Innholdsfortegnelse for August 17, 2015 i Woman's Own

MINI-ME Simon Cowell has his very own mini-me – his adorable little boy, Eric! His X Factor co-star Cheryl Fernandez-Versini shared this cute snap of the music mogul and his 18-month-old son wearing matching outfits, writing ‘Simon and his mini-me!’ Simon, 55, became a dad for the first time on Valentine’s Day last year, with his girlfriend Lauren Silverman, and he couldn’t be happier with the role, saying, ‘I can really see me in him now.’ So can we! Shaping UP! Sam Bailey is on a mission to shape up after seeing snaps of herself in a bikini while on a family holiday last month. ‘It gave me a bit more of a push to tone up,’ said X Factor star Sam, 38. ‘I want to be able to look…

Sheridan Smith, 34, who played Cilla in the recent TV biopic ‘I’m devastated to hear the tragic news. She was the most remarkable woman, a true legend. She was so kind and helpful to me, it was a privilege to play her. My condolences go out to her family and all who loved her. She will be truly missed.’ Sir Paul McCartney, 73, who met Cilla through the music scene in Liverpool in the 1960s ‘She was a lovely girl who infected everyone with her great spirit. From first meeting her as a cloakroom girl at the Cavern in Liverpool, to seeing her many times since, she always had a fun-loving dignity that made her a great pleasure to be around.’ Sir Cliff Richard, 74, who met Cilla on her…

Carol Vorderman has been turning heads recently with her sexy new look, as she shows off her new blonde locks and enviable curves in figure-hugging outfits. But just a few months ago, the star, 54, who recently split from her toy-boy lover, Graham Duff, 40, looked very different. And, taking a peek back over the years, we can’t help but notice that this is something Carol’s done before. As she’s dealt with divorce and heartbreak, we’ve seen Carol transform from geeky Countdown presenter to sultry brunette and saucy blonde. ‘It’s a new beginning when someone comes out of a relationship,’ explains celebrity psychologist Jo Hemmings. ‘When we’re single and we want to find something new, we look at ourselves and decide to have a change. It’s a physical change to…

THE EYE HERO Cooling and soothing on contact, Lacura Expert Eye Gel, £3.99, Aldi, gives an immediate pick-me-up to tired peepers. Throw in a bag-busting cocktail of caffeine, horse chestnut and skin-repairing kudzu extract and you’ll soon notice a tighter, smoother and brighter eye area. Don’t take our word for it – tests showed wrinkle depth reduced by 37% in four weeks. It won’t be around for long, so bag it while you can, ladies. THECONTOUR CREAM The skin on your face is just 1-2mm thick and you have 42 individual facial muscles. With age, these weaken and the fatty deposits that once kept your skin looking plump start to sink with gravity – hello, jowls! Clinique Sculptwear Lift and Contour Serum, £46, John Lewis, is like a personal trainer…

Spot the warning signs It’s important to be breast aware and get to know how your breasts look and feel normally, so it’s easier to spot any changes. Almost a third of women diagnosed with breast cancer report a symptom other than a lump. Possible signs of breast cancer include: A lump or thickening in the breast or armpit Changes to the skin of the breast Changes in the shape or size of the breast Nipple changes or discharge Pain in the breast Any other unusual or persistent changes to the breasts If you have any of these symptoms, your doctor will want to see you. Don’t think you’re ‘past it’ at 70 One in three women diagnosed with breast cancer is aged 70 and over. Risk increases with age,…

Reader rated Becky Murrell, 31, from Guildford ‘Training for a charity boxing series made my right knee ache. I tried Salonpas patches (£4.99 for 3 patches, Boots), which release anti-inflammatory medication. They give up to 12 hours’ relief, and really got me moving again.’ APP of the week CHANGE4LIFE DRINKS TRACKER (FREE ON ANDROID, IPHONE, IPAD OR IPOD TOUCH) This NHS app keeps track of your drinking habits. Enter what you’ve drunk and it calculates it in units of alcohol. You can keep a drinks diary and it gives you free tips and feedback, and will help you cut back if needed. IS YOUR MILK SAFE? Chances are you don’t think twice about storing your milk in the fridge door, but the latest advice warns against doing so. It’s because…

