Soul II Soul singer Melissa Bell has died, her daughter Alexandra Burke has revealed today. The 53-year-old, from London, passed away after a long battle with kidney failure, which was brought on by diabetes. Strictly Come Dancing contestant and former X Factor winner, Burke, added her mother, who was a member of the Grammy-winning group, would have wanted her to continue on with the competition show. A statement from the Burke family said Bell died on August 28 and paid tribute to her 'unconditional love, support, charisma, strength and courage'.

Richard Eckersley, 28, (pictured left, and bottom right) and wife Nicola, 27, have opened Earth.Food.Love. in Totnes, Devon, after being inspired by a similar store in Berlin. Their products are stored in dispensers (top right and bottom right), with customers require to take their own pots and jars to fill up. The couple now hope to open more outlets in London and Birmingham, following the success of their first store.

The list includes a luxury £6million mansion in one of Hertfordshire's most sought-after roads, where no expense has been spared. Compare this to a more modest £365,000 converted one-bedroom house that was once a Methodist chapel and sits on a river's edge in Cornwall.

EXCLUSIVE: The nanny accused of having an affair with Katie Price’s husband has hit back at the former glamour model, calling her ‘vile’ and vowing to ‘go through to the end with her on this’. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Nikki Brown, 40, said: ‘I’m going to clear my name. I'm not going to be just somebody else that she's disposed of. It's not going to happen. She's vile.’ Brown also demanded that Price say sorry. ‘I do want an apology from Katie for this, publicly,’ she said. It came as Katie Price appeared on Loose Women, inset, to say: 'I thought our sex life was perfect'.

Nick Irving, the notorious 30-year-old Ranger sniper who exited the Army nearly six years ago, continues to recount jarring pastimes from his military career which will soon be depicted further through an NBC miniseries. Irving earned the name 'The Reaper' — also the title of his first book — for his body count of 33 men during a single deployment in Iraq. He was deemed one of 'America's deadliest snipers' as he compared hits to that of a simple game 'of whack-a-mole.' Already at age of 18, Irving fired a seven-round shot into a man's head as he watched him burst into 'a cloud of mist and chunks' on a battle ground in Tikrit, Iraq — an event he reveals in his memoir to be something nightmares are made of.

David Bowie never escaped the haunting streak of madness that ran in his family. In an upcoming biography, David Bowie: A Life, the glam rock legend's fear of going crazy is revealed. A dark cloud of mental instability hung over his mother Peggy's (pictured) side of the family and Bowie never quit believing that he would inherit the same schizophrenic gene as his beloved half-brother, Terry who was institutionalized and later committed suicide by stepping in front of a train. He experimented with drugs for most of his career as a superstar, but his fear of going crazy was still enough to put him off LSD during the era of psychedelia.

Conor McGregor's two glamorous sisters Erin, 35, and Aoife, 30, have become social media stars in their own right as they flaunt their glamorous lives. Left to right: With their MMA fighter brother (left); Aoife on honeymoon in the Maldives (centre); Erin on a designer shopping spree with her mother Margaret (inset), quaffing champagne in Las Vegas (top right) and preparing to depart for Sin City on a private jet (bottom right).

Sarah Clear visited her local Sainsbury's branch in Chichester earlier this month on her way to work and couldn't believe it when she was asked to show her identification, which she presumed she wouldn't need. She was refused the sale of tobacco because the cashier was unconvinced that she was 18. Sainsbury's defended its staff member for following the Think 25 guidelines but Sarah says she will be steering clear of the supermarket from now on.

A collection of images that were inadvertently taken at a perfectly opportune moment have been shared online, and the optical illusion effect is guaranteed to mess with your mind. Clockwise from top left: Father and son merge; a fire-breathing dog; a very hairy lady; a giant seagull; a canine daytripper and a woman with a foot attached to her arm.

The video was posted on the Reptile Collective Facebook page last week and shows two of the slippery reptiles being born, out of a total of six babies. Since it was posted last week, the video has racked up over nine million views and over 72,000 shares. But the footage left many viewers scratching their heads, with many commenting that they were confused as they thought snakes only laid eggs.

