Innholdsfortegnelse for May 6, 2013 i Woman's Own

It’s official – this is the best time of year to go on a diet! Thanks to the warmer weather and longer days, we all seem to have more willpower. So if you’re feeling inspired to lose that last half stone before summer, why not follow our new healthy eating plan on p20? Or, if you prefer calorie counting and being part of a slimming community, you could join the Woman’s Own diet club like Karen on p27 – she’s already dropped two dress sizes and we think she looks fabulous! facebook.com/womansownmagazine twitter.com/womansown twitter.com/womansownwomansowneditor@ipcmedia.com 020 3148 6565…

What a boob! Loose Women anchor Carol Vorderman has confessed that she was once told she would never make it on TV… because her boobs were too small. The sexist comment came from a boss at the BBC, who Carol, 52, met to ask for a job. Carol revealed, ‘He said, “Nah, love, your t*ts aren’t big enough.” I mean can you imagine?’ We bet he’s eating his words now… Tragic Jade tax bill shock Two sons could be left with nothing She worked right up until her death from cervical cancer, aged 27, in 2009 to ensure her two sons, Bobby, nine, and Freddy, eight, could have the type of education she never had, but thanks to a shock new tax bill Jade Goody’s sons could be left with…

Former Strictly star Lisa Riley has admitted she’s ‘scared’ about waiting too long to start a family, revealing that many of her pals wish they’d had children earlier. Lisa, 36, says that although her career remains a huge priority in her life, she would embrace pregnancy if it happened accidentally. ‘I’m getting old now, although women are having children later in life,’ she says. ‘I am scared about that, of course. If I was to get pregnant by accident then yes, I’d definitely go with it, because that’s the sort of person I am.’ But the possibility that she may not be able to conceive a child still plays on Lisa’s mind. ‘I could always freeze some eggs,’ she says. ‘Or I could do an Angelina Jolie and buy one!’ However, after…

My partner Steve and I don’t live together. There’s nothing unusual in that – many couples have different arrangements. But it’s the reason we don’t share a house that’s so shocking. Put simply, I can’t live with the man I love, the person who’s been like a father to my children because I’m too violent. I’ve been arrested twice for attacking him. The police have had to come and take me away, holding me in a police cell until I calmed down. The first arrest led to me getting a caution. The second time, I went to court. Yes, it is a shameful record. Especially when you see me here, a seemingly respectable mum-of-four who, at 5ft 5in, is almost a foot smaller than her 6ft 4in broad-shouldered lover. Yet…

Little changes big results Snacks & treats 2 single gin and diet tonics, or 1 double 6 squares of chocolate TWEAK TIP Grate choc to make it go further A banana and a satsuma TWEAK TIP Eat bananas just ripe (not too soft) to satisfy hunger for longer 2 long breadsticks wrapped with 2 slices of parma ham 100g prawns with 1tbsp of seafood sauce Extra exercise Sneak in these three activities to lose an extra 1lb a month! Spend an extra hour and a half each week ironing those less crucial items like knickers, tea towels and bed linen Go for a 10-minute run 5 times a week while dinner is in the oven Swap two half hours of television watching each week for two half hours of Wii…

Tan yourself thinner Damage control Chances are your body hasn’t seen the light of day in months so, before tanning, give dry areas like feet, knees and elbows some TLC. File hard skin from your heels and use an all-over scrub. Soap & Glory Flake Away, £7, is gorgeous. Fat fighter A tan makes your lumps and bumps look smoother but Dr. Ceuticals Body Tone & Tan, £19.99, has fat-busting ingredients, too. Self-tan builds while it firms skin by 39 per cent in 28 days. Do the double Look trimmer with a double-dip tan. Start with a base colour, then spray a second layer on the outsides of your arms, legs and waist to fake muscle tone. Try L’Oréal Paris Sublime Bronze Express Pro Self-Tanning Dry Mist, £15.49. Boost your…

