Venezuelan politician who won Nobel Peace Prize dedicates award to Trump after he misses out

Venezuelan opposition leader and the newly awarded Nobel Peace Prize winner has dedicated her win to Donald Trump for his “decisive support” in her country’s fight for democracy.

Maria Corina Machado said the award represents the “struggle of all Venezuelans” and serves as a boost in their mission to “conquer Freedom”. Her praise for Trump comes after the U.S. president missed out on the award that he has long hoped to win, when the winner was revealed Friday.

In a post on social media site X, she said: “We are on the threshold of victory, and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy.

“I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause.”

Machado, a conservative politician, was awarded the prize for her work in “promoting democratic rights”.

She has been forced to remain in hiding in the wake of socialist Nicolás Maduro’s recent election victory. Maduro has been accused of breaking human rights laws by a number of global watchdogs due to allegations of torture, corruption and killings.

Since Trump’s re-election, Machado has been an outspoken supporter of the U.S. president, describing him as a “visionary” and the “biggest opportunity we’ve ever had” for regime change in Venezuela.

She has previously claimed to be in close contact with Trump’s secretary of state Marco Rubio, who is the son of Cuban refugees.

Since his first term in office, Trump has never shied away from his ambition to secure the Nobel Peace Prize, and had hoped his role in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement could finally secure him the highly coveted award.

During a press conference in the Oval Office on Friday, the president said: “The person who actually got the Nobel prize called today, called me and said, I’m accepting this in honor of you, because you really deserved it. A very nice thing to do.”

He then assured reporters that he didn’t demand the award from Machado.

“I didn’t say ‘then give it to me,’ though; I think she might have,” Trump said. “She was very nice. And I’ve been, you know, I’ve been helping her along the way. She — they need a lot of help in Venezuela, it’s a basic disaster.”

Despite several MAGA supporters and his own son calling for him to be awarded the prize, Trump gave a cautious answer when asked about his chances Wednesday.

“I have no idea,” he answered her. “I mean, look, I did settle — Marco [Rubio] will tell you — we did settle seven wars. We’re close to settling an eighth, and I think we’ll end up settling the Russia situation, which is horrible… I think we’ll settle that, so… I don’t think anybody in history has settled that many, but perhaps they’ll find a reason not to give it to me.”

Five previous American presidents have been awarded the prize for their efforts in ensuring democracy, including Theodore Roosevelt (1906), Woodrow Wilson (1919), Jimmy Carter (2002), and Barack Obama (2009).

If Trump’s Gaza peace holds, then he will deserve a Nobel prize

Go to Kosovo today, and among men in their mid-twenties you will find a disproportionate number of them named Tonibler. It isn’t a traditional Slavic name, but after the vital role that Tony Blair played in prosecuting the war against the Yugoslav leader, Slobodan Milosevic, in 1999, a new generation was called “Tonibler”.

What chance is there that a new generation of children born in Gaza and Israel in the next few months and years will bear that most un-Levantine name, “Donald”?

I can think of one person who would feel the warmest of warm glows if that were to come to pass. And let’s give Donald Trump his due: his unconventional methods of diplomacy, his force of personality, his brow-beating of Bibi Netanyahu have got us to the point where we are today – where, please God, the last remaining hostages so cruelly taken by Hamas on October 7 are released, and the merciless bombardment of Gaza ceases.

Donald Trump is having a lovely, warm, soapy bask in the narrative that he is the peacemaker and deal-maker extraordinaire. Speaking to the media on Thursday, he was heaping praise on the journalists who had spent the day heaping praise on this breakthrough – that must have been very destabilising for the reporters in the room, who are much more used to hearing from him that they are creating fake news and are enemies of the people.

