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"Double the joy": Red Wiggle welcomes twin daughters

<p>Caterina Mete has finally welcomed her "two little miracles" into the world. </p> <p>The Red Wiggle announced the arrival of her twin girls in a statement shared on Thursday morning. </p> <p>"Double the joy, double the love!", she said. </p> <p>"I am so thrilled to announce the arrival of my precious twin girls, Dolly and Gigi."</p> <p>"My heart is overflowing with happiness as I welcome to the world my two little miracles," she concluded her statement. </p> <p>She also took to Instagram to share a series of photos straight from the hospital, of her holding both girls in her arms. </p> <p>The new mum also shared a video of the twin bond, with the two girls cuddling up to each other. </p> <p>Fellow Wiggles also shared a statement, saying: "We are absolutely thrilled for Caterina and the arrival of her beautiful twin girls."</p> <p>"Her journey to motherhood has been truly inspiring, and we can't wait to meet these adorable new additions to The Wiggles' family." </p> <p>Mete welcomed her twin girls month's after revealing her <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/two-little-miracles-wiggles-star-announces-pregnancy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pregnancy via IVF</a> to her fans in February. </p> <p>Fellow Wiggles and fans took to the comments to congratulate the new mum. </p> <p>"Congratulations Kitty! Can’t wait to meet Dolly and Gigi soon," wrote Red Wiggle Simon Pryce. </p> <p>"Yahhhh Kitty……. How beautiful. Double happy," added Purple Wiggle Lachy. </p> <p>"CONGRATULATIONS!! MORE MEMBERS OF THE WIGGLES FAMILY" wrote one fan. </p> <p>"MASSIVE congratulations Caterina! Welcome to the world Dolly and Gigi! Wishing you a smooth recovery and great start to raising your precious girls," added another. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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“Meant to be”: Twins give birth just 22 minutes apart

<p dir="ltr">Just days after sharing their 33rd birthday, twin sisters Nicole and Renee Baillie have given birth on the same day. </p> <p dir="ltr">The women, from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, were shocked when they fell pregnant around the same time, with their due dates just two weeks apart. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We magically fell pregnant at the same time, which was crazy,” Nicole told <em><a href="https://7news.com.au/news/sunshine-coast-twins-give-birth-just-22-minutes-apart--c-13517897">7News</a></em>. </p> <p dir="ltr">Nicole was already at the hospital ready to give birth to her baby when Renee went into labour early. </p> <p dir="ltr">Renee rushed to the hospital just in time to give birth in the hospital foyer,  welcoming a baby girl named Ruby.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was just about to have a bath when I heard someone had a baby in the corridor,” Nicole said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I couldn’t believe it,” Renee said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When I got here, into this room after we had (the baby), I wasn’t sure how far along Nicole was. I didn’t want her (Nicole) to know I’d already had my baby, just in case it, like, threw her off.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Renee soon found out Nicole had given birth to a baby boy, named Zavian, only 22 minutes earlier.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I thought I had a few days left, but they decided they wanted to be born on the same day,” Renee said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was just meant to be, and I think everyone has just manifested this happening,” Nicole said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: 7News</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Julia Roberts shares rare throwback pic on twins' birthday

<p>Julia Roberts, the timeless Hollywood icon, recently spread waves of joy and nostalgia across the internet as she celebrated the 19th birthday of her delightful twins, Hazel and Phinnaeus Moder.</p> <p>In a heartwarming Instagram post, the 56-year-old actress opened the treasure trove of old photo albums to share a precious throwback, capturing a moment from the early 2000s when her twins were just infants.</p> <p>The enchanting snapshot reveals Roberts, adorned with the timeless grace that made her a <em>Pretty Woman</em>, seated cross-legged on the floor, cradling her tiny bundles of joy in her arms.</p> <p>The image is a testament to the unspoken joy, the endless fun, and the wild rumpus of life that the actress cherishes with her beloved children. In a caption that twinkles with emotion, Roberts expressed, "✨✨19✨✨ There are no words for the joy, the fun, the wild rumpus of life together. 💕"</p> <p>Roberts shares this beautiful journey of parenthood with her husband, the talented cinematographer Daniel Moder. The couple tied the knot in 2002, their love story unfolding on the set of <em>The Mexican</em> two years prior.</p> <p>The twins, Hazel and Phinnaeus, made their entrance into the world in 2004, followed by the arrival of their younger brother Henry in 2007.</p> <p>While the world has been privy to glimpses of Roberts' family life through occasional throwback photos, the actress has been deliberate in keeping her children away from the prying eyes of social media.</p> <p>In a candid interview with <em>The Sun</em> in 2019, Roberts shared her thoughts on navigating parenthood in the digital age, acknowledging the unique challenges it presents.</p> <p>"It's interesting trying to raise kids in this day because it's all so new — the pressures, the resources, having the world in your hand like that," Roberts mused. "I try to keep them off social media because I don't really understand what they need that for right now."</p> <p>Last year, Roberts commemorated Hazel and Phinnaeus' milestone 18th birthday with yet another heartwarming throwback, a testament to the enduring bond she shares with her twins. The caption read simply, "🌟🌟18🌟🌟 Love you." The image, taken in the heart of the family kitchen, captured a moment of pure maternal bliss as Roberts lifted one twin in the air while the other sat surrounded by toys.</p> <p>In the preceding year, for their 17th birthday, Roberts treated her followers to a delightful selfie featuring the radiant trio. The caption exuded pride and love, "17 of the Sweetest years of life ✨ 👫♥️🥳," adorned with celebratory cake emojis.</p> <p>As Julia Roberts and her family continue to celebrate the passage of time, these glimpses into their lives serve as a reminder of the beauty of family, the enduring bonds of love, and the joy found in the simple, precious moments of life.</p> <p>Here's to many more years of love, laughter, and unforgettable family memories for the Roberts-Moder clan! ✨🎉💖</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Outpouring of love after tragic loss of twin daughters

