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      Wembley Stadium to undergo major £4.3million revamp to stamp out yob chaos at Euro 2028

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      WEMBLEY Stadium will be turned into a fortress with a £4.3million security revamp for the Euro 2028 final.It comes after the venue vowed to avoid a repeat of the Euro 2020 final chaos when 2,000 yobs broke in.
      Wembley is getting a £4m upgrade to help prevent the chaos of the Euro 2020 finalCredit: AP
      Ticketless thugs ruined the Wembley showcase by storming through turnstiles and swarming securityCredit: Getty
      Ticketless thugs ruined the Wembley showcase by storming through turnstiles and overwhelming security staff.
      But rings of steel complete with 12ft anti-climb fences and 50 high-resolution cameras will keep invaders out in 2028.
      Security improvements at the 90,000-seat stadium were demanded before England last week secured sole bidding status for the finals as part of the joint campaign to host the event with Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
      UEFA are expected to rubber stamp the bid tomorrow, with Wembley almost certainly the venue for the final.
      READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS
      Barriers manned by better-trained security staff will include a new gated portal with enclosed roller shutters to fortify the Club Wembley entrance.
      And a new external entrance lobby with reinforced interlocking doors will stop unauthorised entry from the Olympic Steps.
      Bigger, stronger gates will be fitted to VIP, staff and media entrances.
      And extra perimeter fences at entrances will be built.
      Most read in Football
      The Covid-delayed 2020 final was played at Wembley on July 11, 2021. England lost to Italy.
      A Wembley spokesman said: “We’ve made significant investments to enhance security.”
      A Wembley Stadium spokesman said: ‘We’ve made significant investments to enhance security’Credit: Getty More

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      Man City hero Jack Grealish’s muscular calves turned into calendar for third time

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      JACK Grealish fans can get a kick out of a calendar of his muscular calves.Kevin Beresford, 71, created it a third time, saying the Man City ace’s pins, are even “more defined and groomed”.
      Jack Grealish fans can get a kick out of a calendarCredit: Getty
      A fan created a wacky calendar of the ace’s muscular calvesCredit: dullkev.com
      It’s a step up from the Worcestershire man’s other previous calendars celebrating allotments, car parks and roundabouts.
      Grealish, as well as his calves, had a crucial role in Pep Guardiola’s treble-winning squad last season.
      We previously revealed how Grealish was named Manchester City’s worst dressed player — despite seeing himself as a trendsetter.
      Winger Grealish, 28, had previously said his team-mate Rodri had the most offensive clobber, describing it as “awful”.
      READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
      But the tables were turned on the England star when the Spanish midfielder said in an interview that he thought Grealish was the club’s worst dressed player.
      Grealish posted the clip on his Instagram page alongside a shocked face emoji.
      In the interview, 27-year-old Rodri is asked who is the worst-dressed on the team.
      He replies: “They say it’s me but I don’t agree. I think it’s Jack.”
      Most read in Football
      Kevin Beresford, 71, created the calendar for a third timeCredit: dullkev.com
      Kevin said the Man City ace’s pins are now even ‘more defined and groomed’Credit: dullkev.com
      The calendar is named ‘The Wonderful World of Jack Grealish’s Calves’Credit: dullkev.com
      It’s a step up from the Worcestershire man’s other previous calendarsCredit: dullkev.com
      Grealish, as well as his calves, had a crucial role in Pep Guardiola’s treble-winning squad last seasonCredit: dullkev.com More

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      Football should be the beautiful game – but 2030 World Cup covering half the globe is an ugly kick in the teeth for fans

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      FOOTBALL is supposed to be the people’s game.It’s supposed to be about the fans as well as the players.
      Nobody outside a chosen few inside Fifa headquarters in Zurich was celebrating the latest brainwave pulled off by world football boss Gianni InfantinoCredit: PA
      Lionel Messi lifts the World Cup trophy in Qatar – a tournament allegedly powered by giant solar fields in the desert that NOBODY has ever seenCredit: Getty
      And the World Cup, the pinnacle of the sport, is supposed to be a global party.
      But nobody outside a chosen few inside Fifa headquarters in Zurich was celebrating the latest brainwave pulled off by world football boss Gianni Infantino.
      A World Cup covering half the globe, spread over 39 days and involving 48 teams and 104 matches.
      Starting with three games in South America, before the rest of the tournament is split between the Iberian peninsula and North Africa.

