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A former kids' TV star has opened up about his surprising journey from beloved Disney “geek” to top X-rated OnlyFans creator. Dan Benson, 35, soared to after-school popularity thanks to ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ where he played the loveable character Zeke Beckerman from 2007 to 2012. However, over the years, Benson’s career took an unexpected turn, from children’s TV comedy to the world of online porn. In an interview with PageSix, he explained how he made the surprising leap into the adult industry after nude photos of him were leaked online. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter He revealed that he had been chatting to someone over the internet for a “period of a year or more” and ended up sending them explicit images of himself. “It was months and months later that I found out that those nude photos had leaked online, and that there [are] now websites that are selling those pictures and videos,” he said. He insisted that he’d tried hard to get the photos removed – particularly given that he was an actor on a popular kids' show at the time so was “fully aware of the ramifications” – but eventually accepted that there was “no fighting this”. As a result of the leaked footage, he built up a wide social media following from what he described as a “very specific audience”, who would write “lewd comments” on his Instagram posts. “When the OnlyFans thing exploded, in the back of my mind I kind of knew that the audience for that content [...] was already there for me,” he went on. The 35-year-old stressed that he didn’t just “randomly” decide one day that he wanted to do porn, he just realised that he had “built [a] massive audience for it”, which he then decided to embrace. Benson said that he thought that the OnlyFans “experience” is “different” and more “profound” to other forms of adult entertainment because creators are able to form “intimate connections” with their viewers. “A lot of the people that subscribe to my page grew up watching me and then have this intimate connection with me,” he explained. He went on: “I get messages all the time from people that say, ‘Hey, you were actually my gay awakening. “First of all, that’s super flattering for me, that’s incredibly endearing and awesome. And [it] is funny to me because Zeke was, like, the dorky, goofy character on ‘Wizards of Waverly Place.’ So I’m like, it’s shocking to me, but I think that’s cool.” @danleebenson Let’s watch my favorite Zeke moment ever in Wizards of Waverly Place! #disney #disneychannel #wizardsofwaverlyplace #disneychannelthrowbacks #zeke Despite acknowledging that “99 per cent” of his OnlyFans subscribers are gay men, Benson emphasised that he’s tried to be “completely open and honest” about the fact that he’s straight. “I'm not going to have sex with men on camera because everyone wants to see it,” he clarified. “I don't want to look back in 10 years and go, ‘OK I made all this money, I got all this fame because of this, but goddammit, I was doing all these things that made me feel uncomfortable just for that.” Benson has been vocal in his support for the LGBTQ+ community and, last month, he announced that he wanted to use his OnlyFans presence to champion its causes. Alongside a smouldering photo of himself, he tweeted: Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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The tragic last words of two heroic pilots who died fighting wildfires in Greece have been revealed, as blazes continue to rage across Europe. Commander Christos Moulas, 34, and co-pilot Pericles Stefanidis, 27, were killed just before 3pm on Tuesday when their plane, which had been dropping water, crashed near the town of Karystos on the island of Evia near Athens. A firefighter on the ground is believed to be the last person to speak with the pair, telling Greek broadcaster OPEN: “I still can’t believe that three minutes ago I was talking to them and after exactly 10 minutes I learned that the plane had crashed. “We had contact with them,” he continued. “They did not report any problems with the aircraft. They told us, ‘We are ready to try. We go for a last supply and we leave.’ Have you been affected by this story? Email tara.cobham@independent.co.uk “A few minutes after we spoke, we learned over the radio that the aircraft had crashed,” he added. Footage showed the bright yellow CL-215 aircraft releasing its load of water before its wingtip apparently snagged on a tree branch. Moments later it disappeared into a deep fold in the ground from which a fireball erupted. The pilots, who were both said to be passionate about flying, died at the scene, with investigations into the tragedy ongoing, according to the Greek Fire Brigade. Greek City Times said Commander Moulas’ wife is believed to be three months pregnant with their first child. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said of the tragedy on Tuesday: “Today, we Greeks mourn the tragic loss of our pilots Christos Moulas and Pericles Stefanidis in Evia. “They gave their lives saving lives, proving how risky their daily firefighting missions are,” he continued. “The state respectfully stands by the families of the two heroes. They are two children, two brothers of all of us.” A three-day period of mourning in the Armed Forces was announced by the defence ministry to honour the pair. Mr Mitsotakis continued: “Words are poor to describe the national mourning for their loss... So, we grit our teeth and turn our silence into strength. In their memory, we continue the war against the destructive forces of nature.” The prime minister has warned of tough days ahead as Greece is bracing for at least another 48 hours of scorching wildfires and soaring temperatures, until conditions possibly improve after Thursday. He told ministers: “All of us are standing guard. In the face of what the entire planet is facing, especially the Mediterranean which is a climate change hot-spot, there is no magical defence mechanism.” The Greek Fire Brigade has already been battling more than 500 fires for almost two weeks, while the high temperatures of the recent new heatwave are set to peak throughout Europe on Wednesday, exceeding 44C in some areas of Greece. A blaze in Rhodes prompted “the biggest evacuation in Greek history”, with over 20,000 people forced to flee homes and hotels over the weekend, while around 2,500 people have already been evacuated from Corfu, which has been enduring dozens of blazes. Croatia, Portugal, Turkey, Italy and France are among the other European countries that have been battling wildfires in recent days, while the extreme weather conditions on the continent are being mirrored globally, from the US to Asia and Africa. Italy suffered a twin pounding from the elements when severe storms battered the north, killing a woman and a 16-year-old girl scout, while southern regions sweltered. In the south, a bedridden 98-year-old man died when fire swept through his home. The charred bodies of a couple in their 70s were found in their burnt-out home on the outskirts of Palermo, the regional capital of Sicily, according to Italian media reports. Another woman in her late 80s died in the Palermo province after an ambulance was unable to reach her home due to fires in the area. In north Africa, Algeria was fighting to contain devastating forest fires along its Mediterranean coast in a blaze, which has already killed at least 34 people. Read More Greece fires – live: Rhodes and Corfu brace for another 48 hours of wildfire hell as temperatures rise When will heatwave in Europe end? New forecast shows relief in sight Watch: Rhodes wildfire burns for seventh day as temperatures rise on Greek island How to tell if you have Covid or heatstroke Why do heatwaves in the UK feel hotter than abroad?

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The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin days after the commander led a short-lived rebellion