Four years ago she and Melissa Reid were caught trying to smuggle £1.5million worth of cocaine to Europe. But Michaella McCollum was this weekend partying it up at Notting Hill Carnival in the company of friends. Pictures from the west London street festival show the drugs mule dancing and clutching a bottle of beer. The 24-year-old has been living life to the full since returning from Peru, where she and her partner in crime Melissa Reid were jailed for drug smuggling in 2013.

Nadiya Hussain (bottom centre) is undoubtedly the most successful GBBO star with a TV empire and book deals to her name but what about the other winners of the most-watched British show? Clockwise from top left: Series 1 winner Edd Kimber says he 'isn't wealthy' but has three cookbooks and a cooking podcast; John Whaite was resident chef on Lorraine and hosted a cooking TV show but now is focusing on his fledgling cookery school; Frances Quinn is a corporate baking ambassador and also has a cookbook; Candice Brown was expected to earn £1 million in the first year since Bake Off; while Nancy Birtwhistle has largely stayed out of the spotlight but hopes to secure a book deal.

Detailing decaying Russian houses that have been empty since the country's revolution in 1917 (top left), a replica of Paris in China (top right), a British military training base (bottom left) and a city in Angola that was too expensive for anyone to live in (bottom right), a handy infographic explores 15 of the most extraordinary ghost towns in the world.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are on their way to Texas to survey the storm-ravaged Gulf and meet with relief providers. They'll make two flights, one to Corpus Christi and one to Austin, this afternoon before their return to Washington. In both cities, they'll receive briefings on the storm's impact from area officials. At their second stop, in the state's capital city, the president and first lady will tour the Texas public safety department's emergency operations center. The president and first lady left the White House this morning just after 8:30 am for Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, he in a windbreaker sporting the presidential seal, tan pants and brown boots and she in all-black attire, save for an olive green windbreaker. Unlike her husband, Melania Trump did not wear boots. The first lady went with classic black stilettos for the trip to Texas' flood zone that left her ankles exposed to the elements. Aides also carried their expensive Louis Vuitton luggage to the aircraft.

There has been an influx of dramatic photos since Hurricane Harvey started wreaking havoc on Houston and other parts of Texas at the weekend.  But as images of destruction and devastation surfaced, so too did the hoax photos that claimed to be from the tropical storm. A doctored image of a shark swimming down a highway started doing the rounds on Twitter before it was picked up by Fox News' Jesse Watters on Monday night.

The homeowner, from east London, caught the third-party delivery driver and a friend with their pants down on his recently-installed CCTV cameras. The homeowner, who was having a PlayStation remote control delivered, said about the shocking incident: 'I was absolutely disgusted when I played back the CCTV. It felt like an invasion of my property.' He said he was contacted by Amazon who apologised for the incident and made a goodwill gesture towards the homeowner. The bizarre episode was filmed on Friday afternoon.

Kathleen Holme, 67, (pictured left with her daughter) died in the blaze which ripped through the terraced property she shared with her son in Kendal, Cumbria on Mother's Day this year. The deadly fire started after the air freshener shot a spray of perfume on to candles burning on her bedside table, causing a jet of fire which ignited a pile of clothes on the floor. Her 38-year-old son Peter Holme (shown right), who has learning difficulties, was arrested on suspicion of murder after the accident but later released. A coroner has now warned air freshener manufacturers, including Glade, to highlight the dangers of using automatic sprays near naked flames. An inquest into her death today heard five or six canisters of freshener were found in the bedroom of Ms Holme's property (inset) alongside a tray of candles.

EXCLUSIVE. Zoiey Smale, 28, from Nottinghamshire was named Miss United Kingdom in June this year (pictured left), and was gearing up for the excitement of competing for an international title in Ecuador. But just weeks after she won her title, the organisers of Miss United Continents told Zoiey she needed to 'lose as much weight as possible' to stand a chance of winning the competition. Speaking exclusively to Mail Online, the mum-of-one said it 'hurt like hell' to be told she needed to go on a diet at a size 10, and revealed she has turned her back on the pageant world because of 'rogue' contests that 'damage' young girls.

