James Lee Williams, better known has RuPaul's Drag Race UK star The Vivienne, has died at the age of 32 over the weekend.

"It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved James Lee Williams – The Vivienne, has passed this weekend," said Williams' publicist Simon Jones on X on Sunday.

"James was an incredibly loved, warm-hearted and amazing person," he said.

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Born in Wales, The Vivienne rose to fame after being appointed UK Drag Ambassador in 2015 for RuPaul's Drag Race US, and later won the show in 2019.

Williams went on to appear in the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars and was a finalist in the UK series of Dancing on Ice in 2023, finishing in third place.

"We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of The Vivienne," the official X account of RuPaul's Drag Race wrote on Sunday.

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"She will be dearly missed, but her legacy will live on as a beacon of creativity and authenticity – she embodied what it means to be a true champion."

The show's judge Michelle Visage also called the star "a beacon to so many".

The Vivienne's name came from the drag star's love of the fashion designer Vivienne Westwood.

Outside of RuPaul, they starred in musical theatre and TV productions including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on tour and Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.

No further details will be released on Williams' death, according to Jones.

"We please ask that James's family are given the time and privacy they now need to process and grieve."

Heavy snow and freezing rain brought widespread disruption across Europe on Sunday, particularly in the UK and Germany, with several major airports forced to suspend flights.

With the weather set to stay inclement today in the UK, there are concerns that many rural communities, particularly in the north of England, could be cut off, with up to 40cm of snow on the ground above 300 metres.

The National Grid, which oversees the country's electricity network, said it had been working to restore power after outages across the country. Power cuts were reported in the English cities of Birmingham and Bristol, and Cardiff, Wales.

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Many sporting events have already been postponed, though the heavyweight Premier League fixture between rivals Liverpool and Manchester United is on, following an inspection at Liverpool's Anfield stadium and of local conditions.

Liverpool's John Lennon Airport and Manchester Airport had to close runways overnight, but were returning back to normal on Sunday. Leeds Bradford Airport took longer to get flights back in the air.

The road network was heavily impacted too on what would have been a very busy day with many families returning home from the Christmas and New Year's break, and students heading back to universities.

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Many roads had been preemptively closed by local authorities, but stranded vehicles and collisions have caused disruption elsewhere.

A number of UK train services were cancelled, with National Rail warning of disruption continuing into the working week.

Britain's main weather forecaster, the Met Office, says sleet and snow will continue to push north on Sunday and will be heaviest in northern England and into southern Scotland.

After experiencing freezing rain, which occurs when super-cold rain freezes on impact, the south will turn milder.

The Environment Agency has also issued eight flood warnings across southern England on the Taw and Avon rivers.

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Snow and ice were also causing havoc in Germany, where a bout of wintry weather is spreading from the southwest.

Authorities have issued black ice warnings for drivers and pedestrians, advising people to stay home where possible.

Frankfurt airport canceled 120 of its 1090 planned takeoffs and landings on Sunday, according to the Fraport press office.

At Munich airport, only one runway was open while the other one was being cleared.

In Baden-Wuerttemberg, eight people were injured when a bus skidded off the road near the town of Hemmingen. Long-distance train connections also experienced irregularities in the Frankfurt area.

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Extreme heat has continued to smash Victoria with the state sweltering through its third day of heatwave conditions.

After one of the most challenging days in recent memory on the state's beaches, Surf Life Saving Victoria pointed the finger at the dangers of social media.

On Saturday alone, 145 water rescues were made across Victoria, 17 per cent of the number of incidents recorded over the whole summer in 2024.

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Treloar said it was the most water rescues in a single day he'd seen in his entire career.

"In my 20 years plus with this organisation, I don't remember a day in Victoria where we've performed that many rescues," he told 9News.

One man died on Saturday after being pulled from the water at Gunnamatta Beach in Fingal on the Mornington Peninsula, one of Victoria's most dangerous stretches of coastline.

Dozens more were rescued around the coast as the heat brought thousands to beaches around the state.

A teenage girl and her friend were rescued by a 13-year-old boy after they were caught in a dangerous rip at Venus Bay in Victoria.

Today's conditions were calmer as Surf Life Saving Victoria blamed social media as a big factor for putting inexperienced swimmers in danger.

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The hunt for hidden beaches and secluded spots is landing swimmers in a lot of trouble.

"The safest reality remains that the safest place to swim is between the red and yellow flags," Treloar said.

Locations such as Bushrangers Bay and Mount Martha Pillars on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula have become hugely popular online but are unmanned by lifeguards

There are more than 60 beaches and pools across the state staffed by surf rescue teams to keep people safe.

This December alone, 33 people have lost their lives to drowning as life savers warn it's the most dangerous time to be in the water.

Further inland, firefighters in Victoria battled another type of extreme.

A grassfire sparked in Port Melbourne about 8.30pm on Saturday, caused panic near the West Gate.

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The flames clung to the dry shrub and pushed the blaze into the path of a storage facility.

It took about 50 firefighters to bring the fire under control.

It is now being treated as suspicious.

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A sickening one-punch attack outside a South Australian pub has left a 26-year-old man in hospital.

Footage obtained by 9News appears to show a heated confrontation between two groups before the situation suddenly turned violent last night.

The moment of impact outside Port Lincoln's Pier Hotel is too graphic to show, as man falls to the ground after being knocked unconscious.

