Gayathri Kallukaran is a Junior Journalist with Eastern Eye. She has a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from St. Paul’s College, Bengaluru, and brings over five years of experience in content creation, including two years in digital journalism. She covers stories across culture, lifestyle, travel, health, and technology, with a creative yet fact-driven approach to reporting. Known for her sensitivity towards human interest narratives, Gayathri’s storytelling often aims to inform, inspire, and empower. Her journey began as a layout designer and reporter for her college’s daily newsletter, where she also contributed short films and editorial features. Since then, she has worked with platforms like FWD Media, Pepper Content, and Petrons.com, where several of her interviews and features have gained spotlight recognition. Fluent in English, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi, she writes in English and Malayalam, continuing to explore inclusive, people-focused storytelling in the digital space.
The Duchess of Sussex has spoken publicly about a serious health scare she experienced after giving birth, revealing she suffered from post-partum pre-eclampsia.
Speaking on the first episode of her new podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, Meghan described the condition as both "rare" and "scary", admitting she managed the situation privately without the public being aware. She did not specify whether the diagnosis came after the birth of her son Archie, now five, or her daughter Lilibet, aged three.
According to NHS guidelines, pre-eclampsia can affect women during pregnancy or shortly after delivery. Early symptoms typically include high blood pressure and can lead to severe complications if untreated.
"It's so rare. And it's so scary," Meghan said during the recording. "You're still trying to juggle everything, and the world doesn't know what's happening. Quietly, you're still trying to show up for people. Mostly, you're trying to show up for your children."
She described the experience as a "huge medical scare", underlining the emotional and physical demands she faced in silence.
Meghan’s guest on the podcast, Whitney Wolfe Herd — founder of the dating platform Bumble — also shared her experience with the condition. Herd said it was "life or death, truly" and recalled the intense media attention Meghan faced following the birth of Archie. "I'll never forget the image of you after having Archie, with the whole world waiting for his debut," she told Meghan.
During the episode, Meghan also discussed the challenge of balancing motherhood with professional commitments. She explained that much of her work is conducted from home, allowing her to be present for her children's daily routines.
"I don't leave the house to go to an office; my office is here," Meghan said. She added that her daughter Lilibet, who attends preschool for half days, often joins her in meetings when she wakes from her naps.
"If she wakes up and wants to find me, she knows where I am — even if my office door is closed. She'll sit on my lap during meetings, right there with a grid of executives on the screen," Meghan shared.
Despite the challenges, Meghan insisted she embraces the juggle between work and motherhood. "I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't want to miss pick-up if I don't have to. I don't want to miss drop-off."
The launch of Confessions of a Female Founder marks Meghan's return to podcasting after her previous series, Archetypes, which was released through Spotify but received mixed reviews. Her latest project is produced in collaboration with Lemonada Media and focuses on candid conversations with women about entrepreneurship, motherhood, and leadership.
Meghan is also juggling several other ventures, including a new Netflix lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan, and the launch of her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard.
In the podcast, she reflected on how parenting and building a business often mirror each other, requiring patience and perspective. "You're building something while your child is going through potty training," she joked. "Both are equally important. In my world, it's high value. In Lilibet's world, it’s high value too."
Eli Lilly had announced a steep price rise of up to 170% for Mounjaro.
A new discount deal with UK suppliers will limit the increase for patients.
Pharmacies will still apply a mark-up, but consumer costs are expected to rise less than initially feared.
NHS pricing remains unaffected due to separate arrangements.
Eli Lilly has agreed a discounted supply deal for its weight-loss drug Mounjaro, easing fears of a sharp rise in costs for UK patients. The new arrangement means that, from September, pharmacies and private services will face smaller wholesale increases than first expected, limiting the impact on consumers.
Why the price rise was announced
Earlier this month, Eli Lilly said it would raise Mounjaro’s list price by as much as 170%, which could have pushed the highest monthly dose from £122 to £330. The company argued that UK pricing needed to align more closely with higher costs in Europe and the United States.
Discount deal for UK suppliers
The revised agreement will see the top-dose price set at £247.50 for suppliers. While pharmacies and private providers will still add their own margins, the increase for patients is now likely to remain under 50% for higher doses, and even lower for smaller doses.
Eli Lilly confirmed:
“We are working with private providers on commercial arrangements to maintain affordability and expect these to be passed onto patients when the change is effective on 1 September.”
Impact on consumers
Around 1.5 million people in the UK are currently on weight-loss drugs, with more than half using Mounjaro. Most of these patients—around 90%—pay privately through online services or high street pharmacies.
