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DANNY Dyer might have shocked EastEnders fans when he quit playing miserable landlord Mick Carter, but this is the best decision he’s ever made.

The actor has now risen from the Albert Square ashes and gone back to what he does best – being a movie star.

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Danny Dyer is enjoying a revival in his career after ditching Albert Square[/caption]

BBC Handout

The actor ditched EastEnders and has headed for Hollywood[/caption]

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Before life as a pub landlord in dreary Walford, Danny was well known for his hard-hitting films like Football Factory and The Business.

In fact, Danny enjoyed a very successful career as a film star, appearing alongside great British actors like Ray Winstone and John Simm.

However, despite stating he wouldn’t do EastEnders until he was “fat, bald and fifty”, he headed to serve pints behind the bar at Ye Ole Queen Vic.

Despite spending seven years in the comfortable role, the actor made the huge decision to quit the soap in 2022 – and as the old saying goes, “fortune favours the bold”.

This in hand turned out to be the best decision Mr Dyer could have made, as he’s back in the movie business.

Hollywood had almost forgotten the shining star he once was, as he swapped Tinsel Town for Albert Square.

But well done to Danny for being brave and not becoming a soap star that just sticks around for the pay cheque (I could name a few).

His bold step has certainly paid off and he is now one of the most sought after British actors and the jobs are pouring in.

Fans could not get enough of him as Freddie Jones in the Disney+ smash hit series, Rivals.

Who would’ve though the former film hardman turned Queen Vic landlord would be the breakout star of a Jilly Cooper romper – but he was.

With his fake moustache and wig, Danny charmed the pants off us all as the reluctant hero of the bonkbuster.

The role showed a more softer, gentle Danny and in turn proved he shouldn’t always be typecast as the gruff hardman.

The actor has even admitted he loved playing “gentle soul” Freddie, and enjoyed being “more versatile” with his acting.

Reflecting on the role, Danny told Rivals The Official Podcast: “For me, I was certainly looking to do something different… Fred, is such a lovely, gentle soul, really.”

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Danny’s loveable Freddie Jones wooed fans[/caption]

Fans were impressed with the outcome, and I certainly have to agree with one viewer who said: “Danny Dyer is a way better actor than people give him credit for – the warmth and nuance he gives to his character in Rivals is gorgeous.”

This role was enough to get Hollywood on the phone and Tinsel Town quite literally called.

Leaving his soap star life well and truly in the past, Dan the man is now rubbing his shoulders with the A-list, hoping he can soon be on it.

This week I loved seeing Danny back in the movie business and shooting a film with none other than Rebel Wilson.

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Danny was spotted shooting a movie this week[/caption]

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The actor stars alongside A-list actress Rebel Wilson[/caption]

He was spotted filming the upcoming festive flick, quite aptly called Tinsel Town.

The boy’s done good, as he is joined in the cast by Hollywood heavyweight Kiefer Sutherland.

This new movie gig only proves my point further, quitting EastEnders was the best thing the actor could’ve done, and he never needs to look back.

It’s great to see Danny back on top form and making movies, just as he should be – and NOT serving gin and tonics in the Vic.

A WOMAN has been praised after sharing a genius hack to stop annoying drips when you’re painting the ceiling.

As well as getting aching arms, having a paint-splattered carpet once you’ve finished the job is part and parcel of the task at hand.

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The umbrella formed something of a protective basket around the roller, to catch any unfortunate splatters[/caption]

However, Em has come up with an idea to stop that from happening once and for all – and she took to her TikTok page to share it with others.

In a clip on the social media site, she showed how she’d attached the long roller handle to an umbrella.

Then, when she was ready to paint, she opened up the umbrella – which formed a protective basket around the bottom of the roller.

In doing so, Em was able to stop any paint from making its way onto her floor.

“#1 best hack for painting ceilings,” she captioned the TikTok video.

Her video has been so popular among people on social media that it’s been viewed a whopping three million times.

But while Em’s tip will help prevent any annoying paint drips, it doesn’t help when it comes to another big downsides of using paint indoors – the smell.

One of the main reasons paint smells is because of the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) – chemicals that evaporate from the paint into the air.