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The pub was packed with locals and holidaymakers, with many quickly trying to help the man laid out on the footpath.

An ambulance was called to the scene on Tasman Terrace and the 26-year-old was taken to hospital just before 9pm.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said such attacks couild be deadly.

"We've seen tragically in the past where one punch, one erratic decision can cost someone their life and put someone else in jail," he said.

"People are allowed to loosen up and have a few drinks but they're not allowed to consume alcohol and then make completely irrational decisions that put other people's safety in jeopardy."

Police are still looking for the suspected attacker.

He is described as having a heavy muscular build and short dark hair and was wearing a black singlet and shorts.

The suspect was seen leaving with two men in a silver Toyota LandCruiser.

The attack was the second outside a pub in as many days following the ugly scenes at Glenelg on Friday night.

In that incident four men were taken to hospital after a brawl broke out between a group of men and security guards from the Colley Hotel.

The search for the body of a surfer believed to have been taken by a shark in South Australia has been called off.

Lance Appleby, 28, was attacked by a shark at Granites beach, near Streaky Bay, just before 7pm on Thursday.

Earlier, his brother Kenneth Appleby paid tribute online to the much-loved surfer.

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"The pain we are feeling as a family is impossible to describe," he wrote.

"We are absolutely devastated, and there is a gaping hole in our hearts.

"The only solace we can find is knowing that Lance was doing what he loved with a beaming smile on his face.

"Forever young, forever surfing, forever loved."

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His former Football Club Marble Range described Appleby as having "a heart of gold, who always had a smile on his face, and adored within our community".

More than $90,000 has been raised for the family online.

Melbourne has been rocked after a house exploded into a terrifying fireball.

Nearby residents fled in panic as the home occupied by a suspected hoarder went up in flames in Noble Park.

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Neighbour Birkan Omerogullari told 9News he thought it was a car accident.

"I couldn't stay home because the smoke was pretty intense inside our house there," he said.

Fire fighters battled the blaze for hours, with clutter in and around the property a challenge for crews.

CFA Chief Fire Officer Jason Heffernan said it was a "hoarder house."

"Crews had to deal with the unique risk of responding to those type of incidents," he said.

The owner wasn't home at the time the fire broke out but he returned to see the damage as fire crews worked to put out spot fires to make it safe for investigators to enter.

The damage is so severe what's left of the property will be demolished in stages over the coming days.

Fire fighters say it serves as a timely reminder to keep properties maintained.

‘We’ve had enough to deal with and we don’t know where else to turn.’

An Adelaide family is living in fear after being targeted in two home robberies in a week.

The mother, who spoke exclusively to 9News, detailed her ordeal, which sparked a citywide police chase last night.

The mother of two young children, who has not been identified, said she woke to two masked men inside her home, standing just metres away from her.

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"I just opened my eyes and seen a man standing there in my kitchen," she said.

"It took me a second to realise what was going on, and once the second walked through the back door is when the penny dropped.

"I can't even explain the rush of emotions and fear that ran through me, and I just jumped up and screaming."

A group of four men jumped the back fence, and broke into the family's Ingle Farm home on Monday morning, taking off with a handbag containing house and car keys.

"We could have died," she said.

"They were all masked up, gloved up. They were prepared. Who knows what they could have had on them, who knows what they were going to do to me and the family."

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She said police told her they had "grave concerns" the robbers would return, given they had her house and car keys.

And despite changing the locks to the house, it appears they did.

Last night, security cameras caught a similar group of four men walking up the family driveway just after midnight and taking off, with their Mercedes Benz.

A police helicopter and patrols tracked the stolen car, which was fitted with a GPS tracker, from the CBD to Dublin, then all the way to Point Pearce about 200 kilometres away.

But the offenders are still on the run.

Police are helping the family with extra security measures at home amid fears it could happen again.

"How far's this going to go? What are they going to do to me and my family?" the mother said.

"It's just a horrible way to live, and my family shouldn't have to live like this."

It will be a slower drive home for some returning holidaymakers.

Video has shown the moment a car ploughs into a family's bedroom north of Brisbane.

Police alleged the 29-year-old driver had been hooning just moments before the crash, leaving the home in ruins and a family heartbroken.

The bathroom wall was also ripped to pieces.

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Police say it's the result of the driver of a car who lost control ploughing into the property in Dakabin in the Moreton Bay region.

Witness Cameron claimed the car was "absolutely flying".

Security cameras caught the car moments earlier and a flash of light shows the moment of impact.

In another angle, the driver was seen on Sheaves Road.

Witnesses said when the car struck the house it sounded like a bomb going off.

"He flew on past us, and he skipped over the curb, completely cleared the grass bank, and just went straight through the side of that house," Cameron said.

After smashing into the home, the driver was heard screaming.

Neighbours rushed to the scene to help free the 29-year-old from the crumpled wreck.

The drama unfolded at 8.30pm yesterday, a time when those inside would normally be home.

Fortunately they were on holidays in Kingaroy.

They arrived home 10 minutes later realising they'd dodged potential tragedy.

They are now coming to terms with the loss of thousands of dollars in belongings.

The driver only had minor injuries and was taken to hospital but later discharged.

Police allege he was seen hooning earlier in nearby streets, with his licence suspended.

Residents told 9News the street is a notoriously dangerous stretch of road with multiple crashes in the past few years.

No charges have been laid.