Gogglebox star Sophie Sandiford has been met with support online after revealing the loss of her job at department store chain Debenhams.
The 24-year-old – who appears on the Channel 4 reality show with her brother Pete – appears to be one of a significant number of staff across the UK whose jobs were put at risk as Debenhams confirmed it was going into liquidation earlier this week as a result of ongoing economic struggles, particularly amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Owners announced on Tuesday that the company would be closing all 124 Debenhams stores throughout the country for good, with the chain’s collapse leaving 12,000 workers facing an uncertain future.
The department store chain has been a stalwart of UK high streets since 1778.
Sophie took to Instagram yesterday to share the sad news, along with a picture accompanied by her colleague outside the branch she works at, but despite the store’s closure, she said she “would be going with a smile”.
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The post has since gone on to amass well over 44K likes and 500+ comments of support.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CISyezwgURl/
One fan shared an encouraging message writing: “Hate what’s happening to the high street [but] all the best and good luck”.
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“Aww so sad for you, but you are fabulous and something bigger and better is waiting for you” wrote another.
Another fan and fellow Debenhams worker added: “Let’s make this a good Christmas”.
“Keep your chins up, if anyone can keep everyone upbeat, it’s you two.” another said
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The news of her job loss also sadly follows an episode of Gogglebox aired at the start of November where Sophie broke down into tears as the cast members reacted to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s live televised announcement that there would be a second national lockdown in England.
She became tearful as she reflected on people’s jobs and livelihoods being affected by the ongoing and latest set of lockdown measures.
She added that the lockdown was “s*** for everyone.”
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Three tiny ‘chaos potatoes’ have been born at Chester Zoo and they’re so cute
Emily Sergeant
Three tiny ‘chaos potatoes’ have been born at Chester Zoo… and they’re really flipping cute.
Born to parents Maris and Albert in late summer, the three rock hyrax pups – only affectionately known as ‘chaos potatoes’ – have just passed their first vet check with a clean bill of health, and now weigh roughly 350g.
Hyraxes are found across sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, where they live among rocky landscapes and are most active in daylight.
The litter includes two boys and one girl, and keepers at Chester Zoo have decided to give them potato-themed names – Russ, Spud, and Jackie.
Three tiny ‘chaos potatoes’ have been born at Chester Zoo / Credit: Chester Zoo
Currently, the three pups are a fraction of the size of the adults, which can weigh up to 4kg, but despite their small stature, they have an unlikely relative.
Believe it or not, rock hyraxes are actually a part of the same evolutionary group as elephants, as well as sirenians, which are the family of aquatic mammals that includes dugongs and manatees.
“Hyraxes are one of those species that you have to look for, but once you’ve seen them, they are fascinating to watch,” explained Megan Carpenter, who is a Keeper at Chester Zoo.
“The pups are little chaos potatoes. They are much more energetic than their parents and sometimes get the zoomies, darting about and testing their climbing and parkour skills.
“In contrast, the adults often wedge themselves into corners and grip on to steep rock faces for hours at a time. They’re incredibly well adapted to living among rocks and are much better climbers than you might expect.”
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
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A TV channel playing Christmas films 24/7 is now back on air in the UK
Emily Sergeant
Do you think it’s too early for the ‘C word’? Never mind, you’ve already clicked on this article.
Sure, we may only be into our second full week of September, but given the fact the weather these past couple of days hasn’t exactly screamed summer, it already feels like the festive season is around the corner – but whether or not you think it’s too early to be talking about Christmas, it’ll soon be too tricky to escape from.
Especially not when the famous TV channel showing festive film favourites non-stop is now back on air in the UK.
Yes, you heard that right – Christmas films, 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
If you’re ready to wave goodbye to summer, and in welcome autumn and winter with open arms, then there’s arguably no better way of getting into the festive spirit than with the long-awaited and highly-anticipated return of the TV channel that’s charmed audiences for over half a decade now.
GREAT! Christmas the UK’s biggest seasonal channel, and it’s now live on Sky, Freesat, Freeview and Virgin Media.
You can expect almost four months of back-to-back seasonal movies.
The 24-hour feel-good and free-to-air channel will be bursting with non-stop Christmas spirit, and will be showing a heartwarming lineup of festive films – including some absolute fan-favourite classics that make it to screens every year without fail, alongside some cheesy Hallmark classics, new channel premieres, and so much more.
Emily Sergeant -
3rd December 2020 
