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I was on Come Dine with Me – strict show bosses confiscated our booze after catching us drinking in secret

A CONTESTANT on Come Dine With Me reveals how strict show bosses confiscated their booze after catching them secret drinking during the show.

Plymouth based, support worker Lea Dobson loved her time on the cooking show but explained that lots of things were cut from the show because the contestants were drunk.

Woman in a sequined jumpsuit taking a selfie.
Plymouth based, support worker Lea Dobson loved her time on the cooking show
Three women in pink dresses posing together.
Lea said that she has made friends for life during her time on the show
Group of five people in pink and purple attire posing on a balcony.
Slain McGough Davey, Lea Dobson, Jazza Fandango, Katie Coates and Stephen Connolly appeared on the Channel 4 show as part of the programme’s 20th anniversary

Slain McGough Davey, Lea Dobson, Jazza Fandango, Katie Coates and Stephen Connolly appeared on Come Dine With Me as part of the programme’s 20th anniversary.

Lea who loved being on the show revealed exclusively to The Sun that she didn’t realise how strict the bosses were before she took part in the show.

Lea explained: “We didn’t realize that we were gonna get monitored on what we were drinking.

“It’s like they try and encourage you to have, like, a glass of alcohol with a meal but not much more.

“And, obviously, like, everyone from down my area, we do like to drink and have fun.

“So we were a bit like, oh, this this is shit, we want to drink a bit more than that.

“So we were like were having a look around the house and and we literally found a bottle of his moonshine, and we stole it.

“When we found the moonshine, we just all started swigging it.

Lee explained that they tried to be sneaky so that the producers didn’t see how much they were drinking.

“We’re trying to be sneaky and hiding it under the dinner table and passing it between us.

Lea laughed: “Every time one of them left, we were having more swigs.

“And then they actually caught me doing it and confiscated the bottle from me.

But the producers didn’t hide it too well because the hilarious Lea found it again.

“They hid it in a little food bag but as soon as he left the room, I just took it again, and we just pretty much necked the whole bottle.

In her final interview, Lea admitted that she could feel the room swaying around herself and that her speech was slurring.

She added: “On the last night of the show, which is Katie’s night, she served us shots.

“They said to us you’re not really supposed to drink spirits and, Katie told them that there’s only one shot in each drink.

“But there wasn’t and I didn’t realize until after I had drunk it, that there were about seven shots instead of one in each.

“And I drunk Slain’s too who was sat next to me as well.

“So I’m sat there drinking both of them thinking, god, I’m feeling a little bit wavy already.”

The self confessed fitness fanatic concluded by saying that she’s made friends for life and that being on the show was a great experience.

“You see other people crying on shows like Love Island and you think that’s dramatic as they have only known each other a few days.

“But you don’t realise how quickly the bond forms on reality shows.

“We spent so much time with each other off camera and have become very close to each other.”

Come Dine With Me airs on Channel 4.

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‘Beat the hell out of people’ – Ronaldo reveals cult hero Real Madrid team-mate was ‘very bad’ before turning to poker

BRAZILIAN icon Ronaldo has revealed his worst ever team-mate.

The former Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan and Inter superstar played with some of the world’s finest players.

Ronaldo in a black polo shirt, speaking.
Ronaldo opened up on his career to former team-mate Romario

From Ronaldinho and Kaka at international level, to the likes of Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham in club football – Ronaldo performed alongside an All-Star cast.

Chatting to another former superstar team-mate in Romario, however, Ronaldo revealed that Everton cult hero Thomas Gravesen wasn’t quite so good.

The Dane became a hugely popular figure at Goodison Park for his committed, tough-tackling displays.

But following his £2.5million switch to Real Madrid, his skills didn’t quite translate as he attempted to replace Claude Makelele at the Bernabeu.

Discussing Gravesen, who aged 49 has now earned a reported £100million fortune and played poker professionally Las Vegas, Ronaldo said when asked to name his worst-ever team-mate: “There are a lot of them.

“There was one at Real Madrid who was a joke… Gravesen.

“He was a Danish midfielder. He was a really cool guy, good guy.

“A little while ago he won a $50million (£40m) poker tournament or something.

