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A professional cuddler who makes a living giving clients hugs has said people travel from all over the globe to receive the cuddle therapy she offers which is “far less intimate than a massage” and helps people from “all walks of life”. Natasha Wicks, 44, from Coventry, West Midlands, says that despite criticism, cuddling is scientifically proven to release happy hormones like dopamine and that a lot of her clients are “the big spoon in life” and go to her for emotional support that they do not have at home. As such, many of her clients are caregivers and most of them join Natasha for two-hour hugging sessions, costing £70 an hour. The sessions vary depending on what the client wants, some having “emotional hugs”, others talking more and some wanting to “sit at opposite ends of the sofa with our legs and feet entwined”. Natasha became a cuddle therapist in 2015 and, while she has had comments online from people criticising the practice, she said that her family and friends were unsurprised when she first started giving professional cuddles. She said: “They all said to me that I give the best cuddles so it’s not surprising that I’d start doing it as a job. “It’s very much what I do, I help people and want to make people feel better. It’s a natural thing when someone is going through a tough time to want to give them a hug. “Cuddle therapy might not be as widely accepted in society but it’s far less intimate than other things like massages which are seen as normal.” Prior to becoming a cuddler, Natasha originally trained as a CBT therapist and counsellor. She said: “There’d be situations where I would be talking to someone and they’d really need a hug, but obviously, you’d have professional boundaries in place and it wouldn’t have been appropriate. “It was just a really natural thing. One client had finished her final session and we had agreed that she wasn’t my patient anymore so we hugged goodbye. She said to me that she’d wanted to do that for a long time and I thought ‘me too’.” Looking into cuddle therapy, which she said was increasing in popularity in 2014, Natasha took a training course. By 2015, she was a qualified cuddler and started taking on new patients for cuddle sessions. Natasha provides a minimum session of one hour but said most people go for at least two hours, sometimes longer if they are receiving more than one type of therapy. She said: “I always give people a hug on the doorstep when they arrive and then they’ll come in and relax, and we’ll have an initial chat about what brings them here. After that, I’ll put on some ambient music and we’ll have a cuddle on my cuddle sofa. “It can be daunting coming into a stranger’s house and I can tell the difference in them from arriving to leaving. The first hug they might be angled away from me but when we’re hugging goodbye, I can get my head in between their neck and shoulders and you can almost feel that a weight has been lifted from them.” There is not one type of person that visits Natasha for cuddles, but she says that a lot of her clients are caregivers. She said: “There’s all sorts of people who come for a cuddle, from people who have moved away from home for the first time and just want a mum hug all the way to people in their 80s. “I’m inclusive of all genders and all ages. I get a lot of clients who are the carers of their family and they are so busy looking after other people, and probably giving the hugs and support to other people, that they don’t have that for themselves. “A lot of people that come to see me are generally people are the big spoon in the life – they take care of others and don’t want to show a vulnerable side to people because they don’t want people to worry that they can’t cope. “I get a lot of carers, a lot of NHS staff, a lot of mums, a lot of people that are in a world where they have to be the strong one in the situation and they just want to be able to come here and let their guard down.” Natasha’s priority is to make people feel at ease when they arrive as she said it can be “nerve wracking” turning up at someone’s house for a hug. Setting out clear boundaries prior to meeting, the therapist has said that the patients she has welcomed into her home have all been respectful. She added: “I always say to people that when your body relaxes, your tummy might crumble and mine might too, but that people don’t need to worry about it. Sometimes people fall asleep and they might snore or fart, it’s just natural things that happen. It’s happened twice where someone has got an erection and that’s fine, I have boundaries and we’ll just change position. “I want people to feel reassured that, as soon as they get in, they feel comfortable.” Despite the unconventional therapy, when Natasha first took on cuddle clients, she said her family were completely “unsurprised” and the step from CBT therapy to cuddle therapy was a “natural evolution”. While Natasha focuses her time on a holistic approach for treating people, she noted that there is also neuroscience behind cuddles. According to the 44-year-old, physical touch activates the brain’s orbitofrontal cortex and cuddling releases oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin. Now, Natasha also does EMDR therapy and is a mental health swim host, and has clients travel from all over the globe to receive her hugs. She said: “Working from Coventry is brilliant because I’m only nine minutes on the train from Birmingham Airport and people come to visit me from all over. I get a client from Belgium, someone from Ireland and people from all over the UK who come to see me. “I wanted to find a sofa bed that just looked like a big comfy sofa for cuddle sessions. I’d started off with a big L shaped sofa but after about five years, it was sagging a bit, there’d been a lot of healing done on that sofa and it was time for a new one. “Now I have a sofa bed in my living room that I use as my cuddle sofa. It’s in the living room and it’s used for everyday life, watching TV with my partner, having people round and also for my work.” Breaking down the taboo around cuddle therapy, Natasha hopes more people will embrace the alternative treatment. She added: “As it’s become more popular, more people are becoming qualified as cuddlers and I think that’s great. “I’ve had comments online before of people thinking it’s weird or not understanding but there are other things we accept in society that are much more intimate than cuddles, like massages. “It’s not weird, it’s actually a really lovely thing to be able to make another soul feel better for a while.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live New warnings about ‘concerning’ rise in at-home cosmetic dentistry What is ‘beer tanning’ and why are experts warning against it? Christian Cowan: Designing is like dreaming

'Came back to the place where it all happened. Happy anniversary to my love angel face. I love life with you,' wrote Katherine Schwarzenegger

