WHETHER you are looking to enjoy a quiet afternoon in your garden, or entertain guests without prying eyes from the neighbours, a privacy fence offers the perfect solution.

According to market research and home improvement trends, the demand for garden fencing, including privacy fences, has been on the rise. 

Tiktok/@ahomefitforkings

Tiktok/@ahomefitforkings

Experts believe it’s down to more people spending time at home due to the cost of living crisis.

And also they are becoming more aware that a well-maintained garden, with privacy, can enhance the aesthetic appeal and value of their properties.

And not to mention nosy neighbours being a big reason as to why many want one. 

But for a typical UK garden requiring around 10-15 panels, they don’t come cheap.

The total cost for a wooden privacy fence, including installation, might range from £500 to £1,500. 

For higher-end materials like composite or metal, the total cost could range from £1,200 to £3,000 or more.

But one homeowner discovered a savvy hack to help block out her peering neighbours without having to put up a privacy fence. 

The woman, who is known as @ahomefitforkings on TikTok, explained how she “loved” her garden “but hated being overlooked at the end of the garden.” 

Sharing a video on her TikTok account, she filmed what she could see when she looked out of her kitchen window – and it was a direct view of the house opposite and their back window. 

So instead of investing into a privacy fence, she got privacy trees instead. 

The homeowner invested into pleached hornbeams and they “create the perfect screen.” 

She explained further in her video caption: “The difference these pleached Hornbeams have made to the end of the garden is amazing. 

“I hated looking out of the window and seeing that house behind us.

“We bought mature trees which was a more expensive option, but we wanted coverage asap.”

I so wished we had put some of these in instead of red Robin for privacy

TikTok comment

She then went to ask her followers what they thought, and if they were a fan of the trees. 

The video got over 32,000 views with many rushing to the comments section to share their thoughts. 

One said: “They look beautiful. How long did they take to grow?”

The homeowner replied: “I think they’re a few years old, we bought them mature.”

Tiktok/@ahomefitforkings

Tiktok/@ahomefitforkings

Another added: “I so wished we had put some of these in instead of red Robin for privacy.

“They look beautiful.”

A third wrote: “Your garden is so beautiful and those trees are a fabulous idea.”

Whilst someone else said: “Excellent! “That would drive me potty too!”

HOUSEHOLDS should be aware of all the reasons why their Universal Credit payments could be cut.

Universal Credit is a government benefit which you can claim if you are out of work or on a low income.

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It is paid monthly – or twice a month, for some people living in Scotland – and how much you receive depends on your circumstances.

For example, if you are single and under 25, the maximum amount you can get is £311.68. But this increases to £393.45 when you turn 25.

If you live with your partner and you’re both under 25, you will receive £489.23 in total, but this increases to £617.6 when you are aged 25 and over.

If you claim the benefit, then it is worth keeping in mind that your payments can be cut – for example, you start earning more money or you fail to pay child maintenance.

We have compiled the full list of reasons why your Universal Credit could be cut, which you can check below.

You’ve been overpaid

You can sometimes be overpaid in benefits if the office made a mistake or you did not know you had to tell them about a change in circumstances.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) can look to get this money back through dedecuting the sum from your monthly benefit payment.

If you have been told that you were overpaid a benefit but you are not sure wether this is correct you should contact your local citizens advice office.

You can find your nearest by visiting the Citizens Advice website.

If you have been accused of benefit fraud you can also ask an adviser at the organisation for guidance.

The Sun recently revealed that a number of people had been asked to pay back overpayments for benefits by mistake, when they did not actually owe the money.

So, it’s worth double checking or asking for a review if you are not sure.

You are paying back an advance on a Universal Credit payment

Money can be taken from your benefits payment if you have got an advance in the past.

You can ask for an advance on your Universal Credit payment if you are waiting for your first payment to come in or you expect your Universal Credit payments to increase.

The DWP will deduct these payments from your advance until you have fully paid it back.

You do not have to pay interest on the advance.

You have more than £6,000 in savings and investments

If you have over £6,000 in savings and investments, your payment will be reduced by £4.35 for every £250 you have between £6,000 and £16,000.

Another £4.35 is taken off for any remaining amount that is not a complete £250.

