Venus in Aquarius angles towards Uranus, making risk-taking come naturally. A surprising twist will likely crop up through the day ahead.

Sagittarius, Capricorn and Aquarius, it’s all about freedom today. Loving others, and expressing yourself, will go hand in hand, so enjoy this liberation.

Authenticity is emboldened by the cosmos today. Don’t be anything but yourself, and make brave decisions. It will serve you.

Ahead, you’ll find all the star signs’ horoscopes for today: Sunday February 8, 2026.

Like checking your horoscope every morning? You can now sign up to our free daily newsletter to get a personalised reading for your star sign delivered straight to your inbox.

To download your free Unique Personal Horoscope based on your time, date and place of birth, visit patrickarundell.com/free-birth-chart/.

Aries

March 21 to April 20

Today, love and money matters may take a surprising twist. You might feel the urge to rebel against routines or crave a change of scene. A friendship could suddenly sparkle with chemistry, or an unexpected expense might push you to rethink your budget creatively. Innovation is your ally, especially when it comes to relationships and resources. Stay open, be curious and don’t be afraid to twist when others stick.

Head here for everything you need to know about being an Aries

Taurus

April 21 to May 21

The winds of change are blowing through your career and reputation zone, and they smell like freedom. A sudden opportunity could have you rethinking your path or embracing a new direction. Your usual love of stability might feel challenged, but trust that these shifts are here to liberate, not destabilise. Let your originality shine and enjoy leaving your comfort zone, as it could be your ticket to success.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Taurus

Gemini

May 22 to June 21

Prepare for sparks of brilliance from the most unexpected corners of your mind. A random insight, dream or conversation could shake up your perspective and lead to a breakthrough. Romance or creative inspiration might arrive via a roundabout development or delay, but don’t dismiss the strange or serendipitous. Say yes to unusual happenings, as magic happens when you loosen your grip and allow your curiosity to guide you.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Gemini

Cancer

June 22 to July 23

Expect a jolt of excitement in your social or financial world, as an unexpected invitation or encounter could spark intrigue or collaboration in ways you didn’t see coming. Friends may surprise you, or you may surprise them with a quirky idea that works. Love and money may be slightly unpredictable, so keep an open mind. A group project or shared vision could shift gears delightfully.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Cancer

Leo

July 24 to August 23

With Venus squaring off with Uranus, relationships and career matters may flex, but it might be the twist you didn’t know you needed. An unexpected proposal, a flirtation in an unusual place or a chance to collaborate with someone totally different could shake things up. You’re often a natural performer but could still benefit from changes that open doors to dazzling new adventures.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Leo

Virgo

August 24 to September 23

Your carefully curated schedule might need to bend a little to make space for something exciting and possibly life-enhancing. An encounter or unusual opportunity related to work, wellness or travel could encourage a fresh perspective. You’re often the planner, but being spontaneous could delight you. Say yes to something that sounds a bit “out there”. A novel idea could gain traction, or a conversation may take a romantic turn.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Virgo

Libra

September 24 to October 23

Love, creativity or money matters could take a surprising turn that shakes up your routine but leaves you smiling. A spark of attraction, a flash of artistic inspiration or quirky financial idea may prove irresistible. You’re offbeat and magnetic now, so follow your instincts, even if they lead off the beaten track. A conversation or connection could open a door to deeper intimacy or delightful opportunities, so embrace the unusual.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Libra

Scorpio

October 24 to November 22

With Venus clashing with the unpredictable Uranus, home and relationships could take a different turn. A surprise guest, a flash of insight about a partner or a radical idea for redecorating might suddenly seem like the perfect next move if you’re craving comfort and freedom. Relationships benefit from space to breathe and to be yourselves. Embrace the change, as it may just lead to an authentic connection or cosy revolution.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Scorpio

Sagittarius

November 23 to December 21

A casual conversation could spark a fresh idea, or a lively suggestion might revolutionise your schedule. Love and creativity thrive in unconventional settings now, so think spontaneous detours, impromptu meet-ups or swapping the usual for something delightfully different. You’re itching to break free from the ordinary, so let openness guide your steps. Be flexible and the universe will reward you with delight.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Sagittarius

Capricorn

December 22 to January 20

You may surprise yourself by craving more freedom in love or by spending on something wildly outside your usual budget range. Creative ideas could strike like lightning, especially around hobbies or personal projects. Romance may take a different turn too, which isn’t a bad thing. Stay open to unconventional pleasures and spontaneous joy. A friend’s offbeat suggestion might turn into your next big obsession.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Capricorn

Aquarius

January 21 to February 19

With Venus in your sign and angling towards Uranus, your freedom loving or flirty energies are highlighted. You’re often the cosmic wild card, and today a surprise encounter, delightful romances or even a sudden urge to redecorate with neon flair. Home and heart matters may take an unexpected twist, but trust that changes are good. A brilliant idea could strike, inspiring you to turn your living space into a creative hub.