DEAR RADHA What are these warty patches? My doctor said I have lots of warty, light brown things on my skin. He said they are nothing to worry about, but I would like to know a bit more about them. Beverley, 59, Cardiff These may be seborrheoic keratoses, which are harmless, non-cancerous skin spots that occur more as you get older. They look like stuck-on barnacles and can be different shades of brown. These spots can grow but rarely end up large and can be removed for cosmetic reasons if they are irritating, or in order to make a definite diagnosis. As with all skin lesions, get them checked by your GP as soon as possible to make sure they are not cancerous. Go to dermnetnz.org to see pictures of…

The tape recorder clicked on and my mother’s eyes had a faraway look as her mind flitted back. ‘It was such a terrible place,’ she said. ‘Filthy, bug-infested, with a damp straw mattress and a couple of blankets strewn across the dirty floor. A bitter wind was blowing through a gaping hole in the ceiling. ‘It was my new home, I remember the address because it seemed as barren as the place itself – Building A, Fourth Floor, Room 101. Outside, a huge brick wall covered in barbed wire loomed over the decrepit buildings to prevent our escape, and armed guards were ready to shoot if we dared try.’ I swallowed, hanging on her every word… ‘The stench of urine hung in the air and the sound of women crying…

I had tried lots of other comparison sites over the years, but when I found Quidco through a search engine, I was really impressed. The website was easy to use, so I registered online straight away. At the time, I needed some spare cash and the money I could make from Quidco was really welcome. When you search for something on the website, you can just check through the categories, such as electrical goods, or insurance, which makes everything really quick. It’s great for holiday deals. We’ve just come back from a family trip to Paris, which I bought through Quidco. I got £40 cashback and that covered travel insurance costs for my partner, our son and myself. Everyday travel is covered too. I got £60 cashback on my annual…

Guilt-free pudding Raspberry and custard tart SERVES 10 PREP TIME 25 MINS COOKING TIME 50 MINS 1 Mix 300g plain flour, 55g caster sugar and 60g margarine in a bowl until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 2 egg yolks and 2tsp cold water and stir till it comes together in a dough. Turn on to a floured surface and press into a ball. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 10 mins. 2 Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Roll the dough out to a 28cm disc. Line a round 23cm fluted tart tin with the pastry and lightly prick with a fork. 3 Cover pastry base with baking paper and weigh down with dried beans. Bake in oven for 10 mins. Remove paper and beans. Bake for…

‘We built a brand new life in France’ The hot morning sun beat down as I watched my husband Alan, 43, feeding the chickens in our garden. ‘What a beautiful day,’ I said, still unable to believe this big barn in the middle of the gorgeous French countryside was our home. Five years earlier, life had been so different. Back in 2008, I was 36 and working as senior content producer for a radio company in Manchester. But after years of commuting two hours a day from our home in Warrington, I’d had enough. Then I remembered all the happy times I’d had in France. I’d holidayed there as a child and had fallen in love with the country. Alan and I had always wanted to swap our busy city…

ACROSS 1 Top naval officer (7) 5 Information booklet (8) 9 Boutique (4) 13 Wobbly dessert (5) 14 Graceful and stylish (7) 15 French dry white wine (7) 16 Drink greedily (5) 17 Daily journal (5) 18 Slumbering (6) 20 Pips (5) 21 Laugh quietly (7) 23 Row, level (4) 26 Require (4) 27 Tea set items (7) 30 Obtain by succession (7) 34 Troughs between hills (7) 36 Fastened with tacks (6) 37 Furious (5) 39 Correspondence between two sweethearts (4,6) 40 Highest two-digit number (6,4) 42 Types, kinds (5) 43 Set light to (6) 44 Rich mass of gold, big payout (7) 46 This evening (7) 47 Piece of plumage (7) 48 Notice (4) 53 Airbed (4) 54 Pub table coaster (7) 55 Quick (5) 58 Autobiography (6)…