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Ronaldo and Gravesen playfully interacting during a Real Madrid training session.
EPA
Gravesen enjoys a friendly exchange with Ronaldo[/caption]
Ronaldo and Gravesen, Real Madrid teammates, conversing on the soccer field.
Reuters
The pair were team-mates at Real Madrid[/caption]

“But in football he was very bad, he scored and he beat the hell out of people.”

Dubbed “Mad Dog”, Gravesen reportedly got into a bust up with team-mate Robinho during his time in Spain.

He went on to last 18 months at Real Madrid, joining Celtic in 2006 after 49 appearances and no trophies.

After a season in Scotland, he re-joined Everton on loan, finishing his football career in 2008.

After several successful investments, Gravesen packed up and moved to Las Vegas.

He had several high-profile neighbours in his star-studded Sin City private community, including the likes of Nicolas Cage and tennis legends Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf.

He is now said to have returned to Denmark following eight years in Vegas.

Thomas Gravesen of Real Madrid assists Ronaldo during a soccer match.
Getty
Ronaldo did not rate Gravesen’s football skills highly[/caption]

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I’ve lost 6 relatives & defied death when bombs missed my home by inches… my life aged 10 in Gaza’s playground of horror

SHE’S a 10-year-old internet sensation with more than a million fans on Instagram.

From chocolate cake to lentil soup and homemade bread, Renad Attallah creates recipes with the most basic of ingredients.

Girl holding a frying pan of food.
Instagram
Renad has become an internet sensation with fans around the world[/caption]
A young boy walks through the rubble of destroyed buildings in Beit Hanun, Gaza.
Reuters
Children have seen their whole neighbourhoods destroyed in the conflict[/caption]

But watching the chatty youngster, who dreams of opening her own restaurant, it’s hard to imagine how she gets her videos out at all – because her backdrop is the concrete rubble of war-torn Gaza.

Renad is one of around 94,000 children whose playground has become a sea of devastated buildings and bomb sites.

As Israel wages war against Hamas after the October 7 attacks – which claimed the lives of 1200 innocent people – children in Gaza face unimaginable horror, living cheek by jowl in apartments and tents as missiles fly in the skies above.

Renad features in a new BBC2 documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, which tells the story of the conflict through the eyes of children.

As politicians try to find solutions to hold on to the current delicate ceasefire, Renad along with 13-year-old Abdullah and 11-year-old Zakaria tell how they have coped with the war – witnessing bombs and death as well as losing family.

Renad, who lives in the designated safe zone, told The Sun: “From my wider family more than six people have been killed, babies, parents and older relatives.

“I made a video with one of my family but didn’t post it after they were killed in the north.

“One of the most terrifying moments was when a neighbour’s house was bombed at 2am and some of the displaced people were injured. 

“I am scared, with all the news around the ceasefire, that it might not hold and war will return.”

When the war began, Renad was already living in the area which Israel determined a safe zone but dozens of displaced relatives began arriving and, at one point, 300 people were living in the family’s four floor home.

Renad, who has to rely on parcels of food aid to make her traditional Gazan recipes, said: “I had some engagement with school online and that’s how I understood my friends were alive.

“It’s been hard because one day we went three days without enough water but everyone around me was living the same way, facing the same things.

“Whenever I feel stressed or worried I cook and if I am afraid I look at the positive comments I get on social media and it makes me feel better.”

At one point in the film, which follows the kids shortly after the start of war, Renad gives a nervous giggle as she tells how a bomb went off close to her without going off – only for a second to land nearby which detonated it.

Palestinians walking through rubble-strewn streets in Gaza City following a ceasefire.
Reuters
Gaza has been reduced to rubble in the war[/caption]
Girl walking through a Gaza street, text overlay: Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone.
BBC
Renad grew so used to explosions she stopped being scared[/caption]

As the months roll on, viewers see Renad become hardened to the terrors of the conflict when explosions go off and she says: “We’re not afraid. We’re used to it.

“At the start of the war, even in daytime, every bomb terrified me (but now), not even in the middle of the night am I scared.

“We all think about the war, how we will survive each day and get through it.

“You have to find something to distract you from the constant pressure and I love creating food content.”

‘Hiding in the ground’

The documentary is narrated by 13-year-old Abdullah whose opening line is: “Have you ever wondered what you’d do if your world was destroyed?”

It shows thousands of Gazans fleeing their homes at the beginning of the war, carrying bags and children in their arms, mattresses on their heads and one woman even drags her small son behind her in a shopping basket.