<p><strong>WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT</strong></p> <p>A devastated couple from Jacksonville, Florida, has issued a haunting warning following the tragic demise of their twin four-year-old girls, who tragically lost their lives after an unfortunate incident involving their toy chest.</p> <p>On the night of September 1, Don Starr, a loving father, bid his son Kellan and daughter Aurora goodnight, blissfully unaware that it would be the last time he would do so.</p> <p>The following morning, the twins were discovered lifeless inside their wooden toy box by their older brother. The heartbroken sibling had stumbled upon a chilling scene as he found the pair tightly huddled within the confines of the chest, locked in each other's arms.</p> <p>The older brother, baffled and distressed, recounted that they appeared to be merely "being silly" or "sleeping" within the toy chest.</p> <p>It was later revealed that Kellan and Aurora had awakened during the night and decided to seek refuge in their toy box, snuggling up for warmth and comfort before drifting back into slumber.</p> <p>Tragically, the lid of the toy box had inadvertently closed, creating a "soundproof" and "airtight" environment. The twins eventually ran out of oxygen, suffocating in their sleep.</p> <p>Overwhelmed with grief, their mother, Sadie Myers, took to social media to share her agony and raise awareness about the potential dangers posed by toy boxes.</p> <p>In a poignant Facebook post, she wrote:</p> <p>“Not many will know the pain of losing two children at the same time and losing them in a way that makes no sense. But I have to believe that something in this universe chose them specifically, maybe to protect them from some future tragedy, or maybe because their souls were too perfect for this world.</p> <p>“Last Friday night while I was at work, Don put the boys and the twins to bed, then soon after went to bed himself. When I got home from work a couple hours later I looked in at all the kids like usual to make sure they were sleeping, then ate my dinner and went to sleep.</p> <p>“At some point early that morning the twins woke each other up and decided they wanted to play in their room rather than sleep. They do this a lot, it’s just a twin thing I guess. They usually fall asleep in some weird place in their room … Friday night the weird place they decided to snuggle up and go back to sleep was in their cedar toy chest, that we use to store all their stuffed animals.”</p> <p>Unbeknownst to Sadie, the chest's lid had shut, rendering it airtight and soundproof. The twins lay inside, head to toe, with their arms draped over each other. “So as they slept, all snuggled up together, they slowly ran out of oxygen within a couple of hours and passed away. They never even knew it was happening. There was no sudden gasp for air, it was a very slow transition from sleep to passing on.”</p> <p>The following morning, the family assumed that the twins were still asleep, unaware of the tragedy that had unfolded. It was their older son Axton who made the grim discovery, finding them innocently "sleeping" in the toy box.</p> <p>As Sadie pleaded with other parents to eliminate any such toy chests from their homes to prevent similar tragedies, she acknowledged the senselessness of the loss, a pain that would never truly subside.</p> <p>“I hope knowing this helps in some way, and I hope if you have a toy box like this that you destroy it immediately!" she urged. “Please keep me and my family in your hearts and prayers, because this will never get easier for us.”</p> <p>In the wake of this unimaginable tragedy, Sadie vowed that her family would seek therapy to help them navigate their profound loss. She pledged to "continue to live" for her two older sons, emphasising the importance of cherishing the memories of her departed twins.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/aurora-and-kellan-starr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> page has been set up to assist them during this trying period, with the initial $10,000 target already being tripled. A recent update by Deanna Myers - on behalf of Sadie and Donn - reads:</p> <p>"I don’t really know how to say thank you in a way that reflects how grateful we are to all of you. Those words aren’t good enough to express the gratitude we all feel. We’ve talked about this page and how it means so much just knowing that so many people are thinking about us and the beautiful babies we lost. Thank you to everyone helping here and at home. The support we’ve gotten from family and friends and everyone who’s donated is overwhelming. It won’t be taken for granted."</p> <p><em>Images: GoFundMe</em></p> <p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> </span></p>

Caring

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Princess Diana’s twin nieces' major announcement

<p dir="ltr">Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer have announced that Australia’s most prestigious race wear event, Fashions on the Field will go global for the first time ever. </p> <p dir="ltr">The competition will be open to international fashion-lovers as they will be accepting digital entries, with a new category allowing them to compete for the Best Dressed and Best Suited awards. </p> <p dir="ltr">The international winners will then be flown to Flemington during Cup Week to experience the glitz and glam of the races, and compete in person during the live final against Australian state and territory finalists on Thursday November 9. </p> <p dir="ltr">Princess Diana's twin nieces championed the prospects of international entries to the prestigious event and worked together with the Lexus Melbourne Cup trophy to make it a reality. </p> <p dir="ltr">"Racewear fashion really is its own fashion category and I know there will be some amazing international entries for the Melbourne Cup Carnival Fashions on the Field competition," Lady Eliza said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"It was great to discover some wonderful Australian labels at our Melbourne Cup Carnival Fashions on the Field shoot in London and I can't wait to see the style and creativity of entrants this year,"  Lady Amelia added. </p> <p dir="ltr">Victoria Race Club Chairman Neil Wilson also shared his excitement for opening up the event to internationals. </p> <p dir="ltr">"Fashion is a universally appreciated expression of people's individual style and we look forward to racing enthusiasts across the globe showcasing their unique take on race wear on track at Flemington or virtually, which will include the new international competition for the first time," he said. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Victoria Racing Club</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Twin sisters give birth on the same day