You’ll usually no longer be able to get Universal Credit if you have more than £16,000 in cash spare.

If you have more than £16,000, you might be still be able to claim if you if you got tax credits and you had a letter from the DWP telling you to claim Universal Credit instead.

This is known as managed migration.

You can read more about the whether or not this impacts you here.

You owe money for Council Tax, court fines, electricity, gas, water or Child Maintenance

Organisations you owe money to can ask the DWP to deduct money from your benefits to pay back the debt.

A fixed amount is deducted from your benefits until you’ve paid off the debt you owe. Money can be deducted to pay off up to three debts at once.

You will be told how much money is being decuted by letter or in your Universal Credit journal.

You have a paid job

The DWP will deduct money from your benefits if you start working.

For every £1 you earn from working, your Universal Credit payment goes down by 55p.

However, you can earn a certain amount before your payments are stopped if you or your partner are looking after a child or either of your have a disability.

If you get help with housing costs, your payment will start to reduce when your monthly wages reach £404.

If you do not get help with housing costs, your payment will start to reduce when your monthly wages reach £673.

You would get above the benefit cap

The benefit cap is the total amount of benefits a household can receive.

It applies to people aged 16 and above who are not yet of State Pension age.

If you’re in a couple the cap is set at £1,835 a month or £423.46 a week.

If you are single the cap is set at £1,299.42 a month or £283.71 a week.

If you receive more than the benefit cap than payments are dedecuted from your Universal Credit and Houseing Benefit payments.

You should contact the DWP if you are impacted by the cap, and also reach out to your local council to see if they can offer extra assistance.

What to do if your payment has been deducted?

You can dispute dedecutions from your Universal Credit payments. This is know as mandatory reconsideration.

You can ask for mandatory reconsideration if any of the following apply:

• You think the office dealing with your claim has made an error or missed important evidence
• You disagree with the reasons for the decision
• You want to have the decision looked at again

It is free to do this, but you usually need to ask for the reconsideration within one month of the date of the decision.

You can ask for it after one month if you have a good reason, for example if you’ve been in hospital or had a recent bereavement.

It always worth using a benefits calucator if you predict your circumstances will change.

This will allow you to budget for the future and also give you a heads up on wether or not you should speak to your council to ask for advice.

There are a number of benefit calcutors online on charity websites such as Turn2us, Policy in Practice and Entitledto.

You can also visit your local Citzens Advice for any questions about how much you benefits you are owed.

EASTENDERS fans were left fuming after Bobby Beale’s final scenes, and have complained he wasn’t given a proper exit from the show.

Clay Milner Russell announced that he would be quitting the BBC soap in April, after becoming the fifth actor to play Bobby in 2019.

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Bobby Beale recently left EastEnders for good[/caption]

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Jane returned to take him to his new life in the Cotswolds[/caption]

Viewers have been wondering how his time on EastEnders would come to a close – but they were left disappointed by the result.

The poor teen was devastated after discovering his girlfriend was cheating on him while pregnant with his baby.

He witnessed Anna Knight locking lips with Freddie in the Vic after he went to support her with the baby news.

At the time fans called for Freddie and Anna to get the axe, claiming the pair were “ruining the show” with their betrayal.

Sadly, it was Bobby who ended up packing his bags after discovering that Anna got an abortion and had confessed her love for Freddie.

He decided he had been through too much in Walford and wanted a fresh start.

Bobby visited the grave of Lucy one final time before being picked up and taken back to the Cotswolds by Jane.

He killed his sister when he was 11 in a fit of rage and has been haunted by guilt for his actions ever since.

Anna turned up to beg him to stay and rekindle their relationship, but Bobby stood up for himself, retorting: “No. I don’t want to make it work.

“You should’ve told me that you were pregnant but you just made assumptions which proves that you don’t really know me, not the real me, not what’s in my heart.”

When Freddie also arrived on the scene, Bobby added: “So why would I want to be with you? You two deserve each other.

“It’s time to forget being Bobby Beale and just focus on being Bobby.”

Long term fans of the soap have been unimpressed with the way he left Walford, and hit out at the show writers for not giving him a better storyline.