Head here for everything you need to know about being an Aquarius

Pisces

February 20 to March 20

A spontaneous comment could spark a brilliant idea or a soulful connection. Don’t be surprised if a dream, coincidence or flash of inspiration nudges you towards something refreshingly different. And yet in love, something which has been unspoken could suddenly come into the open. This could be unsettling, but if the messenger is someone you suspect of having an agenda, don’t buy too easily into what they say.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Pisces

Your daily Metro.co.uk horoscope is here every morning, seven days a week (yes, including weekends!). To check your forecast, head to our dedicated horoscopes page.

Head here for this week’s tarot horoscope reading, and see what the cards have in store for you!

Check out the tarot horoscope reading for the month of February here.

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When is the best time to visit Skipton, ‘Gateway to the Dales’ and England’s newly crowned epicentre of national happiness?

Perhaps on a bright summer’s day, with the narrow boats gleaming on the Leeds and Liverpool canal and otters bobbing.

Or on Sheep Day, in June, when the roads are closed, the town is ovine crazy and a chap called Julian Kaye makes a special Sheeptown gin – ‘We use water from the canal and chuck in a few botanicals’.

Or perhaps during the big Christmas lights switch on and Santa Run, when around a sixth of the town’s 15,500 population dress up in full Father Christmas outfits and run through the cobbled streets.

But instead, I visit on a cold, grey, wet week in February. Café windows are dripping with condensation and the market stalls – selling everything from cauliflowers to scones the size of your head and dog beds – are battened down against the drizzle. Flat caps are pulled down, hard. 

But George the fishmonger, who has been up since 1am and is now serving from his van, is roaring cheery greetings.

‘Good morning, Brian! Ow are you? Morning, Mary! Ow’s your mum? This is Rebecca, her parents are the local undertakers!’ he says, waving around a pink langoustine.

‘I’ve been doing this for 38 years, so I know ‘em all and they’re all lovely, lovely people. The very best. Of course they’re happy. They live here!’ 

And through the drizzle, he tells me how much he loves his job, how he used to work with his wife, until she fell one New Year’s Eve and broke her shoulder and now he works with his son-in-law Nikky – and that while they bicker gently, it’s better than it was working with his wife.

He tells me how 80 per cent of his fish comes from the Shetlands, via his cousin, who also supplies Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City football squad, because Pep doesn’t like farmed fish.

Donald Ripley, nearly 92 and out buying teacakes to share with his ‘darling wife Kathleen’, is equally perky. 

‘What’s good about Skipton? Everything! I’ve lived here all my life. Never wanted to live anywhere else – why would I?’ he says.

‘It’s the people. It’s always the people – though, like anywhere, you always get one or two baddies. And sometimes you get free beer at the Working Men’s Club, so that’s quite a bonus. So yes, I’m happy.’

So is Julian Kaye, of Sheeptown gin fame, who runs the brilliant Wright Wine and Whisky Co.

Julian tells me how he was one of the original sponsors of the Calendar Girls, members of the nearby Rylstone Women’s Institute group who, in 1999, famously stripped naked for charity with carefully placed spider plants and buns, and were later immortalised in a film starring Helen Mirren, Julie Walters and Celia Imrie. 

‘Ros, who ran a dress shop from what is now our whisky room, was Miss November!’ he says.

And Jem Darling, 22, who works in the Black Horse pub on the High Street, tells me they’ve been flat out today with a funeral.

‘Never seen so many people go through so much food. They were really going for it. Very jolly crowd. They had a great time.’

Gosh. It feels a bit like a parallel universe. 

And it is easy to see why the recent survey by property website Rightmove saw the pretty town of Skipton in North Yorkshire pipping the London boroughs of Richmond-upon-Thames and Camden, as well as Woodbridge in Suffolk and nearby arch happiness rivals, Harrogate.

‘We’ve come second to Harrogate before,’ says Joe Langley, of Hardisty estate agents. ‘But they’re different – flashier, more obvious money. There are a lot of full pockets here, but we don’t walk about in Gucci loafers.

‘This is proper Yorkshire, so you’ll always find someone to stand with and talk.’ 

Which is important, because the glory was not just for happiness and access to nature and green spaces – revealed this week in another survey as the key things families look for – but also the friendliness of the residents and access to essential services, such as schools and transport.

Skipton boasts a few rather less essential things, too.