<p dir="ltr">Identical twins Gillianne Gogas and Nicole Patrikakos have lived their whole lives in synchronicity after being born together 36 years ago. </p> <p dir="ltr">Now, the women have welcomed their own children into the world on the same day, in the same hospital. </p> <p dir="ltr">The extraordinary coincidence happened in Melborune’s Epworth Freemasons hospital, with both Nicole and Gillianne welcoming healthy baby boys just hours apart. </p> <p dir="ltr">Gillianne said they both felt a mix of emotions over their matching maternity experience.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The timing, you just can't plan something like that. So yeah, disbelief, shock, excitement, all of those emotions," Gillianne told 9News.</p> <p dir="ltr">Gillianne's son, Alexander, arrived on August 22 at 1:20pm, followed by sister Nicole's baby boy, William, a mere five hours later.</p> <p dir="ltr">Nicole said the sisters had the same due date, so the duplicate deliveries were no surprise to the identical twin sisters.</p> <p dir="ltr">"(We were) very close growing up. We have always done everything together so this is just another example of that," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Gillianne said they had nine months of pregnancy to process their "tandem" due date.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And yet it is still quite unbelievable," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, the synchronicity didn’t end there, as the babies were both delivered by the same obstetrician, Dr Joseph Sgroi, who said the births were a first for him during his time as a doctor. </p> <p dir="ltr">"It is not something that is common. It is not commonplace for even sisters to give birth on the same time or on the same day," he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The newborns even had the same birth weight, a healthy 3.5 kilograms.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Oh yes that came as another surprise," Gillianne said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Exactly the same," Nicole said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dr Sgroi said the babies would biologically be closer to brothers than cousins, with Nicole and Gillianne hoping they would share the same special relationship as their mothers. </p> <p dir="ltr">"Hopefully they will be as close as we are because it really is a special bond that we have," Nicole said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Nine News</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Chris Dawson's twin brother accused of underage sex

<p>Paul Dawson, the twin sibling of Chris Dawson, who is both a convicted murderer and a perpetrator of child sexual abuse, is now facing allegations from several women claiming he engaged in sexual activity with them when they were minors during their time as students – per <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/60-minutes/wife-killer-chris-dawsons-twin-accused-by-four-women-of-underage-sex/8b9b9345-e1d6-4f3d-9bcc-d3f3d4c06603" target="_blank" rel="noopener">60 Minutes</a>.</p> <p>One of Paul Dawson's former students at Forest High School, Shelley Oates-Wilding, shared her experience on a <em>60 Minutes</em> interview, detailing her time during the early 1980s when she was a teenager.</p> <p>Multiple women who attended schools in Sydney's Northern Beaches, where Paul Dawson taught, have also come forward, asserting that the now 75-year-old engaged in sexual relations with them when they were underage.</p> <p>Prior to their teaching careers, both Paul and Chris Dawson were prominent figures in the world of rugby league and modelling. However, their roles as educators have recently come under intense scrutiny as law enforcement reopened investigations into the suspected murder of Lynette Dawson.</p> <p>Although the focus had been primarily on Chris Dawson until now, serious questions now arise about Paul Dawson's behaviour. Shelley's public disclosure unveils disturbing details about how Paul Dawson targeted her. In an exclusive interview with <em>60 Minutes</em>, Shelley revealed that she and Paul spent considerable time socialising with Chris and his young mistress, forming two couples of teachers and students. Shelley alleges that Paul engaged in sexual activity with her at various locations across Sydney's Northern Beaches.</p> <p>The experiences she recalls were intimate and occurred within settings like fitness classes, store rooms, and pools. At the time, the Dawson twins, popular and attractive, garnered admiration from their students, making any attention they showed highly flattering.</p> <p>Shelley reflects on the naivety of youth, sharing that as a 15- and 16-year-old, she lacked the awareness to recognise the grooming that was occurring. She was also a babysitter for Paul's children, which sometimes led to overnight stays.</p> <p>Given the legal framework of the time, the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) deemed it illegal for a teacher to engage in sexual activity with a female student under the age of 17. Shelley vividly remembers an encounter with Paul shortly before the news of Lyn Dawson's disappearance emerged. Paul expressed distress, telling her that something terrible had occurred, and he could no longer maintain their connection. Shelley recalls pondering the severity of the situation at the time.</p> <p>As news circulated about Chris Dawson's missing wife, Shelley sensed a darker narrative than Lyn simply running away. Her personal experiences led her to believe that there was more to the story.</p> <p>"At the beginning of school, I vividly remember going to see him," she said on the program. "He said to me with this extremely pained look on his face that something terrible has happened and he can't see me anymore. I remember thinking, what could be that terrible?"</p> <p>Decades have passed since Shelley's time as Paul Dawson's student. She has since relocated to Hawaii, distancing herself from the Northern Beaches environment where she grew up. While the scars of her childhood experiences can be lasting, Shelley Oates-Wilding channels her journey into positive efforts. She founded Ikaika Hawaii, where she implements holistic programs to guide young individuals toward understanding right from wrong, cultivating perseverance, and embracing respect.</p> <p>She has found the confidence to speak out on Paul Dawson because she knows there are other victims who are in a worse situation than her.</p> <p>Shelley maintains that Paul Dawson likely remains oblivious to any wrongdoing. She perceives a tendency for the Dawson twins to deceive effortlessly, suggesting that their self-perception is intertwined with the narratives they've woven.</p> <p><em>Images: Nine / 60 Minutes</em></p>

Legal

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Reality TV star welcomes identical twin girls

<p>Reality TV star Dani Dyer has welcomed two baby girls with her partner, footballer Jarrod Bowen. </p> <p>The <em>Love Island UK</em> winner, who won the show in 2018 with her ex-partner Jack Fincham in 2018, shared the happy news on her Instagram on Thursday. </p> <p>Dani didn't reveal the identical twin girls' names, but confirmed the date of their birth, May 22nd, in the caption. </p> <p>Dani is already mum to Santiago, two, who she shares with with ex Sammy Kimmence.</p> <p>Her <em>Love Island UK</em> co-stars were quick to send their congratulations, with season one winner Cara De La Hoyde writing, "Congratulations Dan they are beautiful ❤️."</p> <p>"Congratulations to your beautiful family ❤️," Zara McDermott added, while season four winner Molly-Mae Hague added, "Congratulations beautiful 😭😭😭."</p> <p>Dani is the daughter of English actor and presenter Danny Dyer, who's well known for his role in British soap <em>EastEnders</em>.</p> <p>Dani shared the news of her pregnancy with a sweet announcement post, showing her son Santiago holding a letter board with the ultrasound pictures of her new babies. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnpWIihrD1x/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnpWIihrD1x/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by ♡ Dani Dyer ♡ (@danidyerxx)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"We have been keeping a little secret... Our little TWINS!" she wrote.</p> <p>"So excited to meet our babies and watch Santi be the best big brother.. The biggest surprise of our lives but feeling SO blessed.. our family is getting a lot bigger and we can’t wait."</p> <p>Just weeks after announcing the pregnancy, Dani confirmed the gender of their babies in another Instagram post. </p> <p>"A lot of you have been asking on the gender of our babies and we are so excited to share with you all that we are having identical twin girls. Half way our little darlings."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Another COVID winter is coming. Is this the calm before another peak?

