CR7 gets permission to build pergola on rooftop
LONDON – Cristiano Ronaldo has been given the go ahead to build a pergola on the roof of his £6.5 million Portuguese penthouse.
Ronaldo (38) is replacing an ‘eyesore’ rooftop gazebo that he was ordered to tear down by Lisbon City Council.
Council bosses said he had to remove the controversial glass structure after they found it had been built without planning permission.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who left Manchester United under a cloud for Saudi side Al-Nassr, has now been given until July to put up the new pergola in its place.
Ronaldo’s sprawling penthouse in the centre of Lisbon, next to the capital’s Eduardo VII Park, became the most expensive property in the country’s history when he snapped it up in July 2018.
But his purchase has been overshadowed by the extraordinary row over the gazebo, which ended in the block’s architect Jose Mateus threatening to take legal action against the star.
Mr Mateus was incensed that Ronaldo had built the gazebo on the roof, which meant that the building exceeded its maximum legal height.
LONDON – Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu revealed she has deleted Instagram and WhatsApp from her phone in an effort to ‘live under (her) own little rock’ following criticism on social media.
The British women’s No. 1, who beat Danka Kovinic to progress to the second round at Indian Wells on Thursday, removed the social media apps following her exit at the Australian Open in January.
The 20-yearold is the fifthmost followed tennis player on Instagram, with 2.5 million followers, ranking only behind ‘big three’ players Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios and Naomi Osaka.
But this close scrutiny can be intense, particularly for a player that was thrust into the spotlight under the fairytale-like conditions of Raducanu’s landmark US Open win in 2021.
Following her explosion onto the global tennis stage a yearand-a-half ago, Raducanu has signed a number of high profile partnerships with brands such as Tiffany & Co, Dior, Airways, and Evian.
Some have offered up the commitments of these brand endorsements as reasons why the player is yet to match the success she saw at earlier on in her professional career.
In an interview with The Times, Raducanu shared her decision was led by going through a moment in time where she just wanted to ‘zone in’ on herself.
British