What a Grand day in
SINGER Pink said she had donated $1million to medics to help fight Covid-19, as celebrities took to social media to update their fans.
Posting ontwitter, she said she and son Jameson, three, had shown symptoms of the virus and that she tested positive.they have since been re-tested and were negative.
The star, 40, said: “People need to know that the illness affects the young and old, healthy and unhealthy, rich and poor.”
Meanwhile, Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster enjoyed the sunshine inwest Palm Beach, Florida.
Brooklyn Beckham and his girlfriend Nicola Peltz revealed they are self-isolating together.
Sheila Hancock urged pensioners to use video conferencing app Zoom and Liz Hurley’s son Damian celebrated his 18th birthday.
ITV bosses were last night hoping the Virtual Grand National had beaten last year’s record viewing figures for the world’s greatest steeplechase.
Millions were expected to tune in to the computer-simulated event after the race at Aintree yesterday evening was cancelled because of coronavirus.
Nearly 10 million viewers watched Tiger Roll win his second successive Grand National 12 months ago and an even bigger audience would have been anticipated to see if he could match the legendary Red Rum’s historic treble.
Punters were expected to put more than £1million on the virtual action, with proceeds going to NHS Charities Together.
Irish superstar Tiger Roll may have been denied the chance to go for the treble, but if the computer simulation is to be believed he would not have achieved it anyway.
Viewers Maisy and Lulu Byrne in Liverpool were among those who saw Potters Corner win instead, giving the Welsh a victory at odds of 18/1, with 5/1 favourite Tiger Roll in fourth.
Racing legend AP Mccoy praised bookmakers for giving the profits to the health service as it battles the pandemic.
Mccoy, who won the National in 2010, said: “Most of all it’s a great cause, you wouldn’t expect anything else, but it’s good of the bookmakers to be doing it.”
Nicola Mcgeady of Ladbrokes said: “With all profits going to the NHS, we are thrilled with how popular the race was.”
The animated version, which has an impressive record in predicting the actual race in recent years, had much of the usual drama although many had hoped Tiger Roll would have completed an unusual part-real, part-virtual, hat trick.
His supporters saw him take an early lead despite in previous years jockey Davy Russell timing his winning runs late.
It was then perhaps no surprise to see him tire in the later stages before Potters Corner claimed victory.
If it had been real, 17-year-old Jack Tudor would have become the youngest winning jockey since 1938.
But in reality Jack would have needed a handful of winners since mid-march, when racing was suspended, to have qualified for this National.
A virtual race of historic champions preceded the main event in which Red Rum ran out the winner.