One person complained: “Clay deserved a better exit for Bobby. 5 years ago, he was allowed to showcase his talents. But at least Jane came back.”

Another agreed: “His exit story was pretty s**t but I’m really gonna miss Bobby. I hope Clay returns to the show in a few years time.”

A source previously revealed the reasons behind Clay’s decision to leave EastEnders, saying: “Clay’s a talented actor and he’s ambitious.

“He was never going to stay in EastEnders forever. He’s loved playing Bobby but he became an actor to play all kinds of roles and he wants to do that.

“The door is being left open but for now it’s a definite goodbye.”

SEAN DYCHE has revealed Everton could be without several key players for Saturday’s trip to Leicester City.

The Toffees are yet to earn a point in the Premier League this season having lost each of their opening four games.

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Sean Dyche has revealed Everton could be without eight first team stars against Leicester City[/caption]

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Jarrad Branthwaite is working his way back to full fitness[/caption]

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Seamus Coleman’s injury is worse than initially feared[/caption]

They go into this weekend rock bottom of the table with a goal difference of minus nine.

And things could go from bad to worse when they face Leicester at the King Power Stadium.

Dyche was forced to admit that just three members of his preferred starting line-up are fit ahead of Saturday’s match.

The remaining eight players are either certain to miss the clash, or they are doubtful.

Everton boss Dyche explained: “I’ve brought a list just to make sure I don’t forget anyone!

“Jarrad [Branthwaite] is making progress and hopefully will be able to get involved with the game this weekend. It’s looking like he will do with the Under-21s.

“James Tarkowski, we’re hopeful. He trained today and there’s no reaction.

“Nathan Patterson, same as Jarrad. Dominic Calvert-Lewin looks okay today. He was back in on the grass so hopefully his illness is gone.

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“Jimmy Garner is still not in with illness. Idrissa [Gueye] has unfortunately had a family bereavement so he won’t be here.

“Myko [Vitaliy Mykolenko] is through the illness, he was in today so we’re hopeful that’s him done.

“Seamus [Coleman] is still injured, unfortunately it’s going to be longer than we hoped, so that’s not going to be a quick situation, we’re not sure of the timescales yet.

“Youssef [Chermiti] is making good progress but obviously quite a long-term injury. Armando [Broja] is making progress, but also obviously a longer term injury.

“And Keano [Michael Keane] is getting checked out today, just having a precautionary scan to make sure he’s ok.”

Everton were hit with another huge blow earlier this week when they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Southampton.

Dyche’s side suffered a 6-5 defeat on penalties following a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.

A busy series of northern lights activity will soon come to a peak as the sun reaches its solar maximum stage in the coming months.

One woman described fleeing the fire with her pets. She said her dog alerted her to the fire.

DAVID JAMES has given his predictions for which teams will make the top four of the Premier League.

James, 54, played the best part of 600 games in the Premier League between 1992 and 2010, starring for Liverpool, West Ham, Manchester City and Portsmouth.

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David James has named the clubs he is backing to make the top four[/caption]

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But he has snubbed Man Utd, Chelsea and Tottenham in doing so[/caption]

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James backed Newcastle or Aston Villa to take the final top four spot[/caption]

And the former England international reckons two of his former teams will be shoe-ins for a title race.

Speaking to SafestCasinoSites, James said: “Manchester City will expect to win the league, or at least that is my expectation from them. That is simply what City do.

“Arsenal will be up there. I expect Arsenal to mount another title challenge, and I think Liverpool will do the same thing.”

In terms of the top four, James has named Newcastle and Aston Villa as the teams he believes are most likely to make the top four, snubbing Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United.

James continued: “The final position is a little bit trickier to predict.

“I think Villa will be there, but sadly for them to do that, then they will likely have to sacrifice the domestic cup competitions, which is a shame, but that’s the reality of the standard in the Premier League these days.

“I think Newcastle could be there or thereabouts. I like the club’s start to the season, which has been achieved in less than harmonious circumstances.

“We’ve seen Eddie Howe do it before, so we know he has that in his locker.

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“Chelsea, they have some wonderful players, but consistency will be the main issue for them.

“I can’t see them being consistent enough to challenge for a place in the top four over a thirty-eight-game season.