Prices vary between providers, depending on the level of lifestyle and dietary support offered alongside the injections.
Olivier Picard of the National Pharmacy Association said:
“This rebate will mitigate some of the impact of the increase, but patients should still anticipate seeing a rise in prices from 1 September.”
NHS pricing unchanged
The deal does not affect the NHS, which has secured its own heavily-discounted price for patients prescribed the weekly injection.
Mounjaro works by helping patients feel fuller for longer, reducing food intake and supporting weight loss of up to 20% of body weight.
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The Department of Health said the rollout would reduce missed days at nursery and school, cut time parents take off work, and save the NHS about £15 million a year. (Representational image: iStock)
CHILDREN in England will be offered a free chickenpox vaccine for the first time from January 2026, the government has announced.
GP practices will give eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) as part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule. Around half a million children each year are expected to be protected.
The Department of Health said the rollout would reduce missed days at nursery and school, cut time parents take off work, and save the NHS about £15 million a year. Research estimates chickenpox in childhood leads to £24 million in lost income and productivity annually.
Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, said: “We’re giving parents the power to protect their children from chickenpox and its serious complications, while keeping them in nursery or the classroom where they belong and preventing parents from scrambling for childcare or having to miss work. This vaccine puts children’s health first and gives working families the support they deserve. As part of our Plan for Change, we want to give every child the best possible start in life, and this rollout will help to do exactly that.”
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, Deputy Director of Immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “Most parents probably consider chickenpox to be a common and mild illness, but for some babies, young children and even adults, chickenpox can be very serious, leading to hospital admission and tragically, while rare, it can be fatal. It is excellent news that from next January we will be introducing a vaccine to protect against chickenpox into the NHS routine childhood vaccination programme – helping prevent what is for most a nasty illness and for those who develop severe symptoms, it could be a life saver.”
Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said: “This is a hugely positive moment for families as the NHS gets ready to roll out a vaccine to protect children against chickenpox for the first time, adding to the arsenal of other routine jabs that safeguard against serious illness.”
The eligibility criteria will be set out in clinical guidance, and parents will be contacted by their GP surgery if their child is eligible.
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Williams explained that her weight challenges began after the birth of her first daughter
Serena Williams reveals she has lost more than 31lbs using a GLP-1 medication
The tennis legend says the treatment enhanced her existing healthy lifestyle
She stresses that weight loss should not change self-image or self-confidence
Serena Williams has revealed she has lost more than 31lbs after turning to a weight-loss medication, saying the treatment has transformed both her body and her mindset.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion, 43, told PEOPLE that using a GLP-1 medication — a type of injection that works by regulating appetite — has helped enhance the healthy lifestyle she already maintained through diet and exercise.
“I feel great,” Williams said. “I feel really good and healthy. I feel light physically and light mentally.”
Postpartum struggles
Williams explained that her weight challenges began after the birth of her first daughter, Alexis Olympia, in 2017. Despite training intensively and eating healthily, she found it difficult to return to her preferred weight.
“I never was able to get to the weight I needed to be, no matter what I did, no matter how much I trained,” she admitted. “It was frustrating to work so hard and not see results.”
She experienced the same plateau after giving birth to her second daughter, Adira River, in 2023. Although she initially shed weight quickly, progress soon stalled. “I never lost another pound,” she recalled.
Turning to treatment
Determined to try a new approach, Williams consulted doctors through Ro, a direct-to-patient healthcare company, and began a GLP-1 course once she had finished breastfeeding. The medication, also known as a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, is commonly marketed under brand names such as Ozempic and Mounjaro.
“I did a lot of research before I started,” she explained. “I wanted to know if it was a shortcut or if it could really help me. In the end, it felt like the right decision.”
Williams, who is now a patient ambassador for Ro, said the injections made a noticeable difference. “I lost over 31 pounds and was really excited about that weight loss.”
Feeling better than ever
The Olympic gold medallist says she now feels stronger and more energetic.
“I can do more. I’m more active. My joints don’t hurt as much. Even simple things like moving around are easier. I feel like I have a lot more energy.”
She emphasised that GLP-1 was not a substitute for discipline but a way to support her existing healthy habits. “GLP-1 helped me enhance everything I was already doing — eating healthy and working out, whether as a professional athlete or just at the gym every day.”
Confidence and body positivity
Despite her transformation, Williams stressed that her self-confidence has never depended on her size.
“Weight loss should never really change your self-image,” she said. “Women are judged about their bodies at any size, and I’m no stranger to that. I’ve always loved myself at every stage. The difference was that my body didn’t feel good carrying that extra weight after having children.”
