Victoria Hunt

This firecracker of charisma has been a joy to watch. Golden Goldstein got on famously with pro partner Vito Coppola and translated that bond on to the dancefloor. She loved the glamour and glitter, had great musicality and is a natural born performer who sold routines hard. Her highlights were her sensational Barbie samba, joyous K-pop Couple’s Choice and sassy Spice Girls samba. Slower dance styles and technically tricky ballroom numbers were always likely to be more challenging. So it proved, with Ellie bowing out on a tango. I’d feared she might be fatigued and overwhelmed by the dance-off but once again, she defied all expectations.

She’s already made history by becoming the first model with Down’s syndrome to grace the cover of Vogue and partnering with Mattel to produce the first Barbie doll with Down’s. Now the mould-breaking 23-year-old notched up another milestone by becoming Strictly’s first contestant with Down’s. Another step forward for inclusivity, it made for the feelgood story of the series. The irrepressible force of nature brought sparkle and happiness to our TV screens, just when it was what viewers needed. Ellie’s positive impact as a role model and myth-buster shouldn’t be underestimated. We’ll miss you, Cheeky Team.

Love this assessment of Ellie's time on #Strictly by @michaelhogan100.bsky.social in the Guardian 💕

So sad to see Ellie & Vito go. Ellie’s participation meant so much to so many and she danced beautifully, a true entertainer. Vito’s teaching was instrumental in her success. I would have liked them to stay in a bit longer 😢 #strictly

Jenny Wen — Don't trust the (design) process For a good period of time, between like, 2014–2020, design was all about The Process. You know it. Yeah, that’s the one:

Don't trust the (design) process! Jenny Wen argues that designers became obsessed by the process, (personas, journey, flows), to the point where we forgot the actual project itself.
I tend to agree here, I’ve seen consulting companies / agency sell whole abstract deliverables, ...

I was explaining to my Ukrainian colleague the phrase ‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch’. She told me the equivalent in Ukrainian is ‘The only free cheese is in the mousetrap’ - which is so much better

Working on matrix working: looking back after 4 years Learn how matrix working has helped DBT's Digital, Data and Technology directorate form supportive communities of profession and become more flexible to change.

We're marking 4 years of matrix working in Dept Bus & Trade Digital, Data & Technology so in this post I wanted to reflect on how we created our matrix working, and how we've had to keep learning and adjusting.

digitaltrade.blog.gov.uk/2025/05/27/w...

How often does it come up?!

Shouldn’t you have learnt that for yourself…?

That’s my favourite Hitchcock!

J’ai t’emailed

The main palais is v crowded but gardens and other areas less so

We loved our day in Versailles, booked a tour to skip the queues. Def need to plan for a full day there

Just remembered he is now on Bluesky @ronnierl.bsky.social

L’Orangerie in the Tuileries has now overtaken Musée d’Orsay as my favourite museum (find the latter too crowded now)

R went on a school trip to Parc Astérix about 10 years ago and really enjoyed it. He doesn’t even like theme parks (but does like Astérix!)

18F Guides A central resource for all 18F guides and methods


You might know us from the guides we have put together, like the de-risking guide and the UX guide. Governments all around the world have used them to make services more accessible and add more value to the public — all while saving millions of dollars. You can still find them here: 18f.org/guides/

He flees when you’re awake

How we’re designing GOV.UK Chat Learn more about our approach to designing GOV.UK’s experimental chatbot.

Just published something about how we’re designing GOV.UK Chat, a product that’s currently in a private beta across some GOV.UK pages

insidegovuk.blog.gov.uk/2024/11/28/h...

I have loved this series of #Strictly. Chris and Diane are an extraordinary partnership. Did not think that Samba dance-off was fair to them…

Would ‘retro’ work better?

@jelliott94.bsky.social thank you for being my 200th follower!

Sorry you’ve had a difficult day Coco - you’ve a treat in store with Strictly though; one of my favourite weeks so far. 💃🏼 🪩

I’m reading Show Me The Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen by Peter Apps. Devastating on decades of deregulation, profiteering, negligence, procurement failings, tech failings, and a culture of complacency. But a necessary read too. Thank you for encouraging rest & treats.

I have a soft spot for Tori not least as she shares my name and I don’t often hear it on screen!

I wish Nick & Charlie wouldn’t spend so much time on their phones. Especially at the table or in class or interrupting everything they do…

Interesting! Too samey? I remember all the cool kids liked Armageddon while I preferred DI… because it seemed more believable 🤷‍♀️

Restaurant front called “Sophie’s Choice”

Took a wrong turn earlier and ended up driving past this questionable South London joint… just… why?! 🤯

“Hey” ?! I must be getting old 🤯

You inspired me to check on my CD collection, found a couple of Oasis albums… 🤣 now to see if the player bought in 2008 (complete with ipod dock) still works.

Components Placeholder text Components are reusable parts of the user interface – for example, buttons or alerts – that enable users to complete an action, navigate a page and can make the content more accessibl...

Here are some forms design guidelines, based on GDS: www.croydon.gov.uk/design-and-c...