<p>Australia is currently experiencing the longest <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-03/lessons-from-the-fourth-omicron-covid-19-wave-chief-medical-officer-professor-paul-kelly.pdf">break between infection peaks</a> since Omicron arrived in late 2021 and community-wide transmission took off. </p> <p>With winter looming, it’s worth taking stock of where we are with COVID and what we might expect over the colder months – especially in the southern states and territories. The climate and the way our behaviour changes at this time of year increase the transmission potential for all infectious respiratory diseases. </p> <p>This will be our second winter with Omicron subvariants, but there are signs it might not be as challenging as the last.</p> <h2>Peaks and troughs</h2> <p>The last time we had national <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/health-alerts/covid-19/case-numbers-and-statistics">hospital counts above 2,400</a> was on January 20, some 12 weeks ago. Our <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/health-alerts/covid-19/case-numbers-and-statistics">dips in the Omicron era</a>have previously been short lived. Variant BA.1 replaced BA.2 quickly this time last year and hospital counts rose above 2,400 within five weeks of the first wave. In November 2022, the hospital counts again climbed above 2,400 with a change in subvariants after only ten weeks of respite. </p> <p>Will the current break last? Most states are seeing a rise in hospital numbers, but those that started climbing earliest (New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania) might already be seeing hospital numbers <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/health-alerts/covid-19/case-numbers-and-statistics">levelling out</a>. So there is hope the current surge will not lead to as high rates of severe illness.</p> <p>And we know, COVID counts recorded for hospitals aren’t all admissions for COVID. Most are incidental infections. <a href="https://www.health.tas.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-03/Fortnightly%20Surveillance%20Report%2025%20March%202023.pdf">Tasmanian data</a> show on average less than one third of COVID positive patients were admitted for COVID illness. </p> <p>With each wave, a smaller proportion of COVID positive patients are being reported in ICU. The proportion of people on ventilators because of COVID has also <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/health-alerts/covid-19/case-numbers-and-statistics">reduced</a> to less than 10% from 30% in the initial January 2022 Omicron peak. The deaths associated with each peak have also fallen with each main wave, with the summer wave just passed having about half the daily deaths reported at its peak compared with our previous summer. Antivirals have played an important role, but so too has population immunity, now <a href="https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2023/04/08/covid-19-inside-the-shifting-vaccine-strategy">estimated at 99.6%</a>.</p> <h2>Community immunity</h2> <p>Thankfully, Omicron is less likely to cause severe illness, especially in a population with significant levels of immunity from both vaccine and prior infection. Antivirals also reduces the risk that infections will end up in hospital. But at times of peak infections, even a smaller proportion translates to <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/provisional-mortality-statistics/jan-dec-2022">significant loss of life</a> among those who are vulnerable.</p> <p>The shift in the dominant Omicron subvariants and their immune escape characteristics allow people to acquire new infections sooner than they might have if only exposed to the same variant they were infected with previously. Add to this the fact we now have a mix of variants in the population at any one time, then reinfections become more common and the overall infection rate will rise. So, while high levels of population immunity reduce the impact of infection, multiple variants circulating means infection rates can still rise. </p> <p>Surveillance data from NSW show <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Documents/weekly-covid-overview-20220402.pdf">this time last year</a> there were only two Omicron variants in circulation, BA.1. and BA.2. Now genomic testing is capturing <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Documents/weekly-covid-overview-20230401.pdf">12 different Omicron variants</a> and the dominant variants keep shifting, with XBB emerging as the most dominant strain alongside XBB1.5.</p> <h2>Getting COVID again … and again</h2> <p>Reinfection is difficult to measure and will be seriously underestimated due to low reporting rates and mild or asymptomatic infections. </p> <p>Reinfections help fuel infection rates and therefore increase the risk of exposure to people who are at risk of severe disease if infected. </p> <p>We are still not sure whether having repeat infections might alter the chances of developing long COVID. It seems less likely for Omicron, especially in people who experience <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-repeat-covid-infections-increase-the-risk-of-severe-disease-or-long-covid/">mild or no symptoms</a>. </p> <p>Young adults are still the group <a href="https://kirby.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/COVID19-Blood-Donor-Report-Round4-Nov-Dec-2022.pdf">where most infections</a> and <a href="https://www.health.tas.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-03/Fortnightly%20Surveillance%20Report%2025%20March%202023.pdf">reinfections</a> occur. They should be conscious of the extra risks in the winter months with more indoor mixing and make sure they’ve have had at least one booster to reduce their <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2800554">long COVID risk</a>.</p> <h2>Who should still get boosted?</h2> <p>Vaccination may still help reduce the risk of passing the virus on, even if you do become infected in the first month or two after a dose. A <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-02138-x">recent US prison study</a> found the risk of onward transmission was reduced by nearly a quarter, and by 40% in those who were both vaccinated and had a recent infection, but this protection wanes by about 6% per week. </p> <p>How this applies to a wider community is hard to gauge. People living in very close quarters have higher transmission rates than the general population – so it’s not clear how much of a reduction we would see in the community setting, even among younger adults with higher rates of work place and social mixing. </p> <p>Younger adults, like everyone else, are only eligible for a booster six months after their previous dose or their last infection – and many may not go six months without infection as they are the ones <a href="https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/victorian-coronavirus-covid-19-data">most likely</a> to be infected during each Omicron peak which have been spaced less than six months apart. </p> <p>The best protection against onward transmission in the prison study came from a combination of vaccine and recent prior infection. Once young adults have had their first booster, ongoing immunity boosting from subsequent exposures or infections means they – and therefore the population – have less to gain from multiple boosters. </p> <p>For those who are vulnerable to severe infection, have a weakened immune response, or have been shielding from the community, a booster dose with the latest vaccines is still strongly recommended.</p> <h2>Protecting ourselves this winter</h2> <p>The tools we used to manage transmission risk with previous variants do not work now. We saw with Delta that even strict lockdown and mask mandates could only just hold transmission in check with high vaccination coverage. </p> <p>Omicron has some fundamental differences that undermine these measures, including a higher proportion of cases having <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8852223/">a very high viral load</a>, which means there is more virus in the aerosols people exhale. This undermines the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35019196/">effectiveness of masks</a>, social distancing and other measures.</p> <p>Omicron also has a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.468">shorter incubation period</a>, which means more secondary cases will be infectious before the index case even knows they themselves are infected. </p> <h2>A reminder</h2> <p>The Australian winter will likely see a rise in cases again. The cycle of subvariants will leave us exposed and hasten the waning of immunity. And we’ll spend more time together indoors. </p> <p>Being up-to-date with the latest COVID and flu vaccines is critical for those more vulnerable to waning immunity and serious illness, and may reduce symptoms in any adult who hasn’t yet had their first booster or an infection in recent months.</p> <p>It would be great if all symptomatic people could stay home. We’d have less respiratory illness all round. But even then exposure to COVID in the community would be inevitable with so many infectious people without symptoms. </p> <p>Personal protection with well-fitted masks might still <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-11934-x">reduce the risk</a> that exposure to Omicron variants will lead to infection in high risk settings. But the safest plan is still to stay home if you are unwell, look for well-ventilated areas when out, open windows to ventilate your home before and during visits, and be considerate of those who are wearing masks as they are more than likely vulnerable and anxious.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/another-covid-winter-is-coming-is-this-the-calm-before-another-peak-203149" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