Fair enough; he should be revelling in this moment. But the importance of timing in politics can’t be overestimated. If you look at the deal that Trump has strong-armed Israel into signing up to, it is not so different from the one that Joe Biden put on the table a year ago. Why has Trump succeeded where Biden failed? Yes, his personality. But also timing. A year ago, Netanyahu thought he didn’t need a deal. But after the haemorrhaging of support following the grotesque attempts to starve the Palestinian people into submission, and then the imbecilic missile attack on the Hamas mission in Qatar, Israel had never looked more isolated. That gave Trump the opening he sought, the leverage only he could apply.

About 15 years ago, I went to Israel to interview Tony Blair who, as leader of the Quartet Group, had been tasked with trying to find peace between Israel and the Palestinians. We travelled around the West Bank together, and he was clear-sighted that a two-state solution was achievable. Everyone knew what the shape of an agreement looked like; the problem was you needed the stars to align, for the two sides to be willing to take a chance, to roll the dice.

Netanyahu nodded about a two-state solution, but then did everything to scupper it. Back when he was president, Bill Clinton thought he had a deal, but then the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, backed away, fearful that he wouldn’t be able to sell it.

Look at Northern Ireland, where Tony Blair succeeded with the Good Friday Agreement. Yes, it was painstaking, yes there were moments when it would seem like there would be failure. And yes, there were issues that were fudged – like the decommissioning of IRA weapons. But there was a will on all sides to give it a go. The constellation of stars were in alignment that Easter.

That brings us to the other point. If the hostages come out on Monday, that is not the end; that is just the beginning. The pile of unanswered questions is long. Will Hamas disarm? Will Israel leave the security of the Gaza Strip to this technocratic body? Who is going to appoint these technocrats to run Gaza? How do you keep the militants out? Who is going to pay for the reconstruction? How long will it take and how much will it cost? Remember, the peace plan has 20 points to it.

If you cast your mind back to those historic events in Northern Ireland in 1998, the signing of the Good Friday Agreement was the first step. The RUC would have to become the PSNI, the weapons would have to be decommissioned, and there was the painful process of releasing political prisoners. And then power sharing in Stormont. Today, 27 years on, there are still tensions. But the peace has – largely – held because the politicians kept working at it.

No one can doubt the force of Trump’s personality and determination to bring this conflict to an end. But if he gets the hostages out, there is a question over whether he has the political bandwidth and attention span to continue to make that 20-point plan a reality; to bring the peace for an eternity as he has promised? The president can zoom in on a subject with enormous intensity – but get bored with it equally quickly. We all feel we have attention deficit disorder with the Trump presidency, as one subject after another gains our undivided attention, only to be replaced by another, hours later.

This is undoubtedly the best chance for peace – and I salute Donald Trump unequivocally for getting this far. But the harder – perhaps less headline-grabbing – grunt work begins now. And Donald Trump, we all know, is an inveterate headline chaser.

I hope I’m wrong. All politicians love to think about legacy. If a durable, just and lasting peace is what Donald Trump bequeaths the world, then give him the Nobel Peace Prize, and make it the biggest, shiniest, most beautiful 24-karat gold medal those Norwegians have ever made. He will have earned it.

‘An extraordinary tragicomedy’: Inside Macron’s political crisis and a French farce

France latest fresh political crisis turned into farce this week after prime minister Sebastien Lecornu unexpectedly announced his resignation on Monday, only to be reappointed by Friday.

Lecornu’s initial decision to quit set the tone for another chaotic week in French politics. He threw in the towel less than four weeks after taking office and just 14 hours after he unveiled his minority government.

But within days he was back in the job, reappointed by president Emmanuel Macron and tasked with forming a new cabinet and putting forward a budget next week.

Lecornu said in a statement he accepted the new job offer out of “duty” and had been given a mission “to do everything to give France a budget by the end of the year and respond to the daily problems of our compatriots”.

His 27 days in office were even shorter than Liz Truss’s disastrous turn in No 10 and made him the shortest-serving prime minister in modern French history.

So how did France get to this point, and what happens now?