These include the 900-year-old castle off the High Street, one of the best preserved medieval castles in the country. 

For centuries it was the seat of the Clifford family but since the 1950s has been home to the Fattorini family – Italian jewellers who, I am told proudly by at least five locals, made the original FA Cup trophy.

And there’s the teeny but exquisite museum – which was shortlisted in a national museum contest alongside the National Portrait Gallery and the Young V&A – which has a priceless Shakespeare first folio on display that was discovered in a backroom cupboard under a sink only a few years ago.

As Jenny in Kutters hair salon puts it: ‘Nowhere’s perfect, is it? But there’s a lot to go at here. And at least people are friendly.’

She’s right. Stand in the street looking lost and people will come running to help.

Pop into one of the town’s 50-odd (yes, really) pubs and restaurants on your own, and you’ll be surrounded by friendly faces in minutes, sharing stories about how world famous pie makers Stanforth’s lost their crown to rivals Farmhouse Fare (apparently there was a fallout when the business was sold and the seller took the recipe with him).

Or how tickets for the annual ferret race extravaganza (next Wednesday evening, in nearby Appletreewick) sell out in one minute flat – ‘It’s like Glastonbury!’ – and that some furry runners are perked with a little tot of whisky.

And, in Donald’s case, about the shocking thing that’s happened to teacakes these days.

‘They used to be twice the size. They’re going to be scones before we know it!’ he cries.

But most of all today, everyone’s discussing happiness. What it means. Why it matters.

‘You don’t have to be jumping about saying, I’m happy, I’m happy, clapping your hands,’ says Debbie Brooksbank behind the bar in the Boat House. ‘It’s about being content.’

‘It’s not about having money or cars or stuff,’ says Peter Lockwood, of boat hire company Pennine Cruisers. ‘Not for us.’

The town’s lovely mayor, Councillor Winston Feather, puts it differently: ‘I’m not always the happiest person, but I’m so, so grateful to live here.’

And there’s a lot to be grateful for.

Skipton has good schools – two grammars and an academy that has recently been turned around – sports teams, a lovely leisure centre, walking groups, book groups, bridge clubs, a market four days a week, an actual bank and post office (albeit in a branch of Subway), theatre and a cinema, where I’m told several times that the premiere of Calendar Girls took place the day before the one in Leicester Square.

Crime figures are also relatively low – a good thing given the police station is open for only four hours a day and officers have to schlep over from Harrogate. There aren’t even holding cells here any more.

So, every once in a while, the head honcho of North Yorkshire Police (who lives in Skipton), puts on his full regalia – ‘stars and stripes and everything’ – and walks through town. 

Just to show a police presence . . . on his day off. But before we think we’re in an episode of James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small which, naturally, was filmed nearby (‘Our good friend Andy the vet is the consultant hand that goes up the cow’s backside’ says Julian), it is important to remember that of course not everyone here is happy.

How could they be? There are always people having a bad time thanks to illness, grief, depression, poverty and loneliness.

Certainly, Jodie a hairdresser with pink-rinsed hair, seems to loathe it. ‘It’s not a happy place,’ she insists, crossly. 

‘My customers are always moaning – about everything from the world to the weather to the fact we have put our prices up from five pounds a cut to six – after five years!’

And Claire, 54, points out, quite rightly, that behind ‘all that bloody happiness’, the local food bank is in hot demand.

Another woman who doesn’t want to be named, whispers about a stabbing and even a murder, ‘only a few years back’. 

Also, while Skipton Building Society head office employs 900 people and there are good transport links to Leeds and Bradford, access to decent jobs is not as good as it could be, house prices are much higher than in any of the surrounding villages and so the young struggle a bit.

‘There’s a dark side to Skipton, like there is everywhere,’ says Debbie in the Boat House Bar. ‘A lot of youths smashing about in the bus station. I think there was even a glassing. They’re bored. No youth clubs. Not enough for them to do, like anywhere else.’

So I head to the bus station where today, happily, no one is smashing it up, and get chatting to Charlie who is 16 and studying business and waiting for a bus with his mates.

‘It’s all right here, I s’pose. There’s cafés and a cinema and somewhere to play football,’ he says. ‘But it’s quite boring. It can’t be the happiest place, surely? There’s got to be happier places than this!’

Okay, so, given a magic wand, what would he do? ‘Make the weather better,’ he says, without hesitation. ‘Or move to Monaco. Which sounds much nicer.’

Matt, meanwhile, who works in Bek’s Electrical shop and has lived here since his missus threw him out of their home in Castle Hill, is not a huge fan.

