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FREE sweet treats will be up for grabs across the UK to celebrate the lead-up to Valentine’s Day.

Pret A Manger will be giving away up to 10,000 cookies for to visitors who visit their stores from 3pm tomorrow (February 12).

In a gesture to “celebrate the season of love” the chain is offering the sweet treats, which normally sell for £3.60, for free. You don’t even need to be a paying customer to get one.

Customers can choose from a Dark Choc & Almond Butter Cookie or a Fruit, Oat and spelt Cookie by saying a secret phrase.

To get your freebie you just need to say the words ‘Cookie Crush’ at the till but beware, the offer is only available until stocks last.

Over 10,000 cookies are expected to be given away across Pret’s 500 stores with just two locations in Belfast, Donegall Square and Grand Central Station, not included in the giveaway.

The offer comes after actor Timothée Chalamet said the UK chain was “a top date spot” for romance.

Katherine Bagshawe, Pret A Manger’s UK Food & Coffee Director, said: “At Pret, we’ve always believed that great food brings people together, and what better way to celebrate love than with a freshly baked cookie?

“When we heard Timothée Chalamet mention Pret as a top date spot, we couldn’t resist marking the occasion with a little extra sweetness.

We hope our customers enjoy this special treat, whether they’re celebrating romance, friendship, or simply their love of cookies!”

The freebies are available from 3pm until close or until they’re all gone – and you’ll need to move quick to get your hands on one.

You can check the opening hours of your local store here.

The news comes after Pret today announced it would be keeping its £5 monthly loyalty scheme.

Put in place after the chain faced backlash for axing its free coffee deal in July last year, the new price has now become permanent since it was trialed from September.

Club Pret subscription saw customers pay £30 a month for 5 free barista-made coffees a day and 20% off all Pret A Manger food.

Changes to the deal, which cost loyal customers £360 a year, saw Pret announce it would be changing its scheme to £10 a month for 50% off coffee.

The 20% discount on the chain’s food menu also ended.

Club Pret members were shocked when the announcement was made in July, with one writing on X (formerly Twitter): “Have a word I will be cancelling as I think many others will be!!! Shame on you.”

Another added: “Pret changing their subscription to 50% off five drinks instead of it being free five drinks…. that just ruined my day.”

A third cried: “It’s a very sad day for coffee lovers.”

Pret said that given that the majority of its customers were not Club Pret subscribers, its priority was to “focus on better value for everyone”.

A reduced rate of £5 a month was going to be available only until the end of March 2025, but in a surprising twist Pret emailed its customers today to say the new lower monthly fee is here to stay.

“Our Club Pret monthly subscription fee will remain at just £5,” said Pret A Manger.

“You’ll continue to enjoy great savings on up to five Barista-made drinks per day,” with a link encouraging customers to see the chain’s new terms and conditions, here.

What are the alternative schemes?

Leon Roast Rewards

You can sign up to chain Leon’s Roast Rewards for £25 a month and, as with Pret’s original offer, get five barista-made drinks a day.

This works out at roughly 83p a day for five drinks – definitely not a bad deal if you’re buying even one coffee every day.

Under the terms of the off membership, you can only buy one drink every hour. So you can’t get a free drink for you and a pal at the same time.

As part of the scheme, you also get 20% off breakfast and the all-day food menu.

Starbucks

You can join Starbucks membership for free – a no-brainer if you’re regularly getting drinks there.

Customers get three stars for each partial £1 spent, then a free drink when they get 150 stars. It means spending around £50.  

For a £2.95 small latte, it means buying 17 small lattes to get a free one. 

Taking a leaf out of airline loyalty programs, Starbucks has a “gold level”.

This is reached once you have collected 450 stars – after spending £84. 

It lets you claim perks like extra shots, dairy-free milk and whipped cream for free.

There is also a drink on the house for your birthday. 

How it works:

• £1 spent = three stars (includes partial pounds spent), 150 stars = free drink
• Small latte cost: £2.95
• Number of drinks to hit target: 17
• Cost for a ‘free’ coffee: £50.15
• Reusable cup bonus: 25p off

Costa

Costa also runs a free loyalty scheme but also changed the terms last August

Customers must now buy an extra two coffees to get a free one at Costa, meaning you’ll get a freebie after buying ten, rather than eight.