The political deadlock stems from Macron’s shock decision in June 2024 to dissolve the National Assembly. The snap elections produced a hung parliament, with no bloc able to command a majority in the 577-seat chamber.

The gridlock has unnerved investors, infuriated voters, and stalled efforts to curb France’s spiralling deficit and public debt.

Without stable support, Macron’s governments have stumbled from one crisis to the next, collapsing as they sought backing for unpopular spending cuts.

At the end of the first quarter of 2025, France’s public debt stood at €3.346 trillion (£2.91 trillion), or 114 per cent of gross domestic product.

France’s poverty rate also reached 15.4 per cent in 2023, its highest level since records began in 1996, according to the latest data available from the national statistics institute.

One of Macron’s signature policies has been an extremely unpopular pension reform. Forced through parliament without a vote in 2023 despite mass protests, it will gradually increase the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Forming a government remains a daunting challenge within the obstinacy of an increasingly polarised National Assembly.

Lecornu, a close ally of President Macron, had sought to mend the rift through diplomacy, meeting with political opponents and promising a “rupture” from the patterns of old.

Promises of change offered little tangible reassurance. Lecornu’s new government largely resembled the old one, and fringes on both the left and right were incensed by the decision to keep on Bruno Le Maire, this time as defence minister.

Opposition parties threatened to call a vote of no confidence before Lecornu, cornered, backed down.

Macron’s decision to reappoint Lecornu has enraged some of his fiercest opponents, who have argued the only way out of France’s worst political crisis in decades is for the president to call fresh legislative elections or resign.

Even allies have now started to turn on Macron. Former prime minister Gabriel Attal, who leads Macron’s Renaissance party, said on Monday he “no longer understands” the president’s decisions. Another former prime minister, Edouard Philippe, one of Macron’s most important allies, called on the president to resign and for new presidential elections.

Lecornu’s resignation also panicked the markets. By 8am the same day, the Paris Stock Exchange had fallen by two per cent. The euro slumped 0.6 per cent on the dollar.

The Elysee Palace snuffed out speculation that France was heading for fresh elections when it stated on Wednesday that Macron would name a new prime minister within 48 hours. Instead, he reappointed Lecornu.

Macron’s choices at the start of the week were to either appoint a new prime minister, to resign himself or to dissolve parliament and call fresh parliamentary elections.

Emile Chabal, a specialist on contemporary French politics at the University of Edinburgh, told The Independent that resigning would be the “nuclear option” and would lead to “extraordinary and volatile realignment of different political groups”.

Elections are no safe bet, either. There is no guarantee a new parliament would be any more stable than the last, and it could invite a far-right majority.

Last summer, Macron took his allies by surprise when he dissolved the National Assembly in response to his coalition’s heavy defeat in the EU elections. The New Popular Front alliance, a left-wing coalition, came out on top, Macron’s centrist alliance came second and the far-right National Rally (RN) placed third. No party secured a majority.

Fringes on the left and right both fancied their chances in a re-run, demanding Macron call another election as soon as Lecornu’s resignation was made public.

Dr Pierre Purseigle, Reader in Modern European History at the University of Warwick, described the situation as just “another extraordinary instalment in the tragicomedy that French politics degenerated into over the last year and a half”.

The longer it goes on, the longer France lingers in limbo without fixing its ballooning financial crisis. This can only hurt Macron’s reputation, and voters are already apathetic.

“Much of the electorate remain animated by a desire to kick Macron, his government and indeed most politicians out of office,” Dr Purseigle explained.

Ousting Macron is no guarantee of fixing inertia, either. Elections “may simply lead France to sink deeper into the paralysing mire it’s been in for over a year”, Dr Purseigle said. “Meanwhile, none of the severe economic, social and international challenges the country faces will be addressed as they surely must be.”

Prince Harry makes new UK security request amid ‘stalker’ incidents

The Duke of Sussex has formally requested a re-evaluation of his security arrangements for visits to the UK, following reports that a “known stalker” came “within feet” of Prince Harry on two separate occasions during his last visit to the UK.

