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Train Strikes Pedestrian, Blocks Ocala Crossings, Police Say

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OCALA, Fla. – A pedestrian was struck by a freight train in northeast Ocala on Thursday, leaving multiple railroad crossings blocked, according to police.

The incident closed crossings at NE 8th Avenue, NE 19th Avenue and NE 25th Avenue Thursday morning. Motorists should anticipate delays and take alternate routes while the crossings remain blocked.

Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.


Metallica Rose Harrison Mugshot Revealed After Alleged Murders

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Accused killer mom Metallica Rose Harrison appeared tearful in her mugshot after being charged with the murders of her husband and young son at a Poconos resort. Meanwhile, investigators searched the family’s Pennsylvania home for clues to a possible motive in the shocking deaths.

The 27-year-old mother was charged Tuesday with two counts of criminal homicide, one day after she allegedly stabbed her husband, Charles Harrison, and their 3-year-old son, Tristan, in the chest at Great Wolf Lodge in Scotrun, Pennsylvania, police said.

Police said she called 911 to confess to killing the pair and then asked for assistance in taking her own life.

On Wednesday, authorities searched the family’s home in Towanda, about two hours north of the resort, as they worked to determine what led to the killings.

Investigators said the search could “reveal valuable evidence relating to the motive for this incident” and help them determine whether the knife used at the resort was connected to other items, according to a warrant application obtained by ABC News.

The application noted that people involved in such incidents often record homicidal or suicidal thoughts in handwritten notes or on electronic devices before, during or after the act.

According to a court filing, police seized nearly a dozen knives from the home, along with a safe, journal, financial notebook, laptop and other evidence.

Police said Metallica Rose called 911 shortly after 1:30 p.m. Monday, after allegedly killing her family, and asked where she could find the correct vein in her neck to end her life.

According to the criminal complaint, she told the dispatcher she was “too weak to stab my neck.” She allegedly said she had knives, but they were “not working,” and that she needed “help dying.”

When the dispatcher asked whether she was alone, she allegedly replied, “my husband and son are already gone in the bed… They’re already gone, I’m sorry,” according to the complaint.

Officers arrived and found Rose with cuts on her wrists and neck. She was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The complaint states that her husband had suffered multiple stab wounds to the chest, while Tristan had one stab wound to the chest.

Investigators found a large butcher knife and a smaller knife in the bathroom, as well as suspected blood containers and various medications, according to the complaint.

The family checked into Great Wolf Lodge on Sept. 21 and extended the stay on Oct. 5. Police allege that Rose had drained her husband’s 401(k) to fund the trip.

Florida Executes Inmate Who Killed His Cellmate in Bid to Receive Death Sentence

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A Florida death-row inmate who murdered his sleeping cellmate in hopes of securing what he believed would be better prison conditions was executed nearly 20 years after the killing.

The Florida Department of Corrections confirmed that James Robertson, 63, died at 12:32 p.m. on Oct. 13 at Florida State Prison.

According to Gulf Coast News Now., Robertson’s final meal consisted of steak, potatoes, fried eggs, toast and milk. He also spent time with a cousin and a pen pal before the execution.

Asked if he wanted to make a final statement before the lethal injection, Robertson answered, “Nah, I’m straight.”

He was declared dead roughly 10 minutes later after receiving a three-drug combination consisting of a sedative, a paralytic and medication intended to stop his heart, The Associated Press reported.

The execution came shortly after a problematic lethal injection in Tennessee involving Christa Pike. Pike continued breathing after being given two doses of pentobarbital and was taken to a hospital. She was later returned to prison after the governor suspended executions statewide while an independent panel investigates the incident.

Ahead of Robertson’s execution, Jordan Kirkland, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Corrections, described the state’s procedure as “humane and dignified.” 

“Florida has a sound lethal injection process and protocol,” Kirkland said.

Why Was James Robertson on Death Row?

Robertson first entered prison in 1980 after being convicted of burglary and assault. His sentence was later extended following convictions related to escape, battery and weapons offenses, The Associated Press reported.

In 2008, he strangled his cellmate, Frank Hart, as Hart slept. Hart was serving a sentence for sexual battery and was only eight days away from release. Robertson pleaded guilty and acknowledged that he killed Hart so he could receive a death sentence and end his life in prison.

Robertson later discussed the killing on the 2018 Netflix series “I Am a Killer.” He said he had been held under “close management,” a restrictive prison arrangement with very limited privileges.