Every mum dreads waving goodbye to a child when they fly the nest – or so it’s thought… But a new survey has revealed that one in seven mums enjoy a new lease of life without their offspring. Dubbed HENs (Happy Empty Nesters), they have time to do what they want, when they want. Whether that’s reconnecting with their husband, or finding a new career or new friends. Here, three mums tell us what their children leaving home meant for them... ‘I grabbed the chance to have some fun’ Tessa Cunningham, 56, lives in Winchester, Hants. She has two daughters and is divorced. My daughters joke that when they left home, I replaced them with a boyfriend. After driving my younger daughter off to university three years ago, I did…

THE WAYS YOU CAN EARN DOWNLOAD THE QUIDCO APP ON YOUR PHONE Use it when you’re out and about – you can show shop staff voucher codes to claim on your shopping. Plus, in some retailers, you can unlock additional cashback rewards just by using the app in-store. EARN WHILE YOU SHOP Quidco gives you great deals on high-street purchases. On your next shopping trip, visit the site to find the retailers offering the best cashback deals. Just register your card and start earning. SAVE IN THE SUPERMARKET With Quidco ClickSnap, you can earn cashback at selected stores. Click through to your online shopping account from ClickSnap to get cashback on your basket, or upload a photo of your in-store shopping receipt via the site or the ClickSnap app. Five…

Get help, Cheryl I’m so worried about Cheryl Fernandez-Versini’s health – the photos of her in your magazine this week are shocking. She’s clearly not eating well, and although she says it’s due to grief, there must be something else going on. I don’t think it’s helpful that Simon Cowell has told the media that ‘she eats like a horse’ because it can’t be true. I hope the people around her give her the help she needs. Natalie McKay, Nottingham Leave Kate alone! I really resent Nicky Clarke passing judgement on the Duchess of Cambridge’s grey roots, saying that women shouldn’t let their hair go grey. Maybe Kate is just too busy being a mum to two young children to worry about whether her hair needs doing. And fair play…

We may know him best as the singer who won The X Factor back in 2005, but these days Shayne Ward, 30, is up to something completely different. The star is about to step on to the cobbles as new boy Aidan Connor in Coronation Street ! Woman’s Own caught up with Shayne to find out why he decided to make the jump into soap land… Hey Shayne! You must be so excited to be on Corrie ... I’m nervous but excited nervous. It’s a massive deal and a huge show. Being from a singing background, I’ve done bits of acting but to do this is both daunting and wicked. I’m thinking, ‘Don’t mess up your words and you’ll be OK.’ Your mum Philomena is a…

Steve Jones is back on our screens hosting a new dating show. Here Steve, 38, who recently wed model Phylicia Jackson, spills the beans. Can you explain the concept of the show? Over the course of a week, six young, attractive, cool people go out on a series of dates, then viewers comment through my good self. People will tell them where they’re going wrong and right, how they can improve, so they can eventually find love. How heavily will you be involved with the daters? I’m not going to go on the actual dates with them! They will meet each other in the flesh, then we’ll play out those dates during the live show and viewers will comment via social media. Would you have considered going on a show…

Meeting my Piers! My old sparring partner Piers Morgan is returning to GMB for a hosting stint. ‘Are you ready for the return of the tornado?’ he said cheekily at a do recently. The last time we were on the sofa together he asked me on air if the autocue was moving fast enough for me. ‘This week can’t move fast enough for me, Piers!’ I quipped. So yes Piers, I’m ready for my close up! Cobbledtogether! Corrie star Mikey North, who plays Gary Windass, is full of it now he’s got engaged to girlfriend Rachael. ‘She’s the coolest person I know,’ he says. ‘I tend to get in a flap and stress about everything but she’s so laid-back and helps me…

