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A former Worcestershire county cricketer who had to give up the sport due to anorexia has nearly completed an epic walking challenge from Land’s End to John O’ Groats.

Olivia Robinson, who grew up in Worcester, is visiting more than 70 cricket clubs along the way to raise money for charity Chance to Shine.

She said her cricket journey began in the city before she became unwell and made attempts on her life.

The walk, which she started on 5 June, was about raising money for the charity but also a “personal pilgrimage” to “once and for all say goodbye to all of that trauma”.

Ms Robinson, who now lives in Australia, said she hoped to raise £20,000 for the charity which helps young people through cricket, and to finish the challenge in 18 days.

Speaking to BBC Hereford and Worcester from the side of a loch in the Scottish Highlands she said she was on day 61 and has allowed herself one rest day a month – one in Worcester in June, then Leeds and her last one was in Edinburgh.

She said she had fond memories of Worcester.

“Of course, I played all my cricket there which is where this whole journey started, through cricket and living and growing up in Worcester,” she said.

She said went thought a district and county cricket set up in Worcester before she became unwell.

“Unfortunately, I became really unwell with anorexia and attempts on my life,” she said.

“I was poorly for about a decade, understandably lost my spot on the team.

“It was really hard to dig deep for about a decade, to find a reason to stay alive, but getting back to cricket and being part of the community, being part of a team, a feeling of elation when you win… that was my main incentive.”

Once she was healthy enough to get back on the cricket pitch, she said she “let go” of the illness and moved on.

“I’m very glad to say I still play cricket and I’m in the absolute best, healthiest mental and physical shape of my life – except probably not right now as I’m absolutely exhausted from walking 61 days,” she said.

“I just love the game of cricket and that’s what this walk is about.”

Visiting all the cricket clubs had been “incredible” she said, having reached more than 50 so far.

She added that her full-time job is a mural artist in Australia and she has also being drawing a cricket ball with a smiley face on in a secret place at every club she has visited on her travels.

Alexis Bledel is revisiting Tuck Everlasting.

The actress, who starred in 2002 film, will narrate a special 50th Anniversary Edition of Tuck Everlasting, scheduled for release on Sept. 2, 2025.

In the film, Bledel starred as teenager Winnie Foster who meets Jesse Tuck (Jonathan Jackson), a boy who is unlike anyone she’s ever met before but is harboring a major secret.

The film was based on the novel written by Newbery Honoree Natalie Babbitt and published in 1975. With over 10 million copies sold, the book has been recognized as a classic of modern children’s literature. 

“It has been an amazing experience to revisit this world,” Bledel said in a statement. “Tuck Everlasting holds a special place in my heart, having played Winnie Foster in the film many years ago. Narrating this beloved story for its 50th anniversary edition is a wonderful journey back into a tale that challenges us to think about what it truly means to live a meaningful life. It’s a timeless piece that continues to inspire, and I’m thrilled to bring this magical narrative to life for a new generation of listeners.”

This new audiobook from Macmillan Audio will be available at audiobook retailers including Audible, Apple Books and Spotify on Sept. 2, 2025, alongside a special 50th-anniversary edition of the book and an original graphic-novel adaptation by K. Woodman-Maynard.

The Hollywood Reporter shares an exclusive look at Bledel narrating the audiobook below and a clip of the reading above.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=YWJOgUmFm4A%3Fsi%3DRQ4I5qJ8MXEZf0bm%E2%80%9D

Lady Gaga is the leading nominee for the 2025 Video Music Awards, and one of her collaborators is right on her heels.

Gaga has 12 nominations for the VMAs, including for video of the year (for “Die With a Smile”), artist of the year and album of the year for Mayhem. Bruno Mars has 11 total nominations, all for his collaborations with Lady Gaga on “Die With a Smile” and K-pop artist Rosé on “APT.”

Kendrick Lamar picked up 10 nominations, seven of them for his video for “Not Like Us.” It will compete for video of the year with “Die With a Smile,” “APT.,” Ariana Grande’s “Brighter Days Ahead,” Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” and The Weeknd and Playboy Carti’s “Timeless.”