“They took everything from me, like the TV. That’s torture. You’re locked in a cell all day,” he said. “You might get to come out a couple times a week for like two hours or something like that, and they’ll put you in a little dog cage. You just lose all motivation. You ain’t getting no sun, really.”

Robertson believed life on death row would offer more favorable conditions, Gulf Coast News Now reported.

Hart’s death came only eight days before he was scheduled to be released from prison. 

After the execution, Hart’s daughter, Rebecca Hart, spoke with reporters outside Florida State Prison about the lasting effect her father’s murder had on her life.

“When someone you love is taken from you in such a violent way, the world keeps moving, even when a part of yours feels like it has stopped,” she said, according to the AP. “Other people go on with their lives, but you carry your loss into every tomorrow.”

Rebecca Hart said she hoped Robertson’s execution would allow her family to begin finding a sense of closure.

“I’m just praying that it does bring our entire family at least a sense of that,” she told Gulf Coast News Now. “He’s gone. He’s no longer there….He’s not a looming dark cloud over our head anymore.”

Stepmother Says Great Wolf Lodge Massacre Suspect Drained Family’s 401(k) for Costly Weeks-Long Stay

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Questions surrounding a possibly emptied 401(k) account and kitchen knives allegedly transported from home are fueling speculation that the fatal stabbing of a Pennsylvania father and his 3-year-old son may have been planned.

Metallica Harrison, 27, has been charged in the deaths of her husband, Charles “Chaz” Harrison, and their young son inside a room at Great Wolf Lodge in Pennsylvania’s Poconos region.

April Thetga, the suspect’s stepmother, told News Media that she remains stunned by the tragedy and believes the events may have been deliberately arranged ahead of time.

Thetga said Harrison may have withdrawn the money from her 401(k) before the family began a three-week stay at the resort. It was not immediately known whether Chaz was aware that the account may have been emptied.

image shows family on left, and mugshot of woman on right

Metallica and Charles “Chaz” Harrison appeared to have been married for three years before police accused her of stabbing her husband and their young child. (Pocono Township Police Department; Facebook/Meta: Chaz Harrison)

Thetga said investigators found kitchen knives at the hotel that had reportedly been brought from the family’s modest home in Towanda.

“This was definitely preplanned, which is horrifying,” Thetga said.

image shows family home

Court documents identify Towanda, Pennsylvania, as the Harrison family’s home. Metallica Harrison is accused of killing her husband, Charles, and their 3-year-old son. (Google Maps)

A probable cause affidavit says officers found the knives, blood and medications inside the family’s hotel room.

Police were first dispatched after the suspect placed a 911 call in which she was described as “suicidal.”

image shows split of family at waterpark

A Pennsylvania mother is accused of stabbing her husband and their 3-year-old son to death at Great Wolf Lodge. (Facebook/Meta: Chaz Harrison)

The alleged killings brought the family’s three-week vacation at the popular resort to a horrific end. Room rates there can run from several hundred dollars to as much as $2,000.

The length and cost of the stay prompted questions about how the working-class couple paid for it. Thetga said Chaz worked for a cabinetry company in Sayre, while Metallica held an undisclosed job in health care.

image shows interior lobby to hotel

A father and son were found dead inside a Great Wolf Lodge hotel room in Pennsylvania’s Poconos on Oct. 12, 2026. (Great Wolf Lodge)

Thetga, the grieving grandmother, described feeling devastated and angry over the sudden, violent deaths of her husband’s son and her grandson.

image shows family in pool

Family members remember Chaz Harrison as a man “whose whole life was centered around his wife and child,” according to a social media post. (Facebook/Meta: Chaz Harrison)

“I want to hear him say ‘Grandma April look at me!’ I want it back, I need it back. I’m so broken, angry and just don’t understand. She just destroyed our whole lives,” Thetga said.

She said she longs to hold her grandson and show him her love, adding that “he didn’t deserve this.”

image shows dad and son on left, son on right

Police say Chaz and his son were both found with stab wounds inside their room at Great Wolf Lodge. (Facebook/Meta: Chaz Harrison)

Harrison remains held without bond in the Monroe County jail as she awaits her next court hearing.

Authorities said that the investigation into the murders is active and ongoing.

Hilary Swank, 52, Reflects on Life’s Timing: ‘Things Happen in Their Time, Not Ours’

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Hilary Swank has opened up about becoming pregnant at 52, saying she has long trusted the belief that “things happen in their time, not ours.”

