My dear friend, someone I’ve cherished as family for many years, finds solace in food as her primary source of happiness. With my circle dwindling, she, along with my husband, is among the few loved ones I have left. Several years back, she saw a doctor who urged her to shed some pounds, but instead, her weight increased.

Attempts to discuss her health concerns are often met with responses that suggest she’s already aware, yet no changes follow. Unfortunately, her husband’s struggles with weight don’t help, as they frequently dine out. Various health issues plague her, most of which could significantly improve with an 80-pound weight loss.

The situation tugs at my heart, as I ponder writing her a heartfelt letter. Watching her take no action while grappling with severe health troubles, including a heart condition, is tough. Her body suffers, from aching knees and feet to a liver strained by medication. Dropping much of the extra weight could reduce her medication reliance and enhance her physical mobility.

It’s frustrating that my words, expressing how much her family and I need her presence — from her children and husband to her young granddaughter — seem ineffective. I’m torn between whether writing her a letter explaining my feelings would be inappropriate. — Finding My Voice in Idaho

I am guessing that you’ve already shared these concerns with her directly. Reiterating them in a letter might not be as impactful as you hope. Your friend and her husband have made dining out a bonding experience. Unless they both acknowledge the serious health risks involved and decide to make changes, it’s unlikely anything will shift in their lives.

There is a group that has been mentioned in this column many times called Overeaters Anonymous. It is a self-help group with a long and successful history. In these meetings there is no weighing, no shaming, no dues or fees for members. (They are self-supporting through their own contributions.) While it might not be something your friend is willing to explore, it might make you feel better to suggest this to her if she’s unaware of it. The website is oa.org.

DEAR ABBY: My mother has accused me of removing personal papers from her file cabinet. I have never gone into her file cabinet, nor have I ever removed any papers. This accusation is extremely hurtful. It has strained our relationship. I place great emphasis on honesty and integrity. I am now considering taking a polygraph test to validate my defense. Should I follow through or just let it go? — HONEST DAUGHTER

DEAR DAUGHTER: Let it go. A polygraph test has a wide margin of error, so it wouldn’t provide conclusive proof anyway. Instead, try to understand that your mother’s accusation may come from frustration with herself at having misplaced the papers. She was wrong to take it out on you, but please show that you can be more forgiving than she has been.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

Following the tragic death of actress Hayden Panettiere, her on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, has spoken out through his legal team.

This statement arrives merely four days after the 36-year-old Panettiere was discovered unresponsive in her South Carolina apartment, shocking fans and the entertainment world alike.

“The investigation into Hayden’s passing is currently underway, and it is crucial that investigators are given the time and space to conclude their work,” remarked Sloan Ellis, Hickerson’s lawyer from the Ellis Hinton law firm.

Ellis further noted, “As has been publicly reported, authorities have affirmed that there were no indications of foul play involved.”

“In order to honor Hayden’s memory and support her grieving loved ones, we will abstain from further comment at this moment,” Ellis concluded, emphasizing the need for privacy and respect during such a difficult time.

Hickerson, 37, was at the apartment where Panettiere died, along with his brother Zach Hickerson, police confirmed on Tuesday.  

A Greenville police officer who responded to the residence Sunday afternoon was met by the brothers and then observed paramedics performing CPR on an unresponsive woman, according to a police report. 

‘The patient did not seem to have any obvious physical reasons to be unresponsive,’ the officer noted. After attempting lifesaving measures, the emergency workers declared Panettiere dead at 2.31 pm on Sunday.

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office has said Panettiere’s cause of death remains under investigation, however a dispatcher said she had a ‘cardiac arrest’ during a 911 call from her apartment.

The dispatcher could be heard in the audio saying that Panettiere had suffered a suspected overdose, and sources told TMZ that Narcan – a nasal medication used to treat an opioid overdose – was also found on a mattress at the property.

Panettiere, who soared to fame in the TV shows ‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville’ while enduring struggles with alcohol addiction and depression, would have turned 37 on Friday.

She first began dating Hickerson in 2018, however, their on-off relationship became tumultuous as he was arrested several times on domestic violence charges. 

Panettiere had spoken of her troubled childhood in the spotlight in recent months and revealed intimate details of her relationship with Hickerson in her memoir published three months before her death. 