The VMAs added two categories for this year’s ceremony, best pop artist and best country video. Among the first-time nominees are Alex Warren, Blake Shelton, Gigi Perez, Lainey Wilson and Mac Miller.

The VMAs will are set for Sept. 7 at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. The awards will air on CBS for the first time in addition to their longtime home on MTV and stream live on Paramount+ (for subscribers to the service’s premium plan). Former MTV head Van Toffler and his company Gunpowder & Sky will produce the show along with Den of Thieves.

The full list of nominees is below.

Video of the Year

Ariana Grande, “Brighter Days Ahead”
Billie Eilish, “Birds of a Feather”
Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile”
Rosé & Bruno Mars, “APT.”
Sabrina Carpenter, “Manchild”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti, “Timeless”

Artist of the Year

Bad Bunny
Beyoncé
Kendrick Lamar
Lady Gaga
Morgan Wallen
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd

Song of the Year

Alex Warren, “Ordinary”
Billie Eilish, “Birds of a Feather”
Doechii, “Anxiety”
Ed Sheeran, “Sapphire”
Gracie Abrams, “I Love You, I’m Sorry”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile”
Lorde, “What Was That”
Rosé & Bruno Mars, “APT.”
Tate McRae, “Sports Car”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti, “Timeless”

Best New Artist

Alex Warren
Ella Langley
Gigi Perez
Lola Young
Sombr
The Marías

Best Pop Artist

Ariana Grande
Charli xcx
Justin Bieber
Lorde
Miley Cyrus
Sabrina Carpenter
Tate McRae

MTV Push Performance of the Year

August 2024: Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
September 2024: Ayra Starr, “Last Heartbreak Song”
October 2024: Mark Ambor, “Belong Together”
November 2024: Lay Bankz, “Graveyard”
December 2024: Dasha, “Bye Bye Bye”
January 2025: KATSEYE, “Touch”
February 2025: Jordan Adetunji, “Kehlani”
March 2025: Leon Thomas, “Yes It Is”
April 2025: Livingston, “Shadow”
May 2025: Damiano David, “Next Summer”
June 2025: Gigi Perez, “Sailor Song”
July 2025: Role Model, “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out”

Best Collaboration

Bailey Zimmerman with Luke Combs, “Backup Plan (Stagecoach Official Music Video)”
Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “luther”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile”
Post Malone ft. Blake Shelton, “Pour Me A Drink”
Rosé & Bruno Mars, “APT.”
Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco, “Sunset Blvd”

Best Pop

Alex Warren, “Ordinary”
Ariana Grande, “Brighter Days Ahead”
Ed Sheeran, “Sapphire”
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile”
Rosé & Bruno Mars, “APT.”
Sabrina Carpenter, “Manchild”

Best Hip-Hop

Doechii, “Anxiety”
Drake, “Nokia”
Eminem ft. Jelly Roll, “Somebody Save Me”
GloRilla ft. Sexyy Red, “Whatchu Kno About Me”
Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
LL Cool J ft. Eminem, “Murdergram Deux”
Travis Scott, “4X4”

Best R&B

Chris Brown, “Residuals”
Leon Thomas & Freddie Gibbs, “Mutt (Remix)”
Mariah Carey, “Type Dangerous”
Partynextdoor – “No Chill”
Summer Walker, “Heart Of A Woman”
SZA, “Drive”
The Weeknd, Playboi Carti, “Timeless”

Best Alternative

Gigi Perez, “Sailor Song”
Imagine Dragons, “Wake Up”
Lola Young, “Messy”
mgk & Jelly Roll, “Lonely Road”
Sombr, “Back to Friends”
The Marías, “Back To Me”

Best Rock

Coldplay, “All My Love”
Evanescence, “Afterlife (From the Netflix Series Devil May Cry)”
Green Day, “One Eyed Bastard”
Lenny Kravitz, “Honey”
Linkin Park, “The Emptiness Machine”
Twenty One Pilots, “The Contract”

Best Latin

Bad Bunny, “Baile Inolvidable”
J Balvin, “Rio”
Karol G, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”
Peso Pluma, “La Patrulla”
Rauw Alejandro & Romeo Santos, “Khé?”
Shakira, “Soltera“

