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Trump and Musk public meltdowns: Election claims, Epstein accusations, Tesla shares tumble
Their once close relationship is imploding as Elon Musk fires back at US President Donald Trump, claiming he is named in the unreleased Jeffrey Epstein files.
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US President Donald Trump ‘disappointed’ in Elon Musk’s public removal of support
‘Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore.’
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What’s really behind Chris Martin & Dakota Johnson’s split after 8 years as actress feels ‘incredible pain’ at break-up
LOVE-SPLIT stars Chris Martin and Dakota Johnson were on the rocks for ten months as cracks began to appear on their picture- perfect facade.
But while reps for the Coldplay frontman and Fifty Shades Of Grey actress Dakota insisted they were “happily together”, in reality their eight-year romance was falling apart.
The pair, who got engaged in 2020 but kept it under wraps for years, have now broken up for what is understood to be the final time, with those close to them saying it is Dakota left licking her wounds.
A well-placed source revealed: “Dakota wanted this relationship to work.
“She not only loves Chris, but his two kids, and that loss feels incredibly painful.
“The decision to end things was amicable, but Dakota is finding it hard.
“Over the past year, it became clear that their relationship had stalled and wasn’t moving forwards.
“Having children together didn’t seem to be on the cards, and their careers have been pulling them in different directions.
“Chris has been on tour for three years, his schedule is insane.
“Settling down, as in Chris properly taking his foot off the pedal, isn’t going to happen.
“And, ultimately, it was one of the many straws that broke the back of them.”
It is not the first time Chris, 48, and Dakota, 35, have ended things.
In 2019, just over a year after they started dating, they split after it was alleged she had brought up wanting kids — a ship that insiders said had sailed for Chris, who already has Apple, 21, and Moses, 19, with actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
They quickly reunited and an engagement soon followed, with a huge emerald ring that was reported to have cost Chris £300,000.
Dakota moved in to Chris’s Malibu home and went on to become a familiar face at gatherings with Gwyneth, who says her ex-husband is now like a brother to her.
In fact, Gwyn — who married Chris in 2003 but announced in 2014 that she was “consciously uncoupling” from the music star — gave the couple her seal of approval.
She said of Dakota in 2020: “I love her. I can see how it would seem weird because it’s sort of unconventional.
“But I think, in this case, just having passed through it iteratively, I just adore her.”
It was finally confirmed Chris and Dakota were engaged last year, but the wedding never happened.
By summer, their relationship was said to have been close to breaking point again.
“This break-up has been on the cards for almost a year,” our source explained.
“Chris and Dakota have had issues in their relationship, but they have always managed to work through them.
“They approached it like a team and were supportive of each other’s careers.
“Dakota even directed Coldplay’s video for Cry Cry Cry in 2020.
“They were great cheerleaders for each other.
“But after he went on tour in 2022, things became more complicated.
“Earlier this year, they had more time to talk because Chris’s schedule calmed down and it became clear they were in a rut and they weren’t moving forwards.
“Dakota is holding out that there is hope for them in the future but, for now, they aren’t together and are trying to move forwards.”
‘WILD RIDE’
Insiders claim Coldplay’s intense Music Of The Spheres world tour unquestionably played a part in Chris’s latest split from Dakota.
The mammoth, 225-date run of shows started in March 2022, when she was filming superhero blockbuster Madame Web, in which she played the leading lady.
The band’s trek, which will see Chris back on stage tonight in Clark County, Nevada, features performances across 43 countries — with the final leg booked for London in August and September, where Coldplay will hold a ten-night residency at Wembley Stadium.
“Chris and Dakota weren’t often on the same time zones, but they made it work,” our source explained.
“But eight years is a long time to be together and not actually be able to properly settle down.
“When they first got together, Chris and Dakota had a semi-normal life.
“They spent time together and did things that normal couples do, like hanging out on the beach and going on long walks.
“But Chris is not the kind of man who can sit down and twiddle his thumbs.
“Coldplay’s ninth album, Music Of The Spheres, came out in 2021 and they started the tour a year later.
“On the road, they dropped the album Moon Music last year, too. It’s been a wild ride.
“Chris is a born performer and this work, alongside other endeavours, is what he’ll do for decades to come.
“There was no wedding because when was there going to be time?
“Dakota’s schedule is far less intense, but just a glance at Chris’s is enough to make your eyes cross.”