‘I wouldn’t die if I didn’t live here. My customers are a merry bunch, but prices are always rising. People keep going on about how bloody happy it is – but it’s all about visitors.’

Those visitors arrive by the coachload from spring onwards. But of course, they also bring their wallets, which is a good thing because there are a few empty shops dotted around.

And in the beautiful Holy Trinity Church, perched at the top of the High Street and dating back to the 12th century, the heating hasn’t worked for three years and the congregation have been cuddled up with hot water bottles and blankets.

Even the famous narrowboats have had a time of it, what with all the canals drying up. 

But now the hire companies have ditched holiday rentals and switched to day trips, with shiny boats called Bill and Ben, Jack and Jill and Wallace And Gromit.

‘It’s the end of an era,’ says Peter Lockwood. ‘But you’ve just got to get on with it, ‘aven’t you.’ 

Happily, the endless pubs, microbreweries and clubs are thriving – two more opened just this week.

Just don’t call it Little Ibiza, as some newspapers did last year when reports of the great nightlife here hit the Press.

‘We didn’t love that – that wasn’t really our thing,’ says Gerry, 54, eating a (Farmhouse Fare) pie on the bridge with her dog. 

‘We’re more about the chat here, really. We love to chat, about anything.’

Indeed. In the Castle Inn, Alison, 62, tells me that half the town is haunted – including my lovely hotel, The Woolly Sheep Inn. 

She insists there are secret tunnels, big enough for horses, running under the High Street and that she was at school with one of the Yorkshire Ripper’s early victims, who was three years older than her. 

‘Ooh, it was terrible. We weren’t allowed to walk around the town at all.’

Skipton is an extraordinary place. Not perfect, of course not. But it is warm, straightforward and so, so friendly – partly because people actually look at you rather than at their mobile phones as they walk about.

But the highlight is surely Skipton Sound Bar, a live music venue near the bus station with a special oldies afternoon on Wednesdays which, by 2.15pm, is rammed and booming with Northern Soul music.

‘You have to get here by two to get a seat,’ shouts Doreen, 84, looking gorgeous in a sparkly top and with a perfect blow dry.

‘My friend Joan’s coming on the bus from Ilkley Road and we usually stay till about nine and then go to a speakeasy round the corner afterwards, then a taxi home just to be safe!

‘Come and dance,’ she cries, and as she boogies off to groove with her pal Justine, it is impossible not to join in.

So, finally, what advice would they give to perk up the rest of us?

For Doreen, it’s: ‘Life’s too short to moan about the weather. Mind your own business, get out and enjoy yourself, have some fun.’

George the fishmonger says: ‘Just be content with what you’ve got. If you’ve got £100, don’t spend £110.’

But I think my favourite comes from Julian, who puts it like this: ‘I always say to my kids, “Your word’s your word and be nice”. If everyone lived by that, there wouldn’t be so much strife in the world, would there? Just be nice, it don’t take much.’

During the day, Vic Lyons works full-time in dementia care as a senior Admiral Nurse. Her job is to help families navigate the emotional and bureaucratic minefield of a disease that robs their loved ones of their independence, memories and cognitive functions. 

Although Vic would naturally display kindness and a sympathetic ear when listening to what people are going through, it is all the more poignant for her.

When she logs off to the day, Vic heads back to her home in Hertfordshire, where she and her husband, Andrew, 53, care for Andrew’s 89-year-old mother Margaret, who was diagnosed with dementia in January 2024. All while also raising their two sons, aged 15 and 12.  

‘At work, I support families going through dementia and, at home, I’m in the thick of it,’  Vic, 51, tells Metro. ‘Mornings are consumed with getting Margaret dressed and the boys to school, while evenings are spent coaxing her through confusion and helping my sons with homework. Then the weekends are swallowed by housework, bills and medication reviews.’

There is thought to be up to 2.4million ‘sandwich’ carers in the UK – people stuck between looking after their children and elderly relatives – something the nurse admits is ‘a tough gig’.

‘The demands are exhausting,’ she admits. ‘It feels like Groundhog Day and there’s no respite. When you’re caring for someone you love, there’s no off switch. Both Andrew and I work full time, so every day demands careful planning.

‘Andrew gets his mum dressed and drops her off at the local day centre each morning, while I put her to bed in the evening. Her dementia is advanced, and her memory span is sometimes just seconds.’

Vic explains that Margaret can no longer make herself a drink, and often forgets who the family are. ‘She gets anxious when she’s by herself. It takes all of us, including the boys, to care for her,’ she says.

‘I know how hard it is for families because of my job – and yet the reality is so much harder than I ever thought it would be.’

