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Etihad Airways brought back its Airbus SE A380 superjumbos after three years in a bid to attract premium

A professional cuddler who makes a living giving clients hugs has said people travel from all over the globe to receive the cuddle therapy she offers which is “far less intimate than a massage” and helps people from “all walks of life”. Natasha Wicks, 44, from Coventry, West Midlands, says that despite criticism, cuddling is scientifically proven to release happy hormones like dopamine and that a lot of her clients are “the big spoon in life” and go to her for emotional support that they do not have at home. As such, many of her clients are caregivers and most of them join Natasha for two-hour hugging sessions, costing £70 an hour. The sessions vary depending on what the client wants, some having “emotional hugs”, others talking more and some wanting to “sit at opposite ends of the sofa with our legs and feet entwined”. Natasha became a cuddle therapist in 2015 and, while she has had comments online from people criticising the practice, she said that her family and friends were unsurprised when she first started giving professional cuddles. She said: “They all said to me that I give the best cuddles so it’s not surprising that I’d start doing it as a job. “It’s very much what I do, I help people and want to make people feel better. It’s a natural thing when someone is going through a tough time to want to give them a hug. “Cuddle therapy might not be as widely accepted in society but it’s far less intimate than other things like massages which are seen as normal.” Prior to becoming a cuddler, Natasha originally trained as a CBT therapist and counsellor. She said: “There’d be situations where I would be talking to someone and they’d really need a hug, but obviously, you’d have professional boundaries in place and it wouldn’t have been appropriate. “It was just a really natural thing. One client had finished her final session and we had agreed that she wasn’t my patient anymore so we hugged goodbye. She said to me that she’d wanted to do that for a long time and I thought ‘me too’.” Looking into cuddle therapy, which she said was increasing in popularity in 2014, Natasha took a training course. By 2015, she was a qualified cuddler and started taking on new patients for cuddle sessions. Natasha provides a minimum session of one hour but said most people go for at least two hours, sometimes longer if they are receiving more than one type of therapy. She said: “I always give people a hug on the doorstep when they arrive and then they’ll come in and relax, and we’ll have an initial chat about what brings them here. After that, I’ll put on some ambient music and we’ll have a cuddle on my cuddle sofa. “It can be daunting coming into a stranger’s house and I can tell the difference in them from arriving to leaving. The first hug they might be angled away from me but when we’re hugging goodbye, I can get my head in between their neck and shoulders and you can almost feel that a weight has been lifted from them.” There is not one type of person that visits Natasha for cuddles, but she says that a lot of her clients are caregivers. She said: “There’s all sorts of people who come for a cuddle, from people who have moved away from home for the first time and just want a mum hug all the way to people in their 80s. “I’m inclusive of all genders and all ages. I get a lot of clients who are the carers of their family and they are so busy looking after other people, and probably giving the hugs and support to other people, that they don’t have that for themselves. “A lot of people that come to see me are generally people are the big spoon in the life – they take care of others and don’t want to show a vulnerable side to people because they don’t want people to worry that they can’t cope. “I get a lot of carers, a lot of NHS staff, a lot of mums, a lot of people that are in a world where they have to be the strong one in the situation and they just want to be able to come here and let their guard down.” Natasha’s priority is to make people feel at ease when they arrive as she said it can be “nerve wracking” turning up at someone’s house for a hug. Setting out clear boundaries prior to meeting, the therapist has said that the patients she has welcomed into her home have all been respectful. She added: “I always say to people that when your body relaxes, your tummy might crumble and mine might too, but that people don’t need to worry about it. Sometimes people fall asleep and they might snore or fart, it’s just natural things that happen. It’s happened twice where someone has got an erection and that’s fine, I have boundaries and we’ll just change position. “I want people to feel reassured that, as soon as they get in, they feel comfortable.” Despite the unconventional therapy, when Natasha first took on cuddle clients, she said her family were completely “unsurprised” and the step from CBT therapy to cuddle therapy was a “natural evolution”. While Natasha focuses her time on a holistic approach for treating people, she noted that there is also neuroscience behind cuddles. According to the 44-year-old, physical touch activates the brain’s orbitofrontal cortex and cuddling releases oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin. Now, Natasha also does EMDR therapy and is a mental health swim host, and has clients travel from all over the globe to receive her hugs. She said: “Working from Coventry is brilliant because I’m only nine minutes on the train from Birmingham Airport and people come to visit me from all over. I get a client from Belgium, someone from Ireland and people from all over the UK who come to see me. “I wanted to find a sofa bed that just looked like a big comfy sofa for cuddle sessions. I’d started off with a big L shaped sofa but after about five years, it was sagging a bit, there’d been a lot of healing done on that sofa and it was time for a new one. “Now I have a sofa bed in my living room that I use as my cuddle sofa. It’s in the living room and it’s used for everyday life, watching TV with my partner, having people round and also for my work.” Breaking down the taboo around cuddle therapy, Natasha hopes more people will embrace the alternative treatment. She added: “As it’s become more popular, more people are becoming qualified as cuddlers and I think that’s great. “I’ve had comments online before of people thinking it’s weird or not understanding but there are other things we accept in society that are much more intimate than cuddles, like massages. “It’s not weird, it’s actually a really lovely thing to be able to make another soul feel better for a while.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live What is ‘beer tanning’ and why are experts warning against it? Christian Cowan: Designing is like dreaming Deborah James’s daughter launches anniversary clothing line for Bowelbabe Fund