The Oscar-winning actress revealed on Wednesday that she is expecting her third child with husband Philip Schneider, 53. The couple became parents to twins Ohm and Aya three years ago.

After sharing the pregnancy announcement on Instagram, Hilary received an emotional wave of congratulations. Many women said her pregnancy in her fifties had renewed their hope that motherhood and other life dreams can still happen later than expected.

One follower wrote: “At 39, I’m still single and childless. You are literally giving me hope that the life I want could still happen for me.”

Hilary replied with an encouraging message, writing: “It can! I always go by the adage, things happen in their time, not ours, and that has always been the case for me.”

She added: “But of course trusting that, for me, has always been the hardest part. Wishing you unwavering trust and abundant beauty on your journey!”

Hilary Swank has explained she follows the adage that 'things happen in their time, not ours' as she speaks out on her pregnancy at the age of 52; pictured when she was pregnant with her twins in February 2023

Hilary Swank has discussed her belief that “things happen in their time, not ours” while speaking about her pregnancy at 52; pictured during her pregnancy with twins in February 2023

In a 2025 interview with Women’s Health magazine, Hilary reflected on her fertility journey. She said she froze her eggs at 37, became pregnant with her twins at 47 and welcomed them at the age of 48.

“I would have had kids earlier. I’m not saying I actively waited until 47,” she explained. “But that was a magical time in my life, when it all culminated. It was the right time for myriad reasons.”

Hilary described being able to preserve her eggs for the future as one of the most significant steps she took while keeping open the possibility of becoming a mother. In her view, the option helped ease some of the pressure surrounding fertility and timing.

The actress also said she feels grateful to have become a mother later in life, adding that she does not believe she would have parented in the same way when she was younger.

“I’m a very different parent than I would’ve been, even in my early 40s,” she told the magazine.

“I’m much more patient. I’m much more understanding. I am much more, I think, interested in a different way than I would’ve been.”

“I’m really interested in their brains. I’m fascinated about what makes them tick. And I have my career that’s already established, so I’m not divided.”

Sharing the news on Insta, Hilary's post was met with an outpouring of messages from women saying her pregnancy in her fifties was giving them hope, one of which she responded to

Hilary’s Instagram pregnancy announcement prompted an outpouring of messages from women who said her later-in-life pregnancy gave them hope, including one follower to whom she responded

The actress announced on Wednesday that she is expecting her third child, after she and her husband Philip Schneider, 53, welcomed their twins Ohm and Aya in 2023; pictured in 2023

The actress announced on Wednesday that she is expecting her third child, following the arrival of twins Ohm and Aya with husband Philip Schneider, 53, in 2023; pictured in 2023

Back in April 2023, the actress revealed that she gave birth to twins ¿ a boy named Ohm and a girl named Aya

In April 2023, Hilary revealed that she had welcomed twins: a son named Ohm and a daughter named Aya

“I’m able to really sink in and be present with them and be a hands-on parent.”

Hilary won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2005 after delivering an acclaimed performance in Clint Eastwood’s boxing drama Million Dollar Baby, which earned $216.8 million worldwide.

She married her husband, a “social venture entrepreneur,” in 2018. The pair first met on a blind date in November 2016, five months after Hilary called off a three-month engagement to former professional tennis player Ruben Torres.

The actress took to Instagram on Wednesday to post a cute video with the caption: ‘A lot of people have been asking what project I’m doing next, this one releases in December.’

She made her pregnancy announcement by participating in the TikTok dance trend of taping neon glowsticks onto dark clothing to create a glowing stick-figure.

Her husband Philip, 53, and their two children could be seen participating when the surprise was revealed as there was a small glowstick figure over her belly to reveal the pregnancy.

RHOSLC Recap: Bronwyn Kicks Lisa and Meredith Out After Diss Track Performance as Heather Questions Brandon’s Role and Whitney Opens Up About Marriage Struggles

RHOSLC Recap: Bronwyn Kicks Lisa & Meredith Out of Her Party After Performing Diss Track, Heather Implies Bronwyn is Paying Her Boyfriend Brandon as He Crashes Girls’ Trip, Plus Whitney Reveals Marriage Struggles

Credit: Griffin Nagel/Bravo

San Francisco proves unexpectedly emotional for Bronwyn and Whitney on this episode of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Both women are confronting serious relationship problems while trying to adjust to unfamiliar versions of their lives. But when Lisa and Meredith turn Bronwyn’s disco-themed reunion into a stage for their own performance, Bronwyn finally reaches her limit with what she sees as “hypocrisy and bullsh*t.”