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Julia Roberts shares adorable throwback pic in celebration of her twins' birthday

<p>Julia Roberts has celebrated the 18th birthday of her twins with an adorable throwback photo. </p> <p>The Hollywood actress shared a snap from when her children, Finn and Hazel, were younger on Instagram while sending them well wishes for their birthday milestone. </p> <p>The photo shows a young Julia holding one of her babies while the other looks on. </p> <p>She posted the photo with the simple caption, "🌟🌟18🌟🌟 Love you".</p> <p>The 55-year-old Oscar winner also shares another child with husband Daniel 'Danny' Moder: their 15-year-old son Henry.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClhFFqby85b/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClhFFqby85b/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Julia Roberts (@juliaroberts)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Fans flocked to the comments section, where Tom Hank's wife Rita Wilson wrote, "It can't be!!!!!!! Happy Birthday!!!!", while Jennifer Aniston was among the 400,000 people who likes the candid photo. </p> <p>The doting mother also shared a picture of the twins last year on their 17th birthday with the caption, "17 of the Sweetest years of life."</p> <p>Roberts gushed over her husband Daniel and their three children as she opened up about her family life in an interview with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPu5SSYe_t0" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">CBS This Morning</a> in October.</p> <p>The award-winning actress, who has been married to the cinematographer for over 20 years, said, "acting is my dream, but it is not my only dream come true".</p> <p>Roberts insisted that her home life "isn't all rainbows and kittens" though, but she finds "a lot of joy" from spending time with her clan. </p> <p>She added, "The life that I have built with my husband [and] the life that we've built with our children, that's the best stuff. To come home at the end of the day, triumphantly, to them."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

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Record-breaking "oldest" twin babies born

<p>The world's "oldest" twin babies have been born more than 30 years after being frozen as embryos.</p> <p>They could well be the longest-frozen embryos to ever result in a live birth, according to official records.</p> <p>Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway were welcomed into the world on October 31st 2022, three decades after the embryos were created for an anonymous married couple using IVF on April 22nd 1992.</p> <p>Lydia and Timothy's parents, Philip and Rachel, were never expecting to set a record as their fifth and sixth children were born. </p> <p>"We liked the idea that we are saving lives that are trapped,” Philip, 35 and a software developer, told <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/11/21/twins-lydia-and-timothy-ridgeway-already-age-30-at-birth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Post</a>.</p> <p>The couple chose the oldest available option from National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC), a Knoxville, Tennessee, non-profit that provides donated embryos to couples wanting kids. </p> <p>“We knew basic information [about the genetic parents] such as height and weight, but we weren’t using that [as criteria] how we were going to choose,” said Rachel, a 34-year-old stay-at-home mom near Portland, Oregon.</p> <p>But they were more interested in, as Rachel put it, “How long have {the embryos} been waiting — which ones were waiting for parents to come and get them?”</p> <p>“When we went into this process, we wanted to find the embryos that were overlooked or most unwanted,” Rachel said. “We were looking for embryos that needed a home because they had been overlooked.” </p> <p>The process is sometimes referred to as “embryo adoption”, and is a recent phenomenon within the Evangelical Christian community in the Unites States. </p> <p>“The idea of giving birth to your adopted child was fantastic to me,” said Rachel.</p> <p>Philip would have been five years old when the embryos were first frozen, to put their age into perspective.</p> <p>"There is something mind-boggling about it," Philip told <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/21/health/30-year-old-embryos-twins/index.html">CNN</a>.</p> <p><em>Image credits: The Ridgeway family</em></p>

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"I'm scared": Chloe Lattanzi's sneak peak of tribute song for Olivia

