One 10-year-old who rang the helpline said he was ‘feeling really sad’ (Jon Challicom/NSPCC/PA)
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A children’s helpline has reported a 17% rise in counselling sessions about mental health with youngsters under 12 in the past year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
NSPCC said its Childline service has held 243 counselling sessions with children in this age group about their mental and emotional health since last April, compared with 207 in the previous year.
Dr Ranj Singh: ‘I’ve seen first hand what lockdowns have done to our children’s mental health’
As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, the TV doctor and paediatrician is keen to emphasise the effects of the pandemic on young people
12 May 2021 • 1:35pm
Dr Ranj Singh: ‘Fifty per cent of all mental health problems start to surface by the age of 14, but there isn’t any of the early intervention that we need’
Credit: Matt Frost
Like many TV doctors, Dr Ranj Singh – one of the resident doctors on ITV’s
This Morning and presenter of CBeebies show
Get Well Soon – took his skills where they were needed most in the past year, and upped his hours with the NHS. Working on A&E and intensive care at hospitals in London, the paediatrician soon saw how the pandemic was changing the type of patients coming through the hospital doors. On the whole, he says, fewer children were coming to A&E, but there was another, less positive, trend.
Dianne Buswell looks incredible as she debuts hair transformation Hello! 3 days ago
However, the professional dancer fancied a change, as she debuted an incredible transformation on her Instagram.
The star swapped out her red hair for a flame-orange colour, and she blew fans away with the final result.
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WATCH: Dianne Buswell unveils stunning hair transformation
Dianne looked so different as she modelled her new stunning new look, including one snap where she let it flow out in a serene field of grass.
Another photo saw her posing up against a dull grey wall, with the flaming orange hair acting as the perfect contrast.
Multichannel broadcaster UKTV has commissioned a food-focused format fronted by Dr Ranj Singh for its W channel.
Dr Ranj Singh
Produced by London’s South Shore Productions, Extreme Food Phobics (10×60’) follows doctor and presenter Singh as he helps people through some of their worst fears surrounding food via a three-stage process.
UKTV deputy director of commissioning Hilary Rosen and commissioning editor Kirsty Hanson exec produce the show alongside, CEO Melanie Leach and creative director Caroline Davies of South Shore. Richard Park will be series producer, with the show set to air on W later this year.
Leach said: “We’re delighted to be working with Dr Ranj on our debut commission for UKTV. Extreme Food Phobics is an exciting new format that we hope will help a cast of characters for whom food has become the enemy.”
TV presenter Emma Willis, her musician husband Matt Willis and TV doctor Dr Ranj Singh are among the stars volunteering with St John Ambulance in support of the NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme.
Former Strictly Come Dancing star Dr Ranj, TV vet Dr James Greenwood and The Only Way Is Essex star Bobby Norris have been working as volunteer vaccinators, while Busted star Matt has completed his first shift as a volunteer patient advocate.
St John volunteers have been working in hospitals, as emergency ambulance crews, in vital community projects, and as vaccination volunteers in more than 200 locations since the pandemic began.