Gap Inc. named Mattel Inc. Chief Operating Officer Richard Dickson as its next chief executive officer, ending a

Tottenham owner Joe Lewis, who bought a controlling stake in the club in 2001, is indicted in the United States for alleged insider training. The 86-year-old is accused of sharing information with friends between 2019 and 2021.

University of Southern California star quarterback Caleb Williams is vying to be much more than a premier pick

Ryan Reynolds has been heavily criticised on social media for meeting with UK prime minister Rishi Sunak. The actor visited the PM amid the ongoing actors' strike to discuss the “excellence of UK film crews". Filming on Reynold’s film Deadpool 3 has been paused amid industrial action taken by Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (Sag-Aftra). The actor posted a picture of the pair together and added the caption: “With Deadpool paused, we visited 10 Downing to discuss the excellence of UK film crews and @maximumeffort. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “Aside from shooting back home, the UK is my favourite place to make a movie. Hoping to see even more film work heading to Wales. Rob [McElhenney] would have joined but he’s currently having a word with Man Utd’s youth team goalie.” Reynolds was referencing the injury Wrexham AFC striker Paul Mullin suffered after a tackle with Manchester United goalkeeper Nathan Bishop in a friendly game earlier this week. People flocked to the comments section to criticise Reynolds’ decision to meet with Sunak. “This ain’t it bro. Rishi and his party are a disgrace,” one wrote. Another said: “Oh this is disappointing ( go do your homework on how the conservatives treat the arts in this country).” A user even went as far as saying: “Sitting with this idiot is the lowest point of your career. And yea, I saw Green lantern.” “This isn't the PR win you think it is Ryan,” one more said. Meanwhile, Reynolds and McElhenney who own Wrexham Football Club are now making waves in motorsport after buying a stake in Formula One team Alpine. The pair are part of a group that also includes fellow Hollywood actor Michael B. Jordan, other investors include Otro Capital and RedBird Capital Partners who have made the $200m (approximately £157m) investment. 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.

Manhattan’s Central Park could reach temperatures in the high 90s over the next couple of days, with humidity

The Afrobeats star came under fire for sharing a music video which offended some Muslims.

TikTok sensation and student gymnast Olivia Dunne has spoken about the impact fame has had on her everyday life, saying that it’s no longer safe for her to attend university classes. The viral star from Louisiana State University (LSU) has taken TikTok by storm over recent years, but it’s not always been easy for her to prioritise her safety. Dunne has been competing as a gymnast since 2014. She became a member of the US National Gymnastics Team in 2017. However, she has now revealed that she can no longer attend her LSU classes in person due to potential threats. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Speaking to Elle, Dunne said: “There were some scares in the past, and I just want to be as careful as possible. I don’t want people to know my daily schedule and where I am.” It’s not the first time concerns have been raised. Dunne faced a rowdy mob of young men while competing at the University of Utah earlier this year. Sources said the group of young men disrupted the competition, screaming “put Livvy in” to the point that security had to be called, according to Slate. The crazed fans made enough of an impact that LSU’s head coach, Jay Clark, said they’d be adding “security detail” when the team goes on the road. "We will be working to create a perimeter around where we get on the bus, where we load," Clark said according to TMZ. "I take our team's safety and security very seriously." Dunne took to Twitter on 8 January asking fans to "be respectful of the other gymnasts and the gymnastics community." “I will always appreciate and love the support from you guys, but if you come to a meet, I want to ask you to please be respectful of the other gymnasts and the gymnastics community as we are just doing our job,” she wrote. 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.

The man is one of four charged with selling Michael K Williams heroin laced with fentanyl.