As with Nero, you get an extra stamp for a reusable cup.

Stamps can be collected in any of the chain’s 2,800 coffee shops, as well as around 12,000 machines in petrol stations and convenience stores. 

How it works:

• One drink purchased = one bean, 10 beans = free drink
• Small latte cost: £3.50
• Number of drinks to hit target: ten
• Cost for a ‘free’ coffee: £35
• Reusable cup bonus: Yes, one extra bean

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

THE director of Britney Spears’s new biopic had already warned fans of a “long road ahead”.

Now insiders have said Jon M. Chu’s sentiment could be born out of the fact the singer has been struggling to make up her mind about what they will and won’t cover.

Universal won the bidding war to the rights for the film, which is based on Britney’s autobiography, called The Woman In Me.

But sources said Britney was “changing her mind like the wind” when it came down to the storyboarding.

An insider said: “Britney’s biopic is in the early stages of development and there have been a lot of ideas bandied around.

“As soon as it feels like they’re moving in one direction though, Britney will take it in another.

“Her manager is an executive producer on the film and is doing his best to put those ideas across, but it feels like it’s an ever-changing project at the moment with no clear direction.”

Bizarre first revealed plans for the biopic in October 2023, with Jon coming on board last year.

Jon said: “I want to do her justice and tell her story right. But we’ll see.

“We’re developing it now and it’s a long road ahead.

“She represents a generation of people growing up in the 2000s and late Nineties, and she has a story that deserves to be told properly.

“There’s a lot about us in it.

“In this initial conception, I think it’s a lot about how we treat people, young people, stars that we think we own, women, mothers.

“There’s a lot of things in there that I would love to explore.”

Eroteme

Britney Spears has been struggling to make up her mind about what her biopic will and won’t cover[/caption]

Sabrina’s curl power

Steven Meisel

Sabrina poses in a satin gown and red lingerie with Marilyn Monroe-style blonde curls[/caption]

Steven Meisel

The Espresso singer looked like a real Hollywood pin-up[/caption]

Steven Meisel

Sabrina was photographed for the March issue of Vogue[/caption]

SABRINA CARPENTER looked like a real Hollywood pin-up as she posed in a satin gown and red lingerie with Marilyn Monroe-style blonde curls.

The Espresso singer was photographed for the March issue of Vogue, although isn’t always as glamorous.

She revealed: “I dress like a little boy for most of the day, if I’m trying to hide. They don’t even know it’s me and I’ll be standing right behind them.”

Sabrina also revealed she secretly flew to London last month to start work on the follow-up to her hit album Short N’ Sweet.

She said: “I start every year just trying to go away and write, because I feel like I have a lot to say at the end of a year. I’m just kind of tucked away right now.

“It’s half writing and half relaxation, if that’s something I can even accomplish.”

For the full cover story, go to Vogue.com.

Free cheers for Becks

Instagram

Instagram

Instagram

TELL us your dad has done a deal with Stella Artois, without telling us your dad has done a deal with Stella Artois . . . 

Brooklyn Beckham posted no less than four Instagram stories of himself proudly drinking a bottle of the beer while watching the Super Bowl in the early hours of Monday.

The wannabe chef, who lives in the States with his wife Nicola Peltz, shared the posts as his dad David’s advert for the brand premiered on US telly.

He’s made a fortune from the team-up and it looks like he made Stella throw in a few crates for his son. Anything for a freebie, eh Brooklyn?

Glum One Like You, Adele

The Mega Agency

Singer Adele shows she’s clearly uninterested in basketball[/caption]

AP

She was sitting through a game alongside fiancé Rich Paul[/caption]

Getty

The pair were at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Monday[/caption]

I’VE had to support boyfriends at work events in the past – and it can be a right bore.

But spare a thought for Adele. Clearly uninterested in basketball, she had photographers watching her every move while sitting through a game alongside fiancé Rich Paul, who is an agent to some of the sport’s top players.

She looked like she would have preferred to be at home watching trash TV than at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Monday, as the Los Angeles Lakers beat Utah Jazz.

The Someone Like You singer, who wore all black for the outing, is on a break from the music biz after her two-year Las Vegas residency ended in November.