Another shouts ‘May God curse you Sinwar”, in reference to the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the attack on Israel.

A toothless man tells the cameraman: “They’ve (Israel) killed our children, killed our women while Sinwar is hiding under the ground.”

Boy in green shirt standing in bomb crater.
BBC
Abdullah stands in a bombed out area[/caption]
Girl on rooftop holding snack, with baked good on makeshift oven.
Instagram
Renad creates recipes from food parcels and cooks outside[/caption]

Teenager Abdullah, an eloquent, intelligent boy who was educated at an English-speaking school, describes how getting water “is a very hard task”, saying: “Everything has changed. 

“I was in the best school in Gaza, a British school in the north…now I’m living here (in the safe zone) in a tent.”

Abdullah tells how the safe zone was hit by a massive bomb in the Israeli battle against Hamas terrorists.

He said: “I was sleeping and heard the bombing and we got covered in dirt. The smell was horrible. The camp was filled with tents, they got buried underground.

“It’s indescribable, 19 people were killed. When we saw body parts we couldn’t speak and felt sick. They (Israel) said it was a secret room for Hamas.”

Hospital bombing

The film also features eleven-year-old Zakaria who tends to the wounded and dying at Shuhada al-Aqsa hospital.

He is seen escorting badly injured, bloodied patients from the back of ambulances after leaving his home to help.

Zakaria says: “When I hear the ambulance sound I get people out of the way and I tell them there is a very serious injury.

“I help transport the dead, the injured, the kids. I love helping people. I’m not scared.”

Zakaria is looked after by hospital paramedic Said, who took the youngster under his wing as he refused to go home.

When the hospital was bombed in October last year as the Israeli air force targeted a Hamas command centre, killing five and injuring at least 70, Said was one of the few paramedics who remained behind to help despite evacuation orders.

Boy in patterned jacket amidst rubble.
BBC
Zakaria helps tend to the wounded and dying[/caption]
Paramedic in an ambulance.
BBC
Zakaria is cared for by paramedic Said[/caption]
A boy gently kisses a baby.
BBC
A boy comforts his baby sister among the chaos[/caption]

He said: “Headphones (music ) are the most important things that help me escape the war, the hospital gloom, the bombings, the dead and the injured.

“Zakaria loves the hospital more than anything else. He works tirelessly, he pushes a stretcher at least eight times a day.

“I sometimes forget he is just a child, it’s weird.”

The documentary is one of the few that records daily life for Gazans after Israel banned international press from visiting the country without the military.

Co-producers Jamie Roberts and Yousef Hammash, who comes from Gaza, directed two local cameramen inside the war zone over nine months to make the unique documentary inside the humanitarian safe zone.

Yousef told The Sun: “I left Gaza a few weeks before we started the film and the biggest challenge we faced was the logistics and how to deal with daily communication issues.

“We wanted to make a film on the ground that felt real, something that wasn’t recorded on phones, but shot properly.”

Hostage hell

Hamas terrorists dragged more than 250 Israeli hostages back across the border during their October 7 attack.

Three of those returned in a ceasefire deal told of being chained, gagged and burned by the terrorists.

Footage of Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami showed them looking gaunt upon their release.

Innocent civilians taken captive are also reportedly being hung by their feet and starved.

US President Donald Trump described Sharabi, 52, Levy, 34, and Ami, 56, as looking like “holocaust survivors” when they were finally freed after more than a year.

The trio said they had been forced to go without food and were often only given a single rotten pitta to share and were only allowed to relieve themselves twice a day at specific times.

Israel’s health ministry said they were suffering from “severe malnutrition” and had lost significant body weight.

They were also cruelly interrogated by Hamas fighters, who burned them with a white-hot, unidentified object.

Yousef said it was important to tell the story of war through the lens of kids because half of Gaza’s population are children.

He said: “They are one hundred percent in survival mode, their window of thinking is limited and they live just for today.

“The children are subjected to continuous trauma and there were things we left out of the documentary because they were too graphic.

“It’s been like living in a horror movie for these children for the past 16 months, yet life goes on for them. Renad makes her content, Zakaria goes to the beach when he can. They are extremely resilient and brave.”

Two men sitting on a bench, one writing in a notebook.
Jamie Roberts and Yousef Hammash wanted to tell the story through children’s eyes

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Mark Selby reveals heartwarming first purchase with £100k Welsh Snooker Open prize money

SNOOKER star Mark Selby has revealed what he plans to spend part of his £100,000 Welsh Open prize money on.