Shocking pictures show the tortoise, with a huge ring through its shell, chained with a 23ft wire to a tree. Shocked neighbours called the fire brigade in order to free it. He was spotted by Arne Stenzel, 50, and his wife Ute Nack, 48, who said they were horrified by what they saw.

New Yorker Adam Ellis claims that a terrifying childlike entity named 'Dear David' has crossed from his nightmares into the real world. In a lengthy Twitter thread he recounts a number of strange occurrences including his cats staring at the door at midnight every night and unmarked calls. It's proved a riveting read for many users, and the first tweet of the thread has been shared more than 50,000 times.

Shane Ridge, 21, from Colne, Lancashire, was issued a letter from the Home Office telling him to leave the country, even though he was born in the UK and has worked and voted here since. He believes the decision may have come because his mother was born in Australia, when his grandparents visited there, even though she is now a British citizen. He applied for a British passport and was turned down, so opted to get an Australian passport, which he has been able to travel abroad on since then. The 21-year-old is now applying for 'right of abode' in the UK. The Home Office said it has advised him regularly and hopes the issue will be resolved soon. Left, with girlfriend Jodie, right, the letter from the Home Office, and inset, as a schoolboy.

The female owner had caged her dogs inside the parked vehicle (pictured, circled) for more than four hours and left them so she could visit the annual Newlyn Fish Festival in Cornwall. It is not clear if she was a trader with a stall at the festival or whether she was a visitor, but the incident was spotted by other holidaymakers who had gone to the event on Bank Holiday Monday. With the sun blazing down in temperatures approaching 90F, the dogs (inset) would have been panting within minutes inside their metal 'death trap'. After checking with police, a woman got into the white van and released the dogs.

On Monday evening, Alysha Frigo, 35, from Melbourne, wowed thousands when she debuted her incredible body transformation (centre and right) on Nine's This Time Next Year. The dedicated mother shed 30 kilograms and entered a bodybuilding competition within just 12 months after tipping the scales at 90 kilos (left). Here, she chats to FEMAIL about how she did it.

Abhishek Patel, 40, grabbed the bomb with his bare hands and ran away with it to minimise damage to the school in of Chitora, Sagar District, Madhya Pradesh State, Central India. The head constable ran 0.6 miles (one kilometre) with the explosive device -big enough to cause damage in a 1,500-ft radius - to dump it in a drain far away from the school. The cop took the bomb in his own hands after there was no bomb squad available to attend to the incident, local media reported.

MIKE DICKSON IN NEW YORK: It was lights, camera, action on the opening night of the US Open and Maria Sharapova responded in electrifying fashion. The now world number 146, returning to Grand Slam action for the first time since last year's Australian Open, defeated second seed Simona Halep 6-4 4-6 6-3 in a pulsating encounter that lasted a shade under two and three quarter hours. Whatever the deeply questionable message sent by giving someone a wildcard on their way back from a doping suspension, there could no arguing that this was superb sporting theatre.

Passers-by will have no idea £1.1 million Bigbury Hollow in Kent even exists as the zero carbon house - which comes complete with a hidden car lift - will only be revealed with a birds-eye view(left). Everyday residential items like bins, lawnmowers and other vehicles, will be concealed with its leafy exterior. Excavation work for the six-year project has been completed, with diggers clearing sand and 2,600 cubic feet of soil from the former quarry in Kent countryside. Also pictured: The kitchen,(right) garden,(top inset) and another exterior view(bottom, inset).

The rarest tiger species in the world has been given a boost after a cub was born at a zoo in North Yorkshire. A Sumatran tiger has given birth at Flamingo Land Zoo following a miscarriage earlier in the year. The cub, whose sex is yet to be determined by keepers, was born to mother Surya and father Bawa on Friday evening. Both tigers arrived at the zoo in 2010 as part of a mating project aimed at saving the Sumatran from extinction. The same pair had triplets in 2014. The Sumatran is the smallest surviving tiger subspecies in the world, with only 400 in existence, making them critically endangered.

