If you’ve been a social media user over the past year, chances are you’ve seen Andrew Tate popping up on your feed – and you’ve probably seen him in the news recently too. Tate, 36, his brother Tristan and two other associates have been charged in Romania with rape, human trafficking and organised crime after they were detained in December 2022. Earlier this year, the 36-year-old influencer lost his appeal against a judge's earlier decision to extend his arrest from 24 hours to 30 days, so he remains behind bars. For now. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Before his arrest, every other video seemed to feature him on TikTok, making him both one of the most ubiquitous faces on the app and one of the most controversial. But who is Andrew 'Cobra' Tate and why did he suddenly go viral last year? Here’s everything you need to know. Who is Andrew Tate? Andrew Tate/Instagram Tate, 36, is a former professional kickboxer, entrepreneur and content creator, who founded an online course in “modern wealth creation” at his own “Hustlers University”. Speaking about his personal wealth, he previously said in an interview: "I was broke for a long time. I made my first million when I was say 27 and then I had a 100 million by the time I was 31, 32 and then I became a trillionaire quite recently." There are no trillionaires on the planet (according to Forbes, Elon Musk is worth $250 billion) so that might be wishful thinking on Tate’s behalf. However, Essential Sports estimates that his net worth to be around $30 million. He enjoyed a pretty successful kickboxing career, winning world titles in two different weight divisions. He first came to prominence outside of the sporting arena while appearing on the 2016 season of Big Brother in the UK, which ended in controversial circumstances. Tate gained notoriety at the time after he was evicted from the series after a video surfaced online appearing to show him beating a woman with a belt. Speaking at the time, Tate claimed that it was part of role-play to which the woman in the video had consented. He also said he was using a felt belt. In a statement made to his Facebook, he said: ”They cut out all the sound cause she’s LAUGHING in the video. And they cut off the end of the video where she gets the belt and hits me back while we’re both laughing. What bullsh**t. It was 2012 and we were having a laugh.” He later drew criticism following comments surrounding rape which he made following the #MeToo movement. As the Metro reported, he tweeted at the time: “Sexual harassment is disgusting and inexcusable. However, a man looking at you or whistling at you or asking your name isn’t harassment. He added: “Women have been exchanging sex for opportunity for a very long time. Some did this. Weren’t abused. […] If you put yourself in a position to be raped, you must bare some responsibility. His Twitter account was suspended in 2017, and the tweets were later removed from Twitter. But in 2022, Twitter verified the account of the infamous kickboxer, which it had already banned, as the social media company appeared to ignore its own rules. Tate initially declined to comment further than disavowing two other accounts - @iron_mentality and @of_wudan - that appeared to be associated with him contacted by The Independent. However, following the publication of an article on the news site, he said: “I don’t agree with being banned, people get banned from Twitter all the time and make new profiles. I’m not inciting violence, promoting terrorism or harassing anyone. This is censorship of free speech. I’ve never had specific tweets banned or been cautioned.” MORE: Tate thinks you're a 'weak' man if you live with a woman MORE: The most controversial Cobra Tate moments we can actually talk about Why did he suddenly go viral? There isn’t one viral moment or individual clip to pinpoint his rise to viral fame, but rather it seems like part of a larger concerted effort to get his name and face out there. However, one comment which did bring a great deal of attention was his decision to call out Jake Paul for a fight. He claims he previously offered Paul £2.5million to take him on in 2020. "I don't dislike him, I understand him but I want to make something clear, I would still kick the living f*** out of Jake Paul," he told The Fellas podcast. "I'm not some washed-up UFC fighter and I'm not smaller than him, I would beat the living s*** out of him and if he wants to fight I'll fight him any day of the f****ng week. He's very smart with his 'I'm just a YouTuber angle'.” He added: "You're a full-grown man with the best coaches in the world who has dedicated years to learning how to box. The guy's not a jack*** and the fact he puts this spin on it is very smart. "I offered him $3million at the time, I don't think it's about money for him I think it's about credibility and fame. Him fighting me is a massive risk for him, he knows that. I'd love to kick the f*** out of the guy because I love to fight, that's the difference between me and everyone else he's fought," Tate continued. "I'm not some desperate guy at the end of his career who needs the money. I would dedicate my life [to training], treat him like a professional and I would destroy him like I've destroyed all of the professionals I have ever fought." Paul was asked about the possibility of fighting Tate in a press conference recently, and he replied: "I don't know who that is." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Feeling confident and sexy in lingerie can be a complicated process. No one sees that struggle up close (and personal) more than a boudoir photographer. While a skin-baring photoshoot might seem like something you do for a partner, that is not always the case. According to NYC-based boudoir photographer, Andrea B. Ballen, the purpose of an intimate, skin-baring shoot is often more personal. Her sessions are designed to help women “see and realize we are sensual beings, worthy of owning our sexuality without shame or fear.” Ballen has witnessed this struggle in all types of clients. Some want to celebrate their new single body after divorce, while others struggle with loving new post-partum curves, scars, or stretch marks. No matter what they’re warring with, though, when it comes down to it, Ballen loves helping people discover that they can celebrate themselves and their bodies at any phase in their life. Through her sessions, she watches people “let go of inhibition, let go of fear, self-consciousness, body image issues, anything that’s been holding them back,” she says. And (perhaps unsurprisingly), that often starts with the lingerie we wear.