England’s dream of lifting a first World Cup was dashed at the final hurdle after Olga Carmona’s first-half strike proved enough to secure Spain a 1-0 victory in Sydney. Sarina Wiegman’s side still achieved a best-ever second-place finish, but that will be little consolation to the Lionesses, who came within inches of an opener when Lauren Hemp clipped the crossbar in the first half. FIFA Best goalkeeper Mary Earps produced several fine saves to keep England in the contest, including the vital block to deny Jennifer Hermoso’s second-half spot kick as her determined team-mates tried to stage a comeback. That never came, and while the Lionesses had their chances they ultimately could not find a way past speedy Spain, who survived 13 minutes of stoppage time to secure a deserved maiden world title. Wiegman named an unchanged side from the one that beat Australia 3-1 to advance to this stage for the first time. World Cup debutant Lauren James, who had scored three times and added the same number of assists in the group stage, was available for the England boss after serving a two-match ban and came on as a second-half substitute. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

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CM Punk made his dramatic return to WWE on Saturday night at the Survivor Series show in his hometown of Chicago in what will be considered one of the most shocking moments in recent wrestling history. The outspoken Punk, real name Phil Brooks, was fired from All Elite Wrestling in September following a backstage altercation with Jack Perry at the All In show at Wembley Stadium. It marked an explosive end to a tumultuous tenure for Punk in AEW, one that had started with such euphoria and promise in 2021 only for things to turn sour very, very quickly as personal grievances became public fights, tarnishing more than one person's reputation. Punk hasn't worked for WWE since 2014 when he also fell out with the company over booking decisions and concerns for his health. His return on Saturday should mark a seismic shift in the wrestling landscape, as the sport's biggest company now has one of its biggest stars back under its umbrella. However, the unrest that Punk created in AEW, where he was very vocal in his criticism of WWE, has some fans worried he might cause further issues in his new home. Several of WWE's top talents, like Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre had voiced their dislike of Punk, with the latter two now appearing to use that animosity for storyline purposes. Why does everyone hate CM Punk? Let's cut right to the heart of the matter - everyone doesn't hate CM Punk. The genuine reaction his return got at the Allstate Arena and from fans at home speaks volumes as to how adored he is. Punk's debut in AEW in the summer of 2021, regardless of what happened afterwards, is one of the most genuinely uplifting and cathartic moments in wrestling history. A cult hero returning to the industry that made him a star, after 8 years in the wilderness. Only AEW's hardcore fans would have wanted to see the back of him following his comments and backstage brawl at All Out 2022 but it was obvious there was a desire to keep him in the company. Owner, Tony Khan, even added an extra show to the promotion with the sole purpose of giving Punk a platform away from those that he disagreed with. That didn't work out for the Straight Edge Superstar whose, dare we say, flawed commitment to speaking his mind and attempting to spread unsolicited wisdom ultimately cost him his job in AEW. Part of those flaws is what makes Punk so appealing to many fans. He is ultimately human and like all of us makes mistakes but his passion and commitment to wrestling is what should shine through. Punk has and likely always will be one of the most fascinating individuals in all of professional wrestling. Hardly the most skilled talent inside of the ring but a student nonetheless. Meanwhile, he is in a class of a select few wrestlers who as a creative force have the ability to stir real emotion into storylines and matches and evoke real emotions among fans, which is a skill seldom few wrestlers possess. Whether he has completely burnt his bridges in AEW remains to be seen but he is a man famous for holding grudges. With all that in mind though he now finds himself as a top name in the biggest company in wrestling that is currently undergoing a lucrative boom period, unlike anything he would have experienced in his previous tenure with the federation. Will CM Punk be a problem for WWE? Punk's return to WWE immediately has some fans concerned that he will create similar issues and tensions to what he did when he was in AEW. Those concerns are perfectly legitimate given that the 45-year-old is unlikely to stop wearing his heart on his sleeve anytime soon. However, WWE in its current state is a lot different from what he experienced before and a lot different to AEW. For starters, WWE creative is now run by Paul 'Triple H' Levesque, a man Punk previously had issues with, but now appears to have buried the hatchet with his new boss. Punk's previous gripes with WWE lay with Vince McMahon, who is no longer in a position of significant power following the merger with UFC under the TKO banner. Punk will be kept on a short leash in WWE, something which Tony Khan couldn't do in AEW. Any sign of trouble from Punk in WWE will likely be dealt with quickly and if that isn't resolved, then firing shouldn't come as an expense to a company worth $7 billion. Those aforementioned superstars who might be upset about Punk's arrival may have legitimate concerns about him either due to previous history or stories they have heard from elsewhere. This is professional wrestling though and one of the most unique aspects of this strange industry can be that real-life issues can often create the most compelling television. Hating CM Punk for whatever reason, whether you are a fan or on the off chance a wrestler, is fine. He's a divisive individual who has people that either want to put him on a pedestal or cut him down to size but who is history doesn't have those? Even The Beatles and Lionel Messi have their detractors. CM Punk in WWE in 2023 would hardly seem like an ideal fit, especially given the more mature type of wrestling and stories he was producing in AEW. The fruit will be in his labour and whether we get another Summer of Punk or another All Out press conference rant will be the most fascinating aspect of this run. So love him or hate we can all agree that CM Punk being in wrestling is far more interesting than having him out of wrestling. 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A terrible, terrible decision that did not pay off.

Phillipp Kurashev scored 2:50 into overtime, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat Vegas 4-3 to hand the Golden Knights their first loss of the season