Logging on to Woman’s Own Bingo I bought a few tickets for Bingo Lounge. I had watched the progressive jackpot creeping up over the past couple of days and decided now was the time to try my luck. Earlier that day, before my son Gavin, 33, had left for work, I had mentioned it to him. ‘The jackpot is almost £17,000,’ I said. ‘Do you think I’ve got a chance of winning it?’ ‘Why not?’ he said. ‘Someone’s got to and a bit of your old luck might just rub off today!’ I smiled, knowing that he was referring to the win I’d had four years earlier when I had scooped £5,201. Then, not long after that, I was amazed to land another jackpot, this time for £419. I pre-bought tickets…

As vice chair at West Ham FC and Lord Sugar’s wingwoman on The Apprentice, Karren Brady knows all about dealing with the big boys. But when it comes to her family and her figure, she’s very much a girl’s girl. From diet struggles to being away from her children for long periods of time, Karren, 44, explains how she juggles it all… The Apprentice starts up again next week. Are you still bosom buddies with Lord Sugar? I really enjoy working with Alan. We’ve never had any fall outs and we laugh a lot – he even kicks me under the boardroom table to stop me giggling! But he’s so funny – he doesn’t have a script, he just listens and reacts. I don’t think there is anybody else who could…

Gorgeous ex-model Amanda first appeared on our screens as the ethereal woman from the Scottish Widows advert in 1994, and has since made her name as a TV presenter. Here, Amanda, 40, who has a daughter, Willow, four, with husband Sean, and a baby on the way, tells us about the perks of being famous. What’s been your top freebie? Years ago, when I was modelling, I got to spend four days at the Hotel Splendido in Portofino for a one-hour photo shoot. All the Hollywood greats had stayed there and I had a borlotti bean soup that cost £25! It was the most expensive bowl of soup I’ve ever had. Have you ever googled yourself? Yes. I haven’t done it for a long time because I’m a Cancerian and…

Join us ON LINE! You can read new stories on our website all through the day, whether you’re after inspiration when out clothes shopping or want to see the latest photos of Kate Middleton. Just go to womansown.co.uk – see you there! Did you know? ANGELA DOWDEN, DIET EXPERT ‘I’m loving that asparagus is in season and affordable at the moment. As well as being low-calorie, it’s a great source of prebiotics, which encourage the growth of healthy gut bacteria. A better balance may help fight obesity – so tuck in!’…

Delighted Dawn French has walked down the aisle for a second time, in what friends have described as ‘a perfect day for a perfect couple’. The bride wed partner Mark Bignell in front of a close group of family and friends, in a secret ceremony at the super-swanky Scarlet Hotel in Cornwall. And no expense was spared by the couple, who have been dating for two years. Just to rent the hotel, Mark and Dawn, 55, agreed to a minimum spend of £29,000 – and that’s before you include extras such as lighting, flowers, photography and entertainment! But with Dawn currently getting paid big bucks to judge Australia’s Got Talent, it appears she can afford to be a little extravagant. Celebrity guests, including Jennifer Saunders, Richard Curtis, Sue Perkins and…

Lisa’s not the only TV lady with babies on her mind. The Only Way Is Essex star Gemma Collins recently revealed that she had a devastating miscarriage last year – and kept it a secret while she worked on the ITV2 show. Gemma, 32, says she believes the miscarriage was a ‘punishment’ for her terminating her first pregnancy four years before and admits that the guilt has haunted her ever since. ‘What if I can never have a baby now?’ she says. ‘The miscarriage felt like God’s way of punishing me.’ Ready for kids Gemma explains that her dwindling relationship with her then-boyfriend led her to have a termination. It was only when she fell pregnant by a new boyfriend last year that she realised how much she wanted to be a…

Taking a deep breath, I walked through the shop door. A tall, burly man looked up from where he was sitting and for a second my heart froze. I wanted to turn and run. It was July 2010 and this was my Uncle Bill, the man who’d abused me as a child. We were face to face for the first time in 15 years. ‘You know why I’m here, don’t you?’ I said. Nodding slowly, he replied, ‘I knew this day would come.’ Desperately trying to steady my nerves, I began. ‘Why did you do it?’ I asked. ‘Why did you rape me?’ He lowered his eyes to the floor. ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I live with the guilt every single day.’ In those words, he had sealed his…