In 2021, Vic’s mother-in-law moved from London to a flat close to the family home, a move planned to preserve her independence for as long as possible.

‘She’d stopped cooking dinners, taking her pills properly and going to the supermarket,’ remembers Vic. ‘We didn’t have an official diagnosis but, because of my job, I knew where this was headed. We discussed what care Margaret would need and moved her in around the corner because she still wanted her autonomy. We installed cameras and zone alerts for peace of mind – and count ourselves lucky that she sleeps through the night.’  

However, Vic recognises that her mother-in-law will soon need around-the-clock care. ‘Her condition is fast deteriorating,’ she adds sadly. 

‘We’ve pressed the button on building an extension to our house next year. Margaret oscillates between not wanting to be a burden and not wanting to be alone. But for her welfare, we see no other choice than for her to move in with us.’  

Thankfully, Margaret has enough money saved to fund the day centre costs where she receives specialist dementia support and companionship during the week while Vic and Andrew are at work. Still, the couple will need to remortgage their house to pay for the extension.

While the family have had to confront the costs of later-life care, a new poll has revealed just how much Britain is burying its head in the sand when it comes to ageing, care needs and the price tags attached.

A national survey of UK adults aged 45-+ reveals that two-thirds (62%) have never discussed later-life care with a parent or partner, while only 6% have a clear plan for how they or their parents will be supported as they age.

In fact, an astonishing 94% of people don’t talk about these things until forced to by circumstance. It was only when Margaret began to display worrying symptoms that it prompted conversations about care, highlighting how even the most informed families often delay planning until they are forced to act. 

The research, commissioned by Age Space, the UK’s leading online hub for families supporting elderly relatives, paints a picture of widespread confusion, financial uncertainty and what campaigners are calling a ‘dangerous national silence’. 

Vic explains that she also worries about the emotional impact the situation is having on their family – especially their two boys. 

‘When Margaret’s distressed, they can feel a bit scared and unsure how to react,’ she explains. ‘She sometimes thinks Andrew is her husband and I’m the other woman – it’s hard for the boys to hear this. I want them to feel they can invite friends around and be normal noisy teenagers.

‘I feel constantly torn. If the boys come home and want to talk but Andrew’s mum is becoming distressed or needs something, I have to prioritise her.

‘On special occasions such as Christmas Day, I worry she’ll get upset and I don’t want the boys to carry that memory. I also feel sad that they probably won’t sit and watch a movie with us – there’s an emotional barrier there now because of Nan.’  

The personal toll of being a sandwich carer, is also something that resonates with Vic. ‘You’re caring for everyone except yourself,’ she admits. ‘We get an hour watching TV at night if we’re lucky. I haven’t been to the gym in a year, and holidays look impossible for us now.

‘Last year, we went to Portugal while Margaret stayed with her sister, but a UTI led to delirium and she was admitted to hospital. We spent our holiday speaking to doctors and worried sick about her.’

For Vic, the silence around care in the UK is rooted in fear, rather than avoidance.

‘People don’t know where to start. The topic is wrapped up in fear – fear of cost, fear of losing independence, fear of aging. It isn’t easy,’ she says. 

‘People imagine caring is popping in to make a cup of tea. But it’s navigating memory loss, safety worries, emotional distress and guilt. And most people have no idea how much support they will need until they’re already drowning.’

To tackle Britain’s care silence, Age Space has launched the Prepare to Care campaign, fronted by broadcaster Janet Ellis. The campaign urges families to have earlier conversations about care, ideally years before decisions are forced on them by crisis. For more information, click here.

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It is among the first organized activities that many young children will get to experience.

Gymnastics is a popular choice, helping to cultivate early co-ordination and flexibility.t

The bright-coloured mats, trampolines and alluring balance beams are enough to intrigue many energetic toddlers. But the fun just doesn’t start at a young age — the option to travel down the competitive stream starts early, too.

“I was probably three or four when I started, but I remember more when I was about six or seven when I started on the competitive aspect of gymnastics,” said 21-year-old Charlotte Innes.

“There were maybe 40 or 50 girls trying out and they only picked maybe four, and she was one of the four,” added Charlotte’s mom, Carrie Mullin Innes.

Being chosen meant the then-young Calgarian had to make some big sacrifices. She said she trained multiple days a week, both before and after school, rising the ranks, winning medals and inching closer to a dream.

“Definitely Olympic-bound, that was the expectation. We were taught that this was more of a job, and we are here to get to the highest level,” said Innes.

But she said she paid a price for reaching that elite level.

“It felt like the military for small children,” said Innes. “On rough days, there would be a lot of degrading comments, like being called worthless. I had a coach say to me, ‘I’ve gone to three Olympics, and you are not going to none.’”