Those close to the couple said talk of starting a family was also always in the background of their relationship.
Our insider explained: “Dakota is an amazing stepmother to Chris’s children and she adored them.
“Family is very important to both her and Chris, and Dakota loved nothing more than being around them.
“But Chris is older, he’s got children already.”
Last year, Dakota made her feelings clear when asked about motherhood during a candid interview.
We’re not here for very long, so if I’m meant to be a mother, bring it on
Dakota Johnson
She said: “I’m so open to that.
“I’ve gotten to this place where I really want to experience everything life has to offer.
“And, especially being a woman, I’m like, ‘What a magical f***ing thing to do. What a crazy, magical, wild experience’.
“If that’s meant to happen for me, I’m totally down for it.
“We’re not here for very long, so if I’m meant to be a mother, bring it on.”
Of Chris’s children, Apple and Moses, she added: “I love those kids like my life depends on it. With all my heart.”
Dakota was seen for the first time after the news of their split in New York this week.
She had taken off the emerald engagement ring Chris proposed with and kept a low profile as she headed for lunch with friends.
Chris, meanwhile, will play another night in Clark County tomorrow, before shows in Colorado, Texas and Massachusetts.
Our source said: “It’s business as usual for Chris and Dakota right now, because there’s nothing else they can do.
“Break-ups are never easy and this one isn’t any different.
“But they haven’t been together for some time, so there has been a chance for Dakota and Chris to navigate this without it being public knowledge.
“The hardest part for Dakota will be losing not only Chris, but the extended family in Apple and Moses, who she doted on.
“They will undoubtedly stay in touch as they’re older — they’re not kids any more.
“But it won’t be the same and naturally they will grow apart as people so often do.
“It’s going to be a difficult road for her to navigate, but there is nothing but love between them.
“Sadly it just wasn’t going to be the happily ever after Dakota wanted.”
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Did privacy-loving Meghan Markle release excruciating labour video to battle bizarre fake bump & surrogate rumours?
IT’S rare that I drop into the foetal position and reach for the Pepto-Bismol BEFORE my night out.
But that’s what I found myself doing as Meghan Markle dropped her vomit-inducing YouTwerk video just when I was heading to the pub on Wednesday night.
Her and husband Prince Harry’s cringey performance of the Baby Momma Dance, in a private hospital room shortly before she gave birth to the couple’s second child Lilibet, left me gagging over a bin full of copies of his memoir Spare.
We’ve now had to endure years of the bizarre, “Don’t look at me . . . Why aren’t you looking at me?!” demands of M&H.
Their hypocrisy is dizzying and leaves many of us searching for a reason to explain their constant desire for on-their-terms attention.
Not least the conspiracy theorists now using the twerking episode — shared by Meghan on her Instagram to mark Lilibet’s fourth birthday — as reason to speculate that she was, in fact, never even pregnant.
Long has there been a notion that M&H were lying about their second pregnancy — and the throwback clip throws fuel on the fire.
Twitter critics are shouting that Meghan is wearing a fake “moon-bump” and there is no woman at full-term pregnancy who could grind with such vigour.
They claim she must be “superhuman” and that the video isn’t even in a hospital room.
Ultrasound image
Several claim, without credible evidence, her bump is too high or the wrong shape to be real.
Some spin groundless claims the video was faked, made on a film set or AI-generated — and say that if she had been about to give birth in hospital, she would have been in a gown and had jewellery removed.
Meanwhile a recent mood board of pictures on her Instagram showed a bare-bellied Meghan heavily preg-nant with first child Archie.
She even posted an ultrasound image of her unborn son — but many claimed it was all just a way to prove she was pregnant.
The daftest claims are that she has hired the kids to help her sell items from her various companies.
This is not the first time the Duchess of Sussex has faced false claims of faked pregnancy — with keyboard warriors claiming she hired a surrogate, wore dodgy, mis-fitting bumps and refused to announce the birth when it happened.
Like baddies in a Disney film, they seem regenerated when being talked about. Unless we say things that they don’t like, of course.
None of which has any clout, of course.
But it does strike many as strange that the couple who constantly bang on about privacy and safety would release a video of one of the most intimate days of their life together for no reason other than attention.
I, like the many self-respecting residents of this fine nation, can’t fathom why the married couple would a) make the video and b) having watched how excruciating it is, put it out to the world four years later.
