Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 5, 2025 i New Zealand Woman's Weekly

It was back to business for Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales when they turned up for one of their first engagements of the year. The couple honoured Holocaust survivors at an event, hugging attendees and listening to their personal stories with great compassion. With Kate, 43, out of action for most of last year following her cancer diagnosis and treatment, William, 42 – who took time off to help care for his wife and their children – had to carry out most of his duties alone, so it would have been a relief to have Kate by his side at the Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations in London, especially as the event was so poignant. While the pair is getting on with their royal roles following Kate’s return to…

David Beckham has spoken out about his hopes and dreams for his 13-year-old daughter Harper. The British footballing legend, 49, revealed his thoughts while receiving an award for his work protecting vulnerable children as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. The star, who also shares sons Brooklyn, 25, Romeo, 22, and Cruz, 19, with his former Spice Girl turned businesswoman wife Victoria, 50, said girls were often held back by poverty, violence and discrimination, and that’s not what he wants for Harper. “I want my daughter to have the same opportunities as her brothers and that should be the case for all girls everywhere. Being a girl shouldn’t determine what you can do, where you can go and who you can become.”…

It was the thought of having to wear togs on a camping holiday and realising how bad that made her feel about her body that triggered the idea for Lotta Dann’s latest book. The Wellington author was inspired to write about diets and body image, and how her usual enthusiasm for her summer holiday with family and camping buddies had been dampened since gaining weight. The last time Lotta – whose acclaimed 2014 memoir Mrs D is Going Without detailed her journey to overcoming alcohol addiction – had seen her friends, she’d been thin, thanks to a strict diet. But the weight had crept on when the regime became unsustainable and she went back to eating what she wanted. Feeling so ashamed prompted Lotta to start thinking about the stigma…

Barbecued corn ribs with tangy chipotle mayo SERVES 6 PREP +COOK TIME 20 MINUTES 6 fresh corn cobs 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season 1 tablespoon chipotle chillies in adobo sauce 2 teaspoons lime juice 1 ½ cups (450g) whole-egg mayonnaise 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds ½ teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon smoked paprika  ½ cup (40g) finely grated Parmesan Lime wedges, to serve 1 Rinse corn cobs under cold water. Microwave corn on high (100%, 3 cobs at a time, for 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining corn. When cool enough to handle, remove husks and silk from corn. Cut corn in half lengthways, then in half again. Drizzle with oil and season. 2 To make chipotle mayo, process chillies in adobo sauce with lime juice…

Ready to turn heads and hearts? Whether it’s a romantic dinner, a fun first date, a night with your closest friends or just a reason to treat yourself, Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to bring your A-game. Make this date night your most glamorous yet with these 30 clever tips. 1 THE 2-MINUTE FACE MASSAGE While cleansing, give yourself a mini facial massage to de-puff and get that blood flowing. Instant glow booster! 2 TOOL TIME Pop a jade roller or gua sha tool in the fridge for 10 minutes, then use it to massage your face upward. This boosts circulation, reduces puffiness and gives an instant lift. 3 DE-PUFF & TIGHTEN Use two spoons from the freezer to de-puff your eyes in a flash. Glide an ice cube…

We’ve got a new dog. Sid. He’s six months old, still a puppy really, but already quite large and extremely handsome. To be honest, I wasn’t all that keen on getting another dog. I’ve quite enjoyed the freedom of going places without having to take a doggy into account. But if we had to have one, you may recall my heart was set on a cavapoochon – a small breed appropriate to my large age. Actually, any toy fluffy thing might’ve suited... a dog I wouldn’t have to walk far because of my wonky knee and who wouldn’t tear the house down. But Linda and daughter Tommie wanted something more the size of our late, much-loved Freddy, a border collie. So, guess what, we’ve got a largish breed again, a…

Letters to the Editor LAUGH THERAPY ● Winning letter Lovely to read about the three women who spend their lives spreading laughter (NZWW, February 3) – such a joyful part of a happy, healthy life. A TV show about London in World War II mentioned a woman whose workplace had been hit by a bomb, destroying the staircase. “Oi,” she said. “Look what they’ve done – and I’d just cleaned those stairs.” Laughter can lighten some tense situations, maybe helping to prevent a descent into depression. So carry on lightening our lives, Courtney, Justine and Michèle. Anne This week’s winning letter writer receives an irresistible Whittaker’s bundle, complete with Chocolate Pods, an apron and an oven mitt, worth $127. Palm oil-free, made in Porirua, and with a creamy milk chocolate…

