Zoo escapees badger locals
OFFICIALS at Niabi Zoo in Illinois are warning members of the public to steer clear of two badgers that escaped.
They said the animals “will only behave aggressively if cornered, so we ask that no one attempts to capture them”. Nesbitt at Victoria Square yesterday THERE’S no chance of James Nesbitt losing touch with his Northern Irish roots.
The Cold Feet and Hobbit star grew up in Broughshane, Co Antrim, and Coleraine in neighbouring Co Derry, before moving to England to pursue his acting career.
But on his latest trip back he admitted he is “never too far away from home”.
And if any more proof were needed he’s in the process of building a house in Portrush, Co Antrim, where he plans to move full-time in the next few years.
The 54-year-old joked he can depend on Belfast people in particular to keep him grounded.
He said: “People are not shy about talking to me when I am out in the city. If anything grounds you, it is the people in Belfast.
“They would not allow you to get carried away with yourself. But they are also protective in a way.
“I also come home to keep my mates grounded – I keep them in beer. My three best mates are from school and somehow we have ended up living within a stone’s throw from each other.”
One of our most famous exports, James has won many awards throughout his career and rose to fame as the leading star in Cold Feet from 1998 to 2003.
Having recently finished filming a new series that will be aired next year, he revealed to fans there is a “big shock” on the cards.
James was in Belfast yesterday to help launch the final publication of the Yellow Pages in Northern Ireland by Yell.com.
Remembered as the face of the company’s successful ads, he posed for selfies with shoppers in Victoria Square where he said he was happy to be a champion for local business.
He added: “What I love most about the new shiny face of Belfast is seeing everyone in the grounds of the City Hall eating their lunch.
“That is a change from when I was a student in the city.
“For us as children it was exciting having a day out in Belfast.
“I remember my mum once took my sister Andrea and I to play on the escalators of Aldergrove Airport for a day out. It was like magic.”
Although he was fortunate to have enjoyed a childhood relatively untouched by the violence that plagued Northern Ireland, James admitted the first thought that crossed his mind when he saw smoke from the Primark fire was that it was Troubles-related.
He said: “I was driving from Holywood to see my dad in Antrim and I noticed Talking to the Mirror’s Ciara
In Cold Feet and at Coleraine game the smoke above the city. I know how important it is. I spent many an afternoon with my daughter – dying – in Primark.”
James loves nothing more than a pint tin the Crown Bar and a trip to the Europa Hotel – “two symbols of the city that had stood up to all the Troubles”.
And his well-known connection with Coleraine Football Club is also a big part of his life.
He added: “I put far too much money into them, but I love them. It is a pleasure to be connected to them.
“Football clubs are one heartbeats of a community.”
Withering of politicians, he said they appeared to have forgotten their role should in fact be “all about the community”.
He added: “I despair of their egos and selfishness. They have decided to make it about them rather than their electorate and I hate that.
“Politicians are forgetting the community is more important than their personal positions.” of the