But then, we’re not Meghan and Harry. Like baddies in a Disney film, they seem regenerated when being talked about. Unless we say things that they don’t like, of course.
We’ve now had to endure years of the bizarre “Don’t look at me . . . Why aren’t you looking at me?!” demands of M&H. Their hypocrisy is dizzying and leaves many of us trying to find a more complicated reason for their constant desire for on-their-terms attention.
Meghan has a tree-falling-in-woods attitude to life: if no one is watching her, did it even happen?
She is an actress, after all. For decades she’s dreamed of red carpets, standing ovations and gold statuettes in her hand.
She needs eyes on her, whatever Netflix series she’s doing — whether it’s as a tradwife in the recent With Love, Meghan, moaning about the Royals in Harry & Meghan or not being watched by anyone in Polo.
Watching Harry dancing in the video, it’s impossible to decipher the exact moment his last drop of dignity left his body for ever.
After hitting “play” on the camera, he frantically zig-zags across the screen — pointing, stomping and crab-shuffling across the room.
Surely, if we could see his eyes, they must have shown his suffering? Those windows to the souls must have been crying for help.
Harry … has long been allowed only the odd walk-on part in The Meghan Show.
Perhaps I’m giving the pampered prince far too much credit — he’s my fellow fortysomething and no one of us should be capable of such toe-curling antics unless under duress.
I’m speaking as someone who suddenly finds the night bus timetable fascinating if the word karaoke is even uttered on a night out.
He gyrates as only the true British upper class learns how, at their first rugby club ball.
All he needs is some champagne poured from the bottle into his mouth by a bloke called Hugo and it would be like he’s back his old London nightclub haunt Boujis, in South Kensington.
Harry, who has spent thousands suing the Home Office and claiming his family aren’t safe on British soil, has long been allowed only the odd walk-on part in The Meghan Show.
Remember how he pointed out chickens to Oprah Winfrey while Meghan did the grown-up chat, giving the world headlines about the horrid Royals?
Or when he was seen, through a window, juggling like a chained-up garden jester while Meg and actress Melissa McCarthy celebrated her 40th birthday.
And let’s not forget that Time Magazine cover where he sat on a wall and peered over her shoulder, behind her power stance.
His bit-part in this sad excuse for delivery-room bantz shines through — as does the lack of laughter or chemistry between the pair.
He may also soon have competition in his understudy status, as on Wednesday Meghan expressed her dream of launching a future with Lilibet.
Chatting to Beyonce’s mother Tina Knowles on her podcast, she shared: “I wonder if one day I’ll be in business with Lili and we’ll be building something.”
Better keeeeep dancing, Harry.
Staggering monthly fee Prem aces pay for luxury online butler service offering private jets, hotels & shopping revealed
PREMIER League stars are signing up to a luxury £1,700-a-month online butler service offering private jets, hotels and shopping.
The app promises “exclusive lifestyle management for football elites” including help with travel plans, fashion and VIP event tickets.
Stars who have downloaded concierge service Amslux include Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch.
Man United striker Joshua Zirkzee, new Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and the ex-Bayern Munich ace Thomas Muller have also joined.
The Amsterdam firm was founded six years ago by pals Emmanuel Ntow, Ward Struwer and Mitchell Spel.
Their most expensive one-off purchase was for a star of Germany’s Bundesliga who asked them to source a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 watch worth £105,000.
Other requests include handbags worth £20,000 and £10,000 designer trainers.
But one anonymous player’s partying ended up in a brush with the law.
Emmanuel told The Sun: “A player asked us urgently through Instagram if we could help him with a very difficult last minute request.
“He needed a private jet for the next day to Ibiza as all flights were cancelled.
“We used all our power to get this done and he was very happy.
“A week later when he arrived back from his holiday he asked us to fly two girls in from Ibiza.
“Everything was taken care of but after they landed we were called with a very strange conversation.
“He said the girls were not allowed to enter the country because they were being sought by Interpol.”
But he said most requests were more straightforward to deal with.
Emmanuel said: “We offer personalised travel — whether that’s a secluded private villa, a luxury yacht charter, or a five-star resort.”
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Doctor Who’s demise is an overdue lesson for woke BBC – & a warning to other companies who’ve become slaves to diversity
SO farewell Fifteenth Doctor, off to fiddle with your sonic screwdriver in some woke utopia at the end of a Gallifrey rainbow.