A source close to the duke confirmed Prince Harry wrote to home secretary Shabana Mahmood shortly after her appointment and submitted a formal request for a risk assessment to the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec), which operates under the Home Office.

According to The Telegraph, the “known stalker” breached a “secure zone” at a central London hotel where the duke attended the WellChild Awards on 9 September.

She was subsequently spotted near him two days later at the Centre for Blast Injury Studies in west London and is said to have come “within feet” of the Duke of Sussex.

The duke’s appeal against the dismissal of his High Court claim concerning the level of taxpayer-funded protection he receives in the country was rejected in May.

The source clarified that the letter to Ms Mahmood was dispatched prior to these two security incidents occurring in September.

After losing the Court of Appeal challenge, the duke said in a TV interview he “can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK”.

The 41-year-old told the BBC he would ask then home secretary Yvette Cooper to “look at this very, very carefully”, and warned that the royal family’s power over security means it “can be used to control” family members.

He also said he would ask prime minister Sir Keir Starmer to “step in”.

The legal challenge came after Harry and the Duchess of Sussex left the UK and first moved to Canada, and then California, after announcing they wanted to step back as senior royals.

In a summary of the ruling, judge Sir Geoffrey Vos said Ravec’s decision was “understandable and perhaps predictable”.

The duke said the Court of Appeal decision meant it is now “impossible” for him to bring Meghan and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet back to the UK safely.

A government spokesperson said: “The UK government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate.

“It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.”

Neighbours star Stefan Dennis forced to pull out of tonight’s ‘Movie Night’ episode

Strictly Come Dancing is back for its third live show of the series – but one celebrity won’t be taking part in Movie Week.

Neighbours star Stefan Dennis has been advised to rest by doctors and will not be performing his planned Waltz to “It Is You (I Have Loved)” from Shrek. He and partner Diane Buswell will automatically make it through to the next stage of the competition.

Ahead of tonight’s episode, Buswell, who is Strictly’s first pregnant contestant, denied claims that she is the real reason behind Dennis’s absence.

Last week, businessman and former Apprentice candidate Thomas Skinner became the first star to be eliminated from the 2025 series alongside his professional partner Amy Dowden.

Skinner said he was gutted to be the first out, but admitted his dancing skills left much to be desired.

Tonight’s episode will see the return of “Movie Week” – a beloved fixture in the Strictly run, which sees the couples perform to film soundtracks. Vicky Pattison will be dancing the Charleston with Kai Widdrington to “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” from The Great Gatsby.

Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe are performing a Quickstep to “Suddenly I See” from The Devil Wears Prada, with YouTube star George Clarke’s Couples Choice with partner Alexis Warr to “Soda Pop” from the Netflix smash hit film K-Pop Demon Hunters.

Meanwhile, Ross King, who is the favourite to be eliminated this weekend, lays it all on the line with a Paso Doble to the Thunderbirds theme tune.

Follow the latest updates below:

Norwegian nature: Enjoy wild, wonderful adventures on a safari-at-sea

Norway’s rugged coast is chock-full of natural beauty, dotted with steep fjords where the mountains meet the sea and teeming with all kinds of curious wildlife, from orcas, humpbacks, and over 80 species of seabirds to red foxes, reindeer, and otters. Norwegians are famous for their deep love of the outdoors, which even has its own word: friluftsliv. It helps that it is home to more than 150,000 lakes and is known for its dramatic fjord-fringed landscapes and shimmering glaciers. It’s also one of the best places to catch the technicolour magic of the Aurora Borealis.