She had an 11-year-old daughter with her ex-partner, Wladimir Klitschko, a former boxer turned Ukrainian government official who has full custody of the youngster.  

In her memoir, titled This Is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere alleged that Hickerson once beat her so severely that she had to remain in her house for weeks to keep her injuries from the public. 

She said she tried to keep the alleged abuse from the police because she feared the public would find out, and described her relationship as a ‘very dark and complicated time in my life.’

Hickerson was arrested for one alleged incident in May 2019, and court records show he was charged with injuring a spouse or girlfriend. 

He pleaded no contest to the allegations in April 2021, and he was sentenced to 45 days in county jail and four years’ probation. 

Just three days before Panettiere’s death, Hickerson’s request to reduce his past felony charges was denied by a judge.  

Panettiere’s relationship with Hickerson appeared to end in 2020, and in July of that year, she filed for a restraining order against him. The outcome of her request is not stated in court records. 

The Greenville Police Department said in a statement that ‘the preliminary investigation’ into Panettiere’s death ‘has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.’

An autopsy found ‘no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.’ 

On Thursday, a tragic aviation accident unfolded in western Alaska as a chartered plane, with two pilots and six passengers, went down while nearing a secluded area, authorities reported.

Clint Johnson, who leads the National Transportation Safety Board’s operations in Alaska, informed The Associated Press about the incident involving the eight individuals onboard.

At the time of the briefing, Johnson did not have details on the status of those involved in the crash.

The ill-fated flight departed from Anchorage and is suspected to have met with the mishap on Thursday afternoon as it neared its destination at Cape Newenham, according to reports from the AP.

The twin-engine Cessna was operated by Security Aviation and had been chartered to fly from Anchorage to Cape Newenham, located about 40 miles south of Goodnews Bay, according to KTUU.

The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center said it launched a search-and-rescue mission after receiving a report of an “aircraft incident” near the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, reacted to the crash on X, offering condolences and noting her personal experience flying with Security Aviation.

“I join Alaskans in condolences as we learn of the plane crash in Cape Newenham today,” Murkowski wrote. “I’ve traveled extensively with Security Aviation throughout Alaska, and have met many of their experienced pilots.”

“I appreciate the U.S. Coast Guard, NTSB, Alaska State Troopers, and the Rescue Coordination Center for responding to the site,” she continued. “Alaska is praying for those on board, their loved ones, and the team at Security Aviation.”

Fox News has reached out to the National Transportation Safety Board and the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center for additional information.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Former first lady Jill Biden continues to emphasize the discussion surrounding the alleged drugging of her husband, former President Joe Biden, before a major debate in 2024. In a recent podcast, she was questioned about whether medical professionals had eliminated the possibility of a stroke occurring that night.

During the podcast, host Jamie Kern Lima directly asked Jill Biden whether doctors ruled out a stroke on the night of the debate.

Jill Biden replied, “Well, they did. They said, I mean, I didn’t say to them, when I was writing my book, I was reflecting, but I didn’t say, ‘God, did Joe have a stroke?’ I just said, ‘Is he OK? Is he OK?’”

When asked by Lima about her intuition regarding what transpired, Jill Biden admitted her uncertainty.

“I mean, there’s all kinds of theories — you know, he had been traveling,” she explained. “I know he was tired, he didn’t feel well that day, when I saw him, but there was nothing definitive that I could point to.”

“And I had been on the road for two weeks up until that moment. So, I wasn’t with him. I didn’t see him days before, weeks before. I saw him maybe one hour before.”

Lima asked, “There’s no way anyone could have, God forbid, laced his drink or something?”

“Who knows? Who knows?” Biden responded.

The former president’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

One of the most decisive moments of the 2024 election was Biden’s debate with Donald Trump.

Biden stammered, had long periods of silence and intense, confused facial expressions, to the point some of his most vocal supporters broke ranks and demanded he relinquish the nomination.

Jill Biden released a memoir, “View from the East Wing,” which touched on the debate moment. Biden wrote that she thought Joe might have had a stroke.

“I wasn’t horrified. I was frightened,” Jill Biden recalled in a May interview.

“I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since,” the first lady said. “I don’t know what happened. As I watched it, I said, ‘Oh my God, he’s having a stroke.’ It scared me to death.”

She told Lima she and the president had doctors around them at all times, and she was told Joe was OK that night before they went on to do more events.