FOR WOMAN’S OWN READERS Australian beauty brand Natio is offering a FREE Nail Colour to the first 500 readers who sign up to Woman’s Own Diets. For more info on Natio products visit debenhams.com/beauty/natio HOW TO CLAIM 1 Simply go to womansowndiets.co.uk 2 Sign up for any membership type* 3 Enter promotional code SUMMERDIET TERMS AND CONDITIONS *To qualify for the promotion you must sign up for a one-, three-, or six-month subscription to Woman’s Own Diets – not available for the weekly subscription or seven-day free trial option. The promotion period ends 11 June 2013. Promotion subject to availability and while the 500 stocks last. If you cancel within the subscription cancellation period in the first seven days you will not receive the promotional gift. One product per member in…

3 steps to... Big hair PREP Wash with a ‘weightless’ shampoo, such as Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light, £4.69. It will cleanse the product build-up that can drag down fine locks. STYLE For longer-lasting oomph, spritz Lee Stafford My Big Fat Root Boost Mousse Spray, £6.99, on to towel-dried roots, then blast hair upside down before blow-drying smooth. FINISH Give your ’do a final shot of body with a collagen-packed spray, like VO5 Plump It Up Dry Backcomb Spray, £3.49. Work into roots then tease with fingertips for super-thick tresses. Reader rated JUNE SMITH, 49, FROM GLASGOW ‘A friend recommended that I use Immortelle Crème Divine, £69, L’Occitane, after I’d noticed small lines and dry spots on my face. After just two weeks, my skin is much brighter and softer.’ High…

Yes, exercise is the best way to speed up weight loss and take the years off, but it’s also proven to significantly lower the risk of everything from cancer to osteoporosis, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and even depression. The key is to maximise your efforts and make every minute count… 1 Increase performance ‘Drinking a cup of black coffee in the hour before you exercise will accelerate fat loss, increase performance and improve focus,’ explains top sports physio Sammy Margo. ‘Caffeine releases fat from your fat stores, so that your body uses this instead of carbs or lean muscle. The high amounts of caffeine in black coffee (95-200mg in a 225ml mug, compared to 14-61mg in a 225ml tea) also boost metabolism.’ Before your run or workout, try…

Save without spending Here are my top tips this week to ensure you’re making the most of your hard-earned cash GET FREE SATNAV FOR YOUR HOLIDAY If you’re hiring a car in Europe this summer, download a Navfree app for the country you’re visiting via navmii.com. What’s helpful is that the maps and routes are stored offline on your smartphone, so you won’t even end up paying excess data charges for accessing them. UPGRADE YOUR CAMERA ONLINE Most digital camera manufacturers offer free downloads that will improve functions, such as picture quality, and delay the need for a new camera, as well as just giving you more options. For Nikon, visit europe-nikon.com and go to Services & Support, then click on Support And Downloads. For Canon, visit software. canon-europe.com. ENJOY…

TOP CONSUMER ADVICE FROM DEBBI MARCO You may not believe it, but your home, regardless of size, has potential to earn you extra income. While renting out your spare room might feel like an intrusion, someone who only stays during the week for work purposes means your home is free at weekends. Mondaytofriday.com allows you to post the details of your available room for potential lodgers (it costs £29.95 to advertise for six weeks). Meet any prospective lodgers face to face and interview them carefully, giving them a list of house rules so there’s no niggles about who puts the bin out or bringing visitors home. You can expect to make around £400 a month from a lodger. But if you want something less long-term, you can let your spare…

