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Like the Irish weather, the guy who fell over on the ice and the kid who played What’s Snots on The Den, the Rose of Tralee is something we, as a nation, are allowed to make fun of.

Hell, it’s practically our duty.

Yet despite our supposed disdain for the long-running contest, a staggering 1.7 million of us chose to tune and get our fix of the action this week.

And an astounding three-quarters of a million witnessed the moment a stunned Chicago Rose, Maggie McEldowney, took her place in Rose of Tralee history after being crowned winner at the 58th annual event.

Oh, and it wasn’t just the people at home in Ireland keen to hear the Sydney Rose’s views on the 8th Amendment or the German Rose's take on Lil Wayne either.

With 115,000 total worldwide streams, the popularity of the contest is ever-increasing.

Acknowledging the changing tide, host Dáithí Ó Sé said: It’s been another fantastic year at the Rose of Tralee. This is my seventh year hosting and each year it just seems to get better.”

Since Monday there have been over 55,400 Twitter mentions – a figure which undoubtedly helped make this year’s contest was one of the highest rating programmes of 2016.

Commenting on the show’s success, RTÉ’s executive producer, Brian Páircéir, said: “With 1.7million viewers tuning in over the two days to watch the Rose of Tralee it just proves once again just how popular it is with people watching at home.”

Make no mistake – you'll be watching again next year, and you know it.

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There's The Rock… and then there's Dwayne Johnson.

The Rock is an uber bad-ass who works out 20 hours a day while Dwayne Johnson is a complete and utter softie.

And it looks like the latter took to Instagram last night if a recent post on The Rock's page is anything to go by.

Sharing the sweetest video of himself and his nine-month-old daughter, Jasmine, playing their favourite game, Dwayne wrote: "Finally my big head is used for more than just a place to hang my hat."

"The joys of being home w/ my ohana and playin' one of our fav games – slap daddy's head 'til I can see his big scary face," he continued. (sic)

"Song playing in the background is "O Tiare" (Justin Young). A song I started singing to her every day since she was one week old."

"Samoan lyrics are beautiful, "Ia alofa le Atua, ma tausi ia te 'oe…" which translates to "may God take loving care of you," the actor told followers.

Finishing the post, which clocked up a staggering 4.9 million views, Dwayne joked: "I must now go do something very manly and bad ass to counterbalance this post."

Acknowledging Dwayne's parting words, one of the star's followers wrote: "Aww our children makes even the manliest toughest guys into mush. Fatherhood, the best ride of our lives."

Excuse us while we watch this over and over.

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Look, we'd be the first to admit that when it comes to height, the only one type were interested in is heel.

In our headier more adventurous moments on holiday, we might have momentarily toyed with the idea of bungee-jumping or sky-diving, but then we had a word with ourselves before grabbing a drink and sitting those options out.

And this is why we're struggling to look at Angela Nikolau's Instagram account without biting down on closed fists and muffling a strangled wail.

 

Spire selfie #china #rooftop #roof #tianjin

A photo posted by Angela Nikolau (@angela_nikolau) on

The Moscow-based adventurer has devoted much of her Instagram account to documenting her most adventurous moments from around the world… and they are not for the faint-hearted.

 

#hongkong #rooftop #roof #selfie #girl #gimnastic #yoga #china #acrobatics

A video posted by Angela Nikolau (@angela_nikolau) on

From dangling off skyscrapers to taking selfies at dizzying heights, Angela's escapades have attracted almost a quarter of a million followers online.

And we're going to be honest here, we feel a bout of vertigo coming on.

Excuse us, while we lie down.

 

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While the Academy Awards looks like a fairly stuffy affair  – except for Ellen's selfie, natch – the Met Gala looks like a chance for Hollywood's biggest and brightest to have a little fun with fashion, but apparently it's not all it's cracked up to be.

Speaking on the Howard Stern Show yesterday, Amy Schumer described the event, and frankly we don't think we're that jealous of Gigi, Karlie or Zayn anymore.

Sounding like a nightmare from start to finish, the Trainwreck star revealed that the event felt like a 'punishment.

"I figured I should have been grateful I was invited or something but it felt like a punishment. It’s not me and I don’t like it," she admitted.

“I got to meet Beyoncé and she was like, ‘Is this your first Met Gala?' And I was like, ‘It’s my last’" Amy recalled.

Pouring scorn on the New York-based event and its theme, Amy ranted: "We’re dressed up like a bunch of f***ing a***holes."

"I have no interest in fashion," Amy explained. "I like the idea of coming up with a way to dress that's more comfortable, that sounds good to me, other than that I don’t care."

And if she wasn't a fan of the costumes, she was even less impressed by the guests wearing them.

