James Blunt has looked back on the difficulties of balancing work and raising two children. The “Goodbye My Lover” singer married Sofia Wellesley, the daughter of Lord and Lady John Henry Wellesley, in 2014. While speaking at the Oxford Union in 2016, Blunt confirmed that they’d welcomed a son, and have since had a second. In a new interview, Blunt, 49, spoke about how becoming a father had effected his priorities. “Being hands-on with my kids when I can is important,” he told The Guardian, before going on to note times in his life when he wasn’t able to be as present. “I am away for long periods. With my second child, I left the day after the birth for nine months. Fatherhood changed my priorities. I was selfish. Now these little people are far more important than me.” Elsewhere in the interview, published on Saturday (19 August), the singer-songwriter spoke about his own experiences of having distance from his parents at a young age. Prior to attending Harrow School, a private school founded in the 16th century, Blunt attended Elstree School in Woolhampton, Berkshire. “I boarded at school from the age of seven,” he noted. “My parents dropped me off and walked away. On day three, I asked the matron, ‘When will I see Mum and Dad again?’ I was told Christmas. This was September. “I never really saw them again until I got famous.” Blunt was also close friends with the actor Carrie Fisher, whom he called his “American mother”. Fisher died in December 2016 of sleep apnoea but also had cocaine, morphine and ecstasy in her system at the time of her death. The singer called the Star Wars actor’s passing his “greatest sadness”, adding: “I was with her the day before she died. Knowing how it happened, I wish I’d been able to do something. Have an impact. “It’s taken me a long time to write a song about her. It’s on this album. It’s about what I wish I could’ve said to her when she was alive. What I wish I could say to her now.” James Blunt’s seventh studio album, Who We Used To Be, will be released on 27 October. Read More Stylist comes to bride-to-be’s rescue after hair is ‘destroyed’ just before wedding Britney Spears shares first statement after ‘shock’ Sam Asghari divorce: ‘I couldn’t take the pain anymore’ Man wins lottery after using same numbers every day for seven years Shirlie Kemp says male doctor told her to ‘get over’ endometriosis Chrissy Teigen posts topless photo to remind fans to get mammograms Influencer Caleb Coffee hospitalised after falling off cliff in Hawaii

Russia’s Black Sea fleet headquarters were in flames after a fiery missile attack on Friday, bringing yet more woe to Vladimir Putin after Ukraine’s tanks reportedly broke through his final line of defence in western Zaporizhzhia. Photographs show firefighters battling the blaze in the port city of Sevastopol while the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed one serviceman was missing in action as a result of the assault. The attack comes less than 24 hours after Ukrainian armoured vehicles reportedly advanced over the front line – known as the Surovikin line – in western Zaporizhzhia for the first time, signalling a major breakthrough for Kyiv’s counteroffensive in the region. The two events come as Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky looked to Canadian’s prime minister Justin Trudeau for further military support, after securing a $325m defence package from US President Joe Biden on Thursday. Russian Defense Ministry said five missiles were shot down by air defence systems responding to the attack on Sevastopol. However, Sevastopol residents said they heard explosions in the skies and saw smoke, followed by pictures emerging of buildings on fire. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility, but Ukraine’s air force commander posted a video of air sirens blazing and smoke rising from the building along with a message thanking the pilots. “We promised that ‘there will be more,’” Lieutenant General Mykola Oleschuk said. The Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, was pictured on a mobile phone while buildings burned behind him. He said no one was injured, but did not provide information on other casualties. Meanwhile, in western Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian tanks have reportedly punched through the Surovikin line for the first time, according to a report published by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). For months, Ukraine’s progress in the region has struggled against the 81-mile line heavily fortified with defensive weapons, including tank traps, minefields and huge concrete blocks designed to stop armoured vehicles. The advance, although not yet confirmed, could open the way for Ukraine’s Western tanks and reserve troops to reach the Sea of Azov and effectively cut Russian forces in half. However, Russian-appointed officials in Zaporizhzhia claim Ukrainian soldiers were forced to retreat after a failed assault on the line. Some 577 days into the conflict, experts see the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive to liberate Zaporizhzhia as the key to breaking Russia’s backbone, and potentially winning the war. The battle to win back territory in the south has been costly for Ukraine over the past few months. There has, however, been progress. Earlier this month, forces captured the village of Robotyne. Since then, Kyiv has focused on breaching and opening a gap in the Surovikin line by moving toward the village of Verbove. This latest events will be a boost for Mr Zelensky, who on Wednesday accused Russia of weaponising everything from food to energy during an address to the UN General Assembly. Mr Zelensky told world leaders: “While Russia is pushing the world to the final war, Ukraine is doing everything to ensure that after the Russian aggression, no one in the world will dare to attack any nation.” Visiting President Joe Biden in Washington on Thursday, Zelensky secured a fresh $325m aid package that will include air defence systems and other weaponry to help Kyiv face a tough winter. And on Friday, he was meeting Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau as he rallied for further support to Ukrainian war efforts. Read More Ukraine-Russia war - live: Kyiv tanks break through gap in Putin’s final line of defence near Verbove Zelensky heads to Canada after Washington in a first since invasion Zelenskyy to speak before Canadian Parliament in his campaign to shore up support for Ukraine

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