You can almost guarantee that when you’re looking your absolute worst, you’re going to run into people you know. And not just any old people. People who are themselves exquisitely turned out, or who you admire enormously, or who, in younger days, you might have even had a crush on. It happened to me mere hours after I returned to Auckland from Hokianga. After a glorious seven-week holiday, I’d just three days to make myself presentable to my office colleagues and to the wider community. I was back on the radio on Tuesday, filming a corporate video on Wednesday, out to dinner on Thursday... Yep, 2025 was kicking off with a hiss and a roar. But after living up north, where the only thing that mattered was getting a swim…

At some point, I must have read Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, or at least seen a screen adaptation, but I don’t remember much about the original story. I dived into this re-imagining of it nevertheless. The Scent of Oranges focuses on one of the minor characters from the classic Dickens novel and fills in the missing details of her story. Nancy is an orphan raised by the criminal Fagin to be a pickpocket, thief and prostitute. She is trapped in an abusive relationship with another crook, the brutish Bill Sikes, and accepts this as the only life possible for someone like her. Nancy is a young woman with a sharp mind and a big heart, and both will influence her destiny. As we pick up on her story, two…

The hottest celebrity scoop How we do PDA! Rita Ora and her Kiwi husband Taika Waititi are making the most of their break from work, taking time out for an intimate holiday on the Gold Coast in Queensland. Let You Love Me singer Rita, 34, has a busy year ahead – while she won’t be returning to her role as coach in The Voice Australia due to scheduling conflicts, she’s leaving the UK version of The Masked Singer and replacing Broadway star Nicole Scherzinger on the US version of the show. Rita recently revealed she’s also in talks to play “a baddie” in an upcoming Marvel movie – something that could see her working with Taika, 49, who directed Marvel film Thor: Love and Thunder in 2022. The pair juggles…

Welcome to our special Valentine’s issue! I must admit, I love love. While planning this magazine, our thoughts were with the Prince and Princess of Wales. They’ve faced so much over the past few years, particularly with Catherine’s health challenges, yet their love has remained steadfast. It’s heartening to see them sharing unguarded moments with the public in a way previous royals rarely did. We take a look back at their relationship and the key moments that have shaped their journey together. We also spoke to local celebrities about how they plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day. While some people feel they don’t need a specific day to express their feelings, our stars shared some wonderfully unexpected romantic gestures. Grant Kereama plans a visit to the zoo, Toni Street will find…

He doesn’t have the lingo down to a fine art just yet, but Richard Gere is loving his new life in Madrid. The Pretty Woman star, 75, moved from the US to Spain – the homeland of his wife Alejandra, 41 – late last year. The pair have two young sons, Alexander, five, and James, four, and Alejandra says her A-lister husband is “a great dad”. “Richard is a very devoted and present father,” says the former publicist, known as Ale. “He loves to read them stories. He doesn’t cook. I do it. When I cook, he plays the guitar.” The pair met in 2015 and Ale says their relationship blossomed after Richard bombarded her with flowers until she agreed to go out with him. They tied the knot three…

She hasn’t yet reached double digits, but Sarah Wadsworth already has two world championships and three world records in disc golf and frisbee throwing under her belt. “I just like throwing things!” laughs the nineyear-old from Christchurch, where she lives with mum Angeline, 51, who works for MetService, dad and coach Paul, 56, and older brother Callum, 15. “It just sort of happened, but it’s really fun. And I’m good at it.” In December, Sarah set the new under-10 world distance record for frisbee throwing with a toss of 104.31 metres, smashing her previous record by almost nine metres and cementing her place as the highest-rated under-10 female of all time in disc golf. In June, she and her dad will travel to the US, where she’ll compete in the…

