IRELAND AM star Alan Hughes was missing from the morning show again today – but fans were full of praise for his popular replacement.

The Virgin Media TV star co-hosts the hit morning show alongside Tommy Bowe and Muireann O’Connell every Monday to Thursday.

Brian McEvoy

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Eric Roberts stood in for Alan today[/caption]

However, the mainstay host has been absent from the hit breakfast show on numerous occasions this year.

Alan was missing from the small screen again today as he is enjoying a sun-soaked getaway.

The 61-year-old and his husband Karl Broderick have jetted off to Sitges in Spain, a holiday spot that they visit often during the year.

Taking over from Alan’s hosting duties for the day was TikTok sensation Eric Roberts, who has become a regular familiar face on the morning programme.

After hosting the show across the weekend, Eric returned to the couch this morning alongside Muireann and Tommy.

The trio posed on set in the Virgin Media studios for a smiling snap.

The social media star made his debut as an Ireland AM presenter earlier this year and has quickly become a fan-favourite.

Viewers raced to social media with praise after the show.

One fan wrote: “Love Eric on the show he’s a breath of fresh air.”

A second gushed: “The lovely Eric certainly brightens up any morning.”

Another added: “Great Eric is back.”

Tommy Bowe made a major blunder while interviewing a guest last week.

Gerard Jordan, who’s best known for his role as Steo Nash in the hit soap, sat down with Tommy and Karen Koster.

However, the hosts had their wires crossed and mixed up some of the Dubliner’s credentials with an English actor with the same name.

AWKWARD!

When introducing Gerard to viewers, Karen mentioned some shows that she thought he had acted in.

She said: “He has overcome the carnage of Carrigstown, faced down the White Walkers in Game of Thrones and survived the criminal underworld of Blue Lights…”

During their chat, Tommy also spoke about the hit series saying: “Obviously you’re involved in Fair City, Derry Girls, Game of Thrones.”

The 34-year-old pulled up the presenters on the incorrect information saying: “I wasn’t on Derry Girls or Game of Thrones. I think you’re getting me mixed up there with another Gerard Jordan.”

Karen and Tommy both looked surprised as Karen asked: “You have another one. Is there another one?”

The dad-of-eight replied: “Yeah there’s another one, yeah. I wasn’t on Game of Thrones or Derry Girl, but I was just on Fair City.”

Scientists say a bad diet can impact the brain

A California sheriff has ripped Kamala Harris after the former vice president blamed President Trump for starting the anti-ICE protests that are wreaking havoc in Los Angeles.

The suspect injured an officer when he hurled rocks at law enforcement vehicles on Saturday afternoon on Alondra Boulevard in Paramount, according to the FBI.

  0 Спочатку чиновники дивилися на сварку Трампа і Маска, як на розвагу, але потім їм стало “зовсім не смішно”. Керівництво та Пентагону закликало конкурентів SpaceX пришвидшити розробку альтернативних космічних рішень. Це сталося після того, пише The Washington Post, як Дональд Трамп пригрозив скасувати контракти з SpaceX, а Маск публічно відповів йому зухвало. Особливо шокованими […]

Джейн Фонда відвідала церемонію вручення нагород WMC 2025 Women’s Media Awards, яка відбулася у готелі JW Marriott Essex House у Нью-Йорку. Для такої події акторка обрала елегантний шовковий костюм класичного крою ніжного перлинно-блакитного кольору. Він складався з однобортного жакета з зубчастими лацканами, топа і штанів-кльош. Аутфіт Джейн доповнила босоніжками кольору металік. Фонда уклала своє сиве […]

EX On The Beach star Helen Briggs has given birth to her fourth child with boyfriend Chet Johnson – a baby girl.

Helen, 30, and Chet, 35, were congratulated by fans afer they welcomed their daughter into the world.

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Helen and Chet got pregnant after getting back together with her ex[/caption]

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The couple already have three children, Ocean, Elvis and Peach[/caption]

Chet announced their happy news in a video on Instagram showing Helen on the operating table in hospital.

The video cut to Helen cradling her baby who wore a pink wool cap.

Chet was then seen carrying their baby to the car before the parents introduced their newborn to their other kids Ocean, Elvis and Peach.

Chet captioned the post: “She has done it again… the strongest, most beautiful woman I know just brought our fourth baby into the world.

“Watching you become a mother all over again has left me in complete awe.

“You are a super mum & our family is whole because of you –and I couldn’t be more proud or more in love. I love you so much.”

MAFS groom Kieran Chapman was among the first to reply, writing: “One of the most gorgeous family’s to grace the internet… congratulations to you all. Love, health and wealth.”

THE Final Four contest for the inaugural Baller League UK crown this Thursday.

We’ve taken a look ahead to the indoor action to see if we can pick out the best tips and odds for the big finale.

Baller League UK – Final four

After 11 grueling gamedays of Baller League UK action, it all comes down to this for the final four.

One of Deportrio, MVPs United, Yanited or SDS FC will be crowned the winners of the inaugural competition which has gripped social media.