Doctor Who’s demise has been an overdue lesson for its smug producers.
High on their own self-importance and right-on zealotry, they managed to ruin a franchise that was beloved by millions.
As we revealed this week, audiences for Ncuti Gatwa’s truncated Time Lord found it “rubbish”, “boring” and “woke” and complained producers had put social justice issues above quality.
And who let them get away with that?
Craven BBC executives terrified of appearing homophobic, transphobic or displaying some other LBGTQ+ phobia by pointing out how utterly crap it was, I suspect.
They gave overbearing writer Russell T Davies far too much freedom and, in return, he turned the 62-year-old show into a pulpit for his own sermons on gender ideology.
We can only hope that whoever gets the gig next lives on the same planet as the rest of us.
Of course, the Doctor Who debacle is not just a lesson for the BBC.
It is a vivid case study of what happens when you become so weak and battle-worn by the “culture wars” that you roll over and let others do things in your name that just p**s people off. And it isn’t the only casualty of this crisis of confidence.
Just last month Jaguar, the British car brand once the ultimate status symbol of middle England, canned its advertising agency.
We didn’t need Jag fan Inspector Morse to work out why.
Jaguar had allowed a pretentious advertising firm to reinvent the company with a Technicolor “inclusive” ad campaign that would make Benetton cringe.
The resulting backlash was an avalanche of derision.
When it aired, I gave the ailing company the benefit of the doubt on these pages for at least having the balls to try something different.
But I assumed — naively it seems — that a brand whose parent company recorded £29billion in revenue last year would have done its homework and formulated its new direction after listening to prospective clients.
Apparently not.
So the big cat of motoring became yet another dog humiliatingly wagged by its own tail.
That disaster would follow this collective decision to let people, many who are essentially activists, determine how an organisation should behave was all too predictable.
When the first drumbeats of wokeism started emanating from the US, social justice campaigners over here tuned in with great excitement.
The Great Overcorrection began.
Fingers were pointed, social media pile-ons were unleashed and all our political, educational, cultural and corporate institutions panicked.
“Is my leaflet about breastfeeding transphobic? Are my lessons racist? Is saying ‘ladies and gentleman’ a microaggression? Does my washing powder have white privilege? Oh God, what shall we do? HELP!!!”
That help came quickly in the form of right-on diversity “consultants” — cynical agents, who for a large fee, could ensure that you avoided what they deemed “problematic” practices.
Ideological madness
Value systems were franchised out to strangers with agendas.
Like the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, which charges £3,000 for companies to become “diversity champions” and be advised (read “bollocked”) about gender issues by blue-haired busybodies.
Everyone from the Bank of England to the House of Lords signed up to this hustle until they realised they were being conned.
At one point £1.2million was given to Stonewall by public bodies.
HR bosses lapped this stuff up, relishing a new level of importance, a world where they didn’t just sign off maternity leave or work out how to sack people for shagging on the photocopier.
Diversity, Equality and Inclusion departments mushroomed, not least in the civil service where, we learnt this week, £27million of taxpayers’ cash has been spent on DEI officers.
Thankfully, the worm appears to be turning.
Just as Reform UK is purging its council DEI departments, smart private sector operators are starting to realise themselves that much of what they have been taught to be worried about is nonsense.
They already know it is simply good business to be inclusive and respectful of their customers, employees, students or patients.
But they also know there is a line — where common sense ends and ideological madness begins.
So Stonewall is out (even the BBC has ditched it) and the fight back is on.
People are finally, to coin a phrase, waking up.
The Doctor is not the only one regenerating.
THANK GOD IT'S FRYDAY
HAPPY National Fish and Chip day, folks.
There are few things more exciting in life than a chippy tea, right?
Will it be a jumbo cod or haddock? Maybe they’ve got skate tonight.
And what about a chaser of a crunchy saveloy or pickled egg?
Decision, decisions.
Whatever I choose, it will always be accompanied by a bag of chips so enormous Desperate Dan would struggle to finish the lot.
And if 50 per cent of them aren’t stuck to the paper I’m taking them back.
I’m lucky I have a good chippy nearby.
Many are dying out, forced to close thanks to energy costs soaring and Rachel Reeves’ hike of employers’ National Insurance.
