#emotional support italian stallion

[tennis-kittens]

Laver cup 2022 • Tsitsipas vs. Tiafoe • Matteo's reactions

[radcloudbasement]

Rocky Balboa as the prototype of Marcoh.

(Marcoh is also based on Kazuma Kiryu from Yakuza, but I don't play the games)

I must say right away that I only watched the first movie and use a translator for this article, so I'm sorry.

A short biography of Rocky:

Rocky Balboa was the only child in an Italian-American family. Born on July 6, 1945. He studied with great diligence, so he wanted to become like his idol, Rocky Marciano. Forced to live on a small salary, participating in local club fights and unable to find work anywhere else, Rocky got a job as a collector for Tony Gazzo, a local loan shark, just to make ends meet. His nickname is "The Italian Stallion", which he invented for himself because of his Italian origin.

Similarities:

1. They are boxers and similar looks. (wow, curly hair and badass face expression)

2. Moral compass, kindness, morality.

Rocky collector, working for a loan shark, did not break the finger of a man who did not have enough money to pay off the debt, but he must do it. He is a great moralist, he even imposed on the girl (do not hang out with some group of teens, otherwise you will become a bad person in the future) even when he became famous, he did not deteriorate.

And Marcoh helped Olivia (a girl he barely knows) to bring a wheelchair from a dangerous city, he is also attentive to us as a true gentleman.

They both look formidable, but in fact they are kind people.

3. They are considered stupid.

Rocky Balboa was portrayed as stupid because he is uneducated. He didn't finish high school. His father told him: «You weren't born that smart, so you better start using your body» It is clear that he did not have the support to continue his education. Rocky was boxing. Also, it is used to show the difference between Apollo and Rocky Balboa. Rocky is a primitive animal, and Apollo is a genius. Rocky Dumb is used as the complete opposite of his girlfriend. She should be a smart and shy woman. Rocky should be a nice idiot. These polar opposites were supposed to fill in the gaps in their hearts.

When we attack Marcoh, can we insult him by saying «muscles take precedence over brains?» which is similar to the phrase of Rocky's father. Marcoh said «peace before the storm» instead of calm before the storm (Olivia corrected him) And he asked Olivia what an «atheist» was. This does not mean that he is stupid, just not quite knowledgeable.

4. Shyness and quiet personality.

Rocky has said many times that he is shy.

Marcoh blushes when we approach him, he seems confused by our attention.

5. Animal love.

Rocky named the turtles, happily barked with his dog and I still remember the phrase «birds are like little multicolored candies.»

And Marcoh seems to like rats and frogs. (he has three whole partytalk, where he talked to frogs, said that rats are cute and «no little critters around?»)

6. Religious.

What I saw from the screenshot of the second movie and in the first one there was a cross hanging over the bed.

And Marcoh said that he prays All-mer sometimes in that partytalk.

7. They trained on meat carcasses.

In the movie, Rocky was shown how he trained.

Marcoh do the same, this was said in the prologue.

8. The motto is never to give up.

Rocky's quotes deserve special attention. Like popular: «It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!»

Oh, Marcoh's constant motivational phrases, sometimes out of place, even when they fell into a toilet, he was the only one who told the whole team not to give up.

9. Finally, they are Italians and work with not the kindest bosses.

End of similarities list.

They are almost the same person but Rocky seemed to me little more emotional, Marcoh is calm almost always, Rocky too, but then Rocky has certain triggers for example when he was told to take his girlfriend on a date to the zoo or a moment of emotional breakdown with a coach. For Marcoh it was only a Bremen soldier «I saw a Bremen soldier and could not restrain myself punch him»

Many compare him to Jotaro kujo, but.

I think Miro took Jotaro part 6 as a reference for the sprite.

Rocky and Clint Eastwood (He is the prototype for Jotaro) are quiet heroes of the old time, using one-liners, therefore having similar vibes, but the archetypes are very different Clint Eastwood is a typical persistent guy the hero of a western and Rocky is a man who overcomes difficulties, going to the very end and inspiring.

[movienotesbyzawmer]

April 6: Rocky

I have learned that the six Rocky movies (so all of the Rocky ones but not the Creed movies) are available on HBO Max. I was looking for a new watch-and-take-notes-and-post-the-notes project, so yo. Check it.

I've seen all six of these movies. I saw most of this one in the theater, like, back then! I was terribly terribly young! Maybe 7. I remember my friend Greg really wanted to see it, but our parents wouldn't let us. So we had them drop us off to see Capricorn One, but Greg made us sneak in to watch Rocky instead. He was so excited about it he wanted to play-punch afterward, but it hurt and I didn't like play-punch. I also didn't care about the movie. You know what movie is decent, though? Capricorn One. Although the supporting performance from O.J. Simpson might throw ya.

Anyway, since its release the reputation of this movie has remained very strong. It won Best Picture in an extremely competitive year. It is very much the Rocky Balboa of that year's awards contenders! But I'm pretty sure I'm going to be watching this first movie and admiring its scrappiness, then watching the subsequent ones and rolling my eyes at their formulaic-ness.

The opening fanfare sets the atmosphere really awesomely actually.

Oh also I don't care at all for boxing. And yet it seems like the idea of it is good drama fodder, I mean the idea of a sport of just two people punching each other until one of them is the winner at that.

