OLEKSANDR USYK was detained at an airport after attempting to defend a friend who was denied boarding – his team said.

Shock footage surfaced on Tuesday night showing the undefeated boxing champion being led away in cuffs by officers.

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Oleksandr Usyk was detained at an airport after attempting to defend a friend who was denied boarding[/caption]

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Shock footage showed the boxing star being led away by security[/caption]

But Usyk, his wife and even Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky spoke out to clarify it was a misunderstanding.

Now the boxing star’s head of PR Mykhailo Krasiuk has given their side of the story in full.

Krasiuk posted: “Ok Google, that was all about our team member, who brought @usykaafrom Kyiv by car (and it was not Lapin, as reported by some media).

“He was very tired after 14h driving and slept standing up, literally. Ryanair employees didn’t let him on the plane.

“Usyk, who was already on board, returned to the gate and tried to defend our friend, like always does.

“Meanwhile the police appeared, maybe the champ looked so dangerous that should have been handcuffed,

“(I don’t know). Anyway, everything was sorted out briefly. Thanks for your support.”

Usyk is believed to have been set to travel to London, where he will be a special guest for Anthony Joshua’s Wembley fight with Daniel Dubois.

And he was quick to speak out online after being released by airport security.

Usyk wrote: “All is well my friends. There was a misunderstanding that was quickly resolved.

“Thank you to everyone who was worried. Thank you Ukrainian diplomats for your support.

“And respect to Polish law enforcers, who perform their duties despite height, weight, arm range and regalia.”

President Zelensky, on Telegram, added: “Talked on the phone with Oleksandr Usyk when he was detained.

“I was outraged by this attitude towards our citizen and champion.

“He instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sibiza and the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko to immediately find out all the details of the incident at the Krakow airport.

“As soon as I was informed that everything is fine, our champion was released and no one is detaining him anymore.”

Usyk, 37, is coming off the biggest win of his career after beating Tyson Fury, 36, to become undisputed champion.

But his reign as the heavyweight division’s first four-belt undisputed champion did not last long.

Usyk was forced to vacate the IBF belt to proceed with his December 21 rematch against Fury back in Saudi Arabia.

Dubois, 27, instead inherited the title after being elevated from interim champ and makes his first defence against Joshua, 34.

And Usyk is due into the capital to watch Joshua’s all-British showdown against Dubois on Saturday.

And the Ukrainian hero was facing an awkward reunion with Fury as both were scheduled at a fan event at BoxPark Wembley.

Both men will take part in meet and greets with fans at what has been billed as the “official pre-fight party” just hours before the bout.

BRITS have been warned that Freeview channels face disruption over the next few days.

The TV service is home to more than 100 free channels and used by millions of viewers up and down the country.

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No, your TV isn’t broken[/caption]

Freeview

Freeview says disruption could last until Friday[/caption]

Since 2014, almost 23million Freeview-capable TVs have been sold.

But relying on an aerial means that reception can sometimes run into issues.

And weather plays a big part in that.

Freeview has warned that high pressure could disrupt TV signals from today until Friday.

High pressure is a problem because it can push the signal sent from your local transmitter higher into the sky than normal, which is a problem if your signal is weak.

And if the transmitter your TV relies on is quite distant it can play havoc with your reception too.

It can also pose problems if you’re getting signal from a distant transmitter.

Freeview has urged people not to try re-tuning their box if they’re affected.

“You are advised not to retune your TV during this time – reception will be restored once the high pressure passes,” the company says.

“If you have an internet-connected Freeview Play TV, or one that has channel players available, you will still be able to watch live and on-demand content from the likes of BBC iPlayer, ITVX, All4 or My5.”

Everyone TV – the company that runs Freeview – recently launched a successor to the service called Freely which may eventually get around this problem.

While Freely can access channels the tradition way, via aerial, it also beams channels into your living room via Wi-Fi.

The idea is that one day we could have even more free channels available at our fingertips, getting around the limited space Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) offers for Freeview.

Freely recently announced that four channels were added: U&Dave, U&Drama, U&W and U&Yesterday.

A PLACE in the Sun presenter Laura Hamilton has shared a series of stunning bikini shots just days after she was being brutally trolled online. 

Laura, 42, shared a series of snaps on Instagram after soaking up the sun in the Maldives. 

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A Place in the Sun’s Laura Hamilton stuns fans in series of bikini snaps[/caption]

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The Channel 4 presenter has been soaking up the sun in The Maldives[/caption]

The mum-of-two, who is back on our screens for a new series of A Place In The Sun, jetted off to South Asia for an exciting work opportunity. 

In between lounging at the beach and being pampered at The Westin Miriandoo Hotel’s spa, Laura filmed a promotional video for the resort, which she shared to her social media page. 

Laura also posted some behind-the-scenes pictures from filming on her Instagram page. 

In the photos, she can be seen happily posing in her bikini and enjoying a delicious-looking breakfast in the ocean, and participating in some of the activities the resort has to offer, like jet skiing.

Captioning the video, Laura said: “I loved filming this fun little feature at The Westin Miriandoo, showcasing their 5 pillars of wellness. 

“I first visited the Maldives over 20 years ago, the last time I was here was 2 years ago for my 40th birthday and I was so excited to go back!

“People often say ‘there is nothing to do in the Maldives’ but each island is so different and you can choose the pace you want to take things during your stay!” she added, with her photos illustrating her point. 

A Place in the Sun fans were quick to flock to the comments with messages of support and praise as they gushed over Laura’s bikini pics. 

“Stunning,” said one fan. 

“Beautiful,” gushed another. 

While a third said: “definitely adding to my bucket list.”

A fourth praised: “Wonderful and beautiful pictures from an amazing location.”

However, while Laura received a flurry of support for her sun-filled photos, she revealed that isn’t always the case. 

The Channel 4 presenter previously told The Sun that she has been on the receiving end of very cruel online trolling, with many critics believing she’s had a secret boob job.  

Laura says that while she feels better than ever after years of struggling with her body confidence, trolls just won’t let it lie.

She told The Sun: “It’s really hard when you read comments like, ‘Oh, she’s done too much of this to her face.’

“And I think these are my cheekbones. I’ve done nothing to my cheekbones.

“That’s my face, and unfortunately, that’s the way it is. Or people say, ‘Oh, she’s got fake boobs’. And I’m like, I haven’t, actually. But if that’s what people want to believe.”

She added: “It’s kind of a bit laughable that people make statements and they don’t know the facts.”

Besides, she reckons as she gets older she can handle the trolls as “the older you get, I think you generally feel more well.”

Happily, Laura is tuning out the trolls wherever she can. “I feel more happy in myself and secure in myself and who I am,” she said.

Laura continued: “You always will get criticism from somebody or their not liking you, or they’ll mention that you’ve got big boobs, or small boobs, or big legs, or fat legs, or like short legs or long legs…you can never please everybody, but the only person that you’ve got to really please and worry about is yourself.

“And as long as you’re happy with yourself, then that should really be all that matters.

“Those that are really close to me, that know me, for me, my mum and dad and children, and I’m very lucky that I’ve got a close group of very supportive friends, who accept and love each other for who we are, and they know the truth.

“And that really is the most important thing,” she concluded.

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