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Jordan Henderson has apologised to the LGBTQ+ community after the former Liverpool captain’s move to Saudi Arabia. The England international, who joined Steve Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq this summer in a £12m move, has been a vocal supporter of the community and campaigns to support its inclusion in the sport. Henderson, who has been a leading voice in the Rainbow Laces campaign and has worn a rainbow armband when captaining Liverpool, caused controversy this summer with his move to Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is illegal. “I can understand the frustration [from the LGBTQ+ community],” Henderson told The Athletic. “I can understand the anger. I get it. All I can say around that is that I’m sorry that they feel like that. My intention was never, ever to hurt anyone. My intention has always been to help causes and communities where I felt like they have asked for my help. Henderson was one of three Liverpool players to move to the Saudi Pro League, with Fabinho signing for Al-Ittihad and Roberto Firmino linking up with Al-Ahli as a free agent. The 33-year-old, who is yet to score for Al-Ettifaq, has helped Gerrard’s side to a positive start. They are currently sitting fifth in the table after five games. Henderson was cautious when pushed about future involvement in the Rainbow Laces campaign, highlighting the prospect that it could “disrespect the religion and culture in Saudi Arabia”. Henderson also insisted his move to the Saudi Pro League will have a positive impact, but stopped short of predicting any meaningful change. “I think people know what my views and values were before I left and still do now. And I think having someone with those views and values in Saudi Arabia is only a positive thing. I can’t promise anything, but what I can do is sit here and say I have my values and beliefs,” Henderson added. “I’m comfortable knowing exactly what I am and exactly what I stand for. But I get and I can accept not everyone’s going to get that. So that’s why I can only apologise to those people if they feel like that.” Read More Football rumours: Al-Ittihad set to make record £215m bid for Mohamed Salah What Mohamed Salah’s dressing room speech says about Liverpool future Liverpool reinvented as midfield shuffle hints at Jurgen Klopp’s past

Brits are losing their minds over a TikTok showing two American influencers trying out "London snacks" – with one very unique choice. In a viral clip that's racked up over half a million views, couple Dani and TBell (@tanddtv) showcase the range of snacks including Walkers crisps, Starburst, a vegan KitKat, Skittles – and tinned mackerel. "Not looking forward to this," Dani tells viewers while holding up the tinned fish. "Oh my god, that looks appetising to you?" she says as they peel back the lid. "Yeah, it looks protein-packed," her partner TBell responds before giving it the taste test. TBell appears to thoroughly enjoy the "interesting" choice by rounding off with a cheese and onion crisp for good measure. "This is what you call fish and chips," he jokes while enjoying the mackerel and crisp combination. Meanwhile, Dani wasn't so much a fan and looked repulsed. "I don't like it," she says. "I'm going to be sick." It didn't take long for British viewers to spam the TikTok with comments, with one saying: "Calling mackerel and crisps fish and chips is just offensive" "Nobody in London eats mackerel for a snack," another highlighted, while a third reiterated: "This is not what we mean by fish and chips." @tanddtv this one was interesting?? #couplesthings #couplestravel #london #love #snacks #couplesmukbang #relationshipgoals The comments continued to roll in, with confusion around the fishy snack. "I don’t think any one in England eats tinned mackerel," one TikToker wrote. "Ya’ll really said let’s try fish and chips and bought canned mackerel and chips," another joked. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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