She added that she encourages her daughters to embrace body confidence too. “It’s important to teach them to be confident at any size, just as I try to be. Looking back, whether I was smaller or heavier, I always felt confident — and I looked great too.”
Looking ahead
Williams says she plans to continue with the weekly GLP-1 injections as needed, alongside training for a half marathon. The gym remains her “favourite place to be” — and she intends to keep sharing her workouts with fans online.
“I just feel pretty good about it all,” she said.
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Seles first began noticing symptoms around five years ago
Nine-time Grand Slam winner Monica Seles diagnosed with myasthenia gravis three years ago
The 51-year-old revealed her condition ahead of this month’s US Open to raise awareness
Disease causes muscle weakness and has no known cure
Former world number one Monica Seles has revealed she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a rare neuromuscular autoimmune disease, three years ago. The 51-year-old, who won nine Grand Slam singles titles, went public ahead of the US Open to raise awareness of the condition, which causes muscle weakness and can affect multiple parts of the body.
Symptoms and diagnosis
Seles first began noticing symptoms around five years ago when she experienced double vision and struggled with coordination. “I would be playing [tennis] with some kids or family members, and I would miss a ball. I was like, ‘Yeah, I see two balls,’” she told the Associated Press. These symptoms eventually led to her diagnosis, which took time for her to come to terms with.
Living with the condition
The former tennis star described the impact of the disease on her daily life as “significant” and said it was initially difficult to discuss openly. Myasthenia gravis currently has no cure, but treatments can help manage its effects. By sharing her experience, Seles hopes to use her platform to educate others.
Career highlights
Seles rose to prominence as a teenager, winning her first Grand Slam at the 1990 French Open aged 16 and claiming eight majors by 19. Her career was interrupted in 1993 when she was stabbed by a spectator during a match in Hamburg. She returned to the sport and won one more Grand Slam before retiring in 2003, having spent 178 weeks as world number one and capturing 53 career titles.
NexGen knee implant linked to high failure rates was used in over 10,000 UK operations.
Concerns flagged as early as 2014; withdrawn from UK market in 2022.
Hundreds of patients required corrective surgery, with costs running into millions.
Manufacturer Zimmer Biomet says patient safety is its “top priority” but will not cover revision costs up front.
Implant used despite early warnings
A knee replacement implant used in thousands of NHS operations was known to have a concerning failure rate eight years before it was withdrawn, a BBC File on 4 Investigates report has found.
The NexGen implant, made by US manufacturer Zimmer Biomet, was fitted in more than 10,000 patients between 2012 and 2022. Concerns were first raised by the National Joint Registry (NJR) in 2014, though insufficient data at the time made it difficult to draw firm conclusions.
The model in question included a modified “stemmed option tibial component” or “tibial tray”, lacking a layer of plastic found in earlier versions. It was marketed as a cheaper alternative for the NHS.
Patients left in pain and needing further surgery
Patients have reported severe complications after their implants slipped out of place, damaging bone and causing lasting mobility issues.
Debbie Booker, from Southampton, experienced severe pain a year after her 2016 surgery, eventually requiring a second knee replacement. She says the failed implant left her addicted to strong painkillers and caused long-term health problems, including the need for a hip replacement.
Another patient, “Diana”, had her implant fitted in 2021. When it slipped and began wearing away her shin bone, her consultant told her she was “standing on a broken leg”.
Surgeons raised repeated concerns
Irish knee surgeon Prof Eric Masterson reported a surge in corrective surgeries after switching to the NexGen implant in 2012. He says his concerns were dismissed by Zimmer Biomet representatives, a view echoed by NHS surgeons.
UK knee specialist Prof Leila Biant said she and colleagues raised warnings as early as 2017, but the company was slow to engage in evaluating affected patients.
Recall and high revision costs
By 2022, NJR data suggested patients with the NexGen implant were almost twice as likely to require corrective surgery compared with the average knee replacement. Zimmer Biomet recalled unused units from the UK market that year.
Studies have estimated failure rates for the tibial tray component between 6% and 19%. Hundreds of patients have undergone revision surgery, with more expected.
Each corrective procedure costs between £10,000 and £30,000, according to Southampton University’s Prof David Barrett, meaning the total bill is likely to run into millions. Zimmer Biomet has told sales staff it will not cover diagnostic, follow-up, or revision costs up front.
Official responses
Zimmer Biomet says it is “committed to the highest standards of patient safety, quality, and transparency” and acts in line with regulations when new data becomes available.
NHS England has confirmed it is “currently reviewing the case involving Zimmer Biomet NexGen knee implants”.