So the first scene is a boxing match in a little church somewhere. Some people are in attendance who apparently like to pass the time watching punching. Rocky is bloody and hangdog. After the fight, which Rocky won, both fighters convalesce next to each other in a back room, kind of indifferently. But we have learned that punch-sport is a part of Christian life.

Rocky walks home through the gritty streets, past his friends who sing rudimentary a capella music on a street corner. They should work on the complexity of their harmonies.

Rocky is home and his home is gritty also. Atmosphere. He has a tank with animals in it. I cannot tell what the animals are. He talks to them. Personality.

He has a mirror he looks at and the mirror is decorated with pictures of Young Sylvester Stallone. They are totally pictures of him as a boy and young man. But Sylvester Stallone was not in character as Rocky Balboa when he took those pictures. It is a little jarring.

At the pet store the next day we are introduced to Adrian. That is the spelling, I checked. She is very very very shy-acting. The director told her to act shy, and she was like OH I'M GOING TO MEET AND EXCEED THOSE EXPECTATIONS.

Rocky's next stop is The Docks. I am surprised that Philadelphia has a dock area with such large ships, but I guess that's real. But I'm also surprised that he's there on the business of being the muscle for a loan shark. I didn't remember about that side of Rocky's complex, complex personality.

That scene just ended with a very 80s-teen-movie moment; a fellow thug rolled down his window and bullyingly yelled, "so long, meatbag!" We feel so bad that Rocky doesn't have the respect of his coworkers in the loan shark gang.

After getting dressed down by his gangster colleagues, he then goes to his gym and there's this whole thing about how the coach guy is so sick of Rocky's boxing mediocrity that they gave someone else his locker. It seems like that wouldn't happen. On his way out, the other boxer taunts him by saying he's pumped to be in receipt of Rocky's locker which is a very fine locker. We saw it, though. It was just a locker.

Adrian again. Broad caricature of an introverted person. I don't buy it maybe. Then a scene in a bar and the conversation with the bartender is also dumb fakey acting.

He later came upon a bunch of jerks on a corner, but among them was an awkward teenage girl that he knows. He makes her leave with him and tries to give him avuncular advice, but that scene ends with her telling him, "screw you creepo!" The exposition of this movie has a very opaque strategy.

0:30:00 - A scene with Apollo Creed does some more very unnatural exposition, setting up the premise that some local underdog is going to get a chance to fight him. This doesn't seem like an acclaimed movie. This seems like a scene in a cheap romance movie where the Handsome Man confesses to his best friend that what he's really looking for in a woman is someone not so pretty.

AC is flipping through a straight-up book, looking for a good boxer to fight on January 1, 1976, to celebrate the bicentennial. I'm a little "wha?" about some of this. He chooses Rocky Balboa because of his catchy "Italian Stallion" nickname and remember because Columbus was Italian so

Rocky and Adrian go on a date. It's Thanksgiving but that happens anyway. It does not bristle with romantic energy. It reeks of social obligations. It seems like the beginning of the kind of loveless relationship your grandparents began in the 1940s in their dustbowl-decimated agrarian community.

They are back at his little shithole apartment and he is a persistent man and I do not root for this relationship.

Things escalated kind of quickly. Rocky got invited to an agent guy's fancy office and offered a chance to fight for the World Heavyweight Championship. The next scene, everyone knows about it and he's on TV. He seems like a dumb lug. How can he possibly succeed. Good job contrasting his character with the big celebrity, though.

Burges Meredith is oddly appealing as this surly, pirate-talking boxer-coach-manager guy. He comes to Rocky's apartment sucking up, and Rocky isn't receptive, I'm pretty much buying BM's different emotions, and Rocky's.

1:11:24 - Pretty sure my friend and I talked a lot about this scene when we saw it back then, he fills a glass with raw eggs and drinks it up. All one shot, baby.

This scene with Paulie, Adrian's brother who is Rocky's friend, I don't like. Paulie is a bad friend. That scene ends with Rocky beating up pig carcasses. They should have just had that part.

His hands are bloody when he punches the meat things. That's his blood, right? That's not like animal flesh?

We just had a very melodramatic scene with Rocky and Adrian and Pauly, and Pauly just went nuts. This time, at least, Rocky and Adrian react to him the way you'd think people normally would.

1:30:55 - Famous training montage. I think as this movie series progresses these montages get more stylish. As it is, it's going for just a rousing moment of "he seems confident as he trains", as the music pumps you up with the profound lyrics, "trying hard now" and "getting strong now".

They have actually explained almost nothing about the specifics of boxing. I realize that now as Rocky says "no one has ever gone the distance with Creed". Which I think means something about going all 15 rounds, right? But the point is that I haven't had to hear much about stuff like that, and I honestly don't mind that.

1:44:30 - Ew, some actually kind of bad stock footage of the crowd at the fight. Oh, but then a cameo by actual Joe Frazier, probably.

As the fight begins I gotta say I have been effectively made to root for this underdog hero. I've been indifferent to most of the movie so far, and I'm indifferent to boxing, but ferrealz I'm excited to watch this fight.

It's cinematic with lots of angles that you don't see when you're watching actual fights (I assume), but also the actual fight-acting by Stallone and Carl Weathers seems like they're getting it right. That can't be easy, right? I mean, it's punching! Faces!