It’s your ninth series! You seem to get on well with the new Dragons… Three new chairs can be unsettling for everyone, but by day two it was still feeling new and fresh – and it was definitely beginning to feel like it was working. Is it all smiles or gritting of teeth to get your hands on the prize? Business is competitive. When you’re trying to win an investment and you want it, you don’t take any prisoners. But we’re grown-ups, and we compete for business. Sometimes you wish you had won the investment, other times when someone has made a crazy investment you feel like you’ve dodged a bullet. Everyone understands that. What tips do you have for coming up with a dream idea? This is going to…

In the 13 July 2015 edition of Woman’s Own, our front-page cover story featured Dawn French. The article was entitled ‘Depressed Dawn. I Feel Old & Haggard. Family fears for star’. The article was trailed as an Exclusive, and was published on pages 10 and 11 of the magazine under the title ‘Dawn French. I feel old and haggard! Friends and family worry for depressed Dawn…’ The article quoted from a source which (we have now discovered) falsely claimed that Dawn was suffering from withdrawal depression, and that her family, her daughter Billie, and her friends were deeply concerned about her health. Regretfully we did not put these claims to Dawn before publication, and we have now been informed by Dawn’s representatives that these claims were untrue. It is now…

Amanda has opened up about her famous affair with actor Neil Morrissey, 53, saying that it was the only time she’s been ‘naughty’. The TV presenter was chatting about her marriage to husband Chris Hughes when she said, ‘I’ve never been naughty. Well, apart from when I had the affair with Neil. Apart from that, I was, and still am, a very good girl!’ Amanda had the five-week affair with the Men Behaving Badly star back in 2000, when she was married to comedian Les Dennis, 61. Shortly after news of the affair broke, the couple split, and later divorced in 2003. Talking about the affair a few years later, Amanda said, ‘I don’t believe women have affairs for no reason. Women don’t seek sex –…

Cilla Black and Bobby Willis were known as the original showbiz couple, with Cilla having described her man as the ‘love of her life’. The couple met in the 1960s, when Bobby was working in the bakery in Woolworths and Cilla had a job as a cloakroom assistant at Liverpool’s famous Cavern Club. But the pair got off to a sticky start, with Cilla recalling, ‘We would have terrible arguments. The rows were always about stupid things to do with work.’ However, the love was always there and the couple married on 25 January 1969. Bobby went on to act as Cilla’s manager, taking over after the death of Brian Epstein in 1967. Cilla didn’t trust anyone more to be honest with her. ‘I’d come off stage and Bobby would…

Mother knows best, so the saying goes. But when my younger sister, Tina, had her beautiful baby boy, not everyone agreed… It was February 2003 when Tina went into labour. At the time we lived 200 miles apart – she was in Newcastle while I was still at home on the Isle of Man – but we were best friends. There was no one who could make me cry with laughter like my sister. We kept up to date with each other’s gossip thanks to daily phone calls and Skype chats. That day she called to say the baby was coming and I anxiously paced my living room, waiting for news. Finally, after two hours, the phone rang again. ‘He’s here!’ Tina laughed. ‘I’m so happy for you, sis!’ I…

Her partner is a drug dealer After many years of her being single, I was delighted when my 25-year-old daughter fell in love and moved in with her partner. Sadly, last week she rang me in tears telling me that this man was dealing drugs. She’s now staying with me and is a complete mess. What can I do? Does she need to see a GP? I’m concerned she may have been taking drugs too. Karen, 53, Lincoln It’s wonderful you can provide the safe haven your daughter needs right now. Your priority must be to support her decision and make her feel safe. Tell her what a great job she has done by listening to her intuition and how brave she’s been to leave such an unsafe situation. Encourage…

REPLACE OLD SLIPPERS They are the footwear that’s been linked to one third of the thousands of home-based falls suffered yearly by older people in the UK. ‘Many people hang on to that favourite pair longer than is wise – but loose slippers that do not support the feet can lead to trips and falls,’ says Ashley Martin from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. If you have to grip hard with your toes to keep your slippers on, then they need replacing. HOW TO FIND A LOSTCONTACT LENS Nearly 5,000 people a year have a contact lens-related incident and losing them in the eye is a common one. But here’s the good news from Dr Susan Blakeney from The College of Optometrists. ‘The lens can’t go behind…