<p>Chloe Lattanzi has posted a heart-warming tribute to her late mother Olivia Newtown-John in an upcoming song.</p> <p>The 36-year-old told fans on Instagram that she was “terrified” when writing the track. While she did not yet release the song itself, Lattanzi shared a clip, which served as an excellent sneak peak into the writing process.</p> <p>Standing by a microphone, Chloe said she let the inspiration flow before launching into the song.</p> <p>She said: “Oh shit I’m scared. This is a scary place right now because there is so much inside and I don’t know how to put it into words. I don’t know what to say. I’m terrified.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CiWlV5TDzll/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CiWlV5TDzll/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Chloe Lattanzi (@chloelattanziofficial)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>She then began to sing, but chose to mute the song for now, with plans to release it when it's finished.</p> <p>Chloe is the only child of the late Olivia Newton-John and her ex-husband Matt Lattanzi. In a recent interview, Chloe revealed she married her long-time fiancé in a secret ceremony officiated by her late mother.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram </em></p>

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Cristiano Ronaldo's twin baby daughter's name revealed

<p>Cristiano Ronaldo's partner has revealed the name of their baby daughter. </p> <p>The name reveal comes just weeks after the soccer superstar and his parter Georgina Rodríguez announced that one of their twins, a baby boy, had died. </p> <p>Georgina posted a series of sweet photos of the pair's baby girl on Instagram on Saturday, writing, "Bella Esmeralda 💚 180422."</p> <p>The post has racked up over 5 million likes, as well as a flood of comments wishing the couple congratulations on the safe arrival of their baby girl.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdQcTPHMz1k/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdQcTPHMz1k/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Georgina Rodríguez (@georginagio)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The parents told the public of the devastating news of the <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/you-are-our-angel-ronaldo-s-baby-boy-dies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">loss of their son</a> on April 18th in an emotional Instagram post. </p> <p>"It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away," Ronaldo wrote.</p> <p>"It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel. Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness.</p> <p>"We would like to thank the doctors and nurses for all their expert care and support."</p> <p>"We are all devastated at this loss. and we kindly ask for privacy at this very difficult time. Our baby boy, you are our angel. We will always love you."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

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“You’re twins!”: Kate Middleton look-alike goes viral

<p dir="ltr">An Australian woman has gone viral on social media, thanks to her eerie resemblance to Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.</p> <p dir="ltr">Brittany Dixon, an artist from Queensland, took to TikTok with a series of side-by-side photos of herself and the Duchess after a deluge of fans urged her to answer Netflix’s recent casting call for Middleton lookalikes for <em>The Crown</em>’s upcoming season, per the <em><a href="https://nypost.com/2022/05/02/kate-middletons-twin-applies-to-play-her-in-the-crown/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a></em>.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-4c7445aa-7fff-9b6a-4b92-87b7b9fee909">“Okay you are all bullying me into actually doing this,” she captioned <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@brittanydixonart/video/7091536687943257345?_t=8RycV3L7Mcd&amp;_r=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the clip</a>, which came as a response to another user who tagged her in a clip from Monica Riviera, the casting director for <em>The Crown</em>.</span></p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/05/middle2.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: TikTok</em></p> <p dir="ltr">“We’re looking for a young Kate Middleton, 18 years old, to play her in Netflix’s series <em>The Crown</em>,” Riviera said in the clip, which included a screenshot of the role’s requirements.</p> <p dir="ltr">Other users on the social media platform quickly flooded Dixon’s comments, insisting she’d be a shoo-in for the role.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I know exactly who you’re applying for no backstory needed - you’re twins!” one supporter said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If you, her identical twin, [do] not get the part … I give up,” another joked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Please remember me when you’re rich and famous on ‘The Crown’ @Netflix,” a third wrote.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-27fbe912-7fff-d767-c9c3-ef1b48e32656"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">With all of this support, Dixon created a follow-up video confirming she did apply for the part.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/05/middle1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: TikTok</em></p> <p dir="ltr">“They just wanted a selfie, some general information and a 30-second video of me talking about something I love - obviously I talked about painting,” she explained in <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@brittanydixonart/video/7092218076527168770?_t=8RycbFx3TeE&amp;_r=1https://www.tiktok.com/@brittanydixonart/video/7092218076527168770?_t=8RycbFx3TeE&amp;_r=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the clip</a>, which has since garnered over 612,000 views.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So we’ll see how it goes. We’ll see if [the Netflix casting directors] even see it,” she added, thanking her followers for encouraging her to do it.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Thanks guys for being so nice.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Back to painting.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e8108066-7fff-ed94-a842-956386788027"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: TikTok</em></p>

TV

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"We’ve got a pandemic baby and a flood baby": Mum’s twin miracles