They’re often used in paint to help with a smooth application and reduce drying times, but the majority of interior paints these days have a ‘low’ or ‘minimal’ VOC.

You can check the amount in yours by looking at the VOC Globe on the back of the tin – the lower the percentage, the less likely the paint is to emit a high odour.

But if you want to get rid of the smell quickly after painting, there are a few other hacks you can try.

The first is baking soda – which you can pick up for as little as 65p from the supermarket.

“Simply pour several tablespoons into bowls or plates and leave these around the room overnight to absorb the smell,” Ronseal paint expert Jimmy Englezos suggested.

“It can also be sprinkled onto soft furnishings such as carpets and sofas and then hoovered up the next day.”

While another idea is to use activated charcoal.

“Charcoal filters can be picked up from hardware stores or charcoal powder can be purchased online,” Jimmy added.

“Like with baking soda, leave it in small bowls around the room to soak up the paint odours overnight.”

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Painting a ceiling can be a tiring and arduous task, but the umbrella hack can at least keep the messiness at bay[/caption]

JAMIE Theakston has issued a health update after undergoing cancer treatment, revealing he needs to see his surgeon every month for check-ups.

Heart Radio presenter Jamie, 54, announced he had been diagnosed with with stage 1 laryngeal cancer in September 2024, taking time away from his breakfast show hosting duties.

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Jamie Theakston has issued a health update after undergoing cancer treatment[/caption]

The star’s initial procedure, performed privately at the Princess Grace Hospital in London, successfully removed his lesion.

However, biopsies could not confirm with complete certainty that all cancer cells had been eliminated.

While he is free from the disease now, with odds of it returning “very low”, he is still under instruction to see his surgeon every month.

In a new interview with The Times, Jamie spoke of his “scanxiety”, explaining the intervals between appointments will lengthen to three and then six months after a year.

He said: “I was given the option of radiotherapy, but we decided that surgery was a better option. I had to go back for a second operation and have more tissue removed. That reset my recovery right back to the beginning.

“I was frustrated because I just wanted to get back to work. I remember reading an interview Amanda [Holden] had given saying, ‘We hope to have him back by Christmas.’ I had thought, way before Christmas! So the second operation put us back a bit.

“And then we found that during the healing process, some scar tissue was touching the other vocal cord. So I had to go back and have a third surgery.

“We were happy that the cancer was clear but to allow my voice to operate, they had to remove the scar tissue, which unfortunately had formed in a place where we didn’t want it forming.”

Jamie recently told fans that there was a time where doctors warned him that he could lose his voice forever.

He underwent multiple rounds of surgery after the first operation was not as successful as doctors hoped.

The presenter said the consultants’ potential warnings came as an “enormous shock.”

Jamie said: “I’ve had ‘scan-anxiety’ – everyone who has been through what I’ve been through will know you just get a barrage of statistics.”

“There’s a one in ten chance you won’t survive it, and you kind of go ‘Oh, OK’ I’ll take that.”

As he went through more treatment, he admitted that he became more worried with each statistic.

“I had to do several surgeries, and the first surgery wasn’t as successful as we hoped.

“Then there was a second surgery, and then a third, and each time I was doing more and more damage to my vocal chords.”

He added: “By the third one they said, well you’ve got a one in six chance that you might not be able to talk again.

“I thought OK, that’s like rolling a dice, I’ll take that, It’s just statistics after statistics.”

Jamie made an emotional announcement when he first revealed the news of his shock diagnosis last year.

Addressing fans, he told them: “Hi folks, as you know – I recently had an operation to remove a lesion from my vocal cords.

“The biopsy has identified this as Stage 1 Laryngeal cancer.”

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He hosts Heart Radio’s breakfast show with Amanda Holden[/caption]

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The star discussed how tough his multiple surgeries had been[/caption]

ARSENAL travel to Premier League strugglers Leicester for a huge Premier League clash TODAY.

The Gunners find themselves in an injury crisis, with just three forwards fit for the clash at the King Power Stadium.

Arsenal‘s top goalscorer this season, Kai Havertz, became the latest name in the treatment room – with the German set to miss the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury.

