'My ancestors were invisible. I want to be visible'
Recognition hangs in the balance for Indigenous Australians ahead of a historic vote.
1970-01-01 08:00
Sharon Osbourne says she and husband Ozzy plan to die by assisted suicide if their mental abilities decline
Sharon Osbourne has reminded her children of her and husband Ozzy Osbourne’s plan to die by assisted suicide, if their physical and mental health takes a severe decline. The former music manager and The Talk panellist, 71, initially discussed her end-of-life plans while promoting her 2007 memoir Survivor: My Story – The Next Chapter. In an interview at the time, Sharon said that she and Ozzy had come to the decision to visit a euthanasia facility in Switzerland, where the practice is legal. “Ozzy and I have absolutely come to the same decision,” she told the Mirror. “We believe 100 per cent in euthanasia so have drawn up plans to go to the assisted suicide flat in Switzerland if we ever have an illness that affects our brains. If Ozzy or I ever got Alzheimer’s, that’s it – we’d be off.” Sharon confirmed that their position on the matter hadn’t changed on the most recent episode of The Osbournes Podcast, hosted alongside Ozzy, 74, daughter Kelly, 38, and son Jack, 37. “Do you remember when Mum and Dad did that interview, talking about how they were gonna go and die through assisted suicide, and we were like ‘What the f*** is this?’” Kelly asked Jack. Jack replied: “They were like, ‘If we get terminally ill, we’re going to go to Switzerland and assisted suicide ourselves.’ Is that still the plan?” “Do you think that we’re gonna suffer?” Sharon asked, before laughing. To Jack’s proposal that “we [are] already all suffering”, she continued: “Yes, we all are, but I don’t want it to actually hurt, as well. “Mental suffering is enough pain without physical. So if you’ve got mental and physical, see ya.” She then clarified that if she had the chance to live longer while struggling with mental and physical issues, she’d decide against it. “What if you survived and you can’t wipe your own ass, you’re p***ing everywhere, s***ing, can’t eat,” Sharon said. “So, what’s different about your life [now]?” Kelly joked. Sharon’s strong view on having an assisted death is largely influenced by watching her father, music manager Don Arden, suffer from Alzheimer’s disease before his death in 2007. Then, in 2014, Ozzy spoke of his desire to die by medically assisted suicide in the case of any “life-threatening condition.” “If I can’t live my life the way I’m living it now – and I don’t mean financially – then that’s it...[Switzerland],” he told the Mirror. “If I can’t get up and go to the bathroom myself and I’ve got tubes up my ass and an enema in my throat, then I’ve said to Sharon, ‘Just turn the machine off.’ If I had a stroke and was paralyzed, I don’t want to be here. I’ve made a will and it’s all going to Sharon if I die before her, so ultimately it will all go to the kids.” If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you. Read More Inside the secret network of women naming and shaming their bad exes How to really tell if you’re Posh (or not) The rise of ‘Ozempic face’ and why it’s here to stay Billy Connolly says reports of his ‘demise have been greatly exaggerated’ How to get rid of bedbugs: Signs and symptoms amid threat of UK invasion Dawn O’Porter: ‘I fantasise about the other side of menopause’
1970-01-01 08:00
NBA Expansion: 3 most likely candidates to move to the Eastern Conference
If the NBA expands as expected to Seattle and Las Vegas, two current Western teams will have to head east. Here are the likely candidates.
1970-01-01 08:00
25-under-25: Ja Morant and the Grizzlies are ready to remake themselves
In the span of a few years, Ja Morant has gone from unrecruited to must-see TV. He's ranked No. 4 on our list of the best young players in the NBA.
1970-01-01 08:00
25-under-25: Jaren Jackson Jr. is a young phenom like no other
Jaren Jackson Jr. is impacting the game on the defensive end in a way few can match. He ranked No. 6 on our list of the best young players in the NBA.