Selby, 41, beat Stephen Maguire 9-6 to win his second Welsh Open title on Sunday.

Mark Selby holding the Welsh Open trophy.
Getty
Mark Selby has revealed what he will spend part of his prize money on[/caption]

With the score at 6-6 in the final session, the Jester from Leicester managed to seize control and take the final three frames to secure the victory.

In doing so, Selby also took home the huge £100,000 jackpot.

And he vowed to spend some of the money on a new Kindle for his daughter, Sofia.

Selby’s wife, Vikki, and daughter were both in attendance at Venue Cymru for the event.

After the match, he said: “The red I missed she (Sofia) probably would have potted that as well. I’ll get one [a Kindle] if she wants.

“The clearance Stephen made, it was ridiculous, one of the best clearances I have seen. But it didn’t surprise me.”

Speaking to BBC Sport, he also explained: “Obviously I’m delighted.

“It’s great to see Stephen back in finals, four years is way too long, he’s a class act and I’m one of his biggest fans.

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“This week I won a lot of key frames when I’ve been 40 or 50 points behind, that’s been the difference.”

Meanwhile, Maguire said: “I had a good week, I’ve enjoyed myself, and I have just come up short in the end.

“There’s nothing you can do when he’s potting all the balls, all credit to Mark.”

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Community Fibre down leaving thousands of customers with no internet access

COMMUNITY Fibre is currently down for thousands of customers.

More than 9,000 users of the broadband provider have logged complaints on Downdetector website, which measures outages.

Close-up of a broadband router connected to a laptop.
Alamy
Customers are reporting issues with the service[/caption]

The vast majority of customers have complained about problems with the internet and a handful have completely no service – including access to customer service.

That includes its live chat service and phone number.

Confused users have taken to social media to complain.

One wrote: “Im certain community fibre are having an outage or have been hacked.

“Customer support line is down, live chat is down, impossible to contact anyone. Internet is down and there is no way of finding out why.”

While another wrote on X, formally, Twitter: “@CommunityFibre Internet not working and no response from fibre community when calling the provided phone number.”

A third person said it was “ridiculous” that the company disabled “all of the options to contact them as well”.

A fourth went as far to say that they would not be “renewing” their contract.

They said: “Community fibre is useless. Even their chat and customer service number is down.”

The broadband provider has been getting in contact with customers on social media and said it working to fix the issue as a “top priority”.

A spokesperson for Community Fibre told The Sun: “We are aware that some of our customers are experiencing network outages this afternoon.

“Our specialist network delivery team are looking into this with the highest priority, and we expect to see these network issues resolved shortly.”

If you are impacted you can check the connectivity status by visiting the Community Fibre website and logging into your account.

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‘He doesn’t understand what he’s doing.. it’s chaos’ – Micah Richards’ brutal Ruben Amorim assessment amid Man Utd woes

MICAH RICHARDS has hit out at Ruben Amorim following the Manchester United defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

The Red Devils succumbed to a 1-0 defeat in North London to leave the club rotting in 15th place in the Premier League table.

Ruben Amorim, Manchester United manager, shouting.
Alamy
Ruben Amorim claimed his job is ‘hard’ after the loss to Tottenham[/caption]
Diogo Dalot and Joshua Zirkzee of Manchester United looking dejected.
Alamy
The defeat leaves the club in 15th place[/caption]
Micah Richards, former Manchester City player.
Getty
Michard Richards has hit out at the Manchester United manager[/caption]

James Maddison netted the only goal of the game that saw Amorim rely on EIGHT teenagers in his injury-hit squad.

After the match, Amorim claimed that his job at Old Trafford is “so hard” and that he has “a lot of problems”.

It follows his suggestion that it is the “worst ever” Man United team after the loss to Brighton and Hove Albion in January.

And Richards has taken issue with the way the former Sporting Lisbon boss speaks to the media.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, the retired defender insisted that Amorim is “chaos”.

He said: “When he said this is the worst team in United history, whatever quotes he wants to use, what he doesn’t understand is that’s a headline every single week.

“If he doesn’t like a player, if he doesn’t like Rashford, that’s his decision.

“We can accept that as pundits, that’s your decision, we respect your decision.