“If I’m looking at the table as things stand, then I’m pretty sure the top four will come from the clubs that are currently sat in those positions, possibly even in the same order.

“It’s between Villa and Newcastle for the fourth-placed position.”

The current top five are the clubs James already mentioned, with Villa in fifth with third-place Newcastle and fourth-place Liverpool.

Man City and Arsenal make up the top two and face off at the Etihad this weekend.

A BOMBSHELL book is accusing disgraced rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs of assaulting his late girlfriend and taping himself having sex with a male teen popstar.

The shocking claims are some of many included in a 60-page memoir from beyond the grave, named “Kim’s Lost Words”.

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and his late girlfriend Kim Porter during The 77th Annual Academy Awards[/caption]

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The music producer is accused of racketeering and sex trafficking[/caption]

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Porter and Combs with two of their three children together[/caption]

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The bombshell book allegedly details Diddy’s love life[/caption]

It is believed to be an assortment of Kim Porter’s diaries, which her friends exposed to the public.

Porter was the mother of three of Diddy’s children and passed away from pneumonia in 2018.

The inflammatory book allegedly gives a glimpse into Combs’ colourful love life from the 1990s to Porter’s last year.

It includes alleged philandering with both male and female rappers and top musicians as well as debauched orgies at his house that Porter participated in.

The book came out on September 6, a few days before federal prosecutors in New York accused the rapper and founder of Bad Boy Records on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking.

The 54-year-old music producer behind many iconic ’90s hits was denied bail by a second judge on Wednesday and remains in jail following his arrest on Monday evening at a Manhattan hotel.

On Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him, which include racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

He is currently being held in the infamous Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, which formerly housed fellow disgraced musician R Kelly and Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s right hand.

Now, in the brief memoir, Diddy is said to have threatened Porter’s life and slapping her after losing his temper.

In the book, Porter tells the story of allegedly finding and duplicating videos that Diddy produced of himself having sex with “young boys” under his management, including one that allegedly features an 18-year-old who later became a well-known popstar.

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Kim Porter tragically passed away from pneumonia in 2018[/caption]

Reuters

A court sketch of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs[/caption]

The Mega Agency

The music mogul denies all the charges against him[/caption]

Porter allegedly said that as part of her plan to leave Sean, she found video tapes of his sex experiences in his bedroom “vault” and copied them for her own safety.

But the memoir claimed that she was shocked when she watched the tapes again.

Porter allegedly wrote: “Some of the tapes had things I would have never expected, the gay parties are one thing, but the young boys, like [two hip hop stars formerly managed by Diddy] and [the then-18-year-old popstar]?! I would have never known.”

She then falls fatefully ill in the memoir’s last chapter, dramatically messaging her pals, “he got me,” before dialling 911.

Producer Chris Todd, who publishes the book in Los Angeles, claims that Porter shared a flash drive containing her writing with close friends, which he acquired and slightly altered to create a book published under the alias Jamal T Millwood.

The book is marked as having been printed on September 7 this year in Las Vegas.

Todd hasn’t provided any written proof that it’s real, but he has put physical copies on Amazon for sale.

He told DailyMail.com: “I was lucky enough to meet someone that purported to have Kim Porter’s flash drive.

“I know the celebrity source pretty well. I know how close they were to Kim and Diddy, and all the people in the hip hop community.

“This was supposedly for Kim Porter from the grave, to come forward and tell her story.”

Todd claimed he did not originally want to put his name on the book for security reasons, saying: “This is a dangerous situation, and I didn’t want to claim ownership of Kim’s words.

“But now I’m willing to come forward because of the recent arrest of Sean Combs.

“Now the federal government has finally acted, I feel safer to come forward.”

Reports have already surfaced detailing some of the scandals purportedly detailed in the book, including star-studded orgies that the alleged participants have categorically denied occurring.

Porter claimed in her memoir: “He hosted parties that were just a fancy name of orgies, and everyone wanted in.