So if you haven’t been to your local for a while, get yourself down there today . . . before they have had their chips.
It’s a jaw-dropping look, Si
THAT squeaky-voiced youth who won Britain’s Got Talent had some very clever tricks.
But nothing as mesmerising as how Simon Cowell looked in a promo for the show.
Simon, 65, hasn’t looked like himself for a good few years but in an Instagram reel his hollow eyes and gigantic lantern jaw made him look utterly insane.
And the teeth! They looked whiter than Liam Gallagher’s mirror in 1996.
What’s going on?
I like Simon and used to speak to him pretty much every day when The X Factor was huge.
He’s a pretty down-to-earth bloke and part of his charm was that he was just a normal-looking geezer (albeit one in weirdly high-waisted jeans) who had no time for showbiz tweakments.
Now he looks like he’s auditioning for Love Island.
It’s a no from me.
WHAT A RIGHTS TO DO
REMEMBER when the luvvies were in a tizzy over London’s snooty Garrick Club refusing to allow women to be members?
Folk like Stephen Fry and Sting demanded ladies be let in, despite having been members of this 200-year-old anti-oestrogen institution for many years.
Well, the ban was lifted last year, the floodgates opened and a whopping, er, three women have joined – acting dames Judi Dench, Sian Phillips and Celia Imrie.
What a result! Treble G&Ts all round.
You can hardly blame women for giving it a swerve.
Paying two grand a year for the privilege of sitting near the host of ITV’s Jeopardy as he eats a coddled gull’s egg in an oak-panelled library doesn’t seem that much of a draw.
ER, SO WHAT TAYLOR?
NOW I confess I’m quite the fan of Taylor Swift’s music – she has a good ear for a melody does our Tay-Tay.
But please tell me why I should care that she’s bought back her master recordings.
The breathlessly announced purchase was treated as if she’d discovered the Holy Grail hanging up behind the bog door in her tour trailer.
Unless I’m missing something, it was simply the culmination of her amassing so much cash that she was able to pay around £220million for the rights to her first six albums.
And as she admitted herself, a lot of that loot came from fans paying eye-watering sums for tickets to her Eras tour last year.
So will that make parents feel better about shelling out the price of a small car to take the kids to see their favourite pop star?
No? Thought not.
Life's too... short
MUCH consternation about Tinder allowing women to weed out shorter men.
Speaking as a man who lives within 5ft 8in of the ground, I would presumably be one of those poor souls filtered out, should I find myself suddenly back on the dating scene.
But I can confirm that I would have no problem with being screened by some fussy female hunting for a Richard Osman rather than a Richard Hammond.
Filter away!
I’m busy and life’s too, er, short.
How sick killer murdered wife, told kids she’d walked out then convinced son to dig her up in evil plot to evade justice
ANDREW Griggs had been expecting the knock on the door for more than 20 years.
When it finally came, he showed no surprise as detectives arrested him for the 1999 murder of his wife Debbie, 34.
By then, the former fisherman had a new life and wife in another part of the country with the three sons he fathered with Debbie.
The former nurse was pregnant with a fourth boy when Griggs murdered her at their home in Deal, Kent, as sons Jeremy, then six, Jake, four, and 18-month-old Luke slept upstairs.
Griggs later brainwashed the boys into believing their mother had deserted them and ran off.
But Debbie was, in fact, just a few feet away.
Hours after killing her, Griggs put her body in a plastic water butt which he sealed with fibreglass.
He hid the body in the drum for two years in his parents’ back garden.
When the Griggs family moved from Kent to Dorset in 2001, he took Debbie’s body with him inside the water butt.
He buried her under a concrete shed base beneath a lean-to at the side of their house in the village of St Leonards, near Bournemouth.
And for years she remained there as Griggs played happy families with his sons and second wife — also named Debbie — who he met in 2005.
The appalling secret emerged after Griggs was convicted of Debbie’s murder in October 2019 and jailed for life with a 20-year minimum tariff.
Days after his conviction, Griggs concocted a plan to clear his name.
‘He manipulates people around him’
He tried to enlist the unwitting help of middle son Jake, now 25, to unearth his mother’s remains.
During a prison visit, he asked Jake to cut off a lock of her hair, travel to France and post it to UK authorities with a note purporting to be from Debbie saying she was alive and wanted to be left alone.
