Ricky Gervais, Greg James, and Aymeric Laporte are among the famous names to react after Twitter blue ticks are removed.
In case you missed it, Twitter CEO Elon Musk confirmed last week that all celebrities, public figures, and other ‘legacy verified’ accounts were to be stripped of their blue tick verification symbols on Thursday 20 April, unless they pay for the newly-launched “premium subscription service” Twitter Blue.
The social media platform first introduced the now-famous ‘blue tick’ verification symbol all the way back in 2009 so that individuals, businesses, organisations, and accounts of notability could prove their identity – but in recent months, after the highly-publicised takeover by multi-billionaire founder and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, Twitter users will have likely noticed the colour of a lot of these verification symbols for certain official accounts changing from blue to grey/silver and gold.
At the start of 2023, Twitter began rolling out a grey tick verification mark for government-related accounts, and a golden tick mark for companies.
The classic ‘blue tick’, according to a statement on the Twitter website, was then left to mean that the account was either ‘legacy verified’, or that the account has an active subscription to Twitter Blue and meets the platform’s eligibility requirements.
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Although Musk’s past antics and previous comments may have lead many to questioning whether or not he was serious about the date blue ticks would be removed, it was, in fact, genuine as hundreds of thousands of accounts began losing their verifications yesterday.
And lots of celebrities had something to say about it.
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I lost my blue tick but your rocket blew up so who’s the real loser
Comedian and actor Ricky Gervais, BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James, Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte, and Game of Thrones actor John Bradley were among some of the famous names to take to Twitter to tweet their hilarious reactions to the loss of their blue ticks.
“I lost my blue tick but your rocket blew up so who’s the real loser,” Greg James said comically, pointing to the failed SpaceX rocket launch attempt only a few hours earlier.
Ricky Gervais shared one of his well-known bathtub pictures with the caption: “My blue tick has gone. I’m not sure if I’m really me or not.”
Aymeric Laporte seemed a bit confused with his reaction: “Damn Elon what did u do lol”, while John Bradley took a moment to look ahead to Manchester United‘s then-upcoming UEFA Europa League match with his tweet: “Blue tick may have gone but it could be worse. At least United are still in the Europa League.
“This tweet could have a shelf life of 2 sweet hours.”
And he was right as that obviously didn’t age well considering the Reds were defeated, quite spectacularly, by Sevilla 0-3 last night.
Halle Berry, Henry Winkler, Ciara, and Finneas are among the other famous names to tweet their reactions.
Tommy Fury announces return to boxing after his ‘hardest battle’ yet
Danny Jones
Manc boxer Tommy Fury has announced his return to the ring later this year, although he’s still keeping tight-lipped about some of the finer detailsabout his next fight.
Tommy Fury has been stuck on the sidelines for the best part of the last two years following his last boxing match against influencer and musician KSI, having reluctantly stepped away from boxing through injury and well-publicised personal issues outside of the sport.
He ultimately pulled out of his intended comeback against Darren Till ahead of what looked to be an already fraught face-off, and his been quiet on the competitive front ever since – until now.
Revealing a scheduled date for the next fight, the 25-year-old took to social media to confirm that he will be back very soon but is withholding some of the particulars for now.
Writing in the caption, the younger Fury brother said: “Two years out. One surgery. The hardest battle I’ve faced has been the mental battle of being away from boxing. But I’m back stronger, sharper, and more HUNGARY than ever.”
However, the most notable omission is who he will actually be taking on, i.e. one of the main reasons fight fans would be interested in the first place.
Although many have been left frustrated by the infrequency of his fights due to multiple cancellations, it’s clearly a concerted effort to build anticipation ahead of the event.
Sharing the date for his Budapest bout – which is coming much sooner than many would have expected (Friday, 9 May) – he signed off by adding: “It’s showtime. Let’s go!”
Besides the social media post, the local fighter published a lengthy announcement video/teaser trailer on the official Tommy Fury YouTube channel on Monday night, in which he states, “the contract has literally just been signed as we speak”.
You can watch the feature in full down below:
In truth, the majority of the video is about brand deals, but it does show getting some training done.
Hyping up his undefeated record, with 10 wins to his name thus far in his still fairly fledgling boxing career, he goes on to say he is “over the moon” and ready to get back in business.
Only time will tell whether this fight will actually go ahead as his followers have gotten more than used to seeing his matches postponed or cancelled. First and foremost, who do you think his comeback opponent is gong to be?
His name has mostly been in the headlines due to his high-profile relationship with fellow famous face Molly Mae-Hague.
The couple, who first met on Love Island back in 2019, welcomed their first child, Bambi, back in January 2023 but went on to split up last August. A docuseries covering their struggles dropped at the start of this year.
Featured Images — Screenshot (via YouTube)/Ghazi Twaissi (via WikiCommons)/The Manc Group
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Manc music legend Peter Hook is running his fourteenth Great Manchester Run for charity
Emily Sergeant
Manchester music icon Peter Hook is taking on an incredible endurance challenge for charity next month.
The Great Manchester Run is coming up next month on Sunday 18 May, with thousands of runners taking up the 10K or Half Marathon challenges either for their own personal achievements, or in the name of a number of worthy causes.
First staged in 2003 as a legacy event following the Manchester-hosted Commonwealth Games in 2002, the 10K has grown to be one of the largest in Europe, and in recent years, it has evolved to include a popular half marathon too.
35,000 runners are taking on the challenge this year, with 100,000 supporters set to line the streets… and one of those runners is none other than the legend himself, Peter Hook.
Incredibly, this is the fourteenth time the former bassist and co-founder of two of Manchester’s biggest bands, Joy Division and New Order, has taken part in the Great Manchester Run.
And it’s also the fourteenth time he’s raising money for The Christie Charity in the process.
Manc music legend Peter Hook is running his fourteenth Great Manchester Run for charity next month / Credit: Wikipedia Commons | Great Run Company
Hooky, as he’s affectionately known by friends and fans, took on his first run in 2006 and has continued over the years raising money for The Christie Charity – which supports the work of The Christie hospital in Manchester.
Peter’s relationship with The Christie and its charity started when he lived in Withington for many years and saw patients going into the hospital for treatment, and sadly things became very personal when two good friends, as well as family members were treated there – his former manager Tony Wilson, musician Dave Dee, and his aunt and father-in-law.
“I love running as it clears my head, and I can’t think of a better cause to run in support of,” Peter Hook explained ahead of the Great Manchester Run next month.
“The feeling of hope and solidarity on the day is fantastic and the sense of achievement when you finish is second to none, so I’m extremely proud to be representing The Christie Charity and supporting the wonderful work it does.”
Josh Hughff, who is the mass participation events officer at The Christie Charity, added: “Hooky is one of our longest standing event participants and we’re delighted he has chosen to support us again this year.
“He knows better than most just how important the work of The Christie is and how crucial charity fundraising is, as it allows us to fund life-changing and life-saving projects that will benefit cancer patients both now and in the future.”
Emily Sergeant -
21st April 2023 