The trip also takes Whitney back to 2011, when Justin accepted a job in the Bay Area. She remembers feeling isolated while adjusting to motherhood. In an act of frustration, she decided to shave her head—her own Britney Spears-inspired statement of rebellion.

Whitney is increasingly frustrated by Lisa and Meredith’s treatment of Bronwyn’s trip. More than anything, she wants to protect the friendships she considers genuine because she needs that support now. Speaking privately with Heather, Whitney reveals that her marriage has been unhappy “for a while” and that she has moved into the guest room.

Heather once again finds herself carrying confidential information about troubled marriages, with Angie and now Whitney trusting her with their struggles. Whitney says Justin has played such a major role in shaping her life that it feels as though he “raised” her. Still, she cannot ignore the uncertainty surrounding their future, especially after the couple has discussed separation for the second time since their conversation a decade ago.

Lisa says she was bored by the previous night’s argument and accuses Bronwyn of claiming that she and Meredith had plotted an attack. The accusation, however, actually came from Britani. Frustrated with the entire group, Lisa compares the women to mirrors passing around a single brain cell.

Whitney briefly wears her gag before Bronwyn announces that her boyfriend has joined the girls’ trip. The news does not exactly excite the group, but Bronwyn is determined to introduce Brandon to her friends in San Francisco.

Despite the cast’s less-than-perfect history on boats, they climb aboard for another group outing and hope the excursion will go smoothly.

Angie later corners Lisa with a lesson about the golden ratio of facial aesthetics, taking a playful jab at Lisa’s lip liner in the process. Lisa fires back that she never worried about what God “didn’t give her.” Determined to enjoy herself despite the constant criticism, Lisa reveals that she and Meredith spent the previous evening creating a diss track for disco night. Their song, titled “Hypocrisy and Bullsh*t,” neatly targets the group’s latest drama—and, admittedly, the lyrics have a memorable rhythm.

Bronwyn admits that being back in San Francisco has made her homesick. She believes she was the strongest version of herself there, and while she has no desire to return to the past, the city leaves her reflecting on both where she came from and what lies ahead. Bronwyn says she has destroyed her old life and now has the opportunity to rebuild it however she chooses. Whitney recognizes the feeling because she is facing a similar upheaval, even though Bronwyn has not yet realized how much they have in common.

Angie manages to stay on the boat until the very end before getting sick, making her attendance at the disco celebration seem doubtful. While Angie recovers, Bronwyn embraces her role as host, bringing together her various friendships and introducing everyone to her new boyfriend.

Then Heather makes an uncomfortable suggestion: she assumes Todd paid for the San Francisco getaway. If that is true, Todd may have also unknowingly covered the cost of Bronwyn’s boyfriend joining the trip. Meredith points out that Heather’s comment could be interpreted as suggesting Brandon is with Bronwyn because she pays him—and that Todd is inadvertently financing the relationship. The implication quickly turns the celebration into another source of gossip.

When Britani arrives, Bronwyn takes the microphone to welcome the friends who have gathered to mark this new chapter in her life. Lisa and Meredith remain expressionless as she speaks, then prepare for their own DJ debut. Baby G—Lisa—steps up with the mic while DJ Meredith Marks takes her position, and the pair perform their original song, “Hypocrisy and Bullsh*t.” Bronwyn is horrified that they chose her party for the performance, calling the moment devastating and telling Lisa and Meredith they are no longer welcome at her table.

For Bronwyn, performing a rehearsed diss track in front of her guests crosses a serious line. Meredith insists the number was meant to be funny, but Bronwyn is repulsed and orders both women to leave. After making an effort to apologize and keep the peace, she cannot understand why their response was to embarrass her at her own celebration.

Lisa argues that Bronwyn has lied about her and treated her cruelly. She maintains that the song was not aimed specifically at Bronwyn, but at the entire cast. Once Lisa and Meredith are told to go, the guests begin chanting Bronwyn’s name. She returns to the microphone, only to be drowned out by the increasingly loud crowd.

Even as they prepare to leave, Lisa and Meredith deliver one more rendition of the song in the doorway. The final jab pushes Bronwyn to walk away from her own party as the night completely unravels. Lisa cannot understand why Bronwyn is taking the performance so personally, while Meredith continues to insist they were simply having fun. Their defense is that they were merely two “glam kittens” making broad observations—but Bronwyn clearly hears something much more pointed.

TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THIS EPISODE OF RHOSLC?

Why Six Flags May Not Be Liable for Teacher’s Fatal Fall From Goliath Roller Coaster

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Six Flags may avoid liability for the fatal accident that sent a teacher plunging from a Georgia roller coaster—if the amusement park can demonstrate that it complied with applicable state safety laws.

Hassan Kariem, 42, was ejected Monday from the 200-foot-tall Goliath hypercoaster at Six Flags Over Georgia after apparently slipping out of his restraint. He struck other cars before falling to his death in front of horrified passengers.

“The key question is not just what went wrong, but also whether someone knew—or should have known—what might go wrong,” said Daniel Adamson, an attorney with Georgia-based Dixon-Adamson, a firm that handles theme park litigation.

Six Flags has temporarily closed Goliath and nine other roller coasters at six of its parks while investigators examine the deadly incident. The review is expected to cover every aspect of the ride, including its design, maintenance history and daily operation, Adamson told The Post.

“The biggest issue is whether this was a preventable tragedy,” he said.

Investigators will also want to know whether the park had been alerted to any potential problems, Adamson said, including whether there were previous safety complaints and what the inspection logs and maintenance records show.

If the investigation finds that Six Flags rigorously complied with Georgia’s safety codes and regulations, Adamson said the park could potentially avoid legal liability for Kariem’s death.

That possibility stems from the fact that Georgia applies a lower legal duty of care to amusement parks than it does to public transportation operators.

Under a 1982 Georgia Supreme Court ruling, amusement parks owe guests a duty of “ordinary care.” By contrast, bus and train operators are required to exercise “extraordinary diligence” toward their passengers.


More coverage on the Six Flags death in Georgia


That distinction can make it more difficult to hold a roller coaster operator responsible for a passenger’s injury or death.

Still, “ordinary care” generally applies to expected risks such as becoming ill on a ride or having one’s head jostled—not being thrown from a seat while traveling about 70 mph.

“When somebody boards a roller coaster, they accept the thrill of the ride, not the risk of being thrown from it,” Adamson said. He added that Six Flags would have to argue that Kariem knowingly assumed the risk of such an extraordinary accident when he entered the park.

“It’s really context-specific,” he said.

“You have to examine the facts of each case and determine what reasonable duty of ordinary care applies in the context of that particular activity.”

Audrey Hepburn’s Diet Was Surprisingly Normal—Pasta and Ice Cream Included

Audrey Hepburn’s slender figure fueled speculation throughout her life. Her famously tiny 22-inch waist led some people to assume she had an eating disorder, but her family has consistently rejected that claim.

Hepburn stood 5′ 7″ and weighed about 110 pounds for much of her adult life, yet people close to her described no pattern of extreme dieting. Her youngest son, Luca Dotti, said the Oscar winner genuinely enjoyed cooking and prepared meals for her family every day. She even collected recipe cards from Bon Appetit magazine. Although she knew how to make elaborate dishes, Dotti said she favored the simple recipes she had learned from relatives and friends. “Her recipes were never about being a chef or making an impression,” he explained.

Much like Dolly Parton’s everyday eating habits, Hepburn’s diet was far more familiar than many might expect. Pasta, ice cream and other comforting favorites all had a place in her routine. This is what the Hollywood icon typically ate throughout the day.

Audrey Hepburn took breakfast seriously

Hepburn never skipped breakfast, and she made sure her children followed the same routine. Speaking with Bon Appetit in 2015, Luca Dotti—whose father was Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti—recalled that his mother “insisted on having a great breakfast.”

Despite growing up in Old Hollywood, Dotti and his older brother, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, began their mornings at the kitchen table with their mother. Breakfast was also a chance for family conversation, often accompanied by Hepburn’s homemade muffin-madeleine treats. Her own meal was usually much simpler: bread, butter and jam. As Dotti explained, she cared more about making everyone happy than preparing restaurant-style food. “It was more important to make everybody happy rather than be a chef like at Le Cordon Bleu,” he wrote.

Sean Hepburn Ferrer remembered much the same routine. In his autobiography, “Intimate Audrey,” co-written with Wendy Holden and published in 2026, he described his mother’s usual breakfast as “a boiled egg, toast, and jam” (via People).