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“But all the other stuff around it he’s actually making it harder for himself.

“He doesn’t understand what he’s doing because everything is chaos. It’s chaotic.”

Richards continued his rant at Amorim by suggesting that the manager stop “giving nuggets” to make stories bigger.

He added: “You mentioned Sporting Lisbon, you can say what you want when you’re winning, and no disrespect to Sporting Lisbon – they’re not at the same level of club as Man United.

“I feel like he needs to, I don’t want to say focus on the football, but stop giving people nuggets bigger stories than it needs to be.”

Crisis-ridden Man United are set for their worst-ever finish in a Premier League season.

A supercomputer has predicted the club to remain in the bottom half of the table for the remainder of the campaign.

Manchester United's next five games schedule.

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English beach town named one of the UK’s coolest places to live has fish festivals and legendary ice cream

THE seaside town of Newlyn in Cornwall has been dubbed as one of the ‘coolest’ places to relocate.

Near Penzance, the coastal gem has been highlighted in a list by The Times as one of the top 11 places to move to in 2025.

GPTHE8 The promenade at Newlyn near Penzance in Cornwall, England, UK
The fishing town of Newlyn is the place to be according to The Times
Alamy
Newlyn fishing harbor in Cornwall, England, with many boats.
Alamy
The town is a fishing harbour and they celebrate once a year with the fish festival[/caption]

The Times said: “Since the 1880s Newlyn has been known for its art scene, thanks to the quality of the Cornish light and Aegeanesque beaches.”

They say it has a reputation for incredible seafood, beaches and its artistic history so we had a look for ourselves.

And it’s true, there’s so much to see and do in Newlyn, including getting up close and personal with the stunning coastline.

The beaches are of course a big hit in the summer months. The Newlyn Tolcarne Beach, also called Bowjey Beach, is a pebble beach on the edge of Newlyn.

It’s a great place to swim, but there are warnings to watch out for boat traffic as Newlyn is a busy harbour.

Walking on the coastline you’ll also hit Wherrytown Beach, a large pebble beach between Penzance and Newlyn.

The well-known town of Penzance is only one mile away and is home to a beach that is great for rockpooling and views of the tidal island, St Michael’s Mount.

For any film fans, the Newlyn Filmhouse is a good spot, the independent cinema is inside a converted Fish Cellar & Smokery first built in 1876.

They play new releases as well as Cornish features, musicals, children’s films, ballets, and host independent film openings and Q&As.

On their website their only rule is “no crunching or rustling!”

Newlyn fishing port in Cornwall, UK.
Alamy
For any swimmers watch out for boats in the busy harbour[/caption]
Jet skiers and seagulls at a Newlyn fish festival.
Alamy
The fish festival takes place every August and there’s a weekend full of events to enjoy[/caption]

Fishing in Newlyn dates back to the 15th century, so any fan of the sport should really consider a visit.

Fish you can catch range from cod to haddock, lobster, crab, and scallops.

To fish on the pier you will need a permit which you can get from the Harbour Office, they cost £10 per year or £1 for a day.

The town is so passionate about fish that they even hold an annual fish festival.

On the August bank holiday, Newlyn celebrates all things fish. There are local arts and crafts, demonstrations of live cooking, theatre and entertainment.

There’s also the opportunity to see a traditional seafood auction.

Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar storefront.
Onna Boden
Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar and Shack often have queues out the door in peak season[/caption]

If you’re less keen on the fishing and more keen on tasting what’s on offer, the Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar is a popular spot.

They offer crispy sole, grilled white fish, mackerel, monkfish burgers, crab and prawns – all locally caught of course.

Two doors down is the Mackerel Sky Seafood Shack, a less formal place to enjoy the same food.

You can’t go to the seaside without getting an ice cream and Jelberts is the hidden gem of Newlyn.

Ice cream cone in front of Jelberts Ice Cream shop sign.
instagram/@jelbertsicecream
Jelberts ice cream is legendary around Cornwall[/caption]
Man selling Jelbert's ice cream in Newlyn.
instagram/@jelbertsicecream
It’s a family owned business and they only sell the traditional vanilla flavour[/caption]

It’s a family run business owned by Jim Glover for nearly 40 years – and was run by his grandfather and uncle for another 40 years before that.

If the last name if familiar that’s because it’s made by the family of Olympic gold medallist Helen Glover.