He lied to Jake that he had found Debbie’s body in their old back garden and feared his late father — Jake’s paternal grandfather — had murdered her.
Jake deprived his own grandad of the opportunity to bury his daughter and then took money from his will, all the while knowing where his mum was.
Debbie’s brother Wayne Cameron
Griggs also told his son he created the subterfuge about Debbie leaving them as he feared being framed for her murder.
For almost three years, Jake kept his father’s twisted request a secret before he blurted it out to his girlfriend during a row.
Jake and his girlfriend consulted his stepmother and the trio went to the local police to report it.
In the meantime, Debbie’s father Brian Cameron passed away in 2021, two years after wife Patricia died “from a broken heart” without seeing justice for their daughter.
Griggs, now 68, was branded a conniving narcissist by a judge this week as he was given a further three years for perverting the course of justice.
Debbie’s brother Wayne Cameron, 57, said his family believe his nephew Jake should have been in the dock with Griggs.
Wayne told The Sun: “Jake deprived his own grandad of the opportunity to bury his daughter and then took money from his will, all the while knowing where his mum was.
“No one can understand why he did not come forward sooner.”
He added: “As a family, we believe charges need to be brought against Jake.
“In some ways I feel for him.
“He was just a four-year-old boy when this happened, but he’s an adult now and he should know better.”
Perhaps in a subconscious state of denial, Jake continued to refuse to accept his father’s guilt even after Griggs owned up to burying his mum at their house.
After their father’s conviction, Jake and his brothers had launched a misguided “Find Our Mum” Facebook appeal to prove Debbie was still alive.
To this day, Griggs’ family continue to support him, with second wife Debbie saying: “I know him and I know he could not have done what they said he did.”
DCI Neil Kimber, of the Kent Police cold case review team, describes Griggs as a “very brash and forceful character.”
The detective adds: “He has charisma and charm and manipulates people around him.”
Griggs was married to Debbie for nine years before murdering her.
He cheated on her with a 15-year-old girl and extracts from Debbie’s diary reveal she was suspicious about the relationship.
Debbie also wrote of the control Griggs exerted, saying: “He does not let me go out by myself.”
In March 1999, after Debbie became pregnant with their fourth child, Griggs walked out on her and their children.
Debbie — who had suffered from post-natal depression after her first two children — worked for the Griggs family frozen fish business.
Griggs was sole beneficiary of the firm and consulted a solicitor on the financial implications if he divorced.
He was told Debbie would be entitled to half the business and house which prompted him to go back to his family.
On 4 May that year Griggs transferred the funds from their joint business account into his own name.
At 6pm the next day, Debbie picked up her sons from a children’s party.
The last proof of her being alive came at 7.38am when she spoke to a friend, Lisa Vickers, and made arrangements to see her the next day.
Detectives believe that by 11.20pm that night Griggs had murdered Debbie, as that was the time he rang a work colleague to say he was unable to go to Billingsgate the next day.
A neighbour reported Debbie’s white Peugeot 309 car being driven away from the Griggs’ house at 2am.
Then at 5.30am Griggs called his father and business partner Jonathan to inform him he would not be working that day as Debbie had left him and the children.
He repeated the story to relatives and friends that day, including Debbie’s mother who he visited at 5pm.
At 9.20pm Griggs spoke to a friend of Debbie’s who asked if he had called police, prompting him to finally report her missing.
Confusing her age, Griggs told the 999 operator his wife was “34 . . . 35,” and added: “She is suffering from depression — postnatal depression.
“We’ve got three little boys and she’s just wound up too much.”
Debbie’s car was found in Deal a week after her disappearance.
The boot carpet liner had been removed and there were traces of her blood.
‘We’ve spent 20 years in a state of disbelief’
Rumours reached police about Griggs’ affair with the teenage girl, and on 25 May he was arrested on suspicion of murder.
He was quizzed 11 times, denied the affair and insisted Debbie had walked out on him, calling her “selfish.”
But the CPS ruled there was insufficient evidence to charge Griggs.
A month following Debbie’s disappearance, Griggs had put the family home on sale and begun inquiring about properties in Bournemouth.
After moving to Dorset he began a relationship with another woman, coincidentally also called Debbie, before splitting from her and meeting current wife, Debbie Three.
Sometimes when you arrest people in the early hours they get quite upset, but it was like he was expecting a knock on the door one day.