Carb-heavy Italian cuisine was her favorite

Her slim build also concealed a serious fondness for carbohydrates. “She was crazy for pasta,” Luca Dotti told Bon Appetit in 2015, recalling that his mother’s friends were amazed when she ordered two pasta dishes in succession. He told People that she ate the Italian staple in some form almost every day. “Mum had a serious pasta addiction,” he joked in his cookbook, “Audrey at Home.” “She couldn’t do without pasta.”

Sean Hepburn Ferrer shared that memory. In his 1999 memoir, “Audrey Hepburn, An Elegant Spirit,” he also described his mother as having a “serious addiction” to carbohydrates, according to Town & Country. Both sons identified Spaghetti al Pomodoro as her favorite meal, noting that she prepared it with plenty of extra sauce and enjoyed it every week.

Hepburn also ate pasta with pesto and, surprisingly, pasta with ketchup. Her affection for comfort food was not limited to Italian dishes, either. Dotti told Bon Appetit that baked stuffed potatoes were among the recipes she made most frequently. She baked them and let each family member fill the potatoes with whatever ingredients they preferred.

The impact of starvation during WWII was lifelong

The hardships of Hepburn’s childhood also help explain her lifelong thinness. She was 10 when World War II began, and food became increasingly scarce. According to Luca Dotti, who spoke with People, his mother nearly died from starvation. “She survived by eating nettles and tulip bulbs and drinking water to fill her stomach,” he said. “By the end of the war, she was very close to death.” As a teenager, Hepburn weighed only 88 pounds despite standing 5′ 6″.

The worst period came during the winter of 1944–45, later known as the “Hunger Winter.” Hepburn’s family took shelter in a cellar to escape the bombing, and she later said she sometimes went three days without food (via People). Even when supplies were available, meals were extremely limited. “For months, breakfast was hot water and one slice of bread, made from brown beans,” she recalled. “Broth for lunch was made from one potato.”

The malnutrition left Hepburn with serious health problems, including jaundice and edema. Her family believes those years of deprivation also affected her body and contributed to her naturally slender frame as an adult. “People think because she was skinny that she had an eating disorder, but it’s not true,” Dotti told People.

Audrey Hepburn didn’t believe in snacking

Hepburn enjoyed Italian food and did not shy away from a generous serving of pasta. Luca Dotti told People in 2017 that she liked “a little bit of everything.” Still, her household had clear rules. “Snacks didn’t really exist in our household,” he said in 2015. “She was very strict.”

Rather than following a trendy eating plan, Hepburn approached food deliberately. She selected ingredients from her garden or local markets, choosing seasonal produce whenever possible. Her family meals emphasized fresh vegetables and grains, with meat served in moderation. Once food was ready, everyone was expected to stop and enjoy it properly. “When it was breakfast, lunch or dinner, her feeling was you should take your time for meals and stop what you are doing,” Dotti told People. The one exception was a monthly detox consisting of plain yogurt and a grated apple, which she used in hopes of resetting her digestive system.

As it turns out, dieting wasn’t her thing either

Hepburn also rejected the celebrity diet culture that surrounded her. Her sons said she maintained her petite figure by eating mindfully rather than following restrictive plans. “She cooked and baked and ate what she liked but was careful with portions,” Sean Hepburn Ferrer wrote in “Intimate Audrey” (per People), adding that she “eschewed all thoughts of fad diets.” Robert Wolders, Hepburn’s partner from 1980 until her death in 1993, agreed. He told People in 2017 that she did not diet, attributing her figure instead to a healthy metabolism and regular exercise.

Walking was Hepburn’s preferred form of exercise, though her daily outings were not gentle strolls. Ferrer recalled that she set “a punishing pace for those of us trailing behind.” Wolders remembered the same brisk stride, telling People, “We’d walk for miles — she could outwalk me.” Even so, he said she did not exercise obsessively or force herself to reach a particular distance. She simply paid attention to what her body needed.

Audrey Hepburn always indulged her sweet tooth

Fruit and vegetables were part of Hepburn’s diet, but so were sweets. “Chocolate was her favorite pick-me-up,” Luca Dotti told People, explaining that she ate some every day, especially dark chocolate. It might be just “a bite or sometimes more.” She kept her supply in a dedicated drawer that family members were forbidden to open.

Wolders remembered Hepburn’s nightly chocolate habit as well. “She had chocolate after dinner, baking chocolate,” he told People. She sometimes paired it with a small alcoholic drink, enjoying “a finger or two of Scotch at night.”