What’s more, if you explore this breathtaking region on a Hurtigruten cruise, you’ll do so alongside the expert local Expedition Team, who have spent years traversing Norway’s rugged coastline. They are always on hand to provide engaging insights into the nature, wildlife, and culture you’ll encounter on every voyage. They go above and beyond to ensure you experience more than just the tourist hot spots. Each team member has their own area of expertise and hosts regular lectures for those who want to delve deeper into a specific interest. They also encourage you to join them on their hand-picked hikes and activities, which are at an additional cost and subject to availability but offer the chance to explore with those who know the area best.

Drawing on over 130 years of travel experience, Original and Signature Hurtigruten Voyages lead passengers along Norway’s dramatic Arctic coastline, showcasing its remarkable natural beauty in all its glory, with options to stop off in various locations along the way. As you sail between destinations, keep your eyes peeled for the abundance of wildlife that frequents the area. The coastline is a popular haunt for mammals like giant humpbacks, frolicking seals and playful porpoises.

During time spent on land, depending on your route, you might also come face-to-face with reindeer in the north or the elusive lynx, not to mention the flora that decorates the landscape in various seasons. Some routes stop at Mehamn, a traditional fishing town with only 800 inhabitants. From here, you can embark on an excursion to learn about the Sámi, an indigenous people from Europe’s northernmost region, known for reindeer herding, traditional handicrafts, and a deep connection to nature. Get to know the family, hear their stories and joik chanting, and try dried reindeer meat around a fire in a lavvo tent.

There are many different journeys you can take, depending on what you want to get out of your cruise. Trace the historic Coastal Express route on one of their Original Voyages, Hurtigruten’s first and most iconic route, established in 1893 and often hailed as the world’s most beautiful voyage. You’ll cover 2,500 nautical miles and visit 34 ports, starting in Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city, where you can hop on a funicular to the summit of Mount Fløyen and soak up the incredible views of the city, the nearby fjords, and the surrounding mountains.

The North Cape Line Winter route is another popular cruise for nature lovers. This Signature Voyage adventure starts and finishes in Norway’s Capital, Oslo. The Signature Voyages take things up a notch, offering unmatched views of Norway’s best bits with more time to explore each stop. They’re also a hit with foodies, thanks to the all-inclusive option featuring award-winning restaurants and seasonal produce from Norway’s bountiful coastline.

Åndalsnes is also a favourite stop on the route, home to soaring mountains overlooking the surrounding town. It’s the ultimate hotspot for hikers, climbers and skiers thanks to its abundant accessible natural beauty. The Troll Wall is a highlight for adrenaline seekers here; this 1,000-metre vertical cliff in the Romsdalen valley boasts some of the most epic views from atop, including 360-degree vistas of Romsdalshorn, Åndalsnes town centre, and the Rauma River.

This route also takes you to The City of Northern Lights, Alta, where you can stand at the northernmost point in Europe, Cape Point in Honningsvåg – the perfect vantage point for those trying to catch this incredible natural phenomenon. Hurtigruten is so confident you’ll see the lights that they even offer a ‘Northern Lights Promise’: a free cruise if you don’t see them during the season (valid on 11-day plus voyages from 20th September to 31st March).

Many of the routes stop at Lofoten, an archipelago with immense peaks and fishing villages sandwiched between slopes. It’s not hard to see why this chain of islands is referred to as one of Norway’s most beautiful locations. Hiking opportunities abound here, and most trails lead to spectacular vistas, or if you prefer to stay on the water, you can hop in a kayak and enjoy a leisurely paddle.

Lofoten isn’t the only archipelago you’ll see on specific routes — keep an eye out for the Vega archipelago, a collection of around 6,500 islands, skerries, and islets. On Gardsøy Island, you’ll find a UNESCO World Heritage Centre with dedicated huts for local eider ducks to build their nests.

Journeying south along Norway’s west coast, many of the routes also take you past some of the country’s most famous fjords, including Hardangerfjord, measuring a whopping 179 kilometres in length, making it the second longest fjord in the country and fifth longest in the world. Get your cameras ready, as you’ll be treated to panoramic mountain vistas from every direction, with snow-capped peaks peeking over the fjord reflected on mirror-like water.