There’s no need to go to the gym by yourself – you can now take as many friends as you like with this amazing deal. Eighty LA fitness clubs all over the country have facilities including fully equipped gyms, personal trainers, over 60 studio classes a week, plus spin studios and swimming pools – and many have sauna/steam rooms too. You can also join the LA fitness Beach Fit campaign. With the summer holidays just around the corner, if you’re not quite bikini-ready yet, don’t worry – LA fitness is here to help you achieve your body and fitness goals. Join the thousands of people – including BGT’s Alesha Dixon – who are already members of LA fitness, and get your summer body underway! Check out the latest offers on…

CLUES & ARROWS Fill in the clues in the direction of the arrows. The shaded squares will reveal the hidden word or words Win! £200 WORD FIT Prize puzzle To be in with a chance of winning the prize below, fit the words in the grid. The shaded squares reveal the hidden word(s). 3 LETTERS Auk Ink Jus Moo 4 LETTERS Bunk Mini Sing Taco 5 LETTERS Enjoy Intro Miaow Pixie Toxin 6 LETTERS Nitwit Thread Verbal 7 LETTERS Biriani Boating Entwine Fishnet 8 LETTERS Effusive Highbrow Woodwork 9 LETTERS Genuflect Uninvited Withstand Win! A case of French wine Woman’s Own has teamed up with French Wines With Style to offer one winner a mixed case of six delicious wines, as selected by top UK experts and journalists! All the…

‘I couldn’t believe it!’ Kelly Harding, 34, from Peterborough, had only been playing for six weeks before she hit the jackpot s I stared at the computer, I screamed. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. A box had just popped up saying I’d won a £17,184 progressive jackpot. It had begun as a normal Sunday afternoon. I’d been pottering around the house with my partner Neil, 42, while our 12-year-old son, Luke, was up in his bedroom. I had logged on to Woman’s Own Bingo and pre-bought a few 10p tickets for some of the games in the Sapphire bingo room, but I wasn’t paying too much attention to what was happening as I was relaxing and watching a bit of TV. As Neil was walking past the computer,…

Aries 21 Mar – 20 Apr You’re frustrated when someone throws a spanner in the works just as you’re nearing a goal you really value. Or it may be that something gets between you and money at the wrong moment. Don’t despair. Ask for advice – others may have a useful perspective on what’s going on. For more call 0901 609 4780* Gemini 21 May – 20 Jun The week might have its tricky moments but all will be well with you if you can stay positive and focused. Don’t get all vague or neglectful of your responsibilities midweek or you could be on the receiving end of harsh words on Saturday or Sunday. And you can do without that. For more call 0901 609 4782* Cancer 21 Jun –…

Celeb spider catcher Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly, both 37, really are as close as they look – Ant recently admitted that Dec used to come round his house to rescue him from spiders! Ant and his wife Lisa were so terrified of the creepy crawlies they would rely on brave Dec to catch them. ‘I used to ring Dec, and he’d come round and get the spiders out for us,’ Ant revealed. ‘He’d nick a few Minstrels as payment!’ Well, that’s what friends are for, after all. CORONATION TWEET ban! Naughty Corrie stars have been banned from tweeting pictures on set, after they ruined the show’s secret storylines! Simon Gregson, who plays Steve McDonald, leaked pics of the new-look Rovers Return on the social networking site – and furious bosses were…

Making the cut Dancing On Ice judge Ashley Roberts, 31, uses that high split to elongate her legs, while the clever cut-out sides skim her silhouette. The right stripes Corrie star Jennie McAlpine, 29, shows off her svelte new figure in this bold body-con dress. She knows the vertical stripes make her look instantly lean. Frilling stuff A peplum, as worn by Corrie’s Jane Danson, 34, can disguise a tummy, and the flared skirt will create a more whittled waist. Belt up Clever Dannii Minogue! The 41-year-old picks this on-trend corset belt to give shape to her Oriental blouse and show off her fabulous curves. Join the panel Last year’s popular illusion dress has been reinvented for 2013. The white flash at 52-year-old actress Julianne Moore’s waist shrinks her middle.…