Mikel Arteta looks like he will be forced to play a front three of Ethan Nwaneri, Raheem Sterling and Leandro Trossard this afternoon.

The Gunners are in need of a huge three points to close the gap on Prem leaders Liverpool.

• Kick off time: 12.30pm GMT
• TV channel: TNT Sports 1
• Live stream: discovery+
• Leicester team: To follow…
• Arsenal team: To follow…

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COPS have launched a “no body” murder investigation after a woman went missing from a sleepy village several weeks ago.

The woman, who is in her 50s and from Christchurch near March, Cambridgeshire, has not been seen since late January.

Terry Harris

Two bungalows eight miles apart have been sealed off by Cambridgeshire Police[/caption]

Terry Harris

The woman, from Christchurch near March, has not been seen since late January[/caption]

Detectives said they were concerned enough about her welfare to treat her disappearance as a murder.

A 47-year-old man, from Christchurch, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody.

The woman has yet to be named by police.

Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit declared the case a “no-body” murder investigation on Friday.

They have been carrying out inquiries into her disappearance “but so far to no avail”.

Two bungalows eight miles apart were sealed off in connection with the investigation.

Det Insp Richard Stott said: “Concern was raised for the woman last night, and due to the length of time since she was last seen and concerns that she may have come to some harm, we are treating this as a murder investigation.”

UKRAINE’S brave President Volodymyr Zelensky has today called for the creation of an “Army of Europe” to take on Russia.

Zelensky spoke about his ambitions to create a continental military force at the Munich Security Conference – as he blasted Vladimir Putin a “liar, weak and predictable”.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for the creation of an ‘Army of Europe’ to take on Russia[/caption]

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US Vice President JD Vance met with Zelensky in Munich yesterday[/caption]

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A damaged residential building in Ukraine following a Russian drone attack[/caption]

The 47-year-old Ukrainian leader made the comments as he notably left out Washington‘s involvement in his European army dream.

It comes amid Donald Trump urging Ukraine to find a resolution to end the war quickly.

President Trump has already shared a phone call with both Zelensky and Putin with all three men looking to agree to a peace deal.

Tyrant Putin is expected to make a number of deranged demands when he finally meets Trump for Ukraine peace for talks.

Whereas Zelensky has said he won’t accept any peace deal unless his country is given security guarantees.

Speaking in Germany today, Zelensky proposed a new plan to achieve safety for Ukraine going forwards.

He said: “Many leaders have talked about Europe and that needs its own military, an army of Europe and I believe the time has come.

“The armed forces of Europe must be created.

“Without Ukraine’s army, Europe’s army’s will not be enough to stop Russia.

“Only our army in Europe has real, modern battlefield experience but our army alone is not enough too.

“And we need what you can provide weapons, training, sanctions, financing, political pressure and unity.”

The Ukrainian president said Europe should be looking to create such a military separate from Nato in case “America might say no to Europe on issues that threaten it”.

He added that after three years of fighting, Ukraine has managed to build up the foundations of a European army and should now act on it.

“As we fight this war and lay the groundwork for peace and security we must build the armed forces of Europe so that Europe’s future depends only on Europeans and decisions about Europe are made in Europe,” he said.

“Europe has everything it takes but it needs to come together.

“We need confidence in our own friends so that others have no choice but to respect Europe’s power and without European army that is impossible.”

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk appeared to support Zelensky’s calls as he said Europe urgently needs a plan over security.

He said he fears “global players will decide” Europe’s future if they don’t prepare.

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Zelesnky has been bravely standing up for his nation against Vlad[/caption]

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President Donald Trump with Zelensky last year[/caption]

The calls for a united force on the continent comes as disagreements over Ukraine’s potential Nato membership continues to rage on.

Ukraine has wanted to be a part of Nato for years – an issue that helped spark Vlad’s initial invasion three years ago.

This would give them protection from any foreign forces as an attack on a Nato country would result in a counter strike conducted by the remaining nations.

Moscow has constantly said they will not allow Ukraine to join the alliance with Putin vowing to continue his assault until he is given these assurances.

The US has also been accused of rolling over to Russia before negotiations had even started following on from Putin and Trump’s positive chat.