1:54:11 - Oh shit I remember this ahhhhhh his eye his eye, his EYE is swollen shut and he tells them to cut it open! That, like, what? He's going to go back out and fight with his eyelid literally slashed open WHAT

They weren't even that careful doing that slice

I thought they would be relying more on the commentators as narrators to tell us what to feel, but it's really all the cinematic storytelling that is getting it done.

But the aftermath of the fight is like opera, everyone is passionate and yelling and it doesn't work on me as well as it must for most people. I don't even exactly get what the outcome of the fight is (partly because I don't understand boxing). But that's the point, at least a little bit; in the heat of passion he just wants to tell Adrian that he loves her. That works well for this movie. And the way it just ends in that swirl of excitement, no denouement, it's really effective.

So overall there are lots of things about this movie that I don't care for, but there are some things to appreciate. It's not a fancy movie, but it seems like they did a particularly good job with the final boxing match feeling like exciting movie drama while also seeming like authentic boxing. As if I know anything about authentic boxing.

I don't agree that it should have won Best Picture over Network, All the President's Men, and Taxi Driver.

One last observation: looking back, I'm pretty sure that scene with the teenage girl is a result of the observation that the movie greatly lacks females.

(next: Rocky II)

[gadgetsrevv]

The Fiver | Sprinting in slo-mo and frolicking in the surf with Apollo Creed | Football

HANGING TOUGH, STAYING HUNGRY

After seeing his stand-in goalkeeper make the crucial penalty save to win a Super Pot on his first start for Liverpool, Jürgen Klopp couldn’t help but channel his inner Sly Stallone. “ADRIAN!” he roared down the camera in his post-match interview, mimicking Rocky Balboa’s emotional address to his wife after beating Apollo Creed to become heavyweight champion of the world. What Liverpool’s manager would do well to remember is that in a sequel to that particular success, the Italian Stallion got a little bit too fat and lazy and was subjected to the daddy of all beat-downs from Clubber Lang.

With a trip to Southampton looming in barely the time it takes to cobble together a decent training montage, his side cannot afford such complacency. “We have to find a way to be ready to win that game,” said Klopp, as his players warmed down by donning muscle vests and extra tight shorts, sprinting in slow-motion and frolicking in the surf with Apollo Creed. “Only one team celebrated more than us tonight and that’s probably Southampton when they saw 90 minutes, no decision!” Having bounced back from emphatic defeat at the hands of Manchester United with a far less emphatic defeat at the hands of Liverpool, Chelsea will host Leicester on Sunday.

With one paw already in a play-off against Torino to make the group stages of Euro Vase, Wolves entertain Pyunik of Armenia at Molineux tonight. With his team leading 4-0 from the first leg, Nuno Espírito Santo has stopped short of forcing his players to chop logs or chase chickens, but has warned against complacency. “It’s not over,” he said, even though it kind of is. “It’s going to be over at 10 o’clock. It’s not over. That would be a mistake.” Elsewhere in Euro Vase, the Pope’s O’Rangers will have seen, laughed at and hopefully learned from the Queen’s Celtic’s exit from Big Cup at the hands of Cluj on Tuesday and will try not to make the same mistakes in their match against Danish side Midtjylland. “My players need to take note of last night and make sure we deal with our second leg much better,” said $tevie Mbe, whose side lead 4-2, in the wake of a Queen’s Celtic’s exit that will have put a spring in the step of all O’Rangers supporters.

In other Euro Vase news, Aberdeen are 2-0 down and facing an uphill task if they are to avoid being eliminated the competition by Rijeka, from – Fiver consults Wikipedia – the Croatian port city of the same name on Kvarner Bay in the northern Adriatic Sea. And finally, in Wales, they’ll once again be dancing on the streets of Total Network Solutions, if The New Saints of Oswestry Town & Llansantffraid Football Club can somehow manage to overturn a 5-0 deficit against Ludogorets.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Barcelona don’t need Neymar. Where is he going to play? He would be a bomb inside the locker room. The Barça fans were hurt by how he left. They will not forgive him” – no, Hristo Stoichkov, tell us how you really feel about Neymar’s potential return to Barcelona.

Hristo Stoichkov: straight shooter. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Allsport

QUOTE OF THE DAY II

“He’s like an empty crisp packet in the park, flying around all over the place” – Chelsea and Republic O’Ireland legend Tony O’Cascarino offers N’Golo Kanté some poetic praise.

RECOMMENDED LISTENING

Head this way for Football Weekly Extraaaaaa, where Max and Barry are joined by Jacob Steinberg, plus former Jamaican international and prominent podder Marcus Bean. Get it in your ears!

FIVER LETTERS

“While I’m as pleased for Adrián as any Liverpool fan, I can’t help thinking that his widespread description as a ‘penalty hero’ is a bit excessive, given he only stopped one in six (and sort-of gave one away). Still, this new 16.67% benchmark for heroic achievement is going to come in very handy during my next work appraisal” – Tim Woods.

“Noble Francis’ letter about The Queen’s Celtic (not to be confused with any of his other letters) actually did make me smile, which is quite something as I’m a Queen’s Celtic fan, so let me explain. His mention of the 2010 defeat to Portugal’s Sporting Braga created quite a bit of mirth from the Spaniards in the office. You see, braga means pants in Spanish. Rather ironic, considering it was Celtic who were pants” – Paul Dixon.

