6 days agoNew York StateComments Off on MAFS Australia’s Jono McCullough says he tried to warn ex Lauren Hall not to join show before groom walked out on her
MARRIED At First Sight Australia star Jono McCullough had tried to warn his ex Lauren Hall not to appear on the show before she walked down the aisle.
Lauren found herself disappointed in the latest series after her new husband, Eliot Donovan, walked out on her just two days after tying the knot, saying she failed to have his ‘non-negotiables’ in a relationship.
instagram/@ jono.mcculloughJono found love on the show with Ellie after their respective marriages ended[/caption]
NineLauren and Eliot’s marriage collapsed after just a few days[/caption]
Before entering MAFS, Lauren was in a relationship with Jono, who himself later found love by taking part in the 2024 series.
He is now happily in a relationship with his on-screen co-star Ellie Dix, whom he paired up with after their respective initial marriages broke dow.
After finding out his ex had also signed up, he worried that Lauren would have a rough time in the experiment.
Speaking to Sky News Australia, Jono revealed: “When I heard she was going on the show, a friend of hers reached out and told me.
“I was like, are you sure she wants to do this? Because I know what she’s like, she says exactly what she’s thinking. She doesn’t know filter.”
“She knows what she wants, and she’s just like, ‘this is what I want, this is what I think.’ and that doesn’t… that’s not conducive to a good time on MAFS,” he added.
“I don’t know if it’s going to end well.”
While Lauren didn’t heed his warnings, just three days after her wedding she found herself single again.
As Eliot announced he was leaving, he told Lauren: “I want someone who is younger than me, 25, someone who wants to have a family, someone that likes exercise like me.
“I want someone that is, like, not into superficial things.”
Both Eliot and Lauren are due to return to the experiment in upcoming weeks, with new partners and a second attempt at a marriage.
Lauren will re-enter the show with a new man named Clint Rice in episodes yet to air in the UK.
Married at First Sight Australia airs on E4 in the UK.
NineLauren is due to re-enter the show with new partner, Clint Rice[/caption]
9Eliot savagely told Lauren that she failed to meet his ‘non-negotiables’[/caption]
6 days agoNew York StateComments Off on We’re trolled for how we’ve decorated our £1.3 million chateau – but we spent £193k and love every detail
A COUPLE who bought a $1.75 million (£1.3 million) chateau were trolled for how they revamped the interior.
Becca Luna, 28, and her partner, Willow Kaii, 28, bought the property determined to maintain the quirky vibe implemented by its previous owners.
Becca Luna and partner Willow Kaii have received backlash for how they decorated their four-bed, four-bath chateauSWNSThe couple have defended their interior design choices, explaining that it was just a ‘face lift’SWNS
The four-bed, four-bath chateau near Seattle, Washington, US, had been on the market for two years – but when creative Becca saw it, she was filled with interior design inspiration.
Built in 2001, the home’s previous owners had developed a distinctive “medieval” style – with features such as tobacco-stained walls, leather-textured worktops, and dark red wooden cupboards.
In a bid to make the home feel less dated, Becca and Willow changed flooring and light fixtures, repaired the roof, and repainted.
Becca and Willow said they made a concerted effort to restore and retain a lot of its unique features rather than ripping them out.
So far they have spent $200,000 (£193,000) on the renovations and a further $50,000 (£37,000) on furniture and decorations.
The tweaks they made brightened up the place so much that trolls accused them of “turning it beige”.
This prompted the couple to tell people they “should have bought it themselves” if they don’t like it.
They added that they “just gave it a facelift” to make the interior more modern.
“We really admired the European influence and quality of craftsmanship,” said Willow, who works as a marketing strategist.
“It needed cosmetic love and TLC but we fell in love with it. It’s not old enough to be considered a castle, but it mirrors that look.
“With Becca being so creative, when we walked into the main room, I saw her look and round and the wheels in her brain starting to turn.”
Becca, who works as a web designer, shared her thought process during the renovation.
“A lot of the changes we made involved re-painting – it was so dark before and it made the rooms look outdated,” she explained.
“But it was always at the back of our mind with every decision to maintain the uniqueness of the property and not take away from the charm and character.
“Some people really came for us because we painted things white and beige and grey – they thought we applied that mentality to everything.
“But we didn’t just gut and re-paint everything – we were so intentional.”