Over the past few days, those close to The White House have said Ukraine won’t be allowed to go back to its 2014 borders before the annexing of Crimea.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has also been adamant that there is no chance Ukraine would be allowed to join Nato.

Zelensky told global leaders in Munich he is refusing to accept that Ukraine won’t be allowed a Nato membership.

He even said the organisation needs to stop allowing Putin to dictate things on his terms and instead help Ukraine to prevent a wider war breaking out in Europe.

Zelensky has already met with US Vice President JD Vance at the security conference.

They spoke together alongside Washington and Kyiv delegations as they discussed the latest developments in the bloody conflict.

Footage of the historic meeting saw Donald Trump’s number two explain that the goal remains the same between both America and Ukraine – to stop the war.

He said: “Fundamentally, the goal is as President Trump outlined – that we want the war to come to a close.

“We want the killing to stop but we want to achieve a durable lasting peace, not the kind of peace that’s going to have Eastern Europe in conflict just a couple of years down the road.”

He also vowed that the two nations would continue to have similar “fruitful” conversations in the coming days, weeks and months.

Zelensky echoed these thoughts as he thanked America for their support.

The heroic leader said he hopes to continue on with the positive conversations as they prepare a plan “to stop Putin and finish the war”.

A NATO WAR

Zelesnky warned the West on Friday that Putin is preparing to unleash a war against Nato in the next 12 months.

In a press conference, he said Vlad was readying a conflict with Nato in 2026 and that giving away Ukrainian land would not appease him.

Zelensky said: “Based on all the information I’ve gathered from intelligence and other sources, I think he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) is preparing for war against NATO countries next year.

“You will not stop him [even] if he says he will stop, it’s not enough. Putin definitely does not want peace.”

The Ukrainian leader added: “God bless, we will stop this crazy guy.”

He also believes mad Vlad is preparing to send 15 divisions – some 150,000 soldiers – to Belarus.

From Belarus, Putin’s murderous army could easily invade Ukraine, Poland, or the three Baltic countries – sparking all-out chaos on the continent.

Spy intel released from Denmark on Wednesday warned that Russia’s military capacity could see Putin ready to spark wars with neighbouring regions in just six months as he eyes fractures in Nato.

It added that the threat is greater if Putin sees NATO as “militarily weakened or politically divided”.

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Ukrainian soldiers train outside of Pokrovsk on Thursday[/caption]

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Nato troops training in Europe in the wake of Russia’s illegal invasion[/caption]

FORMER Made In Chelsea star Georgia Toffolo stunned fans after revealing she and Brewdog tycoon fiancé James Watt do quarterly reviews of their relationship.

The telly favourite turned romance author said the pair sit down every three months to say what they love about each other and what they love about the relationship.

But in what Toff describes as the “savage” section, they address improvement areas.

Sex and relationship coach Gemma Nice says she also has regular reviews with her other half.

Gemma, right, said: “A quarterly review is great to keep the relationship alive and allows you both to say it how it is. It’s like a company doing its quarterly review to make sure things are staying in check. It also allows you to appreciate each other.”

She added: “It’s so healthy to keep tabs on where you both are within the relationship every three months.

“My husband and I usually have a coffee date every Friday morning and discuss things within our relationship, like any worries.

“I also get my clients to do this as it’s a great way to see how the relationship is going, where it can be improved, how the communication, trust, intimacy, sex life is going. It allows you to be open and honest with each other.”

When the expert gets her clients to check in with each other, she says it is vital to turn off devices and listen.

She added: “Do not interrupt each other, and really take on board each other’s concerns. I get my clients to sometimes sit back-to-back so you are physically touching each other. The other person cannot talk until instructed. This works really well when there is conflict.”

Gemma, who has been married for 25 years and has two kids, says there are real benefits to regularly communicating, as it stops small problems from growing into insurmountable issues.

The love guru said: “The positives are you can keep an eye on where you are in the relationship and, if anything is starting to go astray, intervene early and sort it out before it escalates.

“It allows you to be fully open and honest, which then moves into better intimacy and a better sex life.”

Heaping praise on your loved one and your partnership can boost their confidence, she insists.