Boeing Co. generated $2.58 billion in free cash flow in the second quarter, surprising investors as a flurry

A grandmother who was diagnosed with a rare cancerous tumour after her ankle “looked a bit swollen” had to have her leg amputated, but she is now walking with a prosthetic and has achieved her goal of waltzing again with her husband. Shirley Parnell, 75, a retired production coordinator, who lives in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, with her husband, Lawrence, 76, a retired chartered surveyor, noticed a lump on her ankle in July 2022, and little did she know, it would lead to a devastating diagnosis. Shirley “assumed it would be something that (doctors) could fix”, but, after several scans, she was diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma, a rare malignant cancerous tumour, and was told a leg amputation would be the only way forward. The mum of two and grandmother of two felt “shocked and in disbelief” as it “hadn’t even crossed (her) mind” that she was going to be diagnosed with cancer. After the surgery, Shirley had an “overwhelming sense of relief” and focused on getting better – to motivate herself, she set herself the goal of being able to dance with her husband again. But, while learning to walk again, Shirley was diagnosed with metastasis lung cancer and could not help but feel “a little bit cheated” as her parents lived until their 90s and she now knows “that’s probably not going to happen.” She did not let this get in the way of her achieving her goal, and in the middle June 2023, she danced with her husband again at a friend’s wedding and said she “had a real sense of achievement”. In July 2022, Shirley got her first warning sign of cancer when she experienced pain in her right ankle. Shirley told PA Real Life: “My ankle started to look a bit swollen – at first, I didn’t think anything of it as I assumed I had just knocked it on something in the house and not realised, but then I noticed a lump. “The lump kept moving around and the pain started to get more intense. So much so that I decided to go and see my local GP.” Shirley’s GP thought it could be a blood clot, so she was prescribed cream and tablets, but after a week, nothing improved. She was then referred to Watford General Hospital for a blood test and an X-ray. Shirley said: “I had just assumed it would be something that they could fix with some medication and the thought of something more serious didn’t really cross my mind. “It was only when they said that the X-ray had come back showing some abnormalities and they wanted me to have an MRI scan, a CT scan and a biopsy that I started to worry. “A few weeks went by, and I tried not to think about the results but then I got a call saying the results were back and they wanted to see me, and I just felt like it was going to be bad news.” At the appointment, Shirley was told she had spindle cell sarcoma, a rare malignant cancerous tumour which can develop in the bone or soft tissue. The doctor suggested that the only option for Shirley was to have her leg amputated to remove the tumour. She said: “As he said those words, I felt shocked and disbelief. “I thought at the time, only last week I was living my life normally, doing things I would come to take for granted such as walking to the shops or going to a Pilates class. “It hadn’t even crossed my mind that it might be cancer, let alone that I would lose a limb because of it.” So, on October 24 2022, at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, Greater London, Shirley had the surgery. She said: “I was very nervous going into surgery but funnily enough I was okay once it was done. “I just had an overwhelming sense of relief that that part was finished. “Everyone has always said to me that I am a very determined person and after the surgery, I just started to look to the future as I felt everything was getting better, so I focused on working towards that.” But, once her leg was amputated, Shirley could not help but feel like she had lost some independence. She said: “Before I could just pop out to pick up some essentials but I had to rely on others to help me, something I am learning to get better at. “I’m so grateful for my husband running me around though.” On January 27 2023, Shirley had a cast made for her prosthetic leg, and it was fitted a week later. She said: “Then came the long and challenging journey of learning how to walk again. “The staff at the Prosthetic Rehabilitation Unit at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital were amazing and their support was what got me through those first few weeks and helped me get used to my new way of moving. “I felt strange but excited with my new leg – it felt like it was a real step forward into being more independent.” When in physiotherapy, Shirley made it her goal to be able to dance at her friend’s wedding with her husband. She said: “My husband and I always loved dancing – he joked that we’ll be doing a jive, but I said maybe a slow waltz.” But, at the end of April 2023, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She said: “My parents lived until they were well into their 90s and I’ll be honest, I fully accepted with my family history that I would do the same. “So it came as a bit of a shock that I now know that that’s probably not going to happen. “I felt a little bit cheated, I suppose, but the other thing it has made me realise is that there are people a lot worse off than me.” Determined not to let the diagnosis impact her goal, Shirley practised walking even more, and at the middle June 2023, they danced together at the wedding. She said: “It was wonderful, I had a real sense of achievement, and being able to have a few dances during the evening was wonderful. “My husband was really proud of me too. “My family have been unbelievably supportive, I can’t thank them enough. “They were so happy for me that day.” Now, Shirley remains under the hospital’s care, having regular scans, and has since passed her driving assistance test. She is also raising money for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Charity for its Impossible Possible campaign. Looking back on the last few years, she said: “I appreciate things a lot more now – I take time to appreciate my garden, the flowers blossoming, and my family. “I feel so lucky that I could have the amputation, and it puts things into perspective definitely.” Read More Mother reveals bruise on her toddler’s eye led to cancer diagnosis Jonnie Irwin details experience with palliative hospice care Ben Cohen’s ex-wife says she had only ‘one symptom’ before cancer diagnosis What is cardiac arrest? The condition that LeBron James’ son suffered from Mom left ‘appalled’ after water park says she can’t breastfeed son in lazy river Government has more work to do to ensure families secure quality childcare – MPs