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An exhibition on the early years of Factory Records is coming to Manchester
Gareth Lloyd -
14th January 2020
Gareth Lloyd -
14th January 2020 News
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman to step down from Strictly Come Dancing
Danny Jones
Long-serving Strictly Come Dancing presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have announced that they will be stepping down from the beloved reality TV competition after more than three decades between them.
The Strictly team will, of course, ‘keep dancing’, but this still feels like the end of an era.
While Claudia Winkleman only became a joint co-anchor back in 2010 in preparation for the legendary Sir Bruce Forsyth’s eventual retirement in 2014, Tess Daly has been one of the two lead presenters since the hit smash-hit UK show first started way back in 2004.
Boasting a cumulative and incredible 31 years as the respective lead faces on one of the nation’s favourite IPs, Daly and Winkleman released a joint video on their social media pages confirming the bittersweet news.
Writing in the caption on Instagram, the pair said: “We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together, and now feels like the right time.
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“We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series, and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show.
“They’re the most brilliant team, and we’ll miss them every day. We will cry when we say the last ‘keep dancing’, but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.”
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Although Winkleman, 53, began as the presenter of the spin-off programme ‘It Takes Two’, it now seems hard to imagine the main show without either of them.
Confirming that they will be departing the British telly favourite at the end of the current series, which is around a month into its 23rd series.
Daly, 56, went on to share a further statement addressing the decision to quit the Strictly lineup after such a lengthy stay on BBC One.
It goes without saying that, much like when ‘Brucey’ left 11 years ago now, the show just won’t be the same without them.
For now, all we can say is thanks for all the memories, and we’d better see them back in the ballroom or popping up for special cameos in Blackpool again one day soon.
What do you make of the announcement, Strictly fans – and who do you think should replace them?
Read more:
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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — BBC Media Centre/Screenshot (via BBC)
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Morrisons set to close more than 100 brand locations across the country
Danny Jones
UK supermarket company Morrisons is set to close more than 100 specific locations across the UK, including multiple here in Greater Manchester.
Despite still being considered one of the giants of the sector here in Britain, Morrisons is continuing its previously announced ‘restructuring’ by adding a number of other shops to the chopping block.
The chain had already announced that a slate of 50 Morrisons Cafes would be closing earlier this year, but now other brand branches are expected to follow suit.
While their major supermarkets will remain virtually untouched, several Morrisons Daily convenience stores, florists, pharmacies and Market Kitchens, like the busy lunchtime spot on Piccadilly Gardens – but don’t panic: the corner store itself is staying as far as we’re aware.
Despite insisting the business is in good shape and has a “bright future” ahead, Morrisons‘ chief executive, Rami Baitieh, confirmed that “a minority [of sites] have specific local challenges and in those locations, regrettably, closure and re-allocation of the space is the only sensible option.”
It’s also believed that 35 butchers’ counters and the same number of fishmongers are set to wrap up as part of the shake-up.
You can see the full list of Morrisons Cafes closing down below; thankfully, we Mancs have managed to avoid closures in this particular department.
Morrisons Cafe Locations closing
- Bradford Thornbury
- Paisley Falside Road
- London Queensbury
- Portsmouth
- Great Park
- Banchory North, Deeside Road
- Failsworth, Poplar Street
- Blackburn, Railway Road
- Leeds, Swinnow Road
- London, Wood Green
- Kirkham, Poulton Street
- Lutterworth, Bitteswell Road
- Stirchley
- Leeds, Horsforth
- London, Erith
- Crowborough
- Bellshill, John Street
- Dumbarton, Glasgow Road
- East Kilbride, Lindsayfield
- East Kilbride, Stewartfield
- Glasgow, Newlands
- Largs, Irvine Road
- Troon, Academy Street
- Wishaw, Kirk Road
- Newcastle, UT Cowgate
- Northampton, Kettering Road
- Bromsgrove, Buntsford Industrial Park
- Solihull, Warwick Road
- Brecon, Free Street
- Caernarfon, North Road
- Hadleigh
- London, Harrow, Hatch End
- High Wycombe, Temple End
- Leighton Buzzard, Lake Street
- London, Stratford
- Sidcup, Westwood Lane
- Welwyn, Garden City, Black Fan Road
- Warminster, Weymouth Street
- Oxted, Station Yard
- Reigate, Bell Street
- Borehamwood
- Weybridge, Monument Hill
- Bathgate
- Erskine, Bridgewater Shopping Centre
- Gorleston, Blackwell Road
- Connah’s Quay
- Mansfield, Woodhouse
- Elland
- Gloucester, Metz Way
- Watford, Ascot Road
- Littlehampton, Wick
- Helensburgh
Sadly, it seems that plenty of people saw this coming, with early reports of the off-license/corner shop-esque Daily shops following soon after cafes were confirmed to be closing back in March.
Morrisons closing 52 cafes, 17 convenience stores, and potentially 365 people redundant
— M.M (@Monz_ah) March 24, 2025
Just before new NI tax laws kick in from next month
Retail is 10% of total UK employment, a notoriously low margin business
Going to see a LOT more news like this in the next 6 months ngl https://t.co/nVCHM33k85
This is where Greater Manchester comes in, as a handful of florists and Market Kitchens in the region are to join the wider collection of closures by the end of the year.
Florists locations closing
- Aberdeen, King Street
- Bradford, Enterprise 5
- Canning Town, London
- Evesham, Four Pool Estate
- Newcastle Under Lyme, Goose Street
- Rubery, Bristol Road South
- Sheffield, Meadowhead
- Sheldon, Birmingham
- St Albans, Hatfield Road
- St Helens, Boundary Road
- Stirchley, Birmingham
- Sunderland, Doxford Park
- Swinton, Swinton Hall Road
Market Kitchens shutting down
- Aberdeen, King Street
- Basingstoke, Thorneycroft
- Brentford, Waterside
- Camden Town, London
- Canning Town, London
- Cheltenham, Up Hatherley
- Eccles, Irwell Place, Greater Manchester
- Edgbaston, Birmingham
- Gravesend, Coldharbour Road
- Kirkby, Merseyside
- Leeds, Kirkstall
- Lincoln, Triton Road
- Little Clacton, Centenary Way
- Milton Keynes, Westcroft
- Nottingham, Netherfield
- Stoke, Festival Park
- Tynemouth, Preston Grange, North Shields
- Verwood, Dorset
Pharmacies closing
- Birmingham, Small Heath
- Blackburn, Railway Road
- Bradford, Victoria
- London, Wood Green
Read more:
- Co-op opens new store dedicated entirely to ‘food on the go’ in Greater Manchester
- Luxury £125-a-month Manchester gym Zeno Health Club suddenly shuts down
- Costa unveils 2025 Christmas menu, with NEW festive lattes, sweet treats, and more
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — Rodhullandemu (via Wikimedia Commons)
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