Arresting detective Alan Davie
Kent Police continued to investigate Debbie’s disappearance and in 2001 they were contacted by the new owners of the Griggs’ fish business.
They had found a love letter sent to Griggs by the 15-year-old girl he had an affair with.
Griggs was re-arrested but continued to deny the affair — claiming the girl was a fantasist.
Again, prosecutors ruled there was insufficient evidence to charge Griggs.
In 2007, his marriage to Debbie was formally dissolved by presumption of death, leaving him free to remarry.
Debbie’s family continued to fight for justice and police asked the CPS to review the evidence in 2018.
Despite the absence of Debbie’s body, senior prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC authorised a charge of murder against Griggs.
Griggs was arrested at dawn on 12 March 2019.
Arresting detective Alan Davie said: “It was interesting because he wasn’t surprised.
“Sometimes when you arrest people in the early hours they get quite upset, but it was like he was expecting a knock on the door one day.”
Griggs’ 15-year-old lover, now in her 30s, gave evidence at his Canterbury crown court trial about how she had been groomed by him.
The financial motive was also established and jurors heard how a few weeks before Debbie vanished he told a friend he wished she was dead.
He was convicted of murder, leaving Debbie’s family relieved but still in anguish over her whereabouts.
Jailing Griggs, Mr Justice Spencer suggested the experienced sailor had buried Debbie’s body at sea.
The truth finally emerged as Griggs played his last hand by trying to dupe his own son.
Debbie’s body was found on 5 October 2022, twisted into a Z-shape inside the water butt which had been wrapped in blue tarpaulin.
She was bound in duvet covers with straps which were found to match photos of ties Griggs previously used to prop up a canoe.
Debbie’s clothing, jewellery and the missing boot carpet liner were also found.
A post-mortem was unable to establish her cause of death but DCI Kimber said: “There were no broken bones or blunt force injuries.
“We strongly suspect he strangled or suffocated Debbie.”
Debbie’s sister Wendie Rowlinson said she was at her home in New Zealand when she learned she had been found.
Referring to her sister and Debbie’s unborn child, Wendie said: “Griggs hid their bodies from us so that we couldn’t bury them, couldn’t grieve.
“We spent 20 years not knowing whether Debbie was dead or alive, in a state of disbelief, the not knowing a constant torture.”
Griggs is not due to be released until 2041 at the earliest — if he lives that long.
A charge of obstructing the coroner — punishable with a maximum of life imprisonment — was left on file.
Debbie’s family are considering appealing the length of the sentence.
Her brother Wayne said: “We spent longer looking for photos to help the police’s case than he got for hiding Debbie’s body.”
My husband promised to end affair and rebuild our relationship – but he lied and never ended things with mistress
DEAR DEIDRE: I THOUGHT that becoming a parent would strengthen my relationship with my husband, but instead it has exposed his affair.
We’d just had our first baby when I started noticing a change in him.
He became distant and hardly helped with our newborn, preferring to sit glued to his phone.
I was exhausted and emotional and trying to adjust to being a mum, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.
Finally, I snooped on his phone and I discovered he’d been having an affair with a colleague.
When I confronted him, he said it meant nothing and begged me to give him another chance.
After that, we had counselling and he promised to cut all contact with this woman outside work.
I wanted so badly for our family to stay together, so I chose to believe him.
But months later, I discovered he never really ended things with her and he’s been lying to me the whole time, sneaking over while pretending to rebuild our relationship.
Now I don’t know what to do. I feel like a complete fool.
Part of me still loves him and wants to work on things for the sake of our family, but the other part feels broken. I don’t want to keep living a lie. I’m 32 and he’s 35. Our baby is 15 months old. I feel so lost.
How can I move forward from this? Is it even worth it?
READ MORE FROM DEAR DEIDRE
DEIDRE SAYS: Learning that your partner has been having an affair during such a vulnerable time is devastating, and for him to continue the fling after promising that he would end it only adds to the pain.
Trust, once broken, is incredibly hard to rebuild, especially when the betrayal is repeated.
Ask yourself what you truly want – not just for your relationship, but for yourself and your child.
You’ve already shown great strength in trying to work through it, but unless he pulls out all the stops now to show his remorse and determination to improve things, I’m afraid you do need to consider if it’s time to leave this relationship.