“Frank Lampard’s Chelsea’s Frank Lampard can be well pleased with his youngsters despite losing on penalties in Istanbul. But surely it was Frank Lampard’s Chelsea pensioners who stole the show. Old, creaky N’Golo Kanté and ageing wrinkly Jorginho were the stars of Big Pot. Might I suggest a comeback for Frank Lampard’s Chelsea’s Frank Lampard?” – Mark McFadden.

“The Queen’s Celtic must have thought their Big Cup fixture was a repeat of the old radio standby, ‘I’m Sorry, I Haven’t a Cluj’” – Nick Adams.

Today’s winner of our letter o’the day prize is … Paul Dixon, who wins a copy of 50 Years of Shoot! We have more to give away, so get scribbling.

NEWS, BITS AND BOBS

Sol Campbell and Macclesfield have mutually agreed that the former England defender be assisted through the door marked Do One. In other news, the League Two club are skint and facing a winding-up petition.

Sol Campbell: ready to try on a new scarf? Photograph: Matt West/BPI/Rex/Shutterstock

USA! USA!! USA!!! superstar Megan Rapinoe has hit back after equal pay talks stalled. “We show up for a game, if we win or lose we want to be paid equally, period,” Rapinoe told Good Morning America.

Things that probably won’t happen dept: Bury South MP Ivan Lewis has called on Manchester United and City to “step up to the plate” and help the crisis-hit club, who have had another League One game suspended by the EFL.

QPR are demanding strong action from Uefa after their U18s were subjected to racist abuse during a friendly in Spain. The Andalusían football federation have opened an investigation.

Meanwhile, Kick It Out has urged social media companies to clamp down after Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham was subjected to racial abuse on Twitter.

Conor Coady might have a touch of carpal tunnel after writing to all 48 Wolves fans who travelled to Armenia last week to watch their side romp to Euro Vase victory.

Flamin’ Newcastle Jets winger Joe Champness is taking a break from bothering A-League touchlines to focus on his hip-hop career. “He’s made inroads in the business and the opportunity to chase those dreams is one that’s too big for him to pass up,” smirked a Newcastle suit.

And Mesut Özil and Sead Kolasinac are reportedly back in Arsenal training after their recent security scares.

RECOMMENDED VIEWING

Colombian tyro Anderson Díaz bobs and weaves like a Tin-addled Weird Uncle Fiver, before adding the playground finish. Get it in your retinas.

Player dribbles past seven opponents to score stunning solo goal in Colombia – video

STILL WANT MORE?

Floating football brain in a jar Jonathan Wilson has done a book. About Hungary’s golden age. And here’s an extract on the roots of their Olympic success in 1952.

Turkish Super Lig previews: we got ‘em. And Emre Sarigul reckons the title race will go to the wire again.

Premier League footballers are more woke than ever before, writes Big Paper’s Toby Moses.

Christian Pulisic and N’Golo Kanté gave Frank Lampard’s Chelsea reason to chin up after their narrow Super Pot loss, writes Andy Hunter.

USA! USA!! USA!!!’s Alex Morgan thinks the country’s development model is broken, though MLS suits disagree. Who’s right? Steve Brenner discusses.

Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO!

THE FIVER FAILED ITS A-LEVELS, AND LOOK AT US NOW … OH

Source link . More news

via wordpress https://ift.tt/2H8K7DU

[gyrlversion]

Stacey Dooley’s boyfriend reveals shes left him for Strictly partner

As the ticker tape rained down, Stacey Dooley, the newly crowned queen of Strictly Come Dancing, buried her head in her hands in disbelief and her stunned dance partner Kevin Clifton fell to his knees in delight.

A passionate Paso Doble had mesmerised a record 12.7 million viewers and sealed their victory. And as the breathless dancers embraced, the TV cameras captured the equally joyous celebrations of Sam Tucknott, Stacey’s boyfriend of five years.

He leapt on to his chair by the dancefloor, punched the air in delight and rushed on to the stage to congratulate them – almost knocking over diminutive TV cook Mary Berry, who was also in the audience.

Strictly winner Stacey Dooley has split with her boyfriend to be with her dance partner Kevin Clifton, 36, who has been married three times before

Sam Tucknott, 30, Stacey’s boyfriend of five years, said he feels betrayed by the new couple’s romance

First he bounded over to Kevin, the 36-year-old three-times married professional dancer who had expertly choreographed their winning routines, and attempted to embrace him.

But Kevin failed to reciprocate, instead standing limply in the centre of the stage, and they parted awkwardly. Sam shrugged it off, putting it down to the overwhelming shock of victory.

But four months later, Sam and Stacey are no longer together and Sam has another possible explanation: Was Kevin feeling guilty?

Heartbroken Sam was suspicious last November when he saw flirty text from Kevin to Stacey. The message read: ‘I love dancing with you and spending every minute I can with you’

The semi-professional footballer and personal trainer branded Kevin a ‘slippery snake’ for stealing the woman he had hoped to marry

In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Sam, 30, last night described his feelings of devastation and betrayal at discovering that Stacey, 32, and Kevin have now embarked on a romantic relationship.

In a string of searing revelations, Sam tells of his:

– Suspicion after Kevin texted Stacey last November, saying: ‘I love dancing with you and spending every minute I can with you’;

– Gnawing doubts about the nature of Stacey and Kevin’s ever-deepening relationship in the run-up to the Strictly final on BBC1 in December;

– Fury at Kevin – who he brands a ‘slippery snake’ – for stealing the woman that he hoped to marry;

The news has cast a shadow over the latest series of the show, resurrecting the so-called ‘Strictly curse’ that has seen 14 couples split amid the sexual tension that comes from training so closely together.