She recalls following a strict diet and said she was expected to show up even if she was hurt.  “I was still required to go to the gym, with a concussion, they would ask me to wear sunglasses or sit in a dark hallway and as long as I was there,” said Innes.

“There were several times I almost pulled her from the sport, and it was due to some of this stuff,” said her mom. “I was just like, ‘I can’t believe someone is treating my daughter this way.’ I spoke up regularly and they didn’t like that.”

Still, the push to succeed for Innes was powerful.

“It felt like gold,” said Innes. “A pot of gold at the end of a rainbow — free college at the biggest colleges you could think of in the U.S., potential (to be) Olympic-bound. There was so many opportunities. There were times I wondered if the trauma was worth where I wanted to be.”

Calgary is hosting the 2026 edition of Artistic Elite Canada this week, which marks the start of this year’s competitive season.

The event, which brings together competitive gymnasts from across the country, is taking place at time when big changes are being made to improve the safety and culture of the sport that has been marred by allegations of abuse and mistreatment of athletes for years.

“The culture of the sport that surrounded us was quite toxic. When I have taken some time to look back and reflect on that, I did see a lot of abuse,” said Innes.

“I saw a lot of physical abuse. I saw a lot of emotional abuse and a lot of mental abuse,” said Kyle Shewfelt, an Olympic gold medalist in the sport who now runs his own gymnastics club in Calgary.

Shewfelt said his experience was very positive, but acknowledged this was not the case for many others.

“It’s taken the hard work of the brave survivors that have come forward to share their stories with so much courage, and I think the community is embracing change that is starting to come,” said Shewfelt.

Gymnastics Canada and provincial affiliations now publicly post the names of sanctioned coaches online.

But Kim Shore, who is a former gymnast, former board member for Gymnastics Canada and longtime advocate for that change, said there is still lots more work to do.

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“It is the tip of the iceberg. Also, that is not an exhaustive list,” said Shore. “There are also coaches who are warned about their behavior and then they choose to go to another sport. There is absolutely no tracking from sport to sport or province to province,” said Shore.

But there is currently a push to change that, according to Kacey Neely, the director of Safe Sport for Gymnastics Canada, who said a national database of all sanctioned coaches in all sports in Canada is now being built.

Neely said Gymnastics Canada is also about to launch its robust safe-sport strategy, which will include the same level of screening for coaches across the country, regardless of the level, along with an independent third party to receive complaints, provide enhanced mental and emotional support for athletes and more education for coaches and parents and their children.

Neely emphasized safety is no longer just an add-on.

“It’s integrated at each level, athlete training, the high-performance program, sport development, coaching and judging — it’s there every step of the way.”

When Innes was 14, she decided enough was enough and quit the sport.

However, she did end up earning a scholarship to a school in the United States but in track and field.

But she said she has had to deal with the trauma of her time in gymnastics.

“I had a lot of anxiety and depression growing up due to that, I didn’t feel like I had a childhood. It felt like I was an adult in a child’s body the whole time,” said Innes, who is now attending law school and hopes to be a voice for other athletes so they don’t have to endure what she did.

“I do hope that other little girls that are dealing with this situation have more resources — to go and speak to people and just more measures put in place.”

A churn of saliva. A clashing of teeth. Way too much tongue.

These are just some of the components of a kiss many of us would rather forget.

So, it might come as a surprise to hear that more and more Brits have been searching for this kind of smooch on porn sites.

In fact, in the past two years, searches for the term ‘kissing fetish’ have surged by 67% on adult content marketplace, Clips4Sale, making it one of the most lucrative categories.

That’s kisses that are ‘wet’ and ‘smokey’, according to search terms, as well as those that you might associate with a good snogger, including ‘erotic’, ‘romantic’ and ‘SFW (safe for work)’.

In the r/dating subReddit, users have been sharing their love of a ‘sloppy and wet make-out session.’

‘I yearn for a sloppy make out session,’ wrote one user, while another said: ‘I love spit swapping, tonsil wrestling, tongue tied make out sessions.’

Our jaws hurt just thinking about it, but sex therapist Courtney Boyer is hardly surprised that kissing fetish is finally having its moment.

‘Kissing sits right at the intersection of emotional intimacy and physical arousal,’ she tells Metro. ‘The lips are packed with nerve endings, so even light contact can send strong sensory signals through the body.

‘Throw in eye contact, anticipation, scent, and emotional connection, and it becomes a powerful erotic trigger.

‘This is often more psychologically charged than overt sexual touch.’

Why are so many Brits getting off to kissing videos?