Giving an insight into the Gala's dynamic, Amy continued: "It’s all so fake, It’s people doing an impression of having a conversation … I don’t like the farce."

Christ, it sounds more harrowing than the worst night out.

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At the beginning of any relationship, we endeavour to present the best versions of ourselves to our other halves.

Hell, we don't know how long it will last, so no point putting the brakes on too early by revealing our true selves – lure them into a false sense of security and all that.

And it seems it's no different for those in the public eye either.

According to Elle, John Krasinski tried so hard to present the most 'normal' aspect of himself to Emily Blunt, he accidentally made her think he was in the habit of watching porn.

Not wanting to reveal he was an uber Devil Wears Prada fan too soon into their dating days, The Office star attempted to hide his love of the film from Emily who played Meryl Streep's underling in the 2006 box office hit.

"We had just started dating and she had come over to my house. She popped by in between some things and I was watching it," John, who now shares two children with Emily, recalled.

"She opened the door and I flipped the channel and she looked at me like, 'Were you just watching porn?'…I think it was better for me at the time for her to think I was watching porn than watching The Devil Wears Prada for the seventy-fifth time," he explained.

Unsurprisingly, as their relationship progressed, John, 36, felt comfortable enough to reveal just how much he loves and adores the film.

"There was one day when it was on and I said it was so good and Emily said, 'Have you seen this movie?'" John remembered.

"I said, 'A lot of times.' She said, 'That's so sweet, but how many times?' Luckily, we had been dating for about a year so there was a lot of trust built up and I said, 'Like 75.'

75? It's still nothing on us.
 

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Whether you watched the Rose of Tralee or not, chances are you have, by this stage, heard that Sydney Rose, Brianna Parkins, used her time on stage to call for a repeal of the 8th Amendment.

And while thousands upon thousands praised Brianna for her contribution to the ongoing discussion on womens' reproductive rights in Ireland, RTÉ presenter, Mary Kennedy, was, according to The Independent, a little less forthcoming in her praise.

While acknowledging that Brianna had a right to voice her opinion, the popular presenter, who also happens to be chair of the Rose of Tralee judging panel, argues that the Kerry-based contest may not have been the right time to do so.

"This was a point that she (Brianna) wanted to make but I don't think it's the place to do it," Mary said following Brianna's remarks on Monday night.

And while many Twitter users applauded Briana for using her time so productively, Mary argued: "I don't think the Rose of Tralee is necessarily a political platform."

Echoing Mary's stance on the issue, Pro-Life Campaign spokesperson Cora Sherlock  argued that the long-running pageant was not the place to raise discussion.

"You can't dip your toe into the abortion debate. This is the Rose of Tralee, not Prime Time," she said.

The Chicago Rose was crowned the winner of this year's Rose of Tralee last night, but for many Brianna will always wear the crown.

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She became a mum to Josey Hollis Dorsey in September 2015, but this was not Naya Rivera's first pregnancy.

Opening up in her memoir, Sorry Not Sorry, the Glee actress reveals that upon learning she was expecting Ryan Dorsey's child back in 2010, the actress chose to terminate the pregnancy.

While now happily married to Ryan, the actress had, at the time, just ended their relationship and made the decision to seek an abortion without telling Ryan of her pregnancy.

In an incredibly revealing excerpt of her book, 29-year-old Naya reflects on the termination –  which took place a day before filming an episode of the show – and explains that she chose to reveal her decision in an attempt to support other women.

Speaking to People magazine in the run-up to the book's release, she said: "It was very scary to open up about everything, It's not something a lot of people talk about, but I think they should."

"I know some people might read it and say, 'What the Hell?' But I hope someone out there gets something out of it," she added.

Naya, who played Santana Lopez in the hit musical show, married Ryan in 2014 before welcoming their son a year later.

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If you suffer from bumpy upper arms and calves, it's more than likely you tend to tackle the condition with an industrial-sized loofah.

Many of those who live with keratosis pilaris – as it is known among experts in the field of dermatology – are under the assumption that exfoliating the area will help to rid skin of patchy bumps, but it sounds like we're way off the mark here.

Commenting on the skin condition, dermatologist, Doris Day, explained that keratosis pilaris is not something you can simply erase with the help of some study exfoliating gloves.

"You can't eradicate keratosis pilaris," she says. "It's a genetic condition where, for some reason, the follicles on the outer arms and thighs get clogged and don't naturally exfoliate."

"We used to think if you exfoliated enough, you'd be able to undo KP," she continued. "But exfoliating can actually irritate the bumps and make them much worse."

So, what are we ladies of the bumpy upper arms meant to do now?

Well, according to Allure, we need to invest in cleansers which contain salicylic acid and moisturisers which contain lactic acid.