During the contest, Stacey, a beautiful but little-known TV documentary-maker, had won a large following.

Stacey and Kevin hug as their victory was announced last year after mesmerising a record 12.7 million viewers

But the winners’ embrace lingered long after the announcement was made, while Sam cheered and celebrated his girlfriend’s win in the crowd

In Strictly’s world of glittering artifice, Stacey, who had left school at 16 and once sold perfume at Luton Airport, had appeared genuine and authentic, and was loved for it.

After their victory was announced, and with their arms around each other, Stacey and Kevin paid each other an emotional tribute.

Wearing a stunning black gown, Stacey, who won an MBE last year for services to broadcasting, congratulated ‘King Kev’ on winning after four unsuccessful appearances in the final.

‘You know how highly I think of you,’ she gushed.

‘I think you are the biggest gem. You’re patient, you’re talented, your choreography is second to none. You so deserve this.’

Fighting back tears, Kevin replied: ‘You are so lovely and I just think the absolute world of you.’

Sam rose to his feet and celebrated after watching Stacey win the show

But for Sam, a former semi- professional footballer and now a personal trainer, the moment that Stacey lifted the famous Glitterball Trophy marked the beginning of the end of a relationship with the woman he still loves deeply.

Sitting in the kitchen of his brother-in-law’s home in Brighton, Sam is torn between anger at Stacey and his remaining affection for her.

‘I am so respectful of her, but I am gutted and I am disappointed and I feel so let down that she did not have the respect for me to tell me and just come clean,’ he says.

‘I am never going to believe her or trust her but ultimately I respect her. I love her.’ Their lives changed for ever on August 16, 2018, when Stacey received an email confirming she had been chosen as a contestant for the 16th series of Strictly. The couple, who had shared a flat together in Brighton for two years, were overjoyed.

‘When we found out, we came back to the flat and we just danced around,’ Sam recalls. ‘I could not have been more proud of her. It was amazing.’ Strictly offered a golden opportunity to broaden Stacey’s career and appeal to a huge family audience.

‘I pushed Stacey to do it,’ Sam says. ‘I wanted the nation to see my Stacey and what my Stacey is about. I said to her, “You’ve got to do something like this.” ’

Symbolically, Sam cleared a space on their mantelpiece for the Strictly trophy. ‘Right from the start I said it’s going to go there. I always believed in her, I knew she was going to win.’

The couple never discussed the intense pressures the show might place on their relationship – or the notorious Strictly curse – although Sam’s friends teased him about the prospect of Stacey being paired with Graziano Di Prima, a smouldering new Sicilian professional dancer nicknamed ‘The Italian Stallion’. Sam says: ‘My pals were like, “If she gets partnered with him, you might as well pack your bags!” ’

Stacey, however, knew who she wanted as her partner.

Sam says: ‘At the start of Strictly, they go into rehearsals and she made it clear that she really wanted to be partnered with Kevin because he had got to the final four times.

Happier times: Sam and Stacey on the Pont Des Arts in Paris on new year’s 2014

‘They are similar heights. He seemed a genuinely nice guy.

‘At the time, I couldn’t care who she went with. I was like, “Just enjoy it and do well.” ’

Stacey, who grew up in a council flat with single mother Diane, had made a wise choice. Regarded as one of the best dancers on the show, Grimsby-born Kevin is the son of former world ballroom champions Keith and Judy Clifton. But he comes with baggage and appears to bring his own curse on to the relationships of his celebrity dance partners.

Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid split from her long-term partner Dominic Cotton a few weeks after her Strictly campaign partnering Kevin ended, and pop star Louise Redknapp’s marriage to ex-footballer husband, Jamie, also ended after her stint with him on the show.

Clifton, who confirmed in March 2018 that he had split from his third wife, Karen, recently denied any of his Strictly partnerships had become romantic, insisting: ‘No, never. You’re there to do a job and get on with the dancing. That’s what it’s about.’

Sam was determined to dispel any notions that he would be a jealous boyfriend.

When he met Kevin for the first time in the hospitality green room at Strictly’s Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, Sam told him to ‘do everything you need to do’.

‘At the start I said to him, “It’s a massive thing for Stacey. Don’t ever feel awkward. I’m not that kind of guy. I understand that a lot of guys would probably feel a little bit uptight and make you feel a bit uneasy.” ’

As the weeks went by, the men began to bond, exchanging banter about football. Sam is a passionate Manchester United fan, while Kevin supports rivals Chelsea.

Sam even gave Stacey and Kevin the nickname of ‘Yorke and Cole’ in reference to two strikers – Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole – who played together for Manchester United in the late 1990s. And Sam provided Kevin with suggestions via Instagram of comfort food that would give Stacey a boost during their long training sessions.

Cocktails in the sun: Sam and Stacey on holiday to New York in the summer of 2015

‘I said to him, “You need to learn the three Ps: green Peperami, green Pot Noodle and chocolate Pop Tarts. Just in case she’s flagging that will get you through to the end of the day and give her a little bit more energy. That’s your secret weapon for training.” ’

Kevin seemed similarly supportive of the couple, inviting Sam to their training sessions, telling him: ‘I don’t want you guys not seeing each other until Christmas.’