After having a ball dancing away night after night on the Strictly tour, Fern Britton has come back to reality with a bump. But thankfully she’s got her husband, Phil Vickery, 52, and children, twins Jack and Harry, both 19, Grace, 16, and Winnie, 11, to help her readjust to a life without glitter and false eyelashes. As she settles down to chat to Woman’s Own, Fern, 55, is in good spirits, spilling the beans on hotel trysts with Phil, why she’s signed up to Twitter and how her heels are getting higher and higher... The Strictly tour is over all too soon. Are you missing the gang yet? Yes, of course. You get attached to everyone but, at the end of the day, we are all there to do a job.…

Caught after 12 years on the run Big Brother winner Josie Gibson has shown that she harbours no hard feelings towards her notorious grandmother after turning up to show support at the 72-year-old’s first day in court. Josie, 28, arrived at the hearing in Bristol with members of her family as Diane Gibson prepared to face charges for a crime she committed over a decade ago. Once dubbed ‘Britain’s most wanted grandmother’, Diane was originally arrested in 1999 when police found 3kg of cocaine worth £240,000 in her car. However Diane skipped bail the following year after being charged with possession of the drug with intent to supply and disappeared before she could be sentenced. At the time police feared that she had fled to Spain and changed her appearance…

Carbs Choose plain pasta over highercalorie, filled types and don’t overcook it. Slightly firm (al dente) pasta has a more complex starch structure and is digested more slowly, which helps to curb hunger for longer. Ditch your mid-morning chocolate biscuit. This one simple change can lead to you losing half a stone in a year. To make it easier, try a low-GI breakfast, such as poached eggs, which will carry you through the morning without a blood sugar dip. Always choose the thinnest pre-sliced bread, as the slices you cut yourself (especially from fresh-baked breads) are inevitably bigger and can ruin weight-loss plans. Alcohol Stick to weaker cider. Strong cider (e.g., Diamond White) is about 7.5 per cent alcohol and has 330 calories per pint – standard cider (e.g., Woodpecker)…

Medical problems coupled with eating oversized portions led to mum-of-two Karen Lowe, 35, from Surrey, gaining more than two stone and ballooning from a size 12 to a size 18. But since joining Woman’s Own Diets 10 weeks ago, she has lost a stone. ‘I was so fed up with being fat and looking and feeling frumpy,’ says Karen. ‘The final straw came when a man asked me how far gone I was! So the very next day I signed up for my free seven-day trial – and I haven’t looked back!’ Getting the right look By using the food diary and making changes to her lifestyle, Karen has dropped two dress sizes and a stone in weight. ‘But now I don’t know what suits my new shape,’ she says.…

The floor of the sitting room was covered in broken glass, graffiti was scrawled across the walls, dining chairs lay in pieces and carpets were ripped up. Anyone would think their home had been burgled, torn apart by thugs looking for valuables. But for Esther Hines, the shock was so much worse – the scene she now faced was the result of her child’s birthday party. When Esther, 56, agreed to let her daughter Sarah hold a bash for her 15th birthday at their home in Billericay, Essex, in December 2012, she saw nothing to worry about. She’d laid down the ground rules – absolutely no alcohol and a maximum of 30 friends – and she’d even be in the house to supervise. No one could have foreseen the carnage…

Is the superbug threat a ticking time bomb? Woman’s Own’s GP Dr Radha Modgil helps sort fact from fiction THE LOWDOWN Scientists believe that, due to the overuse of antibiotics, bacteria are becoming so resistant, we’ll have fewer drugs that work when it matters. THE TRUTH Don’t panic yet but we all need to be aware of the potential problems this may cause. It’s true there’s been an increase in resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. We all know to avoid taking too many antibiotics but it’s important to strike a balance. Only use them for bacterial infections, not viral ones, and only when your body can’t fight off illness by itself. Want to read more? For top tips and expert health advice, go to womansown.co.uk 3 step fix... Upset stomach…