      Yet what was inconceivable is now, overnight, a looming reality, coming our way in just seven years, in 2030.
      A kick in the teeth for fans around the planet, who still love the beautiful game, no matter how ugly it can seem.
      And further irrefutable proof that what counts in football now is not the sport, the emotion and the passion.
      That went out of the window long ago.
      Most read in Football
      The brutal truth is that it is now only about the money, the politics, the deals and the TV contracts.
      Who in their right mind would conceive of sending fans halfway around the world — then back — for ONE match?
      Fifa, of course.
      The blazers in their ivory towers, who know they get executive travel, first-class seats and the biggest suites in the swankiest hotels, all meals and match tickets included, for nothing — plus £400 a day in cash for spending money just to keep them sweet.
      No worries about saving up for the journey for these men and women.
      The same Fifa that trumpeted the green credentials of a £185BILLION World Cup in Qatar, allegedly powered by giant solar fields in the desert that NOBODY has ever seen.
      That’s before you even get into the other issues in the Gulf state — the treatment of migrant workers and legalised homophobia.
      Yet it’s as much about the sheer cost of the concept as well.
      Playing the opening three matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay pays homage to the centenary of the tournament that was first played in Uruguayan capital Montevideo in 1930.
      Divide and rule
      There is a romantic element in that — although many real fans of the game will argue that the 2030 tournament should have been hosted entirely back where it all began.
      But Fifa is asking some fans to fork out thousands to fly 6,000-plus miles to see their team in action in South America and then back across the Atlantic for a tournament split between Morocco, Portugal and Spain.
      Where, of course, tickets will be at premium rates for travelling fans. Someone has to pay the bills. And it’s you.
      Does anybody in Zurich care about that? It doesn’t look that way, does it?
      For Fifa President Infantino, football’s version of The Hood from Thunderbirds, it is an ingenious, some would argue brilliant, solution.
      After all, he has handed six countries and three continents a piece of the action.
      That allows all the potential bidders to keep face at home and also ensures the maximum interest and pay cheques from the European TV companies who fund his global projects, pitches and training centres in countries that otherwise would not be able to afford them.
      Infantino may not have been a protege of former Fifa chief, disgraced Sepp Blatter.
      But he has learned from the Blatter play book of divide and rule — and brought it into the modern age.
      And seasoned, and cynical, Fifa watchers know what the real end game is here.
      It is less about 2030 — although that is what has captured immediate attention.
      Instead, it is more, far more, about 2034 — and giving Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman what HE has craved for years.

      The door for the Saudis to walk through and host that tournament is not ajar. It is wide open.
      Nominally, Australia could bid as well.
      But it would be a forlorn and expensive waste of money. The die is cast.
      “All the fish is sold,” as they say in Fifa land.
      It does not matter that there will be another desert storm of protest, that fans will not be able to get a drink — to be fair, the absence of booze in the stadiums in Qatar made for a far less aggressive and hostile atmosphere.
      Nor that the Saudi record on human rights is pretty compatible with that in Qatar.
      Indeed, the Qataris do not, as far as we know, have a track record of dismembering critical journalists in any of their embassies.
      Doha 1, Riyadh 0.
      Effectively gifting Saudi the tournament means another winter World Cup in November and December of 2034 — and another enforced six-week break for the Premier League.
      And because the new 32-team Club World Cup — Chelsea, Manchester City and almost certainly Liverpool play in the first version in the USA in 2025 — is held in the same country as the next World Cup, the situation will be similar 12 months earlier, with players going to Saudi in 2033.
      Scant consolation
      Two successive European club seasons ruptured in half, just to ensure MBS gets what he wants.
      Have the fans, players or even the clubs been asked about that? Of course they haven’t. They never are.
      The good news, the only good news, is that Infantino will not be around to bask in the reflected “glory” of his masterplan when it comes to fruition.
      Even after dismissing his first three years in the job as not counting, he must give up his place as Fifa President in 2031.
      Canada’s Victor Montagliani is a potential successor.
      But that will be scant consolation to the fans forking out money they really can’t afford to follow their teams in 2030 or four years later.
      They are barely an afterthought.
      Scenery for the TV pictures.
      Read More on The Sun
      Willing victims who pay for the privilege.
      As Sir Alex Ferguson once said, in very different circumstances: “Football. Bloody hell.” More