Pitched against more experienced dancers such as pop star Ashley Roberts, Stacey threw herself into training, often doing extra sessions with Kevin on Sunday afternoons. Amid her frenetic schedule, Stacey and Sam would also try to carve out a few precious hours together on Sundays, enjoying a roast lunch at their favourite Brighton pub which boasts panoramic sea views.

‘She was tired but I’d say, “You’re tired, stick in there, you haven’t got long to go. If you get to the final I reckon you are going to do it.” ’

The hard work began to pay off and Stacey and Kevin’s performances steadily improved, although the public’s attention was diverted when comedian Seann Walsh was caught on camera kissing his married professional dancer partner, Katya Jones.

All seemed well until mid-November when Stacey and Sam were in bed together early one Sunday morning and her phone buzzed.

Together, they read a message from Kevin, saying: ‘I love dancing with you and spending every minute I can with you.’

For the first time, Sam felt a twinge of concern at what he considered a rather inappropriate message. ‘I noted it but at the same time I didn’t want to bring it up with Stacey.

At an after-show party in Blackpool on November 17, Sam noticed that Kevin was ‘quite sulky’ and left early. When once the pair had regularly communicated on Instagram, Sam’s messages of good luck ahead of the semi-final in December went unanswered

‘I didn’t want to rock the boat. I didn’t want her feeling awkward. She had my full trust and support.’

But his concerns deepened as Kevin’s behaviour towards him began to change.

At an after-show party in Blackpool on November 17, Sam noticed that Kevin was ‘quite sulky’ and left early. When once the pair had regularly communicated on Instagram, Sam’s messages of good luck ahead of the semi-final in December went unanswered – as did congratulations for Kevin’s victory with Stacey in the final.

Sam says: ‘The day after the final I put, “My man, thank you for being so supportive in looking after my Stace. Enjoy your win, you deserve it.” He read it and he didn’t reply.

‘He has gone from my best mate wanting to know the ins and outs of what I am up to and then he can’t even go out of his way to reply. That’s come from guilt.’

For Sam, the end of Strictly heralded a fresh start. After months of long absences, he was excited at the prospect of spending Christmas together with Stacey and his family in Brighton.

‘The next day I just thought, we can move on now. I thought I was getting my Stace back.’

Instead their relationship began to fall apart. When Sam invited Stacey to a party on December 23 at The Joker pub in Brighton with friends, she turned him down and instead accompanied Kevin to Brighton’s Theatre Royal to watch his sister Joanne – who is also a professional dancer – star in The Rocky Horror Show.

A ‘hollow’ Christmas Day at the home of Sam’s parents, Diane, 55, and Wayne, 60, was followed by a tense Boxing Day marred by tension and petty squabbles.

Sam says: ‘I love Christmas and I just felt she was not at the table.

‘Someone said, “What’s the matter with you two?”, and it sparked me to say, “I don’t know what’s up with her.” I know we’re not falling into each other’s arms but I don’t know why. Why are we not having a nice Christmas?

‘I could just sense that something was up and I didn’t know what it was. I thought maybe she was tired, but she had just won Strictly – she should have been buzzing.’

In the end, Stacey asked to be driven back to their flat.

The relationship spluttered on, but in mid-January Sam discovered a receipt for cupcakes that Stacey had arranged to be delivered to Glasgow.

Racked by insecurity, he found himself tapping the words ‘Glasgow’ and ‘Kevin Clifton’ into Google. To his dismay, he saw that the dancer had been appearing in the musical Rock Of Ages in the city at the time.

Bewildered, Sam finally confronted Stacey.

‘I said, “Look, I’m sure that he fancies you. I think I can tell that by the way he acts and the way he is. There’s a receipt here for cupcakes that has been sent to Glasgow. Is there anything going on? Is there anything I need to know?”

‘She dismissed it. She said, “No, the launch night is this weekend. We’re friends, we will always remain close friends. I just wanted to say good luck.” ’

The relentless demands on Stacey – which included a trip to Uganda for Comic Relief and filming in America – limited opportunities for the couple to rebuild their relationship. Hunched in a chair, his hands clasped, Sam recalls: ‘I poured my heart out to her. I told her that relationships sometimes need a lot of work but equally they need both people to dig deep.

‘I told her I wanted to be with her, that she was my best mate. She got emotional and we had a cuddle.

‘I said, “I don’t want to be without you, but at the same time I’m willing to do what you need me to do.”

Sam described how he subsequently confronted Kevin in a video call. ‘He went white. I just stuck it on him, “You’re an absolute rat”

‘And then she went away again. We had that conversation and she packed her bags and she went away.’

With hindsight, he accepts he was blinded by love to Stacey’s ever-deepening friendship with Kevin and it had a corrosive effect on the couple’s relationship.

‘Maybe I was too naive. Looking back now all the signs were there that I had lost Stacey, but I kept thinking we had done the hardest bit,’ he says. ‘I had proved to her for five years that I could cope with her going away for long periods of time because the love I have for her is unconditional.’

By the end of last month, the couple had begun to make arrangements to separate. Stacey was looking for a flat and they met for a final time on April 1 at their Brighton home to discuss moving her belongings. In a desperate bid to salvage their relationship, Sam asked if the couple were ‘100 per cent over’.

He was stunned when Stacey suggested that had been the case since Boxing Day.