“It was like such an aberration,” she added.

Democrats and others have pushed back on Jill’s book tour and the re-hashing of 2024, a sore point for the party after former Vice President Kamala Harris ultimately lost to President Trump.

Andrew Bates, a former Biden spokesperson, said of Jill Biden’s book, “I don’t see why that painful conversation for the party needed to be publicly reopened right now.”

The former first lady responded to Bates, “I want to say to Andrew: Call me up, and say it to my face, buddy.”

Matt Dallek, a George Washington University professor of political management, told Fox News Digital in a statement that while the memoir tour and rehashing of 2024 likely wouldn’t matter to voters ahead of the midterms or 2028, members of the Democratic Party see the Bidens as focused on the past.

“Democrats seem to feel like they’re focused on the past, they’re focused on Trump coming back to power,” Dallek said. “They’re focused on the perceived sense of failure of Biden and his unpopularity as he left office.

“I think that the memoir tour, the various appearances by — whether it’s Jill Biden or Hunter Biden — I think there’s still, you know, a lot of affection for Joe Biden, for the Bidens in the Democratic Party. There’s also, I think, a certain amount of pain associated with the memory of the Biden presidency and especially the last kind of year or two,” he told Fox News Digital in a statement.

The former president is expected to release his own book recounting his presidency in November after the midterm elections.

Jennifer Lopez managed to sidestep what could have been an uncomfortable encounter with her ex-husband Ben Affleck on Thursday, a date marking what would have been their fourth wedding anniversary.

The renowned “If You Had My Love” singer, aged 57, was seen making her way to the office complex of the 54-year-old actor. Notably, a plum-colored $360,000 Cadillac Celestiq, presumably belonging to Affleck, was visible parked in the garage.

Lopez made an eye-catching entrance, donning an almost backless white halter-top paired with beige trousers, further accentuated by a sophisticated black Dior handbag, as she entered the building.

Concurrently, Affleck was photographed leaving the premises, exuding a stern demeanor in a striped button-down shirt as he drove away.

Whether the former couple, often referred to as Bennifer, crossed paths inside the office remains uncertain.

The superstar duo famously tied the knot in a breathtaking wedding ceremony at his $8.9 million Georgia mansion on August 20, 2022, just a month after they secretly said ‘I do’ in a small Las Vegas elopement.

The two weddings came decades after the pair – who first met while filming the 2003 romantic-comedy Gigli in December 2001 – originally dated in 2002 before calling off their engagement in 2004. 

But despite rekindling their love, the fairytale came to an end once again when Lopez filed for divorce in 2024. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Lopez and Affleck for comment.

Last month Lopez seemingly hinted that her life is ‘better’ following her divorce from Affleck as she celebrated turning 57.

The songstress shared a glowing video of herself during a car ride to her Instagram page, as she rang in the special milestone.

‘When you keep going it just keeps getting better,’ her caption read.

That same month a source told The Daily Mail that Lopez ‘doesn’t want to have to see Ben all the time’ but the friendship between their children keeps the ‘connected.’ 

Lopez’s child Oskar, 18, and Affleck’s 17-year-old Fin are inseparable, forcing the famous exes to keep a line of communication despite their divorce, which was finalized in January 2025.

Lopez shares twins Oskar and Max with ex-husband Marc Anthony, 57, who recently welcomed his eight child with his fourth wife – model Nadia Ferreira, 27. He was married to the singer from 2004 until 2014.

Meanwhile Affleck shares his kids – Violet, 20, Samuel, 14, and Fin – with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, 54. The two were married from 2005 until 2018.

Lopez’s and Affleck’s marital home – the sprawling $61 million mega mansion in Beverly Hills purchased in May 2023 – has proved to be another pain point for the star.

She and Affleck listed the property in July 2024 but have since made several price cuts, with it currently listed for $49.9 million. Hopes for it to be sold soon, however, were dashed last month when a potential buyer reportedly fell through.

In April, court documents suggested Affleck, who now lives in a $20 million bachelor pad in the Pacific Palisades, handed over his entire interest in their mansion to Lopez, who has settled into her $21 million mansion in Hidden Hills. 

Sources told TMZ the actor effectively ‘gave up’ his share of the compound ‘for free,’ leaving Lopez in line to take any profits from the sale.