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      Saudi Arabia ready to suspend its alcohol ban to boost its bid to host 2034 World Cup

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      SAUDI Arabia is ready to suspend its alcohol ban to boost its unpopular bid to stage the 2034 World Cup.Fearing thousands of fans would shun a dry tournament, a compromise deal could see booze sold in hotels and restricted fan zones.
      Saudi Arabia is ready to suspend its alcohol ban to boost its bid to stage the 2034 World CupCredit: Reuters
      The Arab nation became the controversial favourite to host 2034 after Fifa handed the 2030 tournament to Spain, Portugal, Morocco — plus opening games in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.
      Critics accused football chiefs of grabbing “dirty money” from a state guilty of appalling human right abuses and the gruesome murder of a dissident journalist.
      The Muslim country outlaws alcohol sale and consumption — and foreigners caught drinking face public flogging, huge fines, lengthy imprisonment and deportation.
      But a Saudi source told The Sun: “Football fans will be allowed to drink if Saudi Arabia stages the World Cup.
      READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
      “It has not been publicly discussed but it is an accepted fact.
      “We acknowledge very serious mistakes have been made in the past and want the world to understand that we are changing.”
      Last year, Qatar broke its promise to allow beer sales at matches just two days before kick-off — banning sponsor Budweiser’s lager until after the evening call to prayer. More

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      Alex Scott is dating HUGE record breaking female pop star – and they’ve secretly been together for months

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      FOOTIE pundit and telly presenter Alex Scott is dating pop star Jess Glynne, The Sun can today reveal.The ex-England and Arsenal footballer has been quietly seeing the superstar singer for the past two months.
      Alex Scott is dating Jess Glynne – and they’ve secretly been together for monthsCredit: Rex
      Jess, 33, and Alex, 38, were pictured watching the tennis at Wimbledon and have grown closer since thenCredit: Getty
      The pair enjoyed a series of dates before and after the Women’s World Cup.
      And on Tuesday night, the couple partied alongside David and Victoria Beckham at their exclusive Netflix documentary premiere after-party at The Twenty Two in West London.
      A friend said: “Alex and Jess have been a slow burn and they didn’t want to rush things or go public too soon.
      “But they’re officially an item now and seem really happy. They are both strong, independent women with a shared passion and respect of their respective careers, supporting one another from the sidelines.
      READ MORE ON ALEX SCOTT
      “It’s still early days for them, but they’ve met one another’s mates and everyone is super-happy for them.”
      Jess, 33, and Alex, 38, were pictured together side-by-side back in July watching the tennis at Wimbledon and have grown closer since then.
      They were later seen enjoying a boozy pub lunch in North West London just before the Women’s World Cup in August.
      The pair then stayed in contact as Alex travelled to Australia to cover the tournament for the BBC — before they met up again in London on her return.
      Most read in Football
      Jess is the only British female solo artist to achieve seven UK No 1 singles, while former Lioness Alex is host of the BBC’s Football Focus.
      Alex previously wrote in her memoir of her romance with former team-mate Kelly Smith.
      She said Smith was her first love and she spoke of her “heartbreak” at their split.
      And Jess, whose hits include Hold My Hand, talked in a 2015 interview of “not putting a label” on her sexuality.
      She said: “I’ve only ever been with one girl and that’s the girl from my album [2015’s I Cry When I Laugh]. I’m never going to put a label on my sexuality.
      “People should never feel uncomfortable about who they love.”
      The couple’s representatives declined to comment.
      The pair enjoyed a series of dates before and after the Women’s World CupCredit: Getty
      Jess is the only British female solo artist to achieve seven UK No 1 singlesCredit: Getty
      Alex previously wrote in her memoir of her romance with former team-mate Kelly Smith.Credit: Getty More