Then, while Stacey was in the lavatory, her phone lit up. Sam looked down and read a message from Kevin that, to his mind, confirmed that they were in a romantic relationship. His initial reaction was one of relief: ‘It was like a film. I needed a sign, I needed something. It was a blessing because I wasn’t going to be told [by Stacey] that evening. I had seen everything I needed to see to move on.

The three P’s: Stacey’s energy boosters 

‘There was nothing that I needed to now know. All the questions, all the months of thinking what was going on had been put to bed.’

But it did not take long for Sam’s resentment towards Kevin to boil over.

‘Adults make their own choices. I just know that he is a slippery snake – a proper rat,’ he spits. ‘To have that relationship where you are best buddies, but then you start going cold because you start fancying their girlfriend – I hold no respect for him whatsoever.’

Sam described how he subsequently confronted Kevin in a video call. ‘He went white. I just stuck it on him, “You’re an absolute rat. How you conducted yourself. Just a slippery, slimy snake.”

‘He didn’t say a word. He looked petrified. He looked so shocked.’

It was a devastating end to what, until Strictly, had been a happy relationship that began with a chance meeting at a ‘dingy’ Brighton boxing gym in 2014.

Sam spotted Stacey across the room, perched on an exercise bike and wearing an expensive leather jacket over her gym kit to keep out the cold.

After chatting, she took him on as her personal trainer. Sam was quickly smitten with Stacey – who told him just that she ‘worked on TV’ – and he only discovered her role as a presenter of hard-hitting documentaries when he was at home channel-hopping one night and saw her face on screen.

Their mundane lives – enjoying picnics, trips to boating lakes and takeaway meals of her favourite chicken korma and vinegar – became an antidote to the stresses of her assignments in war zones.

‘She liked the fact that I didn’t care who Stacey Dooley was,’ says Sam. ‘I respected and supported her career but at the same time that wasn’t why I loved her.’

They celebrated Stacey’s 30th birthday by getting matching ‘J’adore’ tattoos on their feet and enjoyed foreign trips including a visit to the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris where couple leave padlocks to signify their love.

On a visit to New York, they went window-shopping to look for the type of gold wedding rings that they might one day want, and at weddings Sam would joke about giving her goalkeeping gloves to catch the bouquet thrown by the bride.

Sam contrasts those memories with a final, devastating message from Stacey, received a few hours after his confrontation with Kevin on April 1.

Admitting that she had fallen for her Strictly dance partner, but saying that they only began a relationship after she and Sam had split, she wrote: ‘I know you hate me at the moment but you saw I didn’t start entertaining and texting him until I split up with you… I was not with you when we started it all. I did fall for him but when we were done.’

A fortnight on, the wounds are still raw yet remarkably Sam, who is about to open his own gym in Brighton, remains loyal to Stacey.

‘Me and Stace are cut from the same cloth,’ he says. ‘We were meant to be for ever but that wasn’t the case. I said to her, “You’ve broken my heart,” but I’ve just got to accept that she’s chosen to go down another road.

‘I will always show her respect because I loved her so much and she was a massive part of my life.’

The post Stacey Dooley’s boyfriend reveals shes left him for Strictly partner appeared first on Gyrlversion.

from WordPress https://www.gyrlversion.net/stacey-dooleys-boyfriend-reveals-shes-left-him-for-strictly-partner/

[sweetsuccesssociety]

Write It Down: The Power Behind Your Vision

Quick, before we dive in! I am so ecstatic to join this amazing team of lady bosses and meet you all. I’m Lexi, one of the new additions to Sweet Success Society (get caught up on all the latest and greatest news here) and we can break the ice over at the brand-new MEET THE TEAM. I hope you’re ready to embark on an incredible journey as the five of us hit the ground running with rebuilding Sweet Success Society to best help you in becoming the most successful, badass lady you can possibly be.  I look forward to getting to know you and please let me know if you have any questions in the comments!

Okay, let’s get started!

We understand the power of writing down our goals and we’re familiar with the concept of vision boards. But let’s take both those ideas, combine them and go even further with creating a vision of precisely what we want by writing down the best possible connections, professions, lifestyles and environments. It’s an incredibly effective way of manifesting that paints the picture of the perfect finish line that your mind can imagine—and from there, you’ll continue to grow and build on its awesomeness, so I suppose it ends up being a really great check-point instead of finish line.

You can do this exercise for virtually anything: The perfect significant other, your dream career, a community you would love to move to, and oh so much more. Because you see, we get caught up in our routines, lost in the weeds of adulting. We may complain about our job or our significant other, but there is a fine line between everyday challenges and feeling stuck in an unfulfilling pattern. When we take a step back and answer the questions revolving around “What can I bring into my life that contributes to the best version of myself? What qualities in a career, individual, place, etc. will benefit me to be the happiest, most successful I can be?”

The trick is not to attach a specific place, job title or individual to these exercises. We’re looking to create, recognize and understand an overall vision that explores every nook and cranny opportunity, not necessarily pinpoint it on one thing and attach ourselves to that. I believe that’s where it leans more toward goal-writing (which is fantastic!), though to take that step we need to first fully comprehend our “best life” vision. Unless of course, you’re 110% sure you know exactly who/what/when/where, in which case all the power to ya because that probably means you’ve already done some form of this whether you realize it or not.

I’ll give you three personal examples (bear with me).

Example #1: Envisioning the most incredible, encouraging and supportive community/city where you will thrive.