1970-01-01 08:00
Billy Connolly says reports of his ‘demise have been greatly exaggerated’
Billy Connolly mocks misguided reports of his “demise” in an extract from his new autobiography. The Scottish actor and retired stand-up comedian, nicknamed “The Big Yin”, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013. Parkinson’s is a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination. Often, the disease can become more severe over time. During an interview published in September, it was revealed that Connolly had suffered “a couple of serious falls” and once broke his hip as a result of deteriorating balance. He also expressed having difficulties with walking. Despite these growing physical challenges, the What We Did on Our Holiday star clearly maintains a positive outlook about his health. In his new memoir, Rambling Man: Life on the Road, Connolly clarifies that he doesn’t feel “close to death”. “You see, reports of my recent demise have been greatly exaggerated,” he states in an extract shared with The Telegraph. “There was a week a few years ago where on Monday I got hearing aids, Tuesday I got pills for heartburn, and Wednesday I received news that I had prostate cancer and Parkinson’s disease. But despite all that, I never ever felt close to dying.” Connolly also writes about his feelings of comfort when in a cemetery, and how he reliably makes an effort to attend funerals. He recalls his manager being bewildered by his commitment, telling him: “Billy – even if you haven’t seen someone for 25 years and they die in another country you’ll jump on a plane.” “I just like to see people off,” the comic explains. “It’s important to me. Boys from school. Apprentices from the Clyde. Welders. It’s a bit like a school reunion. Seeing all the people from that place and time – that world I was once part of.” Five years after his diagnosis, Connolly retired from his stand-up career due to the increasing difficulties of the illness, and has previously offered insight into the realities of living with Parkinson’s. Though he said he does not feel close to dying yet, he has spoken with his wife, psychologist Pamela Stephenson Connolly, about the message he’d like on his gravestone when the time comes. He wrote: “I was thinking I’d like: ‘Jesus Christ, is that the time already?’ on mine, but my wife Pamela was shaky about it, so we settled on ‘You’re standing on my balls!’ in tiny wee writing.” Rambling Man: Life on the Road is out now. Read More Billy Connolly says ‘cruel’ Parkinson’s disease has made it difficult to walk Sir Billy Connolly unveils four new drawings for sale Prince William reveals he can’t handle overly spicy food or he’ll ‘start sweating’ Billy Connolly says ‘cruel’ Parkinson’s disease has made it difficult to walk How to get rid of bedbugs: Signs and symptoms amid threat of UK invasion Dawn O’Porter: ‘I fantasise about the other side of menopause’
1970-01-01 08:00
Dawn O’Porter: ‘I fantasise about the other side of menopause’
Knowing her limits is a “revelation”, says Dawn O’Porter, something she discovered in her mid-40s. For the former TV presenter and author – her latest book, Cat Lady, which was released in October last year – it’s something she’s had to learn. “I love drinking booze and eating really indulgent food, but I’m also really into health stuff as well,” she says. “I’m one of those people that’s really good – if I go to a party and it gets to 10:30pm [and] I’m not really feeling the booze, I just stop drinking – but I can stay out until two in the morning. I’m able to turn it off, and I don’t overindulge when I’m done – which I think is a real mid-40s revelation. “I know my limits – I go to everything, I do everything, I just stop when I know I’m done.” For O’Porter, 44, who shares two sons, Art, eight, and Valentine, six, with actor husband Chris O’Dowd, becoming a mother helped shift her perspective. “Since I’ve had kids, I know that I’m going to get woken up at six o’clock in the morning – you’ve got to make better decisions,” she says. “Like everybody, if I don’t do the work, I don’t get paid – and I don’t have the luxury where I can’t get paid. I have to be at my desk at 10 o’clock in the morning, and before I’ve got to my desk I’ve had to feed two humans, get them dressed, get them to school, walk two dogs, pull the house together and do all this stuff. “I know now that when I go on a big night out – which I do all the time, I love it – the next day is a write-off, so I can only do that once a week. It used to be three or four times a week, and it didn’t affect me in the same way. “I definitely feel like it’s a great thing to get to an age when you know what you can and can’t handle.” This “willpower” is something she admits she “didn’t used to have”. But dedicating time to her wellbeing is important, as being in your 40s is a “weird time”, she admits. “You know what’s coming – menopause is coming. What are we in for? So I feel like I’m going to do my very best for myself until that happens. It might be fine, it might not – I don’t know.” O’Porter adds: “It feels nice to go into it in the best health you can be. I’m not an exercise person – I get really into Pilates for two months and never do it again – so I’m consistent about healthy food and skincare and all that kind of stuff.” She’s reminded of a speech Kristin Scott Thomas makes about menopause in the BBC black comedy Fleabag, where she says: “It is horrendous, but then it’s magnificent – something to look forward to.” O’Porter adds: “As someone who has had cramps and really suffered for so much of my life, I fantasise about the other side of menopause – it’s like this giant mountain you have to get over. “I might smooth through it and not even know it’s happening, or I might be one of those people who has a very difficult time – I’ve got no idea. I just want to feel good when I go into it. “I do feel like there’s this freedom on the other side – I’ll be rid of all the things that have weighed me down physically for so many years, and be pain-free and happy.” A healthy diet is particularly important for O’Porter, who can’t eat gluten because it causes her “quite severe pain”. She says: “I have to think about food a lot more than people who can eat gluten – I really read packages and all that stuff. And I’m obsessed with my skin – I really try and eat food that’s really, really good for my skin.” Other aspects of her self-care routine include taking supplements (“If somebody says it stimulates collagen, I’ll literally buy 10 of it!”), taking Epsom salt baths and carving out the time to read before bed. “I think that’s really looking after myself, [so] when I have nights where I’m completely hedonistic and start drinking at 10 o’clock in the morning and don’t get home until four, that’s fine. Because I take care of myself the rest of the time, I think my face survives the hangovers and the dehydration.” After 15 years living in America, in June this year, O’Porter and her family moved from Los Angeles to London – and she couldn’t be happier to be back. “There’s quite a transient vibe to LA, because very few people are born and bred there – there are some, obviously, but most people have come out for some sort of work experience they’re having. They either stay or go, and there’s this constant movement of people. “It was hard to imagine getting older there and settling, there was always this feeling of no matter who we’ve got in our lives, they will come and go – and that unsettled me in the last few years.” Back in London, “Everything I do is an investment in the future of living here, which feels really lovely,” O’Porter enthuses. “Every relationship I make – all my girlfriends or my mum friends – everybody is here for keeps.” She’s particularly looking forward to spending Christmas on this side of the world. “I started planning Christmas months ago – where we’re going to be, what we’re going to do, because ultimately, I love hosting it. I love doing the whole thing myself.” She’s hoping to host this year, and foresees absolutely no festive pressures, saying: “It doesn’t stress me out at all, I’d say it’s me at my absolute best. “I cook like Christmas Day on every Sunday for lots of people, I love it so much. I get really into it and I start drinking about 10 in the morning – it makes it more fun – we play Christmas songs and get the wine going early and cook all day.” Plus O’Porter – who is offering shopping consultations in collaboration with Etsy ahead of Christmas – is extremely easy to buy for. “I’m really easy. I genuinely say this from the bottom of my heart – go on Etsy and put in ‘cat’ and you can get me anything, any handmade anything – if it’s got my name on it, even better, with a cat on it. I am so simple.” To find thoughtful gifts for loved ones this Christmas and beyond, head to etsy.com/uk. Read More Everything you need to know about bedbugs as increase in numbers is predicted PE ‘enjoyment gap’ widens for girls: Why it matters and how we can help The psychology of Big Brother: How to survive in the house How to support someone coming out in their 30s and beyond Israel-Hamas conflict: How to talk to teenagers about distressing news stories Autumn décor ideas for a seasonal refresh
1970-01-01 08:00
Orlando Arcia-Bryce Harper controversy brings reminder of clubhouse trust, journalism
Much has been made of the comments about Bryce Harper by Orlando Arcia, but should the words have even been made public?
1970-01-01 08:00
Braves players upset locker room code was broken over Harper comments
The Atlanta Braves are in a tailspin. Orlando Arcia's recent comments to Bryce Harper took centerstage, and players aren't happy.
1970-01-01 08:00
4 Braves to blame for brutal Game 3 loss to Phillies
The Atlanta Braves are one game away from elimination after a gut-wrenching loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in Citizens Bank Park.
1970-01-01 08:00
3 Brian Snitker mistakes Braves couldn't afford vs Phillies
Brian Snitker mismanaged the Atlanta Braves in several ways, leading to a devastating Game 3 loss that moved the Braves within one game of elimination.
1970-01-01 08:00
3 teams that should still be kicking themselves for not signing Bryce Harper
These three teams have had to watch Bryce Harper will his team deep into the postseason for two straight years now. That's an appropriate punishment for making such an ill-advised path in free agency.
1970-01-01 08:00