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      Inside David Beckham’s battle with OCD as footie legend throws open his wardrobe for new Netflix documentary

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      DAVID Beckham has opened up about his obsessive tendencies — and says he lines up clothes ready to wear a week in advance.The former England captain throws open his wardrobe in his new documentary, showing off outfits which have to be immaculately folded.
      David Beckham throws open his wardrobe for his new Netflix documentaryCredit: NETFLIX
      David confesses to staying up after everyone has gone to bed so he can tidy up the houseCredit: BackGrid
      David Beckham’s perfectly organised sock drawer is also shown in the documentaryCredit: netflix
      The 48-year-old, nicknamed Goldenballs in his illustrious playing career, also confesses to staying up after everyone has gone to bed so he can tidy up the house.
      The father of four discusses the reality of his obsessive compulsive disorder — including a spotless refrigerator — in the final part of his Netflix series, entitled Beckham.
      A throwback clip is shown of a teenage Beckham in an immaculate bedroom. The youngster says: “I hate an untidy room.”
      Fast-forward several decades and modern-day Beckham is seen in his equally well-kept surroundings, with all of his clothes meticulously arranged.
      READ MORE ON DAVID BECKHAM
      He explains: “It’s all quite organised — jackets, jean shirts, shirts and then it goes from jumpers, cardies to T-shirts, underwear socks and then suits.”
      Pointing out the rail underneath a window, he admits some of his tendencies have become more extreme.
      He says: “Those are my outfits for the rest of the week, I prep my week. It used to just be the night before.”
      Oscar-winning Beckham director Fisher Stevens asks him: “Is that a new obsession?”
      Most read in Football
      Becks, who has previously spoken about his OCD, shrugs: “Yeah, I’m quite organised.”
      He then visibly recoils after opening his trousers drawer and noticing the hangers are fractionally askew. He declares: “Someone’s been in here.”
      The former Manchester United midfielder, who famously stayed behind after training to practice his free-kicks, said previously: “I have got this obsessive compulsive ­disorder where I have to have everything in a straight line or everything has to be in pairs.”
      In the four-part documentary, he shows off the contents of his fridge, where bottles and jars are all ­perfectly laid out label-first.
      Beckham, married to Victoria and dad to Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper, is also seen frantically scrubbing the oven and wiping down the kitchen counter after cooking a roast dinner for the whole family.
      Becks says he lines up clothes ready to wear a week in advanceCredit: BackGrid
      The father of four discusses the reality of his obsessive compulsive disorderCredit: NETFLIX
      OCD is a mental health condition that can affect anyone at any age.
      Sufferers typically develop obsessive thoughts and compulsions — such as touching a lamppost a ­certain number of times — which can disrupt their daily life.
      It can also lead to body dysmorphia, compulsive skin picking and hoarding, according to charity Mind.
      The condition can be ­controlled and treatment usually involves psychological therapy or medication.
      It is not known why OCD occurs but it can be triggered by a major life event such as childbirth or bereavement.
      People who are naturally tidy are also more likely to develop it.
      Beckham is seen in the documentary giving fashion designer and former Spice Girl Victoria, 49, a telling-off for leaving the salt out.
      And he admits going round the house on his own tidying, and even cleaning smoke from candles, before he can head off to bed.
      In his kitchen, he says: “I clean [the house] so well, I’m not sure it’s actually appreciated so much by my wife, in all honesty.
      “The fact that when everyone’s in bed I then go around, clean the candles, turn the lights on to the right setting, make sure everywhere is tidy. I hate coming down in the morning and there’s cups and plates and, you know, bowls. It’s tiring going around every single candle cleaning it.
      “I clip the candle wax, I clean the glass, that’s my pet hate, the smoke around the inside of a candle . . . I know, it’s weird.”
      Read More on The Sun
      The Beckhams live in an eight-bedroom £25million mansion in west London, as well as owning a sprawling home in the Cotswolds.
      Both houses are featured in the series though it is not known if the couple also have a cleaner. More