<p dir="ltr">A woman trapped by flood waters was rescued by a heroic neighbour in his kayak just in time for her to give birth.</p> <p dir="ltr">Krystle Henry was stranded in her home in Taringa, Brisbane, after flood waters surged up the driveway - preventing her from leaving to go to the hospital.</p> <p dir="ltr">But her quick-thinking neighbour Rob came to the rescue, kayaking Ms Henry to dry land on Sunday afternoon.</p> <p dir="ltr">She and her partner Matt Bridges welcomed their newborn son, Angus, into the world at Mater Mothers’ Hospital Brisbane on Tuesday morning.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Bridges said he would be forever grateful to his neighbour for helping their son arrive safely.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-d7bec5d6-7fff-1b1e-d4d5-32ff681a8afa">“We didn’t know Bob, but he was more than happy to help us out and I’m so thankful Angus arrived safely,” he <a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/mum-gives-birth-to-baby-boy-after-she-was-rescued-in-a-kayak-from-flood-waters-in-brisbane-c-5911798" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.</span></p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/krystle.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Krystle Henry and Matt Bridges with their newborn son, Angus. Image: Krystle Henry</em></p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m so glad I got to the delivery room in time.</p> <p dir="ltr">Angus is the couple’s second child, after Ms Henry gave birth to their daughter Olive in 2020.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We’ve got a pandemic baby… and now we have a flood baby,” Mr Bridges said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mater obstetrician Dr Paul Conaghen said he had never delivered a baby in such a chaotic situation, and praised the couple for their calm attitude.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Considering the situation, Krystle and Matt remained very calm,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I couldn’t imagine being 39 weeks pregnant stuck in flood waters.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5ed40b1b-7fff-3e60-4fe4-22eba811394b"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">But Angus isn’t the only flood baby to be born in such circumstances, after another couple were rescued by kayak, this time by the SES.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/felicity-jacques.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Felicity and Alex were rescued by SES volunteers before going on to welcome their newborn son into the world. Image: Felicity Jacques</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Sherwood couple Felicity and Alex Jacques called the SES for help when their cars flooded in the underground carpark of Alex’s parents home, where they were staying.</p> <p dir="ltr">The couple stayed in a hotel near the hospital overnight, before Ms Jacques went into labour early on Monday morning.</p> <p dir="ltr">Their baby son, Andrew Jacques, was also born on Tuesday, weighing 3.35 kg.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I hate to think what would have happened if we weren’t close to the hospital,” Ms Jacques said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m so relieved our little one is here. He is definitely a little miracle.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Paula Foley, the chief operating officer at Mater Mothers’ Hospital, said the past week had seen many mums and families going to extraordinary lengths to get to the hospital to give birth.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s been an incredibly stressful time for many of our new mums and dads,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But we’ve had 188 babies born at Mater Mothers’ South Brisbane in the past week, despite the flooding.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-db22e156-7fff-5997-fa8e-9066a18ab3b8"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Krystle Henry</em></p>

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Princess Charlene wishes her twins a happy birthday as they spend it apart

<p dir="ltr">Princess Charlene of Monaco took to Instagram to wish her children a happy birthday as she is unable to celebrate with them in person.</p> <p dir="ltr">Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella turned seven years old on Friday, but Princess Charlene is receiving treatment for an undisclosed condition outside Monaco and could not be there to celebrate with them. It was the first time she has posted on Instagram since she agreed to enter a health facility following an intervention from her husband Prince Albert II in November.</p> <p dir="ltr">She posted several images of the twins in matching pyjamas in an opulent room with cake and balloons spelling out ‘Joyeux Anniversaire’, and wrote in the caption, “Happy birthday my babies Thank you God for blessing me with such wonderful children. I’m truly blessed Love mom❤️”.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CXS5jylsoWv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CXS5jylsoWv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by HSH Princess Charlene (@hshprincesscharlene)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">In previous years, the twins had celebrated their birthday with a large party at the palace, but it is believed that their mother’s health issues may have been behind the decision to host a smaller gathering this time around. Hours after Princess Charlene’s post, the Palais Princier de Monaco shared the same photos, writing, “Joyeux anniversaire au Prince Héréditaire Jacques et à la Princesse Gabriella.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Charlene returned to Monaco on November 8 after spending six months in South Africa where she was treated for an infection, but less than a week after her return, was admitted to a private facility in an undisclosed location. At the time, Prince Albert described her condition as “profound general fatigue...exhaustion, both emotional and physical". He also clarified, "Because I know there are rumors out there, let me say: This is not COVID.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And it's not cancer-related. It's not a personal relationship issue. And if you want to discuss another speculation, it isn't related to plastic surgery or facial work at all."</p> <p dir="ltr">He is hoping to visit Charlene with the twins, but has not said when that would happen. "I can't give you any kind of time frame on that. Not in the next few days, certainly but whenever we get the medical go-ahead. You know these kind of treatments, these rest periods, are usually several weeks. I cannot give you any set period at this time, we will see."</p> <p dir="ltr">He also pleaded for everyone to respect his family’s privacy, saying, "She needs privacy; as a family we need privacy. She needs time to rest in the best environment possible. Even if we as a family are public figures. When public figures have health issues, they deserve privacy just like anyone else.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I hope everybody will understand that. Give us the time that we need; give her the time that she needs to heal and get better and be back with her family in Monaco. Charlene never asked to have these problems — but they are there, unfortunately, and we need space and privacy to address them. So I beg everyone to understand that and please leave my family alone for the coming weeks."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images</em></p>

Caring

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Julia Roberts shares rare pic of twins in sweet tribute

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Julia Roberts has shared a rare snap of her twins, Hazel and Phinnaeus, in a sweet tribute for their 17th birthday.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Taking to Instagram, the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pretty Woman</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> star wrote, “Seventeen of the Sweetest years of life” along with 17 birthday cake emojis to accompany a throwback photo of the twins as babies.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CW1VDguBV6F/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CW1VDguBV6F/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Julia Roberts (@juliaroberts)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Her husband, Danny Moder, also took to social media to celebrate the special occasion. He shared a more recent photo of the pair, writing, “These rabble rousers. 17 today. Thank you for helping me through fatherhood.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CW1g7ubvW7L/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CW1g7ubvW7L/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by modermoder (@modermoder)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Julia and Danny have kept their personal lives far away from the spotlight, and their daughter Hazel made her <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a38376389/julia-roberts-celebrates-twins-17th-birthday-pics/" target="_blank">first red carpet appearance</a> at the Cannes film festival earlier this year. Dressed in a pastel yellow long-sleeved dress, Hazel made the rare appearance in celebration of her Danny’s movie <em>Flag Day</em>, which also premiered at the festival.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ7iWowrv2_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ7iWowrv2_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by modermoder (@modermoder)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The star couple recently marked another family milestone, with Danny posting a photo from the early days of their relationship to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Today we start our 20th year of marriage,” Danny began the caption. “This photo was on a dusty road before that big idea … just holding on to this beautiful girl one day at a time. One epic day at a time.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Danny and Julia were married on July 4, 2002, after first meeting on the set of Julia and Brad Pitt’s film </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Mexican</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2004, the couple welcomed Hazel and Phinnaeus into the family, before having their third child, Henry, in 2007.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Family & Pets

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Mum of twin girls lost in fire speaks of her “immense loss”