Sarah Doherty, 36, was locked in Portakabin with no contact with the outside world, choosing to take part in the experiment so she could have some alone time after devoting her life to being a single mum to her son Lucas, eight. Less than three days into the challenge Sarah started showing the physical symptoms of anxiety and vomited in the sink (pictured top right), which she said helped her feel much better. Despite this, she started seeing things in the sink next day and began talking to herself using her hands (pictured top left) for company. Appearing on Monday night's In Solitary on Channel 5, Sarah managed to make it until the end of the challenge, and was eventually seen running out of her cabin into the outside world.

Round House (pictured) in Battersea, south west London, comes with two bedrooms and bathrooms and a landscaped garden, while lying just a short walk from the local bustling high street. The unique detached property (inset, its floor plan) is a rarity in the area, which features mostly terraces and flats. But while buyers will enjoy the home's character and design - it is not cheap and comes at four times the cost of a normal residential home. Current owner Andrew Plant said: 'The circular shape of the home is very sociable, with the open-plan layout making it perfect for entertaining. The house is in a really peaceful spot, perfect for nursing a hangover the day after a party.'

Kim Kardashian proudly showed off her latest photo shoot on Tuesday and Twitter isn't impressed. The reality star, 36, posed as Jackie Kennedy for Interview magazine and that was enough to provoke ire from fans of the late First Lady. And if channeling the beloved icon wasn't enough to spark a backlash, Twitter users also wanted to know why Kim's skin color was a darkened to match that of her daughter North, whose father is rapper Kanye West.

Taylor Swift is the pop star who made it cool to be nice. She boasted of her baking skills and sent surprise gifts to her many fans - the fiercely loyal 'Swifties'. They, in turn, rewarded her with a string of hit records. But there is another Taylor Swift. Still only 27, she has left a line of ex-boyfriends in her wake and had some spectacular fall-outs with big-name stars. In her latest video, Look What You Made Me Do, which has already been viewed 25 million times, she gets her revenge. ALISON BOSHOFF explains how . . .

Researchers made the find while studying a fossil discovered in northern Germany more than half a century ago. The skeleton is that of a plesiosaur (top left), an extinct sea reptile that resembled the Loch Ness monster and once dominated Earth's oceans. Having now been identified as a plesiosaur, the fossil is one of the oldest of its kind. The skeleton of the beast includes most of the skull (bottom image shows fossil, top right shows artist's impression), which had a meshwork of long fang-like teeth. The well-preserved fossil also sported vertebrae, ribs and bones from the animal's four flipper-like limbs.

Video has captured the moment a huge mob attempted to rush inside popular burger chain Zark's Burgers, in the Philippines, after it announced a special offer for cheap burgers. Zark's Burgers announced its first 80 customers on Monday would pay only eight pesos (12 pence) for a burger which normally costs 149 pesos (£2.26). The chaotic scenes that followed saw hungry bargain-hunters appear to push and shove as they jostled for position to capture one of the dirt-cheap burgers.

Twelve months after Buggy the pony (now, right) was found collapsed in a field in North Yorkshire being eaten by maggots, he has been crowned Rescue Pony Champion at national horse event Equifest. The youngster was one of a group of ponies found in Hillam, in May last year (left), following a call to the World Horse Welfare line. Buggy was sent to a veterinary clinic in York where he was put on a drip and received treatment to clear his skin of the maggot infestation. Once he was strong enough to travel, he was transported to a horse rescue and rehoming centre where he began his journey to recovery.

The footage was taken by 31-year-old concrete finisher Eugene Gretskyi in the skies above Alberta, Canada. He was joined by pals Terence Lee Dickinson, Evan Rader and Riley Moore. Inspired by the comedy film Cool Runnings which is based on the story of the Jamaican national bobsleigh team, the jumpers grabbed hold of each other as they leapt from the plane. They were able to free fall in the formation for 30 seconds, before breaking away to open their parachutes.

For the last seven years, Mataelpino in Madrid has used giant 'snowballs' instead of bulls as part of a festival watched by thousands of people. The giant white balls are used in the event known as the 'boloencierro' ('Running of the balls') and can hurtle down roads as fast as a bull can run but are not supposed to cause the same sort of carnage or cruelty.