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      Lionesses Millie Bright & Rachel Daly back The Sun’s Footie For All Fund

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      LIONESSES Millie Bright and Rachel Daly have backed The Sun’s Footie For All Fund.We have teamed up with Tesco’s Stronger Starts programme to give away £150,000 of grants to grassroots youth football clubs in crisis.
      Millie Bright and Rachel Daly have backed The Sun’s Footie For All FundCredit: Getty
      Millie said: ‘It’s amazing what The Sun and Tesco are doing to support local teams and it will help a lot of kids keep playing’Credit: Instagram
      Rachel with her ball and medal as a footie-mad kidCredit: Instagram
      England’s World Cup captain Millie, 30, said: “It’s amazing what The Sun and Tesco are doing to support local teams and it will help a lot of kids keep playing.
      “Maybe it can help some of them become Lionesses.”
      The Chelsea defender added: “As a kid, my parents had a hard time getting me away from a football pitch.
      “But it wasn’t something I knew I loved until some friends took me to a local club, Killamarsh Dynamos, and then it became my focus.
      Read More on Football
      “It opened up a whole new world to me aged nine and without playing when I was little, I wouldn’t be where I am now.
      “It’s heartbreaking to hear some kids won’t get the same opportunities because their parents can’t afford it.”
      Funded by Tesco’s Stronger Starts campaign — which provides healthy food and activities for children across the country — we will dish out 150 grants (each worth £1,000) to clubs across the country.
      We launched our Footie For All campaign this year to shine a light on how financial struggles were forcing kids to give up the national game.
      Most read in Football
      According to the charity Sported, around 94 per cent of grassroots clubs were concerned about the impact soaring costs were having on their membership.
      In the wake of our probe we have been inundated with the stories of local youth sides making a huge difference to their communities, while struggling to cover costs.
      Millie’s team-mate Rachel Daly, 31, added: “Growing up, I have some of my happiest memories playing with Killinghall Nomads.
      “I can’t imagine my childhood without football and I don’t want anyone else to go without because of rising prices.
      “It’s so important to keep the game accessible — that’s why I’m backing The Sun’s Footie For All campaign.”
      HOW TO APPLY
      WE want to hear the story of YOUR club and the big difference you are making to kids and your community.
      If you are a not-for-profit grassroots football club in England, Wales or Scotland working with youngsters under the age of 18, you could be eligible for one of our 150 grants.
      Funds can be used for anything that encourages more children to take part in the sport – such as pitch fees or to sponsor funded places for children who can’t afford membership.
      Applications must be made by October 29.
      To apply and for full T&Cs, see the website below . . . 
      www.tescostrongerstarts.org.uk/footiefund More

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      Victoria Beckham breaks silence on ‘nightmare’ of David’s alleged 2003 affair and admits ‘I resented him’