It also deepens the bond. Gemma said: “It gives them a sense of purpose and self-esteem. It also strengthens their confidence as well as the relationship, meaning both parties benefit.

“It improves relationship satisfaction because you are both communicating your needs to each other, making it easier for the relationship to progress and stay healthy.”

And Gemma said quarterly reviews — more often found in an office setting — are a perfect example of why relationships need work.

She said: “A lot of people get stuck in a rut and don’t want to fix things. This is where the relationship starts to dwindle. You have to work at a relationship.

“You wouldn’t not put fuel in your car and expect it to run. It’s the same principle, you need to put the work in to get better benefits.”
But opening up to your partner can also have a down side, if one is not fully on board with the idea.

Gemma said: “You could be seen to be overanalysing and being critical of the relationship, passing the blame. This might be seen as constantly looking for things to bring up at the quarterly meeting.

“It can also bring up smaller issues which might cause tension if not dealt with correctly.”

Despite this, the love coach still says it is worth the risk as, like Toff and her soon-to-be husband, it helps you come out stronger.

Gemma added: “You need to go about it in a non-judgmental way, which means using ‘I’ statements.

“For example, ‘I really appreciate the hard work you are putting into our relationship’ instead of using ‘you’ statement — ‘You make me feel sad when you don’t put the work in’. It really reframes how you communicate with each other.

“By doing these kinds of things it makes the communication, trust and intimacy stronger in all areas of the relationship.”

A MOTHER has been slammed as ‘ungrateful’ after moaning about her temporary council house accommodation.

Linda Slater, a mother from the UK, explained that she and her family were put up in a temporary property, which she described as ‘very white’ and ‘very clean’.

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A mother has left people stunned after complaining about her temporary council house accommodation[/caption]

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Linda Slater had many open-mouthed by her claims, as she described the property as an ‘absolute joke’[/caption]

But Linda wasn’t impressed with the ‘absolute joke’ of a property, which she claimed was a ‘safety hazard’ for her kids.

Posting on social media, the brunette beauty gave her followers a tour of the council property, leaving many totally stunned. 

The woman, who claims to be receiving benefits, said: “So this is where the council temporarily housed us for a little while – it was alright, I mean, the bathroom was ridiculously excessive, who needs a bathroom that big?

“It was just very long, it was a really long flat and it felt very hospital. 

“It’s very white, very clean, it’s just not a bit of me.

“And the tiled floors, it’s just a real safety hazard for the kids.”

Linda explained that the ‘long’ flat goes “on and on and on” and not only was she unimpressed with the layout of the property, but also the low roof too.

The mother claimed to repeatedly hit her head on the “absolutely joke” of a roof.

As well as this, she continued: “The bedroom is alright, it didn’t come with any wardrobes or decent furniture.”

Linda then asked her followers what they thought of her temporary housing, but much to her dismay, trolls were out in full force, with many stunned that she wasn’t happy with the property. 

The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @lindaxslater, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 644,300 views in just 24 hours. 

One person said: “Complaining about a spacious clean flat? Unbelievable.” 

Count yourself very lucky I was put in a room with two teenagers for a year!

TikTok user

Another slammed: “Ungrateful is an understatement.”

A third commented: “This is the best homeless accommodation I’ve ever seen are you serious?!?!”

Whilst someone else chimed in: “No mould, clean and tidy. This is outstanding for temporary accommodation!”

At the same time, one mother wrote: “Count yourself very lucky I was put in a room with two teenagers for a year! This would have been a dream.” 

Meanwhile, one homeowner penned: “I would be so happy with this flat! It’s nicer than my house that I spend my entire salary on the mortgage.” 

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Sitting in the lobby of a central London hotel, Vladimir Kara-Murza is in a valiant mood.

It’s been six months since he was released from the IK-6 colony in Omsk, Siberia, a maximum security prison roughly 2,800 miles away.

The 43-year-old was locked up for two-and-a-half years, where he was, according to Amnesty International, ‘repeatedly subjected to arbitrary disciplinary punishments and other ill-treatment, including multiple placements in SHIZO (penalty isolation cell).’

His sentence came after he spoke out against the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Kara-Murzawas freed last August in the biggest exchange of prisoners since the Cold War. He is one of the surviving faces of Russia’s beleaguered opposition.

