

Ant Middleton and his wife Emilie at a film premiere.
Alamy
Ant Middleton and wife Emilie are selling their family home[/caption]
Ant Middleton at the Channel 7 Upfront.
Getty
Ant quit the UK last year after his axe from SAS[/caption]

Ant often showed off the rural retreat on social media as he posted snaps of his five children, who he shares with wife Emilie.

It is described as an ‘exceptional residence’ and an ‘exquisite home’ – the floor plans detailing the property layout with Ant’s standalone gym.

The particulars also report that the couple had secured planning permission for a rear extension.

It is now on the marked for £1.5m and the forced sale of his ‘matrimonial’ home has been reported in a liquidation update for his company Sway and Starting.

Filed at Companies House, a Progress Report, states: “During the period a settlement was entered into with the director whereby he would pay £300,000 in full and final settlement of his overdrawn Directors Loan Account.

“The director failed to adhere to the payment plan and only one instalment was received.

“A statutory demand was served on the Director with a view to petitioning for his bankruptcy. He subsequently agreed to sell his matrimonial home and provide the remainer of the amount owed under the settlement agreement.”

Sway and Starting went into liquidation in December 2022, the progress report filed by liquidators Begbies Traynor the third insolvency document to be drawn up.

A Statement of Affairs signed off by Middleton at liquidation reported monies owed by directors to the firm at £2.7 million.

Also reported were £1.2 million in tax debts – comprising £342,792 in VAT, £907,191 in corporation tax and £6,370 in employee taxes.

As well as reporting the sale of the family home, the progress report also reveals an ‘asset trace’ was undertaken into ‘the assets of the director.’

The Middletons set up Sway and Starting in 2014, and it traded as Middleton Global until September 2022.

The pair owned through Middleton Global Group, and it traded modestly for its first four years. Its net worth reported at £1 in 2015, £91 in 2016, £114 in 2017 and £1,644 in 2018.

Its money making years coming in 2020 and 2021, with a £821,629 profit reported for 2020, as well as dividend pay at £1,089,980. With the firm holding £807,887 in its last accounts.

The upturn in profits was accompanied by an increase in the firm’s tax debt and significant loans from the business to Ant and his wife.

Sway and Starting owing £807,887 in tax as at the last accounts, the couple borrowing almost £1.7 million during the trading year and owing £1.5 million as at the date of the accounts.

Ant left the UK to move to Dubai last year he was axed from SAS: Who Dares Wins in 2021, heading off to Australia to do a foreign format of the programme.

Ant’s rep has been contacted for comment.

Muscular man standing outside his home gym.
Ant’s home comes with it’s own gym
Family making crafts together at a table.
The star has shared glimpses of his home over the years
Family portrait in the desert at sunset.
Ant with his five children

Read More »

Tottenham eye ambitious £80m transfer swoop for Dortmund and England U21 star Jamie Gittens

TOTTENHAM are eyeing up an audacious summer move for Borussia Dortmund starlet Jamie Gittens.

Winger Gittens, 20, has been a long-term target of Spurs who are keen to bolster the left-side of their attack.

Jamie Gittens of Borussia Dortmund in a yellow uniform.
Alamy
Spurs are eyeing up an audacious summer move for Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens[/caption]

But there is likely to be plenty of competition for the former Manchester City academy player.

Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea also tracking the England Under-21 international.

Gittens has scored 16 goals in 91 appearances for Dortmund, coming on as a late sub in last season’s Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.

This year he has developed into a first-team regular, netting 11 goals in 33 appearances.

He has not scored in eight games though as Dortmund have slid down to 11th in the Bundesliga table, winning just one and losing five of their last seven league games.

Dortmund are eight points off the top four but are still in the Champions League, holding a 3-0 lead going into their play-off second leg against Sporting Lisbon.

Should they miss out on qualification for Europe’s elite club competition for next season, they may be forced to cash in on Gittens, believed to be valued at £80million.

Former Dortmund and Liverpool striker Karl Heinz-Riedle told SunSport in November that Gittens has the potential to emulate ex-team-mates Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho.

Jamie Gittens' 2024-25 Dortmund season statistics.

CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS

The German, 59, said: “Jamie is still not 100 per cent what we expect from a world-class player  — but he has all the talent to become one of those.

“He can become the next Sancho, Erling Haaland or Bellingham.”

Gittens has 16 goals for Dortmund in 91 matches – scoring 11 of those this season.

Read More »

Cheryl Fergison announces ‘return to the BBC’ after being axed and forced to work in a Chinese restaurant

FORMER EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison has announced her ‘return to the BBC’ – over a decade on from being axed.

Cheryl, 60, played Heather Trott for five years, leaving in 2012 when the character was killed off.