"Lactic acid is great for KP because it loosens cells over time to gently exfoliate skin," Dr. Day explained. "It's also a humectant, which means it will add moisture and minimize irritation."

Good to know!

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He may have said he hopes to put a ring on Marnie's finger in the next five years, but that hasn't stopped Celebrity Big Brother viewers from questioning the authenticity of Lewis Bloor and Marnie Simpson's relationship.

Along with Stephen Bear and Chloe Khan, Lewis and Marnie became the subject of intense speculation as fellow housemates and CBB fans suggested that the couple's affection came down to nothing more than a desire to boost their own profiles.

But, according to Marnie's mum Sharon Kinney, that couldn't be further from the truth.

While appearing on Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit On the Side, the Geordie Shore star's mum insisted that her daughter's relationship with Lewis was genuine, saying: "She’s just gone with her feelings."

"Marnie is a very strong, independent woman. With Lewis, she just went into that house with an open heart and she met someone who she has a connection with," Sharon continued.

In addition to defending the authenticity of the romance, Sharon dismissed notions that her daughter was overshadowed by the TOWIE star, saying: "I wouldn’t agree with that at all."

Lewis recently acknowledged the public's scepticism, saying: "I understand how people will look at it, it is very crazy but yeah she is great and I can't wait to see her."

And yet despite Sharon and Lewis' claims, BFF Charlotte Crosby doesn't see a future for the couple, telling New! magazine: "I don't see anything materialising with them on the outside. I don't think Marnie's suited to him."

In the words of Justin Bobby, truth and time tell all…

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It might have taken him five months and the help of numerous farmers to prepare the setting for his big moment, but it sounds like it was definitely worth it for Shyam Thakrar.

The 27-year-old, known as Sam, planned to pop the question to his girlfriend Sarah, but his proposal required more than just a ring and the bending of a knee.

After deciding at the age of 15 that he would ask his future wife to marry him by mowing the words into a farmer's field, Sam knew that he would need a little help if his plan was to go off without a hitch.

"I got in touch with farmers and found one that said he'd done something similar before, but not on this scale," Sam told ITV News.

Coordinating the task with the help of walkie-talkies, a group of farmers from Northumberland obliged Sam and mowed his special message into a field 300 miles from the couple's home.

And once they were done, Sam treated Sarah to a helicopter ride above the fields before she agreed to become Mrs Thakrar.

Sam's efforts have been praised by the public with one Facebook user writing: "Top man, impressed" while another remarked: "Good idea that! Respect young man!"

Just something for our other halves to consider…

Image credit: SWNS

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We all know that the most recent series of Celebrity Big Brother has been hailed the most explosive of its run, but is that purely down to the housemates' antics or is it actually the very clever editing tricks of the show's producers?

According to emerging reports, CBB bosses have been slammed by fans for concealing certain incidents in the house which may have turned viewers against the show's biggest heavy-hitters.

With Ex on the Beach star, Stephen Bear, constantly grabbing headlines for his on-screen antics with Chloe Khan, viewers are now questioning why they weren't informed of various warnings he got throughout the show which may have led to his eviction.

And it looks like Sam Fox's recent eviction interview may be to thank for the backlash against producers.

According to the former popstar, 26-year-old Bear received a staggering four warnings in one day, and even played a prank on Sam which ultimately resulted in her requiring medical attention.

"What he did, he said “I know this really good magic trick, you’ve got to look into this water bottle," Sam explained. "I said, ‘please promise me this water’s not going to go anywhere’. "

"Well straight away, he squeezed it, the contact lens went to the back of my eye, I had to see the medic, get that out, wear an eyepatch for half a day," she revealed.

Viewers are accusing Celebrity Big Brother bosses of editing out Bear's worst bits in order to ensure the show's ratings –  a claim which was backed up a show's source."

"Bear is constantly breaching the rules and the other housemates are complaining," the insider revealed. "No celeb would normally get away with this.

Hmm, sounds like they have some explaining to do.

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These days, James Corden is one of the most recognisable faces in the industry.

And while he may seem like an overnight success to many, James has actually been plugging away at his TV career for more than two decades.

Long before he hit it big Stateside with The Late Late Show, the British star was honing his interviewing skills in the UK, and cut his teeth with none other than rock legend Meatloaf.

And in honour of James' 38th birthday, BBC last night released footage of a teenage James shooting the breeze with the I'd Do Anything For Love singer all the way back in 1995.

Looking ever so slightly awe-struck, a 17-year-old James, rocking classic 90s attire, chatted with Meatloaf over an English breakfast, and in fairness to him, he did a lot better than we would have fresh out of secondary school.

Ladies, this is beyond cute.

 

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