Best K-pop

Aespa, “Whiplash”
Jennie, “Like Jennie”
Jimin, “Who”
Jisoo, “Earthquake”
Lisa ft. Doja Cat & Raye, “Born Again”
Stray Kids, “Chk Chk Boom”
Rosé – “Toxic Till the End”

Best Afrobeats

Asake & Travis Scott, “Active”
Burna Boy ft. Travis Scott, “TaTaTa”
Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea, “Shake It To The Max (Fly) (Remix)”
Rema, “Baby (Is It A Crime)”
Tems ft. Asake, “Get It Right”
Tyla, “Push 2 Start”
Wizkid ft. Brent Faiyaz, “Piece Of My Heart”

Best Country

Chris Stapleton, “Think I’m In Love With You”
Cody Johnson with Carrie Underwood, “I’m Gonna Love You”
Jelly Roll, “Liar”
Lainey Wilson, “4x4xU”
Megan Moroney, “Am I Okay?”
Morgan Wallen, “Smile”

Best Album

Bad Bunny, Debí Tirar Más Fotos
Kendrick Lamar, GNX 
Lady Gaga, Mayhem
Morgan Wallen, I’m the Problem 
Sabrina Carpenter, Short n’ Sweet
The Weeknd, Hurry Up Tomorrow

Best Long Form Video 

Ariana Grande, “Brighter Days Ahead”
Bad Bunny – “Debí Tirar Más Fotos (Short Film)”
Damiano David, “Funny Little Stories”
Mac Miller, “Balloonerism”
Miley Cyrus, “Something Beautiful”
The Weeknd, “Hurry Up Tomorrow”

Video for Good

Burna Boy, “Higher”
Charli xcx – “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
Doechii, “Anxiety”
Eminem ft. Jelly Roll, “Somebody Save Me”
Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco – “Younger and Hotter Than Me”
Zach Hood ft. Sasha Alex Sloan, “Sleepwalking”

Best Direction

Ariana Grande, “Brighter Days Ahead”
Charli xcx, “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga, “Abracadabra”
Rosé & Bruno Mars, “APT.”
Sabrina Carpenter, “Manchild”

Best Art Direction

Charli xcx, “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga, “Abracadabra”
Lorde, “Man of the Year”
Miley Cyrus, “End of the World”
Rosé & Bruno Mars, “APT.”

Best Cinematography

Ariana Grande, “Brighter Days Ahead”
Ed Sheeran, “Sapphire”
Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga, “Abracadabra”
Miley Cyrus, “Easy Lover”
Sabrina Carpenter, “Manchild”

Best Editing

Charli xcx, “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
Ed Sheeran, “Sapphire”
Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga, “Abracadabra”
Sabrina Carpenter, “Manchild”
Tate McRae, “Just Keep Watching (From F1: The Movie)”

Best Choreography

Doechii, “Anxiety”
FKA Twigs, “Eusexua”
Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
Lady Gaga, “Abracadabra”
Tyla – “Push 2 Start”
Zara Larsson, “Pretty Ugly”

Best Visual Effects

Ariana Grande, “Brighter Days Ahead”
Lady Gaga, “Abracadabra”
Rosé & Bruno Mars, “APT.”
Sabrina Carpenter, “Manchild”
Tate McRae, “Just Keep Watching (From F1: The Movie)“
The Weeknd, “Hurry Up Tomorrow”

Last week the soundtrack to Netflix animated fantasy film K-Pop Demon Hunters spent its sixth consecutive week at No.1 in the compilations chart, while Golden, which is taken from the album, topped the singles chart.

Now, two of the executives leading the campaign – Jim Roppo, chairman and CEO at Republic Records, and Steve Pitron, SVP, Island EMI Label Group, International – have told Music Week that they are simply blown away by the film’s runaway success.

“There’s no one that could tell you they predicted this,” said Roppo. “Our partners Savan Kotecha and Spring Aspers at Sony Pictures introduced us to this amazing project and we were immediately on board.”

Republic Records is working the campaign through a JV with Visva Records, the new label behind the soundtrack, which was founded by hitmaker Savan Kotecha. Island EMI Label Group is working the release in the UK.

“Golden is an anthem of self-acceptance and empowerment that feels like it’s already taken the crown for song of the summer and is still growing at a phenomenal rate,” added Steve Pitron. “The school holidays really couldn’t have come at a better time!”