The father-of-three, who is also a British citizen, sat down with Metro for an exclusive interview about how his life has changed in the months since his release from the gulag where he thought he would die.

He said he is now working with Donald Trump’s administration to secure the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war, civilian captives and Russian political prisoners as part of a rumoured ceasefire to end Vladimir Putin’s three-year bloodshed.

From the day he was freed, Kara-Murza has continued to campaign for much harsher sanctions against the Kremlin. So, his days are now spent ‘on the go’ rather than in almost 24-hour confinement.

As time passes, the dissident remembers ‘less and less’ from all the savagery he experienced in the Russian gulag, but there is one memory that keeps playing over and over in his head.

‘The way the human mind works, it tries to get rid of the trauma because it cannot live with it,’ he told Metro.

‘As the days and weeks and months go on, I remember less and less, but there is one thing I will never be able to forget.

‘One of the things that authorities do to punish political opponents – this is something that has been done since Soviet times – is seek to inflict harm on their loved ones, they seek to punish the families too, as much as they can.

‘Among all the other measures I faced in prison, I was not allowed to call my wife and my children. In the whole two-and-a-half years that I spent in prison, I was once able speak on phone with my wife once and twice with my children.

‘The last time was just before Christmas in 2023 when I was given a single 15-minute call. I have three children. So, my wife had to literally stand on the other side with a stopwatch to see that each child is not getting more than five minutes.

‘She would have to physically take away the phone and pass it to the next child. This is torture to the families as well as to the prisoners.’

Before being convicted of treason and imprisoned in April 2022, Kara-Murza’s wife and children had already suffered the wrath of Putin during two near-fatal attempts to poison him in May 2015 and February 2017.

His family watched him slip into prolonged comas after the incidents that left him with a serious nerve disorder called polyneuropathy, which can be fatal.

Many of his compatriots in the fight against Putin’s authoritarian regime did not survive. Opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, Kara-Murza’s mentor and godfather to his youngest daughter, was the first to be killed. He was shot dead as he walked across Bolshoi Moskvorestky Bridge, just metres from the Kremlin, back in 2015.

Anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny, who was for a long time the most prominent face of Russian opposition, was also assassinated almost a year to the day.

Evgenia, Vladimir’s wife, told Metro a year before her husband was exchanged, that she feared about his life in jail where his physical and mental health were declining.

Conditions vary greatly between colonies and even between cells within the same prison.

‘What you do all day is walk around in this tiny cubicle-size 2×3 metres cell in a small circle,’ he recalled of his days in confinement.

‘You have nowhere to go, nothing to do and no one to speak to. That is the most difficult part. It was Aristotle who wrote that we, human beings, are social. We need interaction as much as water and oxygen.

‘And when a human being is totally deprived of communication, when they cannot as much as say “hello” to anybody for days and weeks on end, they go crazy. I do not mean that in a metaphorical sense, but in a literal sense.

‘You start forgetting words and names, you start shouting at walls. Political prisoners by definition are considered by the regime to be particularly dangerous. We are not allowed to speak with the rest of the prisoners, so we are all held in isolation.’

To occupy his brain – while watching his life being ‘washed away’ – Vladimir started to learn Spanish. He had a list of languages he wished to master if he had to serve the rest of his 25-year sentence.

What really ‘saved him’ was his Christian faith, knowing that he was on the right side of history, and letters.

The dissident received thousands of letters every month from people all over Russia, proving that not all his fellow citizens support Putin’s war in Ukraine.

They were from people he had never met and from cities and towns he had never been to.

‘They took time to write to me in prison and say that they feel the same way as I do about this war,’ Kara-Murza said.

‘The letters were a very big help. Every time I have spoken to a Western audience in these last six months and people ask “What can I do to help? I am not a member of parliament, not a journalist, I am just a regular citizen. What can I do to help?”

‘I always say one thing, please write to political prisoners. It makes the life of a difference between someone keeping their sanity and surviving.

‘Only somebody who has been in a situation like I have can appreciate how much light and how much hope and how much warmth can be in a small sheet of paper that the prison guard hands you through the feeding slot in the door at 4pm every day.’

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