Radio 1 DJ Adele Roberts has been praised for appearing on the front cover of Women’s Health UK magazine with a visible stoma bag.
The Southport-born presenter – who has worked for a number of Northern radio stations throughout her career, including Rock FM, Galaxy, and Hits Radio Manchester, before moving to national radio and becoming a regular presenter of Radio 1’s Weekend Breakfast Show since January 2021 – revealed back in October that she had been diagnosed with and was undergoing treatment for bowel cancer.
The 43-year-old, who first found fame in Channel 4’s Big Brother in 2002, and apperead on ITV reality competition series I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2019, confirmed that she had a tumour removed through surgery.
Following the surgery, she now uses a stoma bag, and has also been undergoing chemotherapy.
With the stoma bag – which attaches to the abdomen and collects faeces – now a critical part of her everyday life, Adele has been praised this week for raising awareness after choosing to appear on the cover of Women’s Health UK magazine with the bag visible in the photos.
“I feel like I love my body more than ever,” she said.
During the candid interview with the magazine, Adele reflects on her cancer diagnosis and how her recent operation has changed her life, explaining: “Being diagnosed with cancer has meant I’ve learned to appreciate my body, be grateful that it works, be grateful they found the tumour in time to remove it and be grateful (that modern medicine means I can) have a stoma.
“One in two of us will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in our lives and I think the more we can actually talk about it, the less negatively affected people will be mentally, if and when that happens.
“That’s why it means so much – as someone undergoing cancer treatment and with a visible stoma – to be on the cover of Women’s Health.”
Reflecting on the significance on her appearance on the cover of Women’s Health magazine, which she said will have a huge impact for “diversity and inclusivity”, Adele took to social media to share her thoughts in a touching statement, which reads: “I actually couldn’t believe it. THIS IS WHAT WOMEN’S HEALTH looks like. Health is more than just the physical. It’s mental and spiritual and that day I felt ON TOP OF THE WORLD. I’ve never seen a woman on magazine cover with a stoma and on chemotherapy before. What an honour.
“I wasn’t really aware of stomas before I got one, I also didn’t really know about bowel cancer. I got told I was ‘probably too young’ to have it.”
She also thanked the editor and the team at Women’s Health UK magazine for “using your platform to raise awareness, represent others, reflect us and truly help to make the world a better place,” and added that “it’s so important”.
“Thank you for celebrating the stoma community and for giving a huge boost to those who might be going through cancer themselves, and their friends and family.
A sneak peek at the first pour: Greater Manchester celebrates the return of Boddingtons
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester has every reason to drink and jubilate this Friday and toast the perfect excuse for an early dart as the first fresh pours in a new chapter for Boddingtons beer have been sunk.
And by’eck if ain’t still bloody gorgeous.
That’s right, in case you didn’t hear the latest news about ‘Cream of Manchester’, we can now officially and ever-so gladly confirm that Boddingtons Bitter is properly back on draught in the region.
With the iconic cask ale making a glorious return decades on from its glory days in the 1990s, the new and improved Boddies beer is flowing from the taps – just in time for the weekend, no less.
Yes, with local brewery and pub chain J.W. Lees taking over the manufacturing and distribution, leaving the Budweiser Group to take over the licensing, the updated recipe Boddingtons – which clocks in at a 4.0% ABV – is about to be rolled out across the 10 boroughs.
Better yet, with five native pubs having already reinstalled honey yellow and black pumps, and with Lees looking to deliver it to the ale-loving masses across the North West, this could be the biggest Manc comeback since, well, those two lads from Burnage…
Speaking of: we were invited along to Founder’s Hall on Albert Square (formerly Duttons and now home to every one of the brand’s beers, not to mention serving as a tribute to John Lees himself), for a special ceremony to celebrate the inaugural public pints of Boddies being poured.
Let’s just say we were honoured to be part of the grand resurrection.
Obviously, there have been some holdouts hanging onto the classic Mancunian brew, and we certainly had fun trying to track them down over the past couple of years, but we’re just glad we don’t have to do as much work to find one now.
Managing Director of JW Lees, William Lees-Jones, said on the relaunch: “When I joined JW Lees in 1994, Boddingtons was ‘The Cream of Manchester’ and we were in awe of their position in leading the cask beer revolution.
“We’re proud to bring it back home, starting with Founder’s Hall, and we’re planning to restore Boddington’s as one of the UK’s leading premium cask beers, particularly here in the North West.” Well said, sir.
Available from Founder’s Hall, The Black Friar in Salford, Stables Tavern; Sams Chop House, The Circus Tavern, Oxford Road Tap, Piccadilly Tap and Victoria Tap from today, as well as Corbières and Stockport pubs like The Crown and The White Lion, we can’t wait to see Boddingtons take over the nation.
In the meantime, why not look back at the storied history behind one of our finest exports?
Subway launches make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ across UK
Emily Sergeant
Subway is finally launching its viral make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ at all its restaurants in the UK.
That’s right – you can now walk into any Greater Manchester Subway and order a jacket potato instead of a sandwich, and you get to choose exactly what goes on top of it.
Britain has always been a nation of ‘jacket fanatics’, with almost half of Brits claiming the spud to be a British cultural icon, but according to new research by Subway, it’s been found that nearly a quarter (23%) of us have argued with family and friends over how to prepare or serve one.
So it’s fair to say that, yes, us Brits do love ourselves a jacket potato, and this is why ‘Spudway’ is launching nationwide.
The UK-wide rollout of Spudway comes after it was trailed in select sites earlier this year, and then proved so popular that the trail was extended to include more locations.
Now, those fluffy jacket potatoes are available everywhere.
You can choose topping options like the simple Cheese & Beans or Tuna Mayo, or you can opt for Subway specialities like Meatball Marinara, and Chicken Tikka, but the beauty of Spudaway is it’s all fully customisable.
This means you can pick, quite simply, from whatever you fancy at the protein and salad counters, and finish it with your choice of Subway’s wide selection of signature sauces.
“The nation’s love of Jacket Potatoes is unparalleled,” commented Cathy Goodwin, who is the Interim Director of Culinary & Innovation Subway EMEA.
Subway has finally launched its make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ all across the UK / Credit: Subway
“The enthusiasm we’ve seen on social media and the strong demand from our guests throughout the trial made it clear that Spudway deserved a permanent place on our menu.
“Made with British potatoes, Irish salted butter, a double portion of cheese, and fully customisable with any of our many toppings, Spudway is the perfect freshly-made, high-quality lunch choice.”
Spudway jacket potatoes are freshly baked in-store daily and can be enjoyed on their own, or as part of a meal deal – which includes a spud, drink, plus crisps or a cookie.
Emily Sergeant -
24th May 2022 