Claire Richards LEO (17 AUGUST) The older the ex-Steps singer gets, the more successful she’ll be. A development that looked like it hadn’t come to much is returning in better shape. In the autumn we’ll find out what it is. Aries 21 Mar – 20 Apr Luck is on your side, especially on Friday when anything new you put in motion comes with a guarantee of good fortune. The thing is, it might not happen exactly how you imagine, so keep an open mind and stay flexible. Mind you, you’re getting used to that… For more call 0901 609 4780* Taurus 21 Apr – 20 May If you’re craving a change of environment – or for your other half to finish that DIY – this is your moment. It may…

Go Heidi Klum and her toy boy – age is just a number when it comes to love! Jane Clark Prince George is certainly going to have some fun in his fabulous tree house! Phyllis Pye Ribena banned in Tesco? What about crisps, chocolate and junk food? Why don’t they stop selling all those too? Darren Pike Love Alec Baldwin – one of my fave actors. Marion Wildenberg What do YOU think? Last week, we asked you… DO YOU PREFER THE BEACH TO THE POOL? YES 35% NO 65% Don’t forget to visit our website for this week’s question!…

I saw a car veer across the motorway, hit the barrier and fly 20ft into the air before landing on its roof. It’s the first crash I’ve ever seen. I put my hazards on and jumped out of the car and a guy was running towards me , panicking, and shouting, ‘There’s a little girl in the car!’ I saw petrol pouring out, so I opened the door. She was upside down in the baby seat. I managed to pull her out and passed her to a woman who was behind me. As I did so I saw the driver wasn’t moving. I ripped the door off and pulled him out. There were two more people in the car – a boy climbed out and someone else got the other…

She played fiery vixen Kelly Windsor in Emmerdale , but the 34-year-old actress and model is now taking on a more mature role in Channel 4’s top soap, Hollyoaks . Playing Angela Brown, Adele is throwing herself back into work after she and her fiancé, Oliver Farber, had their daughter Sienna in March. The overjoyed couple feared they would never be parents after Adele tragically suffered a series of miscarriages, but when we caught up with her, things seemed brighter than ever… What’s been your proudest moment? I’ll have to say giving birth to my little girl because it’s something, that at some points during my life, I never thought I’d be able to do. The fact that I got her at the end…

Celebrities have come out in their droves to say goodbye to one of the biggest music and TV legends of our lifetime. Cilla passed away at her Spanish home earlier this month aged 72, while on holiday with her oldest son, Robert, 45. Cilla, who was also mum to Ben, 41, and Jack, 35, from her marriage to Bobby Willis, began life as Priscilla White, born on 27 May 1943, in Liverpool. She loved performing from an early age, starting her career as a cloakroom assistant at the famous Cavern Club when she was just 16. It was there she met The Beatles and their manager, Brian Epstein. On 6 September 1963, she got her break at another club when Epstein saw her singing and decided to sign her –…

He may be a successful pop star, but it seems Jake Roche’s poor mum Coleen can’t stop panicking about her son. The Loose Women star has reportedly been so obsessed with Jake’s safety she’s been making frequent calls to the 22-year-old to check he’s all right. ‘My mum worries so much when I’m away,’ Jake revealed in an interview shortly before his engagement. ‘At the moment she is obsessed with the fact that I am a drug addict. She couldn’t be further from the truth, though. There is obviously that side to music, but it’s just not me at all.’ When Jake announced his engagement to Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson, Coleen told of her happiness at the news. ‘It was fabulous,’ she said of the romantic proposal, which saw…

Pain has zapped my libido My relationship is almost entirely sexless. This is down to me. I’ve always found sex incredibly painful and this has affected my libido. I’ve seen my GP and a gynaecologist – both could find nothing wrong. My current partner is lovely, but he’s convinced there must be a psychological element to this. Emily, 31, via Facebook Pain during intercourse, without an existing physical issue, is a condition called dyspareunia, which can be successfully treated by psychosexual counselling. I’m puzzled that your GP didn’t explore this, but what’s important now is that you get the help you need. Don’t worry – just because a physical condition has a psychological element doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with your head, it just means you need a little…