With a giant Dungeons and Dragons dice, a sword exchange before binding their hands together and a handmade, ethereal purple gown, every detail of gamers Tamara and Ryan Straker’s wedding perfectly represented them. It was a labour of love, smiles seamstress Tamara, who spent hundreds of hours making her own fairytale dress, and countless more on decorations and props for their backyard Wellington wedding in October last year. “I DIY everything, that’s why I cosplay [dress up as characters from books, films or video games] because I love to craft everything,” she tells. “Seeing all of these different projects I was working on for over a year come together was amazing.” After walking up the aisle, Tamara and Ryan, both 33, opened the ceremony by rolling a shimmering Dungeons and…

Honey & black tea cake PREP +COOK TIME 1HOUR 25 MINUTES (+ COOLING) SERVES 12 180ml milk 2 tablespoons English Breakfast tea leaves 1 stick cinnamon 100g butter 220g caster sugar 2 eggs 60ml vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 185g self-raising flour 125g fresh honeycomb (see notes) HONEY SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM 3 egg whites 90g honey 55g caster sugar 250g butter, chopped, softened 1 Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a deep 20cm square cake pan. Line base and sides with baking paper. 2 Place milk in a small, heavy-based saucepan and bring almost to the boil. Add tea leaves and cinnamon, then cool to room temperature. Discard cinnamon. 3 Beat butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well…

Regardless of what everyone else is getting up to between the sheets, there’s no right answer about how high or low your libido should be. However, if your sex drive suddenly starts rapidly decelerating, it could be a sign there are other factors at play. There’s a range of potential causes – from health and psychological issues to hormonal changes and some medications. Other lifestyle factors – including diet and sleep – often get overlooked. But sex and relationship therapist Christine Rafe says it’s common for people with low or altered libidos to think there’s something intrinsically “wrong” with them when the answer could actually be a very simple one. “Because of the lack of education we receive around desire and sex, most people don’t understand the lifestyle, relational and…

There’s a story I like to tell from way back from when my husband and I were first “going round” together 25 years ago. Like lots of couples, we met through work – both of us performed (still do) at The Classic Comedy Club – and we shared a social circle of various creative types in Auckland. Jeremy, though, had moved to the city from Dunedin and still had a tight-knit group of friends there too. A few months in, we were both booked to perform at a comedy debate at the Dunedin Town Hall. I adore Ōtepoti – it has superb second-hand stores – plus this would be an opportunity to meet people who were important in Jeremy’s life. It was evident from his stories there was one friend…

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She was born in South Africa, has lived in New Zealand and now calls Brisbane home. She came to writing later in life, studying creative writing at university, then won a short story competition. This is her third novel. This novel was inspired by… Nancy doesn’t appear much in the novel Oliver Twist, yet her role is crucial. Nancy has been brought up to be wicked, and yet at a vital moment in Oliver Twist, she rises to the occasion and chooses right over wrong, a decision made at great cost to herself. She’s this slip of a girl with an immensely important role in one of literature’s great classic books, a story filled with male characters, and yet we know next to nothing about her. The most challenging thing…

Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi BORN: JANUARY 22, 2025 WEIGHT: 1.9KG It’s baby joy for Princess Beatrice, 36! Buckingham Palace announced the arrival of Athena Elizabeth Rose Mapelli Mozzi on January 22 at 12.57pm at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, weighing 1.95kg. Arriving several weeks early, proud dad Edoardo, 41, says, “She is tiny and absolutely perfect”, and their family is “completely besotted with her. Our hearts are overflowing with love for you, baby Athena”. The palace statement says, “The King and Queen, and other members of the royal family, are delighted by the news. Princess Beatrice and Mr Mapelli Mozzi would like to thank all the staff at the hospital for their wonderful care. Her Royal Highness and her daughter are healthy and doing well, and the…

It’s t usually a night of pomp, ceremony and red-carpet shimmying, but Hollywood is in for a solemn Oscars this year. The Academy Awards, slated for March 2, have been overshadowed by the wildfires still devastating Los Angeles, with more than 10,000 homes burned to the ground. The Academy has declared the event will be a sombre affair, largely paying tribute to Tinseltown’s emergency services – and showbiz insiders say it’s doubtful anyone will even throw a post-Oscars party. The nominations have also caused a stir, with A-listers Angelina Jolie, 49, Pamela Anderson, 57, and Nicole Kidman, 57, all missing out despite predictions they were shoo-ins. Actors who made the cut include Demi Moore, 62, for her role in The Substance, Ariana Grande, 31, and Cynthia Erivo, 38, for Wicked,…