The Mega Agency

Sordid ‘Freak off’ orgies were allegedly held at his homes in Star Island, Florida[/caption]

Instagram / upscaleluxury

Diddy’s massive bed measuring 50 feet is located in the back of one of his properties[/caption]

Instagram / upscaleluxury

“We not only had threesomes, but we also swapped partners. Our sex life was crazy, but I got to do things with Sean I would never have been able to do with a straight man.”

The late girlfriend added she was sleeping with a well-known married woman, writing: “I woke up and left the bedroom where I was,… and Sean happened to be coming out of the bedroom with a chart-topping rapper – and the woman’s husband.”

“I was grateful I wasn’t asked to join in that room,” Porter allegedly wrote, saying she “didn’t really like” the rapper.

The mum-of-three then went on to claim that she and Diddy had an “open relationship” and that she would often sleep with late legendary rapper Tupac Shakur.

According to the bombshell book, Porter claimed that Combs first hit her after she refused to use a strap-on on him.

“I just can’t stop thinking about that night. It was amazing. Can you screw me one more time. Please?!” Diddy allegedly said.

Porter said in the book that she became “infuriated” and then allegedly told Diddy to go have sex with a male music executive instead, since she thought he was seeing someone else.

“Then Sean hit me. This was the first time, but he slapped me hard. Before I could form words, he began to beg, ‘I’m… I’m sorry’,” the memoir reads.

“Holding my cheek where he hit me, I turned and ran off. That should have been it. But I guess I am a glutton for punishment.

The short book also described another alleged incident at Porter’s apartment, in which she was allegedly attacked and threatened.

“He fiercely slammed me to the ground. Then he pulled out a .22 [handgun] and sat it on the end table,” it was claimed.

“He knelt on one knee, and got right in my face to say, ‘You’re mine. You don’t have a choice in that now. I can’t live without you.’

“He’s a terrifying monster.”

Book publisher Todd asserted that copies of the music mogul’s alleged sex recordings were also in the possession of Porter and Diddy’s pals, who gave him the memoir.

He also said that a dubious intermediary had been pitching them to Hollywood documentarians.

“I was given the memoir, 60 pages. I was also given a photo, and told if I wanted access to the Diddy sex tapes, I could have that also,” Todd said.

“I know for a fact the [sex tape of Diddy with the teenage pop star] has been shopped to Hollywood studios by other parties.”

Todd released a picture of Porter, claiming it was shot in her 2009 Toluca Lake estate bathroom.

He said that Porter’s friend snapped the picture of her applying makeup to hide an injury she got during one of Diddy’s alleged attacks.

The picture’s backdrop is identical to pictures taken by a realtor of the mansion’s master bathroom, where Porter was subsequently discovered dead in 2018.

It comes as a a newly-filed indictment claimed Diddy hid sordid orgies in secret “sex rooms” at his mansions on one of the most expensive pieces of American real estate.

Cops who swept Diddy’s Miami mansion have also revealed the jailed music mogul could turn out to be as bad as Jeffrey Epstein.

US DOJ

US DOJ

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Sean Combs, pictured in 2018, is among high-profile names being held at the jail[/caption]

RONNIE O’Sullivan’s love life moves just as fast as one of his infamous 147 breaks.

The Rocket and his fiancee Laila Rouass have called time on their relationship after 12 years together.

When the snooker legend and the glamorous TV star Laila Rouass crossed paths, there was an instant attraction between the pair.

Rex

A friend said: “They have been going in different directions.”

Actress Laila was not wearing her diamond engagement ring when she appeared on This Morning last month.

Seven-times world champion Ronnie gave her the huge sparkler in 2013 — a year after they started dating.

However they never married and friends say they have now broken up — 147 months since they got together.

The couple separated in 2022 before patching things up.

A friend said: “Ronnie and Laila really threw themselves back into their relationship after the split a couple of years ago.

“He kept posting pics of them online at home together and saying romantic things on special occasions, but that’s all come to a halt.

“They’ve tried so hard but they just can’t make it work.”

When the snooker legend and the glamorous TV star crossed paths, there was an instant attraction between the pair.

Fate brought them together, with the actress house-hunting and stumbling upon Rocket Ronnie’s home in her search.

Once Ronnie heard Laila was looking around his mansion, he contacted the estate agent, a friend of the Footballers’ Wives beauty, to arrange a date.