Hurtigruten cruises stop at Torsken on the southbound leg of the Svalbard Line, one of their premium, all-inclusive Signature Voyages that sails from Bergen to the Arctic archipelago and back. The secluded fishing village of Torsken is perfect for outdoors enthusiasts, tucked away in Torskenfjorden on the rugged west coast of Senja Island. It’s home to just a handful of houses, workshops, and small piers sprinkled with fishing boats and is the ideal base for exploring Norway’s second-largest island, Senja.

Senja’s stunning coastline has been rightly nicknamed the ‘Caribbean of the North’ thanks to its white-sand beaches and towering mountain peaks. It’s best to take an excursion and explore by small boat to spot white-tailed eagles, seals, seabirds like cormorants, and maybe even a golden eagle. Whether exploring Senja or simply soaking up sea views from onboard, a Hurtigruten cruise offers a chance to connect with nature, wildlife, and Norway’s stunning landscapes, with countless routes to choose from.

Book your Norwegian adventure for less, with up to 30% off, plus 10% off excursions on selected Coastal Express and North Cape Line voyages. For offers, routes and excursion info, visit Hurtigruten.

Celebrity Traitors star Paloma Faith hints Alan Carr friendship is on the rocks

Singer Paloma Faith has hinted her friendship with Alan Carr has hit a rocky patch after the comedian betrayed her on The Celebrity Traitors.

Faith, who previously she was surprised the comedian backstabbed her on the show, has been vocal about her disappointment in Carr since the episode aired earlier this week, stating: “I don’t think it was very nice.”

Now, on Instagram, when one person wrote: “I thought @chattyman was your friend,” the “Only Love Can Hurt Like This” singer replied: “So did I!”

Carr’s decision to “murder” Faith came after the pair’s close bond was revealed in the BBC show’s first episode. The pair arrived at the Scottish castle as friends and giggled away together throughout the early experience.

However, by the end of the debut instalment, Carr, who was chosen to be a traitor by host Claudia Winkleman, opted to oust Faith from the show – something the singer said she would never have done to him.

When Ed Gamble, host of after show The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, defended Carr, saying it was a difficult decision, Faith said he was giving Carr too much grace.

“I think you’re being nice,” the singer replied. “If the shoe was on the other foot, I would not have touched Alan’s face. Categorically, he had a choice – maybe it was the easiest option, but it was the choice he made and I don’t think it was very nice.”

She continued: “I still maintain to this day that if the shoe was on the other foot, I wouldn’t have done that. So I don’t think he should have done it to me and I’m surprised that he did.”

However, Faith claimed she had forgiven Carr, whom she called “extremely lovable”.

“I’ve spoken to him since, and I do find forgiveness quite an easy thing, just as a person, so I love him.”

Carr and his fellow traitors – TV presenter Jonathan Ross and singer-songwriter Cat Burns – had been tasked with “murdering” a faithful in plain sight by touching the face of the celebrity they wanted gone.

It was decided that Carr was the best candidate for the job and, after struggling to touch someone’s face without arousing suspicion, he pretended to remove a piece of hair from his friend’s cheek.

Faith said she was gutted to be the first celebrity out of the show. Her elimination arrived the day after Carr touched her face, with Winkleman revealing that the traitors had hit her with a “burst of slow-acting poison”.

She isn’t the only one unhappy with Carr over his betrayal, with Faith revealing her four-year-old daughter’s brutal reaction to her elimination.

The contestants had to try to guess who the traitors had murdered – and incorrectly guessed comedian Lucy Beaumont. Carr feigned surprise when Winkleman revealed it was Faith and viewers were left in hysterics when Carr’s fellow traitor, Jonathan Ross, said he should say a few words in her honour as they were the closest.

Carr appeared taken aback by Ross putting him under such scrutiny and stammered his way through a speech.

Viewers are calling Carr’s struggles as a traitor the TV highlight of the year.