The shop only serves one flavour of ice cream, vanilla, and is famous for serving clotted cream on top of its crispy waffle cones.

One customer said they have “the greatest vanilla ice cream I have ever eaten”.

TV chef James Martin once called it “fantastic” and the “best ice cream” he’d tasted.

People swimming and sunbathing at the Jubilee Lido pool in Penzance, Cornwall.
Alamy
The Jubilee Pool and Lido is just around the corner in Penzance[/caption]

Not technically in Newlyn, but the Jubilee Pool in Penzance is a four minute drive away – so it still counts.

The lido opened in 1935 and is filled with seawater that’s heated just above the external sea temperature.

There’s also a cafe and restaurant, so its a place where lots of locals spend their time.

One wrote: “This place is a joy. The clean lines of the design, the thoughtfully-selected gifts in the shop, the lovely soup and sandwiches in the cafe – everything has been done so well and so lovingly.”

They hold fitness classes as well as special events, some where dogs can take a dip, and even a full moon swim at night.

Here's another place to explore in Cornwall

Here's a sweet Cornish village to explore if you want to avoid the crowds...

The tiny village of Cadgwith has been named as a great alternative for tourists wanting to visit Cornwall, but avoid the crowds in peak season.

Located on the eastern side of the Lizard Peninsula, the tiny fishing village is home to a cluster of thatched cottages that line the sides of its harbour.

It even describes itself as being “forgotten by the 21st century” on its website. Sykes Holiday Cottages said: “Cadgwith, a quaint village and fishing port in Cornwall, brings all the charm of St Ives with much less people.”

Coastal town of Newlyn in Cornwall, England, seen from the beach.
Getty
Newlyn is known for its seafood, beaches and art[/caption]

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New ExpressVPN customers can win tickets to Spurs game and 3-night VIP London experience

FOOTBALL fans have a chance to win tickets to a Tottenham Hotspur game plus a 3-night stay in London, courtesy of ExpressVPN.

The Dare to Dream competition offers one lucky winner and their guest top-tier seats and a VIP matchday experience at a crucial late-season match against Nottingham Forest in April.

Tottenham Hotspur players celebrating a goal.
ExpressVPN and Tottenham Hotspur are offering new customers the chance to win tickets to a game in April

ExpressVPN: Dare To Dream Prize

To be eligible for this prize, all you’ll need to do is sign up to one of the brand’s VPN subscriptions before Friday 28 February 2025.

The match in question takes place at White Hart Lane on 19th April 2025.

Along with the premium tickets, the winner and their guest get food, drink, locker room access and a chance to meet some Tottenham Hotspur club legends.

On top of that, the winner will also receive round-trip flights to London, three nights’ accommodation in a 4-star hotel, and £500 cash to spend during their stay.

The package is completed with exclusive signed merchandise, a private stadium tour, and the choice of an F1 Drive or Dare Skywalk experience.

Entering the competition is easy: all you’ll need to do is sign up for ExpressVPN through this page, and your name will be automatically entered into the draw.

This competition highlights a recently announced two-year partnership between the provider and Tottenham Hotspur.

ExpressVPN is one of the biggest VPN providers on the market, with servers in 105 countries.

Now, it’s also the Official Digital Privacy Partner of one of the biggest Premier League clubs. 

It’s a service that we at Sun Shopping have tried out for ourselves and included in our Best VPN UK and Best VPN for Netflix round-ups.

For an in-depth look at the provider, head to our ExpressVPN review.

If you’re a die-hard Spurs fan, a football aficionado, or simply after a few thrilling days in the capital, this is a great chance to sign up for some extra online security.

ExpressVPN Dare To Dream Prize

What you win

  • VIP matchday experience at Spurs’ home game against Nottingham Forest.
    Includes premium seats, food, drinks, and access to exclusive areas.
  • Flights and three nights’ accommodation in a 4-star London hotel, plus an F1 or Dare Skywalk experience.
  • £500 spending money for your trip to enjoy in London.
  • Exclusive signed Tottenham Hotspur merchandise.
  • Private stadium tour for you and your guest.

Make sure you read the competition’s terms and conditions page on the ExpressVPN website.

How to enter

  1. Head to the ExpressVPN website.
  2. Sign up to one of its services by 28 February 2025 to be eligible for the prize. 

The number of prize credits you win depends on the length of the subscription you buy – there’s more info below.