Sean Hepburn Ferrer particularly remembered his mother’s lunchtime treat: vanilla ice cream topped with maple syrup. He also recalled her homemade desserts, including a flourless chocolate cake and a signature pavlova. “Whenever we came home for Christmas, she always made her version of a pavlova,” Ferrer told People in 2026. “We’d all sneak into the cold room in the back of our kitchen in Switzerland and by the next morning, it was gone.”

Audrey Hepburn’s typical daily menu was pretty normal

Hepburn’s instantly recognizable style may have looked carefully maintained, but her eating habits were surprisingly ordinary. Breakfast was often brown bread and jam, while lunch and dinner consisted of freshly prepared food. “Lunch would be chicken or veal or pasta, often with vegetables from the garden,” Wolders told People. “For dinner we often had soup with chicken and vegetables.”

Indeed, Hepburn was a stickler for fruits and veggies and salads were present at most meals, but it was as much about aesthetic appearance as nutrition. Any meat dish that looked too drab and brown was offset with carrots and greens from the local market, as her son, Luca Dotti, told Bon Appetit in 2015. Other recipes she was particularly fond of included soy sauce chicken and pasta pomodoro made with onions, carrots, celery, and lots of garlic.

However, Hepburn didn’t just have one dish and call it a day. As son Sean Hepburn Ferrer shared in his 2026 biography, “Intimate Audrey,” the actor liked to have a well-rounded meal rather than something quick. Lunch, for example, was a three-course affair. “She’d have a salad or a soup, a sandwich, and a scoop of her favorite vanilla ice cream with maple syrup,” he wrote (per People). A nice cold beer to wash it all down also wasn’t uncommon.

Christa Pike’s Death Sentence Faces New Test After Botched Execution

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Christa Pike could avoid execution if the two doses of pentobarbital she survived caused lasting cognitive damage, according to one of the country’s leading death-penalty experts.

Deborah Denno, a Fordham Law professor who studies capital punishment, said Pike’s attorney has reported that she remains confused and has little or no clear memory of the botched execution. “If that continues, it could be very difficult for the state to execute her for that reason alone,” Denno told News Media. “You have to understand why you’re being punished and connect that punishment to the crime you committed.”

Denno also noted that executions are prohibited for people with intellectual disabilities.

A vertical photo of a death row inmate in Tenneseee

Christa Gail Pike was scheduled to be executed on Sept. 30, 2026. (Tennessee Department of Correction via AP)

Courts have blocked executions involving intellectually disabled prisoners and inmates whose cognitive impairments prevent them from understanding why they are facing death, Denno said. She cited a 2019 Supreme Court decision involving a prisoner with dementia who could no longer remember the crime.

Pike had been scheduled for execution Sept. 30, after the Supreme Court lifted a last-minute stay. She was sentenced to death for the 1995 torture and killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a fellow student at the Jobs Corps Center vocational program in Knoxville.

Colleen Slemmer in a portrait photo.

An undated portrait photograph of Colleen Slemmer provided by her mother. (May Martinez/Special to the News Sentinel)

Pike’s next steps remain uncertain. State officials have not publicly disclosed how they intend to proceed, leaving several possible outcomes on the table.

Gov. Bill Lee could commute Pike’s sentence to life without parole, although he has already placed a moratorium on Tennessee executions through at least the end of the year. Even with that pause in place, Denno said a gubernatorial commutation appears unlikely.

Convicted killer Christa Gail Pike listens to proceedings on April 2008 in Knox County Criminal Court in a bid for a new trial in the 1995 killing of fellow Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer.

Convicted killer Christa Gail Pike listens to proceedings on April 2008 in Knox County Criminal Court in a bid for a new trial in the 1995 killing of fellow Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

If Tennessee officials seek a new death warrant, the move would probably trigger another legal challenge, Denno said.

The case could ultimately reach the Tennessee Supreme Court, which may have to decide whether Pike remains imprisoned for life or faces another execution attempt, she said. “If there’s going to be another attempt at an execution, that could go several ways as well.”

Randy Spivey and Luke Ihnen, attorneys for Christa Pike, deliver a news briefing outside the Davidson County courthouse

Randy Spivey, an attorney for Christa Pike, a death row prisoner who survived a botched execution, speaks to the media, flanked by Luke Ihnen, after a Tennessee court was presented a status update on Pike, outside a courtroom in Nashville, Tennessee, on Oct. 7, 2026. (Reuters/Seth Herald)

Pike’s legal team could also argue that trying to execute her again would violate protections against double jeopardy, Denno said.

