Oat milk, ADHD diagnoses and Diddy: Our most-read stories of the year
What a year it’s been. While it may have felt more like three years rolled into one, we can sadly confirm that it was just the usual 365 days.
That’s 365 days of relentless news, celebrity scandals and online debate. The London Standard’s features team have been here for all of it, watching, writing, rinse, repeat.
Here, we lay out ten of our biggest stories from the past year, from the mass wave of ADHD diagnosis requests to P Diddy’s strange relationship with Justin Bieber.
1. Where did it all go so wrong for oat milk
Once the alt-milk that could do no wrong, a flurry of reports have led to growing health concerns about oat milk. In one of our most-read features of the year, Emma Loffhagen examined its demise.
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2. Going it alone? What I’ve learnt from travelling to 33 countries solo as a woman
World traveller Lydia Swinscoe shared her ultimate guide to getting the most out of solo travel — from the one thing you should always pack, to how to stay safe, and the secrets to combatting loneliness.
3. The 40 best dressed Londoners of 2024 (and the 20 worst)
London has always punched above its weight when it comes to style and creative talent, but who are the purveyors of the very best looks? To mark LFW’s 40th year, our fashion editors picked their 40 favourites… and those who have missed the mark.
Michaela Coel, one of The Standard’s best dressed Londoners
Dave Benett
4. Pattie Boyd on love and life in the sixties: ‘Beatlemania? It was kind of irritating’
This March, Pattie Boyd opened her archive for a Christie’s sale which revealed the passion and heartbreak behind her love triangle with George Harrison and Eric Clapton. She told Joe Bromley about her life in the sixties (and the clothes she wore).
5. How the P Diddy scandal exposed the terrible treatment of Justin Bieber
The singer’s rise to fame was tinged with mockery and inappropriate behaviour from full grown adults. Maddy Mussen wrote about how we realised that all too late.
A young Justin Bieber
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6. Inside the bitter battle for Al Fayed’s inheritence
From the profoundly deaf son with a low profile to the brother and sister who ended up in the High Court, Katie Strick delved into the lives of the four Fayed children battling over their disgraced father’s billions
7. The US presidential debate saw Trump become what he most feared: a laughing stock
The televised showdown saw a calm Kamala Harris tower over Donald Trump from the moment she arrived on stage — then Taylor Swift joined in. Back when we all still believed Kamala had a chance, Sarah Baxter weighed in with her analysis.
President-elect Donald Trump
AFP via Getty Images
8. ‘It took five years to get diagnosed and my life fell apart’ — inside the ADHD waiting list crisis
After an investigation found that some areas in the UK have ADHD diagnosis backlogs that would take eight years to clear, our writer Emma Loffhagen interviewed some of those on the frontline.
9. ‘I owe almost £100k – the system is rigged’: meet the young people crippled by student loans
A recent report found that almost two million UK graduates owe £50,000 or more in student loans. Emma Loffhagen spoke to the young people struggling to pay their extortionate debts.
PA Wire
10. The downfall of Hannah Ingram-Moore and the Captain Tom Foundation is a tale of human folly
A damning inquiry has confirmed that Captain Tom Moore’s daughter and son-in-law “misled” the public and pocketed over £1 million from the foundation they set up in his name. Claudia Cockerell says it shows the world is made up of more Hannahs than Toms.