How much does ExpressVPN cost?

ExpressVPN offers three different subscriptions, with pricing as follows:

  • 1-month plan, £10.32 per month, 5 prize credits – sign up here
  • 12-month plan (with 4 months free), £4.98 per month, 20 prize credits – sign up here
  • 24-month plan (with 4 months free), £4.27 per month, 100 prize credits – sign up here 

The 24-month plan provides the best value, offering significant savings compared to the shorter-term options – and gives you the most chances to win.

All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, although if you ask for your money back, you’ll no longer be eligible for the Dare To Dream competition.

Visit the ExpressVPN pricing page for the latest details and to select your plan.

ExpressVPN: Dare To Dream Prize

Head to The Sun’s Shopping section for more of the latest news, deals and discounts.

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Map shows how much territory Russia has gained and lost in Ukraine since 2014

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Tracking Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is a brutal task as blood is spilled like water for mere metres of land on the frontline.

But the broader picture is stark. Since 2014, Russia has gradually occupied more and more Ukrainian territory, without much intervention from Western powers.

First came the illegal annexation of Crimea in March 2014, then the fall of parts of the eastern region of Donbas to Russian-backed separatists the same year.

Now, almost three years to the day into the invasion, Russian forces hold a fifth of internationally recognised Ukrainian territory, including key cities in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

And it is unlikely that Putin will relinquish these battlefield gains during the upcoming peace talks in Saudi Arabia.

Here is a recap of what has happened in the last three years and what land Ukraine is hoping to have returned as part of a deal brokered by the US.

What did Ukraine look like in 2014?

Up until 2014, Ukraine’s borders had remained unbreeched since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

That changed overnight when Russia seized Crimea in March that year on the pretense of protecting the rights of Russian citizens and speakers in the region at the time.

METRO GRAPHICS Control of terrirtory Russia Ukraine 2014
A map showing Ukrainian territory that Russia seized at the beginning of 2014 (Picture: Metro)

As much as 10,400 square miles – strategically bordering the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov – were illegally annexed and around 2.4 million people absorbed into Russia.

It was not long after that Russian-backed separatists took control of parts of Donetsk and Luhansk, igniting a war that carved away more Ukrainian territory, leaving millions of Ukrainians displaced.

By the time Putin launched his full-scale invasion in 2022, 7% of Ukrainian territory had been lost.

When did the Ukraine war start?

Shielded by the darkness of the night, the first Russian tanks rolled into eastern Ukraine on February 24, 2022, marking the start of the full-scale war.

Dozens of missiles rained on cities all over Ukraine before dawn, meeting strong resistance straightaway, proving that – unlike Putin had famously vowed – Ukraine will not fall by the end of the week.

Soldiers later failed to take over the capital Kyiv, but committed some of the worst war atrocities in Ukraine just 20 miles on the outskirts in Bucha.

There – in mass graves – hundreds, if not thousands, of Ukrainian civilians were executed.

In the south, Russia devastated Mariupol, relentlessly bombing the city and besieging the Azovstal steel plant before taking full control in May.

METRO GRAPHICS Control of terrirtory Russia Ukraine 2025
Russia currently occupies about a fifth of Ukraine (Picture: Metro)

In 2023, Russia redirected its focus on entirely crippling Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and leaving millions of people without electricity during the harsh eastern winter.

Wagner mercenaries were deployed to the frontlines in Ukraine for further territorial gain.

In eastern Ukraine, the battle to save the ruined city of Bakhmut turned into a months-long bloodbath until it was largely captured in May.

Russia made steady advances in 2024 as Ukraine grappled with dwindling military aid as Western leaders debated what weapons should be allowed for use in the war.

How much of Ukraine does Russia currently control?

Looking at a map of Ukraine before February 2014, it is a stark reminder about how much can change in a decade during an invasion.

Currently, Russia controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, with a third of that annexed before the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

Ukraine itself holds several thousand square miles of Russian land, in the border region of Kursk, which it invaded in 2024 to potentially trade during future negotiations for peace.

Away from territory gains, 3.6 million people have been displaced within Ukraine, and another 6.5 million have fled abroad.

Out of these 6.5 million refugees, 90% are women and children, with 59% of internally displaced persons being women.

At least 74% of those in Ukraine report separation from a close family member due to conflict. 

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