Cheryl Fergison at the National Lottery Awards.
Getty
EastEnders’ Cheryl Fergison has revealed her ‘return to the BBC’[/caption]
Heather Trott and Shirley Carter arguing in a market.
BBC
Cheryl played soap favourite Heather Trott for five years[/caption]
Woman announcing next week's schedule.
tiktok
Cheryl shared her upcoming work in an online update[/caption]

Posting on TikTok, the actress revealed her upcoming projects – including filming for the BBC.

Cheryl shared to her followers: “I’ve been packing, getting ready for London next week. Going to be doing a little secret project.

“Then, I will be filming for the BBC. And then I will be going to The Groove Chorus, working with the beautiful Groove Chorus at The Clapham Ground on the 21st and 22nd.”

It comes as Cheryl flogged tickets to fans to see her perform at a Chinese takeaway’s opening earlier this month.

Posting on social media, the former soap actress said she’d sing for diners at the The Dragon Lounge in Blackpool.

She serenaded customers at the establishment across February 1 and February 2, kicking off at 7pm.

Last year, meanwhile, Cheryl opened up about her money struggles.

Revealing she had been conned out of a “humongous” amount of money, the actress told how she was forced to claim benefits and turn to a food bank for help.

She said on ITV‘s This Morning: “There is a circumstance that started this, which I can’t talk about at this moment in time, but it started to spiral.

“The only way I can say it is I was conned out of a humongous amount of money.

“That led to the cancer thing and everything spiralled. I was robbing Peter to pay Paul.

“I ended up having to sell my house. Now I am living up north and renting.”

Cheryl made her first appearance as Heather Trott, sidekick to Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) in June 2007, initially as a guest character.

Owing to her popularity, Heather later became a full-time part of the BBC soap.

However, her time in Walford ended in tragedy after she was bludgeoned by Ben Mitchell (then Joshua Pascoe) in early 2012.

After Cheryl posted a cryptic message on Instagram last year, fans hoped it meant a return for Heather – despite the character’s death.

At the top of a snap, the star wrote the telling line: “Are you still watching this space?”

Darkest soap storylines

Over the years the likes of EastEndersEmmerdale and Coronation Street have all tried to try outdo each other with their outlandish plots in a bid to keep us tuning in each week. But here are some of the darkest that had fans in shock…

  • EastEnders: Tony grooming Whitney (2008-2009) – Tony King first appeared in Albert Square in 2008 as the boyfriend of Bianca, played by Patsy Palmer. But it was quickly revealed he was a paedophile who had been grooming vulnerable Whitney, Bianca’s adopted stepdaughter from a previous relationship, since she was 12. The shocking storyline attracted more than 200 complaints within a week of it beginning. Whitney waited until her 16th birthday to reveal the truth to a horrified Bianca, who called the police.
  • Emmerdale: Holly’s drug addiction and shock death (2010-2016) – In 2010, Holly Barton (played by Sophie Powles) became Emmerdale’s first teenage drug addict. The shocking storyline saw her taking cocaine on a night out before developing a deadly heroin habit. Parents John and Moira desperately tried to help get their daughter clean but when Holly returned in 2016, following a four-year absence, she quickly relapsed. Fans were left stunned and heartbroken when distraught Moira found Holly dead in her bed from a heroin overdose.
  • Hollyoaks: Luke’s rape (2000) – Actor Gary Lucy was just 17 when he took on this groundbreaking storyline, which saw his character Luke Morgan become soap’s first male rape victim. Luke had endured a long-running bullying campaign by football rival Mark Gibbs – who raped him after Luke stood up to him. Luke was left suicidal following the brutal attack, before opening up to his brother Adam. Gibbs was sentenced to eight years in prison. Gary won the Best Actor gong at the British Soap Awards in 2000 for his performance.
  • Coronation Street: Evil Richard Hillman (2001-2003) – Just a mere mention of ‘Richard Hillman’ is enough to send a shiver down the spines of soap fans. He is often ranked one of the most evil soap villains and it’s not hard to see why. The smooth-talking financial adviser bashed his ex-wife Patricia over the head with a shovel. In a bid to keep his mother-in-law Audrey quiet, he set fire to her house. And when Maxine caught him trying to murder Emily Bishop, he took a crowbar to her head. He made his exit from the cobbles in 2003 when he drove Gail Platt, played by Helen Worth, and her family into the canal. They survived, but he didn’t.
  • In her image caption she added: “Soon all will be revealed,” followed by a red Emoji love heart.

    One fan wrote: “Come on Heather dig your way out of that grave.”

    Another added: “So hoping you are coming back to EE with Shirley.”

    EastEnders airs on BBC One and iPlayer.