Noodle salad with ginger-rubbed bed beef PREP +COOK TIME 30 MINUTES SERVES 2 100g soba noodles 200g rump steak, trimmed 2 teaspoons peanut oil 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger Freshly ground black pepper, to seasonson 1 small courgette, e, cut into ribbons 1 small carrot, cut into ribbons 60g canned water chestnuts, drained, thinly sliced 1 cup (80g) bean sprouts  ½ cup Thai basil leaves (see notes) ½ cup coriander leaves  2 tablespoons lime juice  ½ teaspoon sesame oil  1 garlic clove, crushed  3 teaspoons honey  1 teaspoon soy sauce  2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped Lime wedges, to serve (optional) 1 Cook noodles in a medium saucepan of boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain, then rinse under cold water, draining well. 2 Rub steak with combined oil and half…

1 Flirt like it’s day one Remember the early days? Bring back those playful messages, random compliments and little surprises that made your partner swoon. 2 Plan surprise date nights Spontaneity is sexy. Surprise your partner with an unexpected outing or a romantic dinner at home. Bonus points if it’s something they’ve been wanting to try! 3 Bust stress as a team Stress is the ultimate bedroom buzzkill. Try yoga, take a walk or plan a relaxing getaway to unwind together. 4 Build emotional intimacy Deep conversations and little acts of kindness go a long way. Feeling emotionally connected is the secret sauce to lasting passion. 5 Try something new together Shared experiences – like dancing classes, cooking something exotic or trying an adventurous activity – ignite a sense of…

FELT ENVELOPE You’ll need ● Felt sheets ● Pencil and card for template ● Ruler ● Scissors ● Pinking shears ● Embroidery thread ● Fabric glue All materials available from Spotlight. 1 Create your template on a piece of card or paper to the below envelope shape. It will be 2 rectangles = 10cm high x 20cm wide and a triangle on top that is 5cm high x 20cm wide. 2 Trace around this shape onto your felt sheet. Cut out with scissors or pinking shears for a decorative edge. 3 Use contrast felt sheets to create stamps or other decorations you wish to stick on your envelope. 4 Fold the felt envelope in half and use either embroidery thread or fabric glue to secure the edges of your envelope…

PISCES Feb 20 – Mar 20 You have many and varied skills but you don’t always use them to the best advantage – that may be simply because you forget how good you are at some things. Take a look at all your skills, talents and gifts because it’s time to update your CV. Make the most of who you are and what you can do! ARIES Mar 21 – Apr 20 Life is warm, friendly and agreeable. There’s not much to go wrong. Although that might sound a little mundane, it’s good to have weeks like this every now and then. Look forward to lively conversations with friends and the small things that you enjoy so much. TAURUS Apr 21 – May 21 Have you ever thought about being…

My eight-year-old grandson tells me he’s grown out of Spider-Man, though he didn’t quite put it that way. We’d been chatting in the car on the way home from picking him up at school when I asked him if his love affair with the aforementioned superhero was still a happening thing. “Not really,” he said, rendering about half of his wardrobe instantly redundant. He’d built up quite a collection of Spider-Manbranded hats, T-shirts and other bits and pieces. There was also a full Spider-Man costume, I think. He said he wasn’t looking for a replacement superhero, like Batman or The Hulk, though I did have a vague memory of him going through a Hulk period when he was younger. Or was that one of the other grandkids? When I was…

NEPO MUM Groundhog Day star Andie MacDowell says she isn’t the famous one in the family any more thanks to her daughter’s role in hit movieThe Substance! “It’s reverse nepotism – I’m now cool because I’m Margaret Qualley’s mum,” the 66-year-old told Jimmy Fallon on his show. Super buddies Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie had a riot with her pal Kate Moss, 51, at the Dior Homme show at Paris Fashion Week. At 1.91 metres, the 46-year-old towers over the 1.72m supermodel! Kelp me! “Seaweed I did there?” quipped Helena Christensen, 56. The Danish Victoria’s Secret model was holidaying with her music industry son Mingus, 25. Rope-able Who knew Wolverine could play guitar and skip? Hugh Jackman, 56, wowed the crowds with his skills at his From New York,…