Perhaps she will want to return to music sooner rather than later if it means she doesn’t have to go to the basketball.

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SELENA GOMEZ has a big weekend on the cards, as she is dropping a new song hours before battling it out at the Baftas.

She is up for Best Supporting Actress for Netflix movie Emilia Perez and is expected to attend the event in London on Sunday.

And we’ve learned she will thank her fans for their support by releasing a secret single on Friday.

It will also be a first Valentine’s Day with her fiancé, producer Benny Blanco, since he popped the question last year.

Another reason to order in the champers.

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CHAMPIONS League action is back with the knockout phase play-offs.

16 teams are gearing up to compete against each other, looking to join the eight teams that have already advanced to the last 16.

EPA

Manchester City had to come from behind against Club Brugge to progress to the knockout phase play-offs[/caption]

Manchester City and Celtic are among those who are playing this week and will be aiming to progress to the next stage – they’re up against current holders of the competition, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, respectively.

This will be the fourth year in a row that City have faced off against Real in the knockout stage of the competition – and they will know they need nothing short of a perfect display across both legs to get passed the 15-time winners of the competition.

In the previous three meetings of these two footballing giants, City have only got past Los Blancos once and that was the year they went all the way to pick up their first Champions League title.

Similarly, Real Madrid have beat City twice in the last three years, and they picked up the trophy on both occasions, so fans will know they are in for a hell of a tie over the next week!

Are Champions League knockout play-offs one or two legs?

Just like any other knockout stage in the Champions League round, there will indeed be two legs.

The first legs of these play-off fixtures will take place on the 11th and 12th February, with the second legs the following week on the 18th and 19th February.

The eight winning teams will join the eight teams that have already qualified in the last 16.

Which teams are in the play-off round and when are they?

The full draw for the play-off round is as follows:

• Brest v Paris St-Germain – first leg 11 February, second leg 19 February
• Juventus v PSV Eindhoven – first leg 11 February, second leg 19 February
• Manchester City v Real Madrid – first leg 11 February, second leg 19 February
• Sporting v Borussia Dortmund – first leg 11 February, second leg 19 February
• Club Brugge v Atalanta – first leg 12 February, second leg 18 February
• Celtic v Bayern Munich – first leg 12 February, second leg 18 February
• Feyenoord v AC Milan – first leg 12 February, second leg 18 February
• Monaco v Benfica – first leg 12 February, second leg 18 February

Who’s already in the last 16?

The teams through to the round of 16 are:

• Liverpool
• Barcelona
• Arsenal
• Inter Milan
• Atletico Madrid
• Bayer Leverkusen
• Lille
• Aston Villa.

MANCHESTER CITY host European heavyweights Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium for the first leg of their Champions League knockout phase play-off.

Pep Guardiola‘s men clinched a playoff round place with a 3-1 victory over Club Brugge in their final league phase match.

AFP

Savinho’s goal against Club Brugge helped Man City qualify for the knockout stages[/caption]

The result was their only victory in their previous five European matches, losing to PSG, Juventus and Sporting CP in their poor run of form.

Real Madrid picked up their form in the competition towards the end of their campaign.

• Man City vs Real Madrid LIVE – Follow all the action as it happens

They have won three of their last five Champions League matches after a poor start saw them lose three consecutive games to Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool.

Wednesday’s match will be the fourth time Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti’s sides have met in the knockouts of the competition in as many years.

Madrid have the slight edge over City, running out 2-1 winners across the last three ties.

When is Man City vs Real Madrid?

• Man City vs Real Madrid will take place on Tuesday, February 11.
• Kick off will be at 8pm GMT.
• The Etihad Stadium will host the first leg.

How to watch Man City vs Real Madrid for FREE

This season’s Champions League sees a new broadcaster enter the UK scene.

Amazon Prime Video is showing the top Tuesday match in the iconic European competition each week at no additional cost to Prime members.

Should you not currently hold a subscription, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial, which will give you access to all the benefits of being a Prime member, including access to watch Man City vs Real Madrid.

Alternative, SunSport will blog all the action as it happens.

What other games are on this round?