The theory is that Pike has already endured the state’s punishment: Officials administered the drugs, she received them and the state completed the steps intended to kill her. “She just simply didn’t happen to die,” Denno said, adding that the failure resulted from the state’s chosen method or its incompetence.

Dr. Murray Marks holds the victim's shattered skull at Christa Pike's murder trial in 1996

University of Tennessee forensic anthropologist Dr. Murray Marks testifies about the wounds to Colleen A. Slemmer’s skull during Christa Gail Pike’s murder trial in Knox County Criminal Court on March 25, 1996. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

That argument would have to be resolved by the courts. If it fails, officials would then face another difficult question: how should a second execution be carried out?

“Are you going to try to use lethal injection again?” Denno asked. Pike’s attorneys may have their strongest argument yet that repeating the method would constitute cruel and unusual punishment. Pike has identified hanging and a firing squad as two possible alternatives, Denno said, meaning the state could pursue one of those methods instead.

Emergency vehicles arrive at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution of Christa Pike was halted Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn.

Emergency vehicles arrive at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution after the execution of Christa Pike was halted Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Pike has since left the hospital and returned to prison following what her attorneys called a “remarkable” physical recovery. She is the only person known to have survived a lethal injection attempt in the modern era.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell: Put Speaking Alongside Reading and Writing

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Speaking and communication are set to receive the same status as reading and writing under Lucy Powell’s planned overhaul of England’s national curriculum.

The Education Secretary said today that confident speaking will be built into a revised curriculum and assessed through GCSE examinations.

She also intends to cut the amount of academic writing required in subjects including music, PE and drama, replacing some written work with more practical forms of assessment.

Critics, however, fear the proposals could undo Conservative reforms designed to make the curriculum more rigorous, even though a Labour review last year concluded that many of those changes should remain.

Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, said: ‘Lucy Powell seems to be tearing up the last two years as if they never happened, with a constant change of direction.

‘Blowing open the curriculum and assessment review once again creates more confusion for schools and risks reopening the hard-won debate over the importance of a knowledge-rich curriculum.’

The announcement marks a departure from the approach of her predecessor, Bridget Phillipson, who had called for more limited changes to teaching.

Ms Phillipson’s major curriculum review, headed by Professor Becky Francis, concluded that much of the existing content should remain in place.

The plans come after the latest international tests conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed England climbing sharply up the global rankings following the Conservatives’ reforms.

Speaking and communication skills will get equal status with reading and writing as part of an overhaul of the national curriculum by Lucy Powell (pictured)

Lucy Powell has announced plans to give speaking and communication skills equal status with reading and writing as part of a national curriculum overhaul

Addressing school leaders today, Ms Powell said that ‘practical skills are disappearing from practical subjects, just when the world demands the opposite.’

She added: ‘That isn’t politics or ideology; it’s a fact.’

Ms Powell also argued that the rise of artificial intelligence would make face-to-face communication among young people increasingly important—an area she said state schools have not traditionally prioritised.

Speaking at the Confederation of School Trusts’ annual conference in Birmingham, she said: ‘With AI on the rise, we need to go harder on the skills that makes us human, like oracy.

‘That ability to articulate yourself confidently is central to success in work and in life, but for too long it’s been a marker of privilege.

‘Now it will become the right of every child—nobody left out because they can’t speak up. That’s why we’re hardwiring oracy into the revised National Curriculum.

‘And I can announce today that I will give oracy equal status to reading and writing, as a new strand of the English curriculum.’

She said Labour would work with schools and the exams regulator Ofqual to ensure that ‘oracy will light up every classroom’.

‘Both in content and in assessment, speaking, listening and communicating will be a core part of every child’s education, from primary to GCSE and beyond,’ she added.

‘And that is the oldest form of connection we can think of, building relationships by communicating.’

Government sources claimed Ms Powell would not rip up the Francis review.

As part of the overhaul, Ms Powell has already announced she wants new vocational GCSEs to sit beside academic ones.

Previously, Ms Phillipson was keen to ensure more teenagers could take art, music or drama at GCSE while retaining some pressure on them to choose humanities and languages as well.

A senior education source told The Times the announcements from Ms Powell were ‘vibes’, retrogressive and light on detail. 

However, a source close to Powell said: ‘If we are serious about improving young people’s life chances, we need an education system that reaches beyond the classroom to ensure every young person leaves school ready to thrive in further study, work and life.’