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      VICTORIA Beckham has opened up for the first time about the pain she felt in the wake of husband David’s alleged affair.The England football hero also revealed how their marriage was placed under enormous pressure after he was accused of a fling while playing in Spain in 2003.
      Victoria Beckham has broken her silence on the ‘nightmare’ of David’s alleged 2003 affairCredit: Getty
      The couple, who always kept up a united front, have now also spoken candidly about battling to save their relationshipCredit: AP:Associated Press
      Victoria tells new Netflix documentary Beckham it was the hardest time of her life and she was “the most unhappy I’ve ever been”.
      Tonight they were joined at its premiere by their four kids Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper. Romeo’s girlfriend Mia Regan and Brooklyn’s wife Nicola Peltz were also at the central London screening, along with a string of celebrities.
      The Beckhams have always denied claims of an affair while David was playing for Real Madrid in 2003. But they have now spoken candidly about battling to save their relationship.
      An emotional Victoria, 49, told the documentary: “It was the hardest period because it felt like the world was against us. Here’s the thing — we were against each other if I’m being completely honest.
      READ MORE ON DAVID BECKHAM
      “You know, up until Madrid sometimes it felt like us against everybody else but we were together, we were connected, we had each other.
      “But when we were in Spain, it didn’t really feel like we had each other either.
      “And that’s sad. I can’t even begin to tell you how hard it was and how it affected me. It was a nightmare.
      “It was an absolute circus — and everyone loves it when the circus comes to town right? Unless you’re in it.”
      Most read in Football
      Asked if she “resented” her husband, the former Spice Girl replied: “If I’m being totally honest, yes I did. It was the most unhappy I have ever been in my entire life.”
      Posh added that she “internalised” the trauma in order to support her husband in his career, adding: “It wasn’t that I felt unheard because I was always mindful of the focus that he needed.”
      The woman David was accused of having an affair with is not named during the four-part documentary, which is available to stream from today.
      However, newspaper headlines from the time are shown, including one which read: “Sex with Becks.”
      News bulletins about the former Manchester United midfielder’s alleged affair are also played.
      Becks, 48, wells up as he describes the toll the reports had on his beloved wife, who he married four years previously in 1999.
      Up until Madrid sometimes it felt like us against everybody else but we were together, revealed VictoriaCredit: PA
      Asked if she ‘resented’ David, the designer replied: ‘If I’m being totally honest, yes I did’Credit: Eroteme
      He recalled: “There was some horrible stories which were difficult to deal with.
      “It was the first time that me and Victoria had been put under that kind of pressure in our marriage.”
      Asked by director Fisher Stevens how the couple “survived”, he said: “Every time that we woke up we felt, you know, there was something else and you know we felt that, we both felt at the time that we were not losing each other but drowning.
      “But ultimately it’s our private life. There were some days I thought, ‘How am I going to go to work? How am I going to go on that training pitch and look as if nothing is wrong?’ I felt physically sick every day when I opened my eyes. How am I going to do this?”
      David admitted he found it difficult adapting to Spanish life after leaving his boyhood club Manchester United — and cites Victoria staying in London early on in his move as a factor in his loneliness.
      The pair also detail the trauma of the paparazzi intrusion, and the possible effect it may have had on first-born son Brooklyn.
      In another fascinating insight, fashion designer Posh recalls being in labour with third son Cruz in 2005 — and David not being there as he had a celebrity photoshoot.
      A newspaper cutting flashed up with a photo of David flanked by glamorous A-listers Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé.
      Victoria said: “I was like, ‘Seriously, I’m about to burst, I’m on bed rest. Are you kidding me?! You’ve got a damn photoshoot with Jennifer Lopez who is gorgeous and not about to have a baby.
      “So I had my C-section and I remember lying there, I don’t feel at my most gorgeous, let’s just say, and I remember someone showing me the front page of the newspaper which was a gorgeous picture of David between Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé and the headline was ‘What would Posh say?’
      “Let me tell you what Posh would say. Posh was p****d off!”
      A host of stars joined the Beckhams for the premiere, including TV host James Corden, sports presenter Alex Scott and US Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
      In the documentary, David praised his wife for putting up with his career “selfishness”, which included a move to LA Galaxy in 2007.
      Victoria said she loved their time in LA while Becks admitted he struggled to cope with the standard of football at the MLS side.
      The couple — clearly loved-up as they filmed later scenes of the doc ­— also describe filming earlier parts of the show as like “therapy”.
      Read More on The Sun
      Victoria smiled and said: “I let go of a lot of pain. Someone once said to me LA is like rehab for famous people — that’s why we always see people walking around Malibu in Ugg boots and tracksuits!
      “I probably didn’t realise until I started this, shall we call it, ‘therapy’, I feel at peace with a lot of what maybe in our first session (of Netflix interviews) was still a lot of pent-up anger, frustration . . . I understand it now.”
      The whole family came out to support David for his documentary premiereCredit: ©Karwai Tang More