Brest host PSG in the earlier kick off on Tuesday. The all-French tie begins at 5.45pm GMT in the first of four matches on the day

Juventus face PSV Eindhoven at 8pm GMT while Borussia Dortmund meet Portuguese league leaders Sporting CP at the same time on Tuesday.

There are four more fixtures in the Champions League this week which will all be played on Wednesday, February 12.

Club Brugge host Serie A dark horses Atalanta in the early kick off at 5.45pm GMT.

Wednesday’s 8pm GMT matches see Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich travel to Celtic Park to face the Scottish giants.

Meanwhile, Feyenoord face AC Milan and AS Monaco go up against Benfica.

NEWCASTLE coach Jason Tindall found a bizarre way to have a ‘pop’ at Aston Villa amid a mass tunnel brawl.

The FA have revealed incredible inside details as they confirmed big fines for both clubs following the flare-up on Boxing Day.

Getty

Jason Tindall is said to have revved up the row by changing into this pop-throwback hoodie near the end[/caption]

Alamy

Tempers had first frayed on the pitch as Jhon Duran was sent off for a foul on Newcastle defender Fabian Schar at St James’ Park[/caption]

Jhon Duran saw red for a foul on Fabian Schar before Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak and Joelinton sealed a 3-0 Newcastle win at St James’ Park.

An independent Regulatory Commission have now broken down the events – revealing a surprising throwback to a 1980s’ pop duo from Tindall.

The 47-year-old’s antics loomed large in the reports received by the commission

Referee Anthony Taylor explained he sent off Tindall for aggressive behaviour.

Taylor said fourth official Leigh Doughty informed him of a half-time bust-up “caused by Victor Manas (Aston Villa head of analysis)”

Manas was “shouting aggressively” leading to an “aggressive verbal altercation”. 

Taylor added: “This caused a further confrontation to take place of approx 20 players and staff. I was also advised that Mr Tindall had to be prevented from becoming involved further.”

But it was what came near the end of the match that stood out – with the ex-Bournemouth defender said to have escalated the matter by winding up Villa… with a WHAM! hoodie.

Reuters

Villa boss Unai Emery reacted angrily, with Tindall said to be involved[/caption]

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Villa’s club secretary Sharon Barnhurst emailed the commission to say Tindall “shushed” their manager Unai Emery three or four times in the first half, leading to Manas intervening in a heated exchange during the interval. 

Trouble exploded again before the final whistle.

The Telegraph report that Barnhurst submitted: “Mr Tindall on the 85th minute reappeared within the tunnel wearing a WHAM! jumper, joking around with other members of Newcastle United’s staff. “

Tindall was then said to have stayed in the tunnel area until full-time before being “involved in a tense exchange of words” with a Villa coach.

Both clubs admitted improper conduct.

The Commission fined Villa £30,000 and Newcastle £20k, as well as warning them both about their behaviour.

Manas landed a two-match ground ban and £4k fine – but Tindall was cleared.

An FA spokesman said: “The Regulatory Commission found the charge against Jason Tindall to be not proven, and he will face no further action.”

PRINCE Harry’s former hairdresser is begging the royal to follow in Prince William’s footsteps and to ”let it go” and shave his head.

Sam McKnight MBE, who worked with the late Princess Diana, took to Instagram to urge the 40-year-old to learn from his big brother and go for the chop.

Cavendish/Crown Clinic.

Prince Harry, 40, has strongly been advised to ‘let it go’ and either shave his head – or get a hair transplant[/caption]

The Mega Agency

The Duke of Sussex always loved mocking his brother for his hair loss[/caption]

Cavendish/Crown Clinic.

Leading hair transplant surgeon Dr Asim Shahmalak says this is what Harry will look like at 50 if his current rate of hair loss continues[/caption]

Getty

Some of Sam’s clients include Kate Moss and Lady Gaga[/caption]

The hairdresser, whose clients include A-listers such as Lady Gaga and Kate Moss, said he remembered Prince Harry from his younger years when the prince had ”thick healthy crowning glories, just like mum”.

Sam wrote: ”It’s time Harry! Many moons ago, when you and your brother were young boys, you both had the most magnificent, thick healthy crowning glories, just like mum.

”Many an afternoon was spent with me thinning and shaping the topiary! 

”However, just like myself, the lush hedging is no more, a mere wisp or two of its former self.”