Some big names in the world of sport, entertainment, music and influencing have been involved and now we’ll find out the winner.

As table toppers after 11 gamedays, Deportrio are rightly the bookies favourites to claim victory on Thursday night – yet strangely go into their semi final with SDS FC as the underdogs, so work that one out.

The team managed by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards have just gone off the boil in recent weeks with just one win in their last five, including a thumping 8-3 defeat from SDS FC last time out.

They did however just manage to cling onto top spot on goal difference after winning seven of their 11 games and scoring 42 goals in the process, though need to get back to their early tournament form if they want to win this.

Semi final opponents, SDS FC have won their last four games on the spin and haven’t tasted defeat since gameday five to finish just three points off the top.

In the other semi final, MVPs United – second to Deportrio on goal difference – take on AngryGinge’s team Yanited having also both won 7 of their 11 games.

The sides met only a couple of weeks ago on the gameday 9 fixture list, with the well-fancied Alisha Lehmann and Maya Jama’s side MVPs United coming out 4-3 victors.

But Yanited finished the league phase with comfortably the highest goal difference in the competition with +17 after the 11 games – with SDS FC (+12) the only side close.

So to sum up, the bookmaker odds are close for both semi finals and the outright markets and it’s no wonder why – this is anyone’s competition!

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Baller League UK – Latest odds

Semi final odds

Deportrio vs SDS FC

• Deportrio 27/20
• Draw 4/1
• SDS FC 21/20

MVPs United vs Yanited

• MVPs United 6/5
• Draw 4/1
• Yanited 6/5

Outright odds

• Deportrio 15/8
• Yanited 15/8
• SDS FC 7/2
• MVPs United 4/1

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Baller League UK predictions

Final Four winner

SDS FC lost out to MVPs United on gameday three and started the competition with one win from five games.

So it’s been an almost upward curve from that moment on and they’re an attractive price to win this after last week’s heroics.

That thumping win over Deportrio to get them here was a big moment and that momentum could well carry them through two more games.

• SDS FC to win Baller League is 7/2 with bet365

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Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chase their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
• Gamcare – gamcare.org.uk
• GambleAware – GambleAware.org

Read our guide on responsible gambling practices.

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.

У неділю десятки тисяч людей зібралися у центрі іспанської столиці, щоб протестувати проти уряду прем’єр-міністра Педро Санчеса і вимагати проведення дострокових загальних виборів. Як передає Укрінформ, про це повідомляє The Guardian. За даними делегації центрального уряду регіону, до протесту, організованого опозиційною консервативною Народною партією (РР), під гаслом «Мафія або демократія» долучилися від 45 000 до 50 […]

BRITS are being warned that they could face jail time for using “dodgy” Fire Sticks that offer Sky Sports and Premier League games for as little as £6.

A growing number of people in the UK are believed to be switching to illegal streaming devices, but the Federation Against Copyright Theft has warned that this could lead to users having their ID stolen or their credit card details handed to criminals.

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Many Brits are using illegally modified Fire Sticks[/caption]

Posts have begun flooding social media sites advertising modified Fire Sticks for just a few pounds.

According to The Mirror, one mobile number was used for over 800 Facebook posts, with Brits urged to contact the number via WhatsApp to get their hands on the illegal piece of tech.

Some posts advertised all Sky channels plus streaming sites such as Netflix and Disney Plus for as little as £2.50 a month.

In comparison, if you were to pay for Sky Sports, it would set you back by at least £50 a month.

Some dodgy sellers are even claiming that their service is legal, with one fraudster claiming to be from a company called IPTV.

They claimed that the company is a “online service to provide channels on Fire Stick, smart TVs, android TVs, mobile phone as well.“

However, IPTV is just a general term for Internet Protocol Television.

And although may Brits are tempted by the budget prices of these illegal devices, the criminals providing them may end up in jail before they’ve had a chance to follow through on the deal.

Back in January, a Fire Stick scammer who was streaming illegal TV to thousands of people, was jailed for two years.

And Kieron Sharp, chairman of the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) said that dodgy Fire Stick users are breaking the law too, and could end up being prosecuted.

According to FACT, watching an illegal stream is an offence under the Fraud Act 2006, and has a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

However, consumers are more at risk from the Malware that comes with illegally modified devices.

Kieron warned that scammers could use the devices to hack your bank account or even hijack your camera and microphone.

People should be warned about this”, he said.

“There’s a real risk of having your identity stolen or similar.

“If you give over your credit card details, you are giving them to criminals.

“They could get access to the camera on your TV, if it has one, or microphone.

“There is no safety or security with what you are getting with these modified devices.”

Amazon has said it has made changes to Fire Sticks to make it harder for criminals to modify them.

An Amazon spokesperson said: “Pirated content violates our policies regarding intellectual property rights, and compromises the security and privacy of our customers.

“We remain vigilant in our efforts to combat piracy and protect customers from the risks associated with pirated content, which includes prohibiting apps that infringe upon the rights of third parties in our Appstore, and warning customers of the risks associated with installing or using apps from unknown sources.”