Also taking part in the series are actors Celia Imrie, Mark Bonnar, Tameka Empson and Ruth Codd, former QI host Stephen Fry, broadcasters Kate Garraway and Clare Balding, singer Charlotte Church, comedian Lucy Beaumont, rugby player Joe Marler, YouTube prankster Niko Omilana and historian David Olusoga.

Other stars include Olympic swimmer Tom Daley, comedian Joe Wilkinson and Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed.

The lucky players who survive to the end of the game have the chance of winning £100,000 for their chosen charity.

My GP told me my diagnosis over text. Is this Streeting’s NHS vision?

Sitting in the middle of an office was not how I had ever envisaged being told that I have a long-term health condition, but that’s where I was when I received the following message – original typos included:

“Dear Miss Thomas, Your recent ultrasound examine shows your have endometriosis (a condition where tissue similar to the linking of your uterus) causing certain symptoms). Symptoms can include heavy painful periods, lower abdominal pain, tiredness. Sometimes it can impact your bowel habits as well.

“For this reason I need to refer you to the gynaecology team. The hospital will be in contact with your to inform you of an appointment.”

That is how I was told that I have endometriosis. There was no further information, no option to call the GP, just a text and a referral letter.

As a national health journalist, I’ve covered the stories of women who went through years of agony and gaslighting to get a diagnosis of endometriosis. I’m incredibly lucky that I haven’t faced the same struggles.

Despite having the knowledge I gained through my work, being given a diagnosis in this way, with no information on how bad the condition is, what it means for me and what the next steps might be – and was it even definitive? – was just brutal.

Any information I could glean on the condition through research, or friends and family who have it, did nothing to alleviate my concern, given that it was so generalised rather than personal.

One in 10 women in the UK has endometriosis, yet my GP had never discussed with me the possibility that my symptoms could be explained by that diagnosis – hence the shock.

In fairness, I’ve been on hormonal contraception for over a decade and have never had the debilitating period pain or bleeding so often linked to the condition. The other symptoms are ones which have only developed in the last two years.

So here I am with an unexpected diagnosis and progressive symptoms – and no insight into what it means for my health.

After the text, I went straight to my NHS app to find my scan results in the hope of more information, only to be met with notes written in medical jargon which may as well have been Klingon for all I could understand.

Is this the patient experience the government hoped for when it told the public that we would now be able to access our records through our phones?

Digitisation, improving access and faster diagnosis are all important and will undoubtedly transform care in many ways. However, it’s important that this is done while also thinking about the patient experience.

Beyond the brutality of receiving the news through a poorly worded text message, I was shocked by the fact that medical information would be shared in such an insecure way.

Others could’ve seen that message on my phone – and yes, I understand that, in writing this piece, I’m sharing my medical information with the world, but that is a decision I am choosing to make, rather than having it forced upon me.

The national waiting list for gynaecology services currently stands at 582,016, with more than 18,000 people waiting for more than a year. The average wait time for gynaecology is among the worst of any speciality.

Giving patients the ability to choose a hospital through the NHS app has been a key feature in the government’s recent policies.

I’ve been given the choice of three hospitals to contact about my diagnosis. As a health journalist, I have knowledge and resources at my disposal that others may not, but even so, I had no idea where to go.

A quick browse of the government’s new league table, with its “segments, scores and ranks”, told me nothing about the quality of care for women with endometriosis, or gynaecology services, within those three hospitals. As think tanks have already suggested, these league tables are quite simply useless in terms of patient choice.

While the government has promised a move from “analogue to digital” as one of its three shifts for the NHS, the use to patients will be limited unless they’re given information in a way that can actually empower them.

As I re-read the original message from my doctor on my phone screen, I’m left asking: is this what Wes Streeting meant when he envisioned his great NHS reform?

Endometriosis UK run a free, confidential helpline for anyone needing support or information about diagnosis and treatment options – 0808 808 2227