Courtney explains that, like most fetishes, our penchant for the intimate act develops through early imprinting. ‘Because kissing is often our first intimate act, it can hold emotional and erotic significance that carried into adulthood.’

That certainly makes sense, but what’s the appeal of the ‘washing-machine’ style snog?

Well, Courtney says the wet noises can hold a particular allure.

‘Sound and sensation amplify arousal,’ Courtney adds. ‘Wet kissing noises can heighten realism, and signal a mutual desire and immersion in the moment.’ Essentially, it shows that the pair are really digging the smooch.

Specific searches for things like ‘smokey kisses’ also point to a desire for sex acts that feel a little bit wrong.

‘These refer to kissing where smoke, often from cigarettes or vapes, is shared mouth-to-mouth,’ Courtney says. ‘For some, the appeal lies in taboo, the combination of all senses (taste and smell), and the intimacy of sharing air.

‘It blends rebellion with closeness, which can feel edgy and erotic.’

The fetish can also overlap with kinks like breath play, oral fixations, sensory play and even romantic dom and sub dynamics.

‘All of these center on closeness, control, and sensory immersion, which are core elements of erotic kissing,’ Courtney explains.

Keeping it PG

On the other end of the spectrum, SFW (safe for work) kisses were another frequently searched-for term, suggesting there are those out there looking for a more PG exchange.

‘Despite an increase among the younger generation in more aggressive acts like choking, there is also a growing appetite for softer intimacy,’ Courtney says.

‘Kissing that feels affectionate, slow, and emotionally grounded rather than overtly sexual.

‘In times of stress or digital overload, people often crave comfort, safety, and nostalgia. “SFW” content offers arousal rooted in connection rather than explicitness.’

While the kissing fetish spans all genders, Courtney says that research and clinical insights suggest women are more likely to eroticise kissing because they tend to ‘link arousal with emotion’.

‘That said, men absolutely share the fetish,’ she adds, ‘particularly when kissing is framed as a marker of mutual desire or conquest. It’s less about gender and more about how individuals eroticise intimacy.’

But why the sudden uptick?

With a dramatic increase in demand for kissing fetish videos in the past two years, you do have to wonder what sparked the surge in interest.

For Courtney, post-pandemic psychology plays a major role. ‘Periods of isolation heightened our awareness of touch deprivation,’ she says.

‘Kissing, intimate but accessible, became symbolic of reconnection. At the same time, dating culture has been recalibrating toward slower, more intentional intimacy.’

And while the act of kissing itself has always been erotic, the expert suggests its rise as a standalone fetish is tied to online culture, too.

‘Particularly, it’s the growth of searchable, niche content over the past decade,’ she says. ‘As people realise their specific turn-ons are shared by others, interest and visibility increases.’

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Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

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I love John Lewis. You love John Lewis. We all love John Lewis. It’s a national institution which we take so much for granted that we’d only truly miss it if it was gone.

It’s also a bellwether. When everything is right with John Lewis, everything is right with the world.

It’s not, of course, but for a certain type of woman – possibly midlife, possibly a parent, definitely time-pressed – a trip to John Lewis can make life feel more manageable.

The stores are calm and ordered, the customer service is unparalleled and the returns policy is generous and clear. You don’t go to John Lewis for surprises: you have enough of those already. You go for solutions, be they for your family, your kitchen, your garden or your wardrobe.

Every retailer purports to offer ‘wardrobe solutions’, that holy grail of fashion that ensures you can stumble out of bed, reach into your closet and pluck out a deftly chosen outfit that makes you look instantly better.

On the high street, competition has never been fiercer – not least from arch rival Marks & Spencer, whose womenswear has been enjoying rave reviews in recent seasons

Much as we all love John Lewis, in the battle to win over our wardrobes, it has its work cut out.

So there’s a lot riding on the store’s new Spring/Summer collection that was unveiled on Wednesday. 

As for which weapons the 162-year-old retailer is deploying in its bid for British wardrobe space this spring, the answer is is ‘optimism and colour pops’, according to its design director Queralt Ferrer, gesturing at what she calls ‘an army of mannequins’ wearing sprightly spring hues.

‘I’m not a colour person, as you can see,’ Ferrer tells me, who at the launch is mainly wearing black. ‘But you gravitate to colour, especially in summer. We’ve had so many neutral seasons that having this kind of optimism – beautiful colours like red, dusty yellows and pink – brings a little bit of joy into your wardrobe.’

My eye is first drawn to a smart satin jacket, £350, in the same colour of green as Kiera Knightly’s famous slip dress from the 2007 film Atonement. 

Emerald green has proved to be a perennially popular dress colour ever since, and this is its outerwear equivalent. It’s a clever idea, and comes with matching trousers, £195.