In May, Lopez gave fans a glimpse at the $18 million bachelorette pad she bought in Hidden Hills, California following her divorce.

The Office Romance actress was seen in a skimpy white bikini in the backyard of the two-story white house as she took a dip in the swimming pool. 

Lopez purchased the 8,600-square-foot equestrian estate in Hidden Hills in February 2025.

The New England inspired house is situated on 2.5 acres and is fully gated for privacy with mature trees lining the backyard so no one can see in.

The main house has five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a gourmet chef’s kitchen and a custom home theater.

There is also a guest house, a pool house, a swimming pool with attached hot tub and full equestrian facilities with a five-stall barn, a tack room, and a private riding arena.

For those experiencing distress or contemplating suicide, reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1—800-273-TALK (8255).

As Patrick Clancy took the witness stand in the trial concerning his former wife, he had already embarked on a new chapter in New York City, leaving behind the tragedy that struck his family four hours away in Duxbury, Massachusetts. It was there that Lindsay Clancy had tragically ended the lives of their children.

Lindsay Clancy, 36, stands accused of the first-degree murder of her three young children — Cora, Dawson, and Callan. These innocent lives were lost to strangulation within their home in January 2023. Prosecutors recently wrapped up their evidence presentation, while her defense contends that Lindsay was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time of the incident.

Since these events, Patrick Clancy has reshaped his life. Once a business applications sales executive at Microsoft, he now resides in New York City. After divorcing Lindsay, he remarried Dr. Rachel Danis amidst the backdrop of Central Park in spring 2026. Reports suggest she moved into his apartment on the Upper East Side a year prior, in 2025.

He moved to New York City in spring 2023, just months after Lindsay Clancy killed her three children, according to public records obtained by the New York Post, and filed for divorce in February 2024.

Kevin Reddington, Lindsay Clancy’s defense attorney, said in court that Patrick “suffered one of the worst tragedies that anyone could ever suffer.”

“How that guy is not an emotional basketcase is beyond me, and he is trying hard to move on with his life. As the court is aware, they’re divorced, he’s remarried, he has a family,” Reddington said.

Danis and Patrick Clancy have no children together, though she has spoken publicly about wanting to become a mother.

“I remember when I first froze my eggs, I felt like, I mean, even sometimes still, feel like this black sheep,” she said on the Fertility Forward podcast in September 2024. “I think for women, it’s just really hard. We have so much pressure to balance career and personal growth, but like, we’re riddled with this fertility stuff.”

Patrick Clancy was seen with his wife, Rachel Danis, on Aug. 13 at an apartment in Manhattan, a source told TMZ.

A shared passion for hiking and fitness brought the couple together, Men’s Journal reported.

Patrick Clancy, along with family members, founded the Heard Foundation, which seeks to “change how parents are cared for—so no parent faces perinatal mental illness in silence and no family is left behind.”

According to the foundation’s website, it was “founded in memory of Cora, Dawson, and Callan Clancy.”

Just days after Lindsay Clancy killed her kids in January 2023, Patrick wrote on a GoFundMe page, “I want to ask all of you that you find it deep within yourselves to forgive Lindsay, as I have…The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone – me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients.”

“The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace,” he wrote.

Patrick Clancy remained composed while testifying in his ex-wife’s murder trial, though he struggled to hold back tears as he spoke about his children.

“Cora was into princesses and she had a lot of friends,” Patrick Clancy said. “She just liked taking care of people.”

He said that Callan, the youngest child, “was just a happy baby.”

Patrick Clancy said Dawson “liked the television show Paw Patrol” and was into firefighters and trucks.

Donna Rotunno, a criminal defense attorney, noted in an interview with News Media that Patrick Clancy’s own mother, Susan Clancy, was a witness for the defense.

“She is extremely sympathetic to what Lindsay was going through. And if you thought that, you know, anybody would wanna be upset about the loss of their grandchildren, it would be her, correct? She’s the father’s mother, and she’s there supporting Lindsay so much so that she nodded to her as she walked out of the courtroom in this unbelievable, I think, show of humanity,” Rotunno said.

Sheila Cavanaugh, a board-certified chaplain at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, testified Thursday that during her visit with Lindsay Clancy on Jan. 31, 2023 — just days after she killed her children — the woman accused of murder told her, “I am so glad my children are safe.”