    Cheryl Fergison on the This Morning TV show.
    Rex
    Cheryl has previously opened up about her money struggles[/caption]

    Read More »

    Nasa fires up ‘boomless’ supersonic jet that will travel at speeds over 900mph ahead of first flight this year

    NASA has completed the engine ground tests on its supersonic jet, which is expected to take to skies later this year.

    The X-59 jet is Nasa and Lockheed Martin’s joint offering, which the pair hope will retire the deafening sonic boom that is usually associated with supersonic aircraft.

    NASA's quiet supersonic jet during a test run.
    Lockheed Martin / Gary Tice
    When planes exceed the speed of sound at Mach 1 – or about 767mph – they produce a thunderous boom[/caption]
    NASA's quiet supersonic jet X-59 engine firing.
    Lockheed Martin / Gary Tice
    The sonic thump will be about 75 decibels, according to Nasa – which roughly as loud as a toilet flushing[/caption]
    NASA's quiet supersonic jet, XB-1, in flight.
    Lockheed Martin / Gary Tice
    The X-59 is designed to hit speeds of 924mph, at an altitude of roughly 55,000ft[/caption]

    “We have successfully progressed through our engine ground tests as we planned,” said Raymond Castner, X-59 propulsion lead at NASA’s Glenn Research Center, in an agency release.

    “We were getting smooth and steady airflow as predicted from wind tunnel testing.

    We didn’t have any structural or excessive vibration issues. And parts of the engine and aircraft that needed cooling were getting it.”

    When planes exceed the speed of sound at Mach 1 – or about 767mph – they produce a thunderous boom.

    The explosion-like noise was part of the reason supersonic aircraft were banned in the US more than 50 years ago.

    These aircrafts were so loud they made people’s windows rattle, and scared livestock.

    It was caused by air pressure waves combining to form a shock wave produced by the plane’s extreme speed.

    The X-59 is designed to hit speeds of 924mph, at an altitude of roughly 55,000ft.

    But Nasa and Lockheed say the research jet won’t have a troublesome sonic boom when it eventually flies.

    The 30m-long and 9m-wide plane has a sharp, stiletto-style nose that engineers believe will quieten the noise – demoting it from a sonic boom to a “sonic thump”.

    “We expect the X-59 sonic thump to be as low as about 75 perceived loudness decibels,” Larry Cliatt, sub-project manager for the Quesst acoustic validation phase, said in an update last year.

    “That is a lot quieter than the Concorde, which was over 100 perceived loudness decibels.”

    75 decibels is about as loud as a toilet flushing – and half as loud as a balloon popping.

    The jet’s F414-GE-100 engine is also mounted on top of the aircraft, in an effort to reduce the amount of noise that reaches the ground.

    It’s unclear when the X-59 will take to the skies for the first time.

    The jet was supposed to make its inaugural flight last year, but it was postponed.

    Nasa has yet to issue an updated timeline on its flight schedule, though the first flight is expected to occur in 2025.

    Once the X-59 flies for the first time, the space agency will put the plane through a series of tests to see how the sonic thump is experienced at ground-level.

    These demonstrations are expected to run through 2027, although they depend on when the jet eventually flies.

    a nasa jet is flying over a city
    Alamy
    The 30m-long and 9m-wide plane has a sharp, stiletto-style nose that engineers believe will quieten the noise – demoting it from a sonic boom to a “sonic thump”[/caption]
    NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic jet during engine testing.
    Lockheed Martin / Gary Tice
    The jet’s F414-GE-100 engine is also mounted on top of the aircraft, in an effort to reduce the amount of noise that reaches the ground[/caption]

    Supersonic and Hypersonic Jets

    There are several types of hypersonic and supersonic jets. A breakdown of what's been happening in the industry and what's expected in the coming years.

    Talon-A

    • Built by Stratolaunch
    • Reported speeds of Mach 5
    • The first test flight conducted in 2024

    X-59 Quesst

    • Built by Nasa and Lockheed Martin
    • Predicted max speeds of Mach 1.4
    • The first test flight in 2025 – but subject to delays

    Venus Stargazer M4

    • Built by Venus Aerospace and Velontra
    • Predicted max speeds of Mach 6
    • First test flight in 2025

    Quarterhorse MKII

    • Built by Hermeus
    • Predicted max speeds of Mach 2.5
    • First test flight in 2026

    Halcyon

    • Built by Hermeus
    • Predicted max speeds of Mach 5
    • First test flight by 2030

    Nanqiang No 1

    • Built by China’s hypersonic plane programme
    • Predicted max speeds of Mach 6
    • First test flight in 2025

    DART 

    • Built by Hypersonix Launch Systems
    • Predicted max speeds of Mach 7
    • First test flight in 2025

    Read More »