The young couple, who run web design school Becca Luna, bought the chateau in December 2023 and moved in in May 2024.
Their property came with a huge estate with just under six acres of land and forest that they want to turn into a farm.
They found out it had previously been owned by an older couple from Ukraine who were quirky custom home builders and built the entire home for themselves.
Becca said as soon as she walked into the well-maintained but stylistically dated property, she had ideas.
“There was a lot to work with, and the inspiration sprung out,” she said.
“It was very dark, with dark wooden beams and floors, dark red cabinets and dark walls.”
Becca was quick to paint the walls a cream shade to brighten up the rooms, and added a stone wall in the kitchen which had the same stone texture as the outside walls.
Becca’s aim was that by lightening the walls it would draw more attention to the features including the dark wooden beams, which they kept.
They replaced worn-out dark carpets with white oak herringbone flooring in the library, the office, the primary bedroom, and one other bedroom.
SWNSBecca and Willow got rid of some of the dated interior design features in their chateau[/caption]
SWNSThe couple have been accused of turning their home ‘beige’ after showing off their transformation[/caption]
In the kitchen, they opted to keep the original double wide hammered copper sink – originally worth thousands – and give it some TLC rather than replace it.
Becca spent two weeks removing layers of black paint to reveal brass hardware underneath – but was quick to replace the unusual “alligator skin” textured worktops with something less intense.
Becca and Willow also kept marble mantlepieces that would have cost $30,000 (£23,000) to buy new.
“We wanted to keep the uniqueness off the home, so we brought in copper pendants to hang from the ceiling to match the kitchen sink,” Becca said.
“There was a bathroom with a teardrop-shaped bathtub which was a real ‘holy cow’ moment when we saw it. We obviously kept that.
“We did remove a 114 stone solid cast iron pot rack hanging from the ceiling.
“It was very unique, but it was big and bulky and low-hanging, so we removed it bit by bit.
“When we shared that online, people were very, very upset – but it was a risk because if it had fallen, it would have knocked someone out.”
Willow explained they are starting their second stage of renovations in summer – building an outdoor kitchen fireplace.
He added that they are considering offering out the home to be rented as an occasional wedding venue.
“It’s a beautiful serene escape from the city,” he said.
Despite it not being to everyone’s taste, the couple defend their choices and say they have no regrets on the things they changed – as well as the things they chose to keep.
“It had been on and off the market for two years when we bought it,” Becca said.
“If someone wanted to do it differently than us, they should have bought it themselves.”
SWNSThe £1.3 million chateau features four bedrooms and four bathrooms[/caption]
SWNSThe couple removed some of the quirky features added to the home by the previous owners[/caption]
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6 days agoNew York StateComments Off on Soccer Aid 2025: CONFIRMED line-ups so far as Tyson Fury makes charity match debut and Wayne Rooney leads England
THE Soccer Aid line-ups for this year’s events have been CONFIRMED with the selection so far looking enticing as ever.
In a world first, Tyson Fury will co-manage England at the charity match for UNICEF alongside Wayne Rooney who is out of retirement to play and manage alongside the former heavyweight champion.
Tyson Fury is England Manager and Wayne Rooney is Player-Manager for the charity matchJoe Hart will be in the sticksLegendary defender Leonardo Bonucci will also make his debut for World
Fury has refused to rule out the mouthwatering prospect of substituting himself on during the match to form a stunning attacking line-up with Manchester United’s all-time record goal-scorer Rooney.
Upon his announcement, Tyson Fury said: “ENGLAND MANAGER! Who would ever have thought it!? I have had some big fights in my career and the prospect of leading my England team to victory this June fills me with just as much excitement as any heavyweight fight!
“Everyone knows that I am a huge Manchester United fan too, so it’s even more special for me that the game is at Old Trafford this year – and I get to manage one of my heroes, Wayne Rooney!
“How can we lose!? The work UNICEF does all around the world is so special and so important. I really hope that you can come along and support us this summer.”
Old Trafford will host the game – the first with fans since 2018, coincidentally, the last time England lifted the trophy – with Stamford Bridge being last year’s destination.
Alongside Fury, Angry Ginge, Joe Hart, Nadia Nadim, Steph Houghton, Toni Duggan and Leonardo Bonucci will all make their debuts in the charity match on Sunday 15th June.
Since the first match in 2006, England have won six times and the World XI seven.