Cavanaugh said she responded that the children were safe in heaven with God, and the two prayed together.

Judge William Sullivan ended court early on Thursday after one witness testified, sending jurors home until Friday.

A prominent New York doctor, embroiled in a courtroom saga with a former Long Island stripper he once had an affair with, has labeled the relationship the “worst mistake of my life,” as disclosed in recent legal documents.

Dr. Keith Hoerning, a 51-year-old affluent family physician, responded to accusations from his 39-year-old former mistress, Rosana Kissoon, by submitting a court filing on Thursday. This filing included screenshots purportedly showing text exchanges that illustrate the dancer’s mounting threats as their once-passionate romance unraveled, the Daily Mail reported.

Previously, Rosana Kissoon initiated a $1 million lawsuit in Suffolk County court against Hoerning, claiming an 18-month tryst bursting with affectionate “I love you” texts. This legal action followed Hoerning’s attempt to have her arrested as their illicit relationship disintegrated, as detailed in earlier reports by The Post. 

Describing the affair as the most regrettable decision of his life, the married doctor asserted that the significant sums of money he gave to the exotic dancer were not tokens of affection. Instead, they were responses to her increasing demands—a desperate bid to thwart her threats to destroy his family and harm his father-in-law, according to the filings accessed by the Mail.

In one of the alleged text conversations, Kissoon inquired of her married paramour, “Are u willing to pay me to let this go and leave u alone?” This was succeeded by a series of messages expressing her frustration that Hoerning prioritized time with his wife over her.

“All I wanted was for you to try and make us happy. You never even try,” Kissoon allegedly wrote. “U are only doing this for that relationship not ours.”

But other exchanges between the pair paint a much more sordid picture of their scandalous lovefest.

Kissoon allegedly threatened the life of Hoerning’s father-in-law after suggesting he was standing in the way of their illicit affair, one text exchange shows.

“I will get him killed,” the stripper allegedly wrote. “If he’s why we cant be together.”

Hoerning then allegedly responded with “I don’t want you to hurt anyone,” and repeatedly begged her to stop.

In another exchange, Kissoon allegedly ordered Hoerning, “From now on you will only pay me,” and followed up with another text minutes later declaring, “I want u dead.”

“If i [cant] be with u I’ll end ur family,” Kissoon allegedly threatened. 

The married doctor allegedly apologized to Kissoon and wrote, “I’m sorry,” and “I don’t understand what happened.”

Other alleged text exchanges reveal the pair fought over the exotic dancer blowing up the affair and exposing Hoerning’s infidelities to his wife and demanding money.

“I want it all,” Kissoon allegedly wrote. “You said you will pay for my car…You want her ok…It will be a price ok.”

“I can’t be if you keep acting this way,” Hoerning allegedly replied, and later admitted “I paid bc you told me.”

Kissoon allegedly admitted in another text thread, “It’s over…I never cared about u…I used u,” followed by nine separate messages that read, “I want to call her,” seemingly referencing Hoerning’s wife, Nicole.

“I don’t know why u are being like this…Please stop…Pleas [sic] just stop,” Hoerning allegedly begs in response. 

In a sworn affirmation, Hoerning admitted, “I met Rosana Kissoon and developed a relationship with her that reflects the worst mistake of my life.”

“Capitalizing on my mistake, Ms Kissoon began demanding money from me on the threat of exposing our secret relationship to my family, and she engaged in other threatening and menacing behavior.”

“The present lawsuit appears to be an attempt to continue menacing and embarrassing me, now out in the spotlight of public litigation filings, even though the suit is completely meritless on its substance,” Hoerning claimed. 

Hoerning’s attorneys argue that the messages between the pair demonstrate Kissoon was using the threat of exposing their affair as a way to elicit money from Hoerning.

However, Kissoon disputed the claim and alleged that the payments were instead voluntary financial support during the relationship. 

Kissoon’s attorney, Michael Treanor previously rejected allegations that his client pursued Hoerning for financial gain and insisted she believed the couple were building a life together, according to the Mail.

“When I took on this case, it didn’t strike me as a gold-digger situation,” Treanor previously told the publication. “It struck me that she cared for him.”

“She found out she wasn’t going to have that, and then Keith brought the whole legal system and judicial and police force on her,” he added.