Within four months of that giddy 2012, they were living together in his native Essex along with her daughter, Inez from a previous marriage, and engaged in 2013.

Matched up

It began over 12 years ago when Laila was looking for a new home.

She stumbled upon Ronnie’s abode, not knowing it was his, but wanting a viewing.

Ronnie’s father showed her around the property, and later told his son who had been round.

As she explained it to the Belfast Telegraph: “It happened by accident. I was shown around Ronnie’s house by his father, who told his son about meeting me.

“Ronnie called the estate agent, a friend of mine, and asked me out via her.”

Amusingly, she had no clue he was a sporting great.

“When she said he was a snooker player, I said, ‘Yeah, but what does he do for a living?’ I’d never heard of him because sport doesn’t interest me at all, although Ronnie’s won me over to snooker!”

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Glamorous Laila Rouass is an actress who appeared in Footballers’ Wives[/caption]

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Doug Seeburg - The Sun

Before they met, Laila Rouass had never heard of Ronnie O’Sullivan[/caption]

Fast mover

Four months later, the pair were head over heels for one another.

They set up home, with Ronnie playing doting stepdad to Laila’s daughter, Inez from her second married to businessman Nasir Khan, a convicted fraudster who was jailed for nine years in 2011 for a VAT scam.

However, it wasn’t easy for Ronnie to settle in at first, due to chaotic nature of the household.

“It was so funny when Ronnie and I first lived together because he’d put his hands over his ears and go, ‘Whoaa, it’s so noisy here!’

A year after their first meeting, they got engaged.

Although, they have never put a time scale on their marriage.

“I’d have to really gear myself up for a wedding,” she told The Sun last year.

“At the moment we’ve put it on the back burner and we’re enjoying our time. There’s no rush.”

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StevenPaston

Trouble in paradise

However, despite everything appearing to be rosy in their garden – the two temporarily split in 2022.

Laila took to social media and wrote: “After nearly ten years of love and memories, Ronnie & I have parted ways.”

The break-up seemingly ended within weeks, with O’Sullivan insisting things were happier than ever.

‘It’s good,” he told the Mirror. “She’s great. I love her. She’s great company and I love being around her.

“She’s very supportive. I have to behave myself. I know when to go, ‘Alright, you’re in charge’.

“But she’s also really good at going, ‘Listen, you’ve got a busy life, you’ve got a lot to do, just get on with it'”.

He added: “Now it feels a lot better – everyone’s just in a better place. I just want to see her and her daughter happy, and her family, who are like my family, happy.”

Laila has been equally as gushing about Ronnie and the influence he has on her and her daughter.

“Ronnie’s had a really calming effect on us and he tells me, ‘Pick your battles’.

“He’s taught me a lot about myself because he’s more open and free than I am and very generous. I can’t imagine him not being in my life.”

Rex

Instagram

Within a few weeks, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Laila Rouass got back together[/caption]

Support system

There was a hint that Ronnie and Laila were finally ready to walk down the aisle, when she listed her Essex mansion for £1.1million last year.

She has been credited with helping Ronnie overcome his demons, including depression and substance abuse.

In the Amazon Prime documentary Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything, Laila opened up on the “soul-destroying” time she has had watching his emotions fluctuate as snooker’s biggest icon.

But her role as supportive partner has never been questioned.

When he accepted his OBE from Prince Charles in 2015, Laila was proudly stood alongside him.

“He was overwhelmed by getting his honour. It’s typical of his modesty that he doesn’t understand why he’s so loved and why he deserved it,” she said.

“I’m so proud of him and think he’s very capable of handling his depression these days. He’s been strong enough to seek help, and brave enough to talk about the problem, and is so positive and upbeat about life.

“I do support him – just as he supports me – and it’s easy to support someone when you know what they’re going through.

“You know what you should and shouldn’t say – it’s about creating a safety net around them.

PA:Press Association

Rex

“He’s under an immense amount of pressure, he’s always a favourite to win which can be hard, and we have to take that on board.

“He lives a very healthy lifestyle these days and uses exercise, especially running, to help him keep his depression at bay. It’s inspiring being with him to be honest.”

Sadly, it wasn’t enough. And now they go their separate ways.