I was a sophomore in college and extremely excited at the prospect of studying abroad the following year. The only thing was, I wanted to go anywhere and everywhere—which didn’t narrow down my search for the perfect program and destination. So, I pulled out a pen and paper and simply began writing everything down that I would love. Yes, some of the items on this list contracted each other (or at least, that’s what it looked like on paper), but I kept writing everything that came to mind.

I imagined myself living near a beach with the opportunity to explore the mountains. Immerse myself in a different culture that speaks preferably Spanish, without a tourist vibe. A colorful community, rich with history. An affordable program with ample scholarship opportunities and the support of a host-family, while maintaining my sense of independence. Plenty of opportunities to explore nearby countries. You get the idea.

At the end of this three-page list, I took a step back and looked at it. Okay, so a different language and culture popped up in several places, so I crossed England and Australia off my list. A non-touristy and unique spot were also general themes, so I eliminated the signature study abroad European locations. At that point, I was stumped. So what did I do? I walked right into the study abroad office on University of Colorado’s campus and handed my counselor the list. She input multiple filters according to my list and came up with ONE search result: Valparaiso, Chile. Yep, you guessed it—that’s where I lived for six months, and I had never even heard of the city before. As it turns out, the study abroad program and location was positively perfect for me, and I never would have known about it without this list.

Example #2: Understanding and embracing the qualities and characteristics of your perfect partner.

Three years ago, someone we’ll call the Italian Stallion broke my heart. I knew from the get-go that we wouldn’t live happily ever after, but there was a fiery spark all the same. As I picked myself back up and thought about the kind of healthy relationship I wanted, needed and—most of all—deserved, I began writing down what I envisioned to be my ideal man.

I took all my favorite qualities from past boyfriends and what attracted me to them and wrote them down. I thought of every time I imagined “I wish he was more ____” and wrote it down. The way he looks at me, the consistent emotions I feel in his presence, his relationships and background, his values and motivations, right down to his looks.

I kid you not when I say a week after I wrote this five-page list of what the perfect man means to me, I met my boyfriend (the one I moved to California for). Sure, he may not be as tall as I indicated on paper, but the important stuff is absolutely there. Like a good relationship with his family, genuinely bonds with my family, makes everyeffort to appreciate my friends, has drive and passion within his career, indisputable trust between us, and we can sit around and laugh at ourselves and each other till the sun comes up.

Example #3: Laying out your dream career, the ideal work environment and the benefits tailored to you.

A year and a half ago, I lived in my parents’ basement and was desperately trying to find a job in my desired marketing field. If you asked me to specifically describe what kind of job that meant, I couldn’t tell you. “Anything associated with marketing” was pretty much my only answer, so I did this same exercise for my profession to figure out, well, what I truly wanted out of my profession.

I input what I’d love my salary and benefits to consist of, I wrote down how I wanted my job to make me feel when I started and finished each day, I dived into daily tasks, responsibilities, interactions and schedules. I thought about the work environment and its culture, management behavior and teamwork. Etc, etc.

Several months into my first marketing job out here in Sacramento, I found this list filed away from the move. I had honestly forgotten about it, and was completely stunned when I read what I wrote six months previously because there were so many parallels. Was I at my dream job? The honest answer was no, I actually left that agency to join an established and reputable national agency that, indeed, fit even more from my list only a few weeks later. However, there’s no way I would have landed this second marketing position if I hadn’t started at the first agency.

My point here is:

If you don’t know what you want, how is the Universe supposed to know? I am a firm believer in manifestation—I have too many personal experiences that prove it is real and it is active in our everyday lives. It is our responsibility to understand where that finish line is and make it as clear as possible (hint: writing every detail down), so that we enable ourselves with tools to help us succeed in every aspect of life.

Because my friends, we have this one beautiful life to live, made up of experiences, emotions and connections. If we ask ourselves what we want, who we want, where we want and answer some form of “I don’t know,” don’t you get frustrated with yourself? I know I do, and I know when I ask my friends and that’s their response, I just want to grab them by the shoulders and shake ‘em.

I’m not saying if you write down every detail of everything you want in life that it’ll magically appear. I’m right there with you wishing the world worked that way. But I am saying that by fully recognizing and understanding what you want and need for a fulfilling life, you’re naturally going to be more aware with a clearer vision. That self-awareness builds self-confidence, which leads to decision-making and actions, ultimately resulting in positive change that YOU make happen.

Don’t let “I don’t know” be part of your vocabulary for what you want in life. Maybe top of mind, you don’t know right away—but once you really start asking yourself questions and writing your answers down, you’ll realize that your subconscious actually does know what you want. You may see things on that piece of paper you had no idea were important to you ten minutes ago. It helps you recognize your patterns, aspirations and values—and it’s literally right there in front of you.

It can be hard to break away from that “I don’t know what I want” mentality. Trust me, I understand. That’s exactly why we’ve added a vision worksheet (for lack of a better word) to help you get started and get the brain juices flowing. (As of Monday, April 17 we have “Envision Your Perfect Partner,” so keep checking back as we add more vision worksheets!) I recommend doing this exercise with pen and paper, though type away if that’s how you roll!

Have you ever written down your vision? Do you feel you have a firm understanding of what you want in various areas of your life?

The post Write It Down: The Power Behind Your Vision appeared first on Sweet Success Society.

from Write It Down: The Power Behind Your Vision

[tennis-kittens]