You may need more counselling, either together or individually, to help process what’s happened and consider if you would be best going your separate ways. Contact tavistockrelationships.org (020 7380 1960).
My support pack, Cheating – Can You Get Over It?, can also help you decide whether to walk away or not.
Get in touch with Deidre
Every problem gets a personal reply, usually within 24 hours weekdays.
Send an email to deardeidre@the-sun.co.uk
You can also send a private message on the DearDeidreOfficial Facebook page.
HELP ME FIND A MAN WHO WANTS MORE THAN ROMPS
DEAR DEIDRE: WHY do men only want me for one thing? I get my hopes up, only to find they were never serious about me in the first place and it’s all about sex.
I’m a 62-year-old woman, I’ve never married, don’t have children and have spent most of my life alone.
Five years ago, I was left devastated after someone I truly cared for used me for sex. I was heartbroken and swore I would never go through that pain again.
Now, I’ve started seeing someone I actually like. He’s funny, attentive and romantic – and I was beginning to trust him. But then I noticed he’s friends with loads of attractive women on Facebook.
To make matters worse, a friend found him on a dating website known for hook-ups. I feel like a fool for opening my heart again, and I can’t help but think the worst.
I’m sick of being used. How can I tell if this is real or if I’m just another stop along the way?
DEIDRE SAYS: It’s completely natural to feel wary after being hurt, especially when someone you trusted shows signs that bring back old fears.
Before jumping to conclusions, have an honest talk with him about what you’ve found and how it makes you feel.
If his answers don’t reassure you, or he continues to behave inconsistently, don’t be afraid to walk away.
My support pack, Finding The Right Partner, will help you recognise red flags and build healthier relationships.
SO DOWN OVER MY BINGEING ON JUNK
DEAR DEIDRE: I’M trapped in a constant battle where food feels like my comfort and my curse.
No matter what I do, I can’t control my eating habits and it’s making my life a misery.
I’m a 34-year-old man and I’ve had a difficult relationship with food ever since I was a teenager.
Lately, stress at work and feeling lonely in my personal life have made me feel more out of control. I’m scared I’m damaging my health, physically and mentally.
Most evenings, I eat to the point of discomfort – packs of biscuits, family-sized bags of crisps, takeaways, whatever I can get my hands on.
It’s like I’m using food to fill a gap I can’t explain.
I’ve gained a lot of weight and constantly feel low. I hate what I see in the mirror.
I’ve never told anyone because I’m ashamed and scared they’ll just think I’m weak or lack self-control.
I’m desperate for help.
DEIDRE SAYS: Struggling with binge eating can feel overwhelming, but know that you’re not alone.
Many people use food to cope with stress or emotional pain, and breaking the cycle often takes time and support.
It’s important to be kind to yourself and seek help.
Organisations like beateatingdisorders.org.uk (0808 801 0677) offer specialist guidance for eating disorders.
My support pack, Eating Disorders, should help too.
LIFE OF FAILURE HAS LEFT ME FUMING
DEAR DEIDRE: HOW can I stop being furious at the world? For as long as I can remember, life has felt like one long uphill battle.
I struggle to make close friends and romantic relationships fall apart before they even begin.
I’m 33 and have watched everyone my age fall in love, find jobs they care about, travel the world and build meaningful lives, while I’m stuck in a constant loop of failure and frustration.
My career hasn’t taken off and I feel like I’ve never really belonged anywhere. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to catch a break.
Every rejection and failure just chips away at me. Lately, the frustration has turned to real anger. I constantly snap at people over small things and feel like I’m always on the verge of blowing up.
It feels like I was dealt a bad hand, and sometimes I wonder if things will ever get better or if I’m destined to feel this way for ever.
DEIDRE SAYS: It’s totally understandable to feel overwhelmed and angry when life seems to throw one setback after another at you.
Feeling targeted by the universe is a common reaction when things don’t go your way, but remember, these things don’t define your future.
Anger can be a powerful emotion, but holding on to it can stop you from making the necessary changes.
Try to channel that frustration into small, positive steps — whether it’s seeking support from a counsellor, finding new activities to meet people or setting manageable goals.
Talking to someone impartial could help you unpack what’s behind this frustration. Contact mind.org.uk (0300 123 3393) or bacp.co.uk to find a qualified counsellor near you.
My support pack, Managing Anger, should also help you.