Join with Woman’s Own and Quidco today and start saving! As a busy mum, I tend to shop on my computer, so when I discovered Quidco, I was curious to see how it could help me. I have accrued more than £300 in the three years that I have been a member. I upgraded my Sky TV package online for free, and got £100 cashback – I also make use of the check-in feature on Quidco’s smartphone app. ANGIE SANDYS I have made about £500 so far, but have only used the site seven times, so that’s quite a lot of cash. And it is brilliant knowing that I am making money while I’m spending it, so I will always have something put to one side for a rainy day!…

Sliced avocado, bacon and pecans mixed with chicory SERVES 4 PREP TIME 5 MINS COOKING TIME 7 MINS YOU WILL NEED 150g thin-sliced smoked streaky bacon, cut into 5cm pieces 2 heads chicory 3 ripe avocados, peeled, stoned and sliced 50g pecan nuts, thinly sliced FOR THE DRESSING 3tbsp avocado oil 1tbsp white wine vinegar 2tsp light muscovado sugar 1 shallot, finely sliced 2tsp wholegrain mustard Salt and freshly ground black pepper HOW TO DO IT 1Dry-fry the bacon in a pan until golden and crisp. 2 Separate the chicory leaves, clean and then scatter in a large shallow bowl. Sprinkle over the avocado slices, bacon and pecan nuts. Rustic chicken and chorizo SERVES 4 PREP TIME 15 MINS COOKING TIME 5 MINS YOU WILL NEED 700g vine tomatoes 250g…

My friend Tarnia Lefevre changes lives. That sounds dramatic, doesn’t it? Especially when I tell you that she manages it armed with nothing more elaborate than a few tins of food. But it’s true. The people she sees are often mothers who know that without her help their children won’t eat. One time I watched Tarnia, 33, give a food parcel to a young woman who then broke down in tears. A town in need ‘You don’t know what this means to me,’ she said. ‘I have been so worried.’ Her husband had recently been made redundant and they’d run into financial problems trying to pay the rent and bills while he was looking for a new job. Those tins of beans and rice meant her little daughters would have…

Just for fun WORDSEARCH The answer is the one word missing from the grid BOULDER BULLION CANNON CHEST CORAL REEF DIVER PORSCHE SAFE SALT STATUE SUBMARINE TORPEDO TREASURE TREE WHALE Just for fun SIMPLE SUDOKU To solve the puzzle each 3x2 box, each column and each row must contain the numbers 1 to 6 Just for fun MINI WORD ACROSS 1 Ship’s vertical pole (4) 5 Greasy (4) 6 Snare (4) 7 Extravagant publicity (4) DOWN 1 Butterfly-like insect (4) 2 Well ventilated (4) 3 Hit with open hand (4) 4 Sort, kind (4)…

I’ve always enjoyed a few games of bingo. I began playing years ago when I used to go to the local bingo hall with my mum, then I’d take my brother every week. But a few years ago my eyesight began to fail and I was finding it more and more difficult to play. I wasn’t able to see the numbers clearly on my bingo cards and, eventually, I had to stop going. I thought that would mean the end of my favourite hobby, but then I spotted an ad for Woman’s Own Bingo. I’d never thought of playing online before and so I decided to try it. It was amazing! The site was easy to find my way around and, best of all, I could adjust the graphics to…

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We’ve found the latest series of Britain’s Got Talent addictive – and not just for the contestants, but for Simon Cowell, 53, who’s back from the States and bitchier than ever. Even his fellow judges can’t escape his acid tongue. But is his bark worse than his bite? We caught up with the king of TV to find out more… SO, THE BROMANCE BETWEEN YOU AND DAVID IS REALLY HOTTING UP NOW, ISN’T IT? Yes, and it seriously is uncomfortable. My mum used to have a dog and every time we went round, the dog would hump your leg. It’s a bit like that with David. DO YOU LOT HAVE ANY RITUALS BEFORE THE SHOW? I like to have a massage beforehand and I have a bath. The girls tend to watch…