<p dir="ltr">Akira Garton, mum to Ophelia and Tarrow, twin four-year-old girls who<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/caring/thousands-raised-for-family-who-lost-twin-girls-in-horrific-tragedy" target="_blank">tragically died in a fire</a><span> </span>near Byron Bay over the weekend, has spoken publicly for the first time since the horrific accident.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There are no words to describe the immense loss of our dear little Ophelia and sweetest Tarrow. I’m still in immense shock and disbelief. You are so very dearly loved by both parents, eldest sister, family, neighbours and the entire community.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You will never leave our hearts, sweet angels.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Garton spoke about what the twins, who were due to start kindergarten next year, were like. They loved picking mulberries near their home in Mullumbimby, and dancing to 90s music. Of their relationship to each other, she said, “They were rarely separated, they were born two months premature with fighting spirits.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They would be lost in their own world for hours, drawing prolifically and dancing. They loved circus arts and picking mulberry on the local street and were mad for blueberries, papaya and porridge. They looked up to their older sister and always wanted to wear her clothes.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m devastated. It was too early.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Garton had previously posted on Instagram about her unimaginable loss, writing, “Words cannot express waking up to day three of these beautiful bunnikins not here. No more mumma … no more hands, no more smiles, no more dancing, no more moments like this, happy, so happy,” underneath a photo of her with Ophelia and Tarrow.</p> <p dir="ltr">The girls suffocated in a fire at a commune in Goonengerry, where their father, James Wright, was spending the weekend with his partner. Older daughter Maitreya was at the commune but was not at the house with her sisters.</p> <p dir="ltr">Investigators are looking into the possibility that a candle that was left burning on a piano started the fire, emitting toxic fumes that caused the girls to suffocate as they slept early on Sunday morning.</p> <p dir="ltr">A distressed woman called emergency services at 4am, urging them to hurry up because “the babies can’t breathe.” Tragically, paramedics were unable to save Ophelia and Tarrow.</p> <p dir="ltr">No charges have been laid, and no family members have been accused of wrongdoing.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

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Thousands raised for family who lost twin girls in horrific tragedy

<p dir="ltr">Thousands of dollars have been raised to help the family of twin four-year old girls who died in a tragic fire in northern New South Wales. Twin girls Ophelia and Tarrow died when a fire broke out at their home in Goonengerry, west of Byron Bay, on Sunday morning.</p> <p dir="ltr">Emergency services were called to the home, but the girls could not be saved. They are reported to have inhaled a significant amount of smoke as a result of the fire. The fire is believed to have been started by an unattended candle that had been placed on a piano.</p> <p dir="ltr">On Monday, friends of the twins’ dad, James, launched a fundraiser to support the family.</p> <p dir="ltr">The fundraiser reads, “These beautiful little fairies left this earth too soon, and the loss for Jimmi and family is unspeakable.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It is now for us, his friends and family, to come together and create a legacy of lasting love and support. Aside from the onslaught of grief and sorrow, that is already devastating the family, there is an impending slew of debt, funeral costs, and day-to-day expenses that we hope to cover through this collection.”</p> <p dir="ltr">As of Tuesday morning, the GoFundMe had raised more than $20,000. A separate fundraiser, which has raised more than $2000, was started to support the twins’ mum, Akira Garton. The fundraiser says, “Tarrow and Ophelia were bright, playful, identical twins that had a sparkle in their eyes and angelic features.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They loved and adored their older sister Maitreya so so much … just as they were loved and adored by all close to them. There is no word in English for a parent who loses their child, and there shouldn’t be.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It is an unthinkable tragedy. Akira and her family are shattered to the core; they have an unbearable amount of grief to carry and heartbreaking pain to endure. Flowers and tributes were left at the property following the tragedy.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The twins were visiting their father for the weekend as part of a shared parenting arrangement. James, along with his new partner and friends, were believed to have been outside around a bonfire at the time and weren’t aware a fire had started. It wasn’t until he went in to check on the girls that he saw the smoke.</p> <p dir="ltr">A lawyer acting on behalf of Garton has asked detectives to examine why the girls were unattended, although there’s no suggestion the girls’ father has done anything wrong. No charges have been laid.</p>

Caring

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TWINS! Jana Pittman reveals she is pregnant

<p>Jana Pittman has announced that she is pregnant with twins. </p> <p>The <em>SAS Australia</em> favourite shared the news in a <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.newidea.com.au/jana-pittman-pregnant-with-twins" target="_blank">New Idea exclusive</a> on Monday, saying she was concerned about the "logistical nightmare" of being a mum of six kids. </p> <p>The Olympian-turned-doctor said, "<span>I never thought I'd have six children, I don't know how we are going to cope. How will we all fit into my car? I can see life is going to be a logistical nightmare."</span></p> <p><span>Jana fell pregnant soon after SAS Australia wrapped filming, and tried to hide her big news for several weeks. </span><span></span></p> <p><span>However, due to her extreme morning sickness, she found the first weeks very difficult. </span></p> <p><span>Recalling the moment she was forced to tell her employers at the hospital about her pregnancy, Jana admitted she'd vomited mid-way through performing a caesarean. </span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CU3LmD3B8M7/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CU3LmD3B8M7/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Jana Pittman (@janapittmanofficial)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span>Jana is now 11 weeks along in her pregnancy, and said she won't be having any more children in the </span>future and is looking forward to spending her life with her "Brady Bunch family".</p> <p>Jana and her husband Paul <span>welcomed their first child, a son named Charlie, in December last year.  </span></p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Paul, who prefers to stay out of the media spotlight, married Jana in a private wedding ceremony just a few months before she gave birth. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Two of Jana's children, daughters Emily, six, and Jemima, four, were born via IVF and through an anonymous sperm donor.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">She also has a 14-year-old son, Cornelis, from her marriage to her first husband and former coach, Chris Rawlinson. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font"><em>Image credits: Instagram @janapittmanofficial</em></p>

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