Both are by Amanda Wakeley, one of 14 new labels joining the retailer’s existing 100-strong womenswear brands on offer for spring. A favourite of the Princess of Wales, Wakeley is no slouch at providing elegant wardrobe solutions, and should prove a popular draw.

Of the other 13 other new brands, it’s unlikely that core customers will have heard of many including Martin Margiela’s cult label MM6; the sleek Australian label St Agni; and Mother, the premium denim brand worn by Taylor Swift, Reese Witherspoon and the Duchess of Sussex. But this doesn’t matter: what matters is whether they buy.

I’m interested to know the criteria John Lewis uses when making its selection. Is their customer price-sensitive? At what price do they balk? They also stock Barbour, Ralph Lauren and Maxmara, all of which come with fairly hefty price tags, yet Ferrer says they consistently sell well.

‘We bring in brands that we think our customer will relate to,’ says Ferrer, who was M&S’s womenswear design director between 2013 and 2018, then Massimo Dutti, before joining John Lewis in 2022. ‘But we also want to stretch her a little bit.

The market is saturated with options – what becomes increasingly important is the curation. The hope is that she’ll come in for brands she knows and recognises, but will also discover something new.’

One brand customers will certainly have heard of is Topshop, the beleaguered but well-loved label that ruled British women’s wardrobes throughout the late eighties to the mid 2000s. After going bust in 2021, it was bought by e-tailer Asos, where it has languished online ever since. Not any more. Thanks to John Lewis, Topshop will now be available to buy in all 36 of its stores nationwide.

Which is good news for older or more timid customers who like to try before they buy, a particularly useful factor when it comes to the minefield that is buying jeans.

Denim was always one of Topshops’s strengths, and standouts for spring include its well-loved, much-missed Joni and Jamie jeans, as well as a black faux leather jacket, £80.

Amid the 650 womenswear, menswear and childrenswear brands that make up the retailer’s offer for spring, its in-house labels, John Lewis and And/Or, can get a little overlooked. 

While rival M&S started selling third-party brands such as Joules, Nobody’s Child and Hobbs in 2021, its own brand very much still dominates the shop floor. This is far less the case at John Lewis – which, on the evidence of the new spring collection, is a shame.

Ferrer describes John Lewis’ eponymous brand as ‘casual but sophisticated’, explaining that the design team focused on offering customers a capsule wardrobe of elevated basics. 

The clothes look good, but significantly, they also feel good: a pale pink leather jacket, £299, is pleasingly buttery for the price; a white linen shirt, £109, is reassuringly opaque (never a given with linen), and a pair of wide-leg jeans, £79, feel endearingly comfy.

The design team sources as much fabric as possible from Europe (leather is sourced from Turkey), while most of the manufacturing takes place in Portugal, Spain or France.

At the preview, some of the mannequins are sporting Chanel handbags, like plastic Anna Wintours. These are courtesy of a partnership with pre-loved fashion retailer Sign of the Times, which since 2024 has offered John Lewis customers the chance to pick up a classic Chanel quilt bag alongside their three-pack of knickers – for around half the price of a new one. 

Also on offer are pre-loved totes from Gucci, Mulberry and Louis Vuitton. You can see the appeal for skittish customers who might feel too intimidated to buy a second-hand designer handbag on less trusted platforms. At John Lewis, they know they won’t be duped into buying one that’s overpriced or fake.

Beyond selling competitively priced leather, denim and tailoring (three categories that are doing particularly well, apparently), what John Lewis is really selling is trust.

In an oversaturated retail landscape where women can buy whatever they want whenever they want it, John Lewis’s famous ‘never knowingly undersold’ slogan has never felt more important. Trust is hard to earn, and even harder to keep.

While some items in the new spring collection may prove too expensive or challenging (some of the barrel-leg trousers are a bit too barrel-legged for comfort), no retailer can be all things to all people.

What it can be, however, is a trusted source of well-priced, responsibly-manufactured clothes, by brands both familiar and new. The secret sauce lies in the edit.

That every John Lewis store also offers a personal styling service (for which demand at grew by eight per cent last year) also helps its customers select the best edit to suit their busy lives.

‘The biggest compliment a customer could pay us would be that they got what they wanted, and that they love wearing it,’ says Ferrer. ‘We want them to be confident about wearing what they buy from us, and we want them to come back because they trust us. Trust is so important.’

Loyal customers are the dream. With losses across John Lewis and Waitrose nearly tripling in the first half of 2025 to £88m, fans will be hoping that in 2026, John Lewis is starts delivering again on the fashion front. And this collection is certainly a good star.