Watching my daughters, Rachael, 14, and Hannah, 10, gossip about their day at school, I can’t help but smile. But then, I spot my son Matt, 12, sitting silently in the corner, and I feel a familiar stab of sadness. I used to hear Matt’s adorable chatter every day, but now it’s just a distant memory… The moment Matt was placed into my arms for the first time, in June 2003, my husband Andy and I fell in love with him instantly. With his bright blond hair and chubby cheeks, he was perfect. But as we stared at our son, a quiet hush fell over the room. None of the midwives congratulated us, instead, they looked concerned. ‘Something’s wrong,’ I said to Andy, worried. Half an hour later, a doctor…

WATCH OUT FOR... AOL AND EE BROADBAND AOL and EE broadband have come bottom of a poll for the worst home phone and broadband providers for customer service, according to Money SavingExpert.com . Its poll, which received over 14,000 votes, put Plusnet at the top of the table, with 70% of customers rating its home phone customer service as ‘great’, while 68% said the same of its broadband customer service. At the other end, 42% said AOL’s broadband, owned by TalkTalk, offered ‘poor’ customer service. EE was bottom, with 40% of customers rating its broadband customer service as ‘poor’. How to save for your child’s future It’s International Youth Day on Wednesday – mark it by planning for your child’s financial future. Here are some tips on…

My husband Paul had always been romantic. Even after almost 30 years together, he would cook me dinner or surprise me with a bunch of roses. He never left me in doubt of his feelings. We had two grown-up children – Becky, 29, and Tom, 27 – and two grandchildren. And our life seemed perfect. But then he changed almost overnight – and it made me question everything. That day was in March 2013. As I was folding the ironing, chatting about my day at work, I noticed Paul, then 52, staring out of the window, not listening. I told myself he was probably just tired – but when it happened again the next day over breakfast, I began to wonder if something was wrong. I was hurt and confused…

A few years ago, I decided to join Woman’s Own Bingo. After I’d sadly lost my husband, my daughter Suzanne seemed keen to keep me entertained in my spare time. At first, she suggested I join a dating site, but I didn’t fancy that one bit! Then she suggested that I try playing bingo online – an idea I much preferred! I used to go to the local bingo hall, but without my car, the trip into town was a bit much. So being able to play at home on my laptop was ideal. I signed up and began to play a few games each week. And in 2011, I had my first big win. I was playing bingo in the Sapphire room when I noticed the jackpot for the…

Fabulous darling! Sweetie darling, the Absolutely Fabulous movie is happening! Actress Joanna Lumley ended months of speculation by confirming on This Morning that the script is ready and filming will start in October. ‘We are all there, the same old gang,’ Joanna revealed. ‘I think we are going to the South of France to do some shooting there. It’ll all be shot on location and is going to be ravishingly funny, gorgeous, and completely fabulous!’ But Joanna, 69, added she may need help with Patsy’s beehive hairstyle. ‘I use my own hair for one show a week,’ she explained. ‘But shooting for eight weeks, every day, I think I’ll give it a bit of a break.’ Compare that! Our favourite Italian opera singing insurance man, Gio Compario, has made a…

Architectural Alliums On-trend and bee-friendly We’ve hand-selected an exclusive mix of alliums in an assortment of heights, colours and forms, perfect for those who want to add glamour and structure to a border or pot – and tempt bees to their plot. Loved by top garden designers, alliums are often seen in breathtaking purple swathes at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Patio-ready Buddlejas The ‘Buzz’ series is the world’s first genuine dwarf buddleja. Easy to grow, unfussy about its location and very low-maintenance, it’s not surprising Buzz is a firm garden favourite. It displays a low-growing, compact habit that’s ideal for patio pots and although small, retains the glorious giant flowers, proving that the best things really do come in smaller packages. Buzz’s long-flowering period (June to October) is unbeatable.…