ALBERT RIERA left his job as a paramedic in Catalonia to go travelling for a year in New Zealand.

While most twenty-somethings who leave Europe for travel end up sightseeing, maybe getting a bar job to pay the bills, Riera wound up winning the Champions League.

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Albert Riera left Spain for New Zealand in 2010[/caption]

The diminutive 5ft 8in midfielder, now 40, had balanced his ambulance work with being a part-time footballer in Spain’s fourth tier.

But after landing a one-year visa to head to New Zealand, the midfielder had no intention of playing football Down Under.

After his dad pointed him in the direction of Auckland City’s Catalan coach Ramon Tribulietx, however, he ended up somewhat reluctantly sending over footage of his games.

Tribulietx liked what he saw enough to offer him a trial, and Riera never looked back.

“I thought that would be it,” Riera admitted while chatting to The National. “But after one week he said that he wanted to sign me for the rest of the season – two months.

“My friends said, ‘We’ve come to travel, not to play football’. I said, ‘Look, in two months I’ll finish and then we’ll hire a van and travel’. In the meantime, we won the Oceanic Champions League and I travelled to New Caledonia, to Tahiti for free. Football was letting me travel.

“At the end of the season, we still hired the van and goofed around New Zealand where you work for people in return for accommodation.

“We were in a hippy community in the bush and we were gardening, cleaning, chopping wood, making buildings. We were also packing kiwi fruits – you soon get sick of them.

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Riera went on to earn a contract at Auckland City[/caption]

“We’d work night shifts for 10 hours per night just to save more money to travel again.

“The idea was six months in New Zealand and six months travelling back to Spain via Asia – Tibet and places like that.”

Having doubted that he’d even be good enough to make Auckland’s squad, Riera found himself being offered an opportunity to stay for the following season.

“The money he was offering was not enough to live on,” he admitted. “But I’ve always been prepared to take a risk. People told me that I was crazy giving up a proper job to play semi-professional football, yet it wasn’t ordinary.

“We’d be playing in the Club World Cup in Japan, for instance.

“I could keep travelling, play more Champions League and ended up playing three years at Auckland City from the age of 28.”

Having thrived for part-timers Auckland, Riera was incredibly handed the opportunity to turn professional aged 29.

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The Spaniard turned professional with Wellington Phoenix aged 29[/caption]

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The midfielder played against Juventus in the 2014 A-League All-Star Game[/caption]

‘I THOUGHT IT WOULD GO NOWHERE’

He revealed: “My intention was to go back to Spain, but in one pre-season we played against Wellington Phoenix, one of the two professional teams in New Zealand.

“Their coach, a Scot called Ernie Merrick, asked me to come on trial for one week. Again, I thought it would go nowhere, I’d never played professional football.

“But on the first day after only one session Ernie said they wanted to offer me a one-year deal. To be honest, I felt fine at the level that day.”

During his time in the A-League he was called up to their All-Star team, which enabled him the opportunity to play against Juventus – swapping shirts with legendary Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo.

Following three years with Wellington, Riera decided that the brutal travel schedule had become too much for him – and opted to rejoin Auckland.

After hanging up his boots in 2021, by this point a New Zealand citizen, Riera became manager of Auckland.

Having won three OFC Champions Leagues as a player, he has since added two more as a coach.

This week he has taken his side to Abu Dhabi, where they will face Asian champions Al-Ain in the first round of the Club World Cup on Sunday.

The match will see him pit his managerial wits against former Chelsea striker Hernan Crespo, who has been coaching the Emirati side for just under a year.

Last year they fell 3-0 at this stage to Saudi outfit Al-Ittihad, who boasted the likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Fabinho among their ranks.

On this year’s task, Riera said: “We’re realistic, but I’ll tell my players to compete as well as we can.

“I remember Crespo as a player, one of the great Argentina strikers. He was a busy No9 running behind all the time, full of energy. I’m happy for my team to be playing his.”

On the dreams that could lie ahead, Riera said: “It’s way harder now, but we’re only three games away from playing Real Madrid to become world champions. You never know in football!”

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Riera will take on former Chelsea striker Hernan Crespo this weekend[/caption]