The hair guru went on in the brutal post and urged the California-based dad-of-two to make a drastic change that would make him appear younger than his years.

”All is not lost, however, a good short clip at the barbers (like your big brother has done recently) would look sharp and clean, and take years off that handsome face.”

According to Sam, who was awarded an MBE in 2023 for his services to the fashion and beauty industries, Prince Harry should also consider getting a hair transplant if he wants to keep his signature ginger mane.

The hairdresser wrote: ”If I were your age I’d go for a transplant, so much more natural these days, unlike the plug plants of yore.

”And no need for a quick EasyJet trip to Turkey, you’re in California where they have the best!

”So Harry, from one baldy to another, it’s time. As they say in Disneyland, “Let It Go”.

”Sent from your old hairdresser, Sam, with love, a wink and a smile,” he joked in the caption.

The 40-year-old, like his brother William and dad King Charles, has struggled with hair loss.

One expert, Dr Asim Shahmalak from Manchester’s Crown Clinic, claimed that his bald patch has almost doubled since he married Meghan Markle in 2018.

Harry always loved mocking his brother for his hair loss, once quipping: “I think he definitely is brainier than I am, but we established that at school, along with his baldness.”

Following his balding head, the royal was even spotted undergoing a thickening treatment at the prestigious Philip Kingsley Trichological Clinic in London’s Mayfair in 2020.

At the time, a source said: “Harry’s visit caused a real stir.”

“This company is so prestigious. It’s one of the best places in the world. It’s got a whole range of different treatment plans.”

“The richest, most famous and well-connected use it. The meeting with Harry went well.

“It would be very expensive. It’s the place to go in London and it’s right in the heart of Mayfair.”

Nearly seven million Brits experience baldness or hair loss – and even A-list celebs like Wayne Rooney, Gordon Ramsay and David Beckham are rumoured to have had treatment to combat their thinning thatches. 

The NHS states that hair loss is “not usually anything to be worried about”, and can be triggered by factors such as stress, after an illness, weight loss or iron deficiency.”

In mid-life men most hair loss is hormonal and not linked to these conditions.

Harry cruelly called his brother William’s hair loss “alarming” in his controversial autobiography Spare – but Wills seemingly embraced his baldness by forking out £180 for a No1 buzz cut back in 2018. 

SERGIO AGUERO has made an incredibly bold prediction for Manchester City’s clash with Real Madrid.

The two titans face off tonight in the Champions League play-off round after struggling through the league phase.

Getty

Sergio Aguero will be shocked if Real Madrid beat Manchester City[/caption]

PA

The two sides face off in the Champions League[/caption]

Manchester City have been out of sorts for most of the season while their Spanish opponents are leading LaLiga.

The two are going head to head in a two-legged fixture in order to reach the last 16 of the Champions League.

The first leg of the tie is being played at the Etihad and Aguero, 36, believes his former side can not lose.

The retired striker is so confident that he jokingly offered to dismember himself if he was wrong.

Speaking on the Som I Serem FCB Podcast, he said: “Real Madrid can not beat Man City.

“If they beat City, I will cut off my testicles.”

Aguero has more disdain for Real Madrid than the general City legend, having also played for Barcelona during his career.

He joined the Catalonian side in 2021 but only played four league games before being forced into retirement for medical issues.

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Man City manager Pep Guardiola has also spoken about the clash against Real Madrid.

He has declared that his players are good enough of getting a result against the 15-time winners.

said: “We are where we are, and I know perfectly but the team has something special and hopefully we can prove it.

“I will not deny how I trust with the players who gave us that incredible decade, winning a lot of things and playing a high standard, I know what we are capable of.

“To be honest it is always better to have a second leg at home in case you have extra time with your people.

“We play the second game away because we were not good in the group stage – when you finish 22nd you cannot ask for any favours.

Meanwhile, Aguero is gearing up for an intensive boot camp in motorsport.

He is set to compete in Formula E‘s new Evo Sessions and will come up against the likes of Brooklyn Beckham.

Live updates from the Champions League play-off at the Etihad.

She's finally broken her silence on the singer's death.

In MetroTalk: What message does such lenient treatment send to the offender, and what does it imply for women and girls?