Three of the songs on the OST made the singles Top 10 last week, while the album’s sales reached a new weekly peak of 16,176 units (370 digital downloads and 15,806 sales-equivalent streams). Its to-date tally is now 64,357 units, according to the Official Charts Company.

Golden became the first song from a movie to top the chart since Dua Lipa’s Dance The Night in 2023, Golden hit No.1 thanks to 42,853 sales (1,073 digital downloads and 41,780 sales-equivalent streams), a 34.69% surge, week-on-week.

Golden is credited to Huntr/X, Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami & K-Pop Demon Hunters Cast, but is effectively a song by fictional K-Pop group Huntr/X, whose real life members are Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. Our analysis reported that Huntr/X are now the first female ‘group’ – three or more members – to have a No.1 single since Little Mix in 2021. 

Golden wasn’t the only track from the album in last week’s singles Top 75: Your Idol hit No.10 (25,132 sales) and Soda Pop was at No.11 (24,868 sales).  Both are credited to Saja Boys, Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo, Samuil Lee & K-Pop Demon Hunters Cast. Four more songs from the album were ‘starred-out’ of the Top 75.

Here, we quiz Jim Roppo and Steve Pitron on the campaign so far and ask what’s next for the franchise.

The album has been performing well for some weeks now, did you expect to see the singles doing so well?  

Jim Roppo: “We prepared for the film to have some success, but once the film was out I noticed my kids watching on repeat and began sounding the alarms internally and with all our partners that we have something truly special here. Week after week it continues to surprise us in the best ways, but that is where Republic thrives, immediately activating our partners across the board in undeniable pop culture moments like this. Now we are breaking records with our amazing label partners from Island EMI in ways I don’t think we even knew were possible.”

Steve Pitron: “At its core, it’s an incredible film that appeals to all ages; with its engaging story line, wonderful characters, beautiful animation, all under-pinned by brilliant music which resonates with both K-Pop fans and broader audiences. These songs not only serve as a strong soundtrack within the movie but also stand up in their own right, which has helped us focus on them in the same way we would with any other artist’s music. The film instantly generated a huge fanbase who immediately jumped in creating fan art, cosplay, and dance covers shared online, which helped build further awareness as playlisting and radio support then exploded. You cannot move without seeing or hearing this wherever you go at the moment.”

We are breaking records in ways I don’t think we even knew was possible

Jim Roppo, Republic

Golden is from a soundtrack album by a fictional band – this must be a unique campaign to work on based on that alone? What’s it been like to be part of? 

JR: “Very unique, but that is what makes this project so special. We are breaking records in ways I don’t think we even knew was possible. We are watching a viral song of summer continue to grow at a phenomenal rate and we aren’t letting off the gas.”

SP: “It’s been an interesting few weeks working a project like this, but thankfully we have been in safe hands with Island EMI’s Christina Incocciati [head of international] and Max Lutkin [marketing] steering the project, both come with a wealth of knowledge and experience from working similar projects, most recently Wicked. I also have to shout out Phil Blackler, Florence James and the rest of the incredible streaming and commerce team who have also left no stone unturned in their efforts to ensure this became the success it is.”

You cannot move without seeing or hearing this wherever you go at the moment

Steve Pitron, Island EMI

Will this open the floodgates for more K Pop in the singles chart? 

JR: “We are seeing K-Pop Demon Hunters raise all tides in the K-Pop space. You can see it with Twice, who already have global success on their own, but their participation in the film has brought them to the attention of millions of new fans experiencing the genre for the first time. Their single Strategy has re-entered the charts and continues to grow week on week.” 

What’s next for the franchise and what lessons have you learned from this campaign so far?

JR: “Our focus remains on the soundtrack, we believe there are many more ways for us to continue sharing this special project. K-Pop Demon Hunters is a gift that keeps giving, and we will continue to be surprised at the new heights it will reach.” 

SP: “I think it’s fair to say the world is waiting for news of what’s next for Rumi, Mira and Zoey aka Demon Hunters! One would hope there is a Part 2. I am excited to see how we can further bring the characters out of the movie to live in the real world!”