Tens of millions of people watch Carrie Ann Inaba sitting behind the judges’ table every Tuesday when Dancing with the Stars airs. She is animated and astute, delivering scores with the kind of confidence that makes you forget anything could go wrong. For years, that image has been meticulously preserved: polished, vivacious, and completely composed. The weariness she’s been dealing with since before some of them were born, the dry eyes so bad they once caused corneal damage, or the joint pain that lurks beneath every public appearance like a low hum that never quite goes away are all things…
Author: Michael Martinez
It seems as though the well-known last name should take care of everything, including the grief, stress, and medical realities, without complaining. There are public figures whose personal struggles remain unnoticed behind the headlines. Among them is Kerry Kennedy. She is best known for her human rights work and her ancestry as Robert F. Kennedy’s daughter. Despite facing health issues that would prevent most people from moving forward, she has spent decades advocating for causes that are important. Spasmodic dysphonia, a neurological disorder affecting the vocal cords, is the condition that attracted public attention. It results in uncontrollable spasms that…
There are times in a person’s public life when all the performance is stripped away, leaving behind something genuine and unvarnished. When his wife Hayley Erbert passed out on the side of a stage in Washington, D.C., in December 2023 due to a burst blood vessel in her brain, it was that moment for Derek Hough, the polished judge on Dancing with the Stars and the choreographer who makes everything look effortless. During their Symphony of Dance tour, she lost her bearings in the middle of a performance. What appeared to be fatigue proved to be disastrous. She was diagnosed…
The way Duncan Sheik’s last days unfolded—announced via an Instagram post, watched by strangers on the internet, and lamented by fans who still had “Barely Breathing” saved in some dusty playlist from the late nineties—is somewhat heartbreaking. In 1996, he had been unavoidable for a while. Then he became background, as is often the case with pop music. A name that comes to mind when someone says it. A voice that is still instantly recognizable. On September 17th, he vanished. When a statement appeared on his Instagram page on September 16th, it was the first indication to the public that…
There are times in Parliament that seem staged and theatrical, where nothing really changes while the cameras roll and everyone delivers their lines. Now and then, something truly human emerges. Teddy Johnson, a seven-year-old boy, was the subject of a speech given by Carla Lockhart, the DUP Member of Parliament for Upper Bann, at the dispatch box in April 2026. The previous week, he had passed away. Additionally, she ensured that the Prime Minister understood why his death should never have occurred. Teddy passed away from metachromatic leukodystrophy, or MLD, a rare and terrible neurological disorder that causes children to…
You may watch certain television personalities for years without giving much thought to what goes on behind the scenes. One of those characters is Philip Serrell, who is well-known, friendly, and a little eccentric with his signature scarves. He imparts antique knowledge on Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip with the ease of someone who has been doing it for decades. This is precisely why, in early 2024, when viewers began to notice something different about him, the worry felt real rather than just idle celebrity rumors. It wasn’t an emotional interview or a dramatic announcement. As these things usually…
An actress who consistently appears in parts that reflect her own life has a subtle power; it’s not because she’s publicly seeking catharsis, but rather because the work just finds her. Paula Wilcox, who is currently 76 years old and still frequently appears on British television, has navigated sitcoms, soap operas, and dramatic turns for more than 50 years. Beneath the familiar face and warmth, however, lies a woman who has endured an astounding amount of personal loss, illness, and grief. Not everything has been discussed aloud. She has been subtly shaped by some of it. Most people still initially…
Some football players quietly retire, playing golf on Saturdays, giving the occasional speech after dinner, or perhaps taking a job as a pundit when the phone rings. Graeme Souness never truly understood that perspective. A body that has been subtly battling him for nearly as long as he played the game itself has been the cruelest twist for a man who spent decades projecting physical dominance on the field. In 1992, the diagnosis was made. At the age of 38, Souness was still employed, managing Liverpool, the team where he had made 354 appearances and won numerous trophies while playing.…