Innholdsfortegnelse for 18-Aug-2014 i Woman's Own

We were saddened when news broke that Kerry Katona’s fiancé George Kay had been arrested and detained under the Mental Health Act. He was released shortly after and the couple have decided to tell the truth about the incident. George revealed he’d taken a cocktail of steroids, sleeping pills and alcohol, resulting in a neighbour calling the police after she witnessed him ‘running in and out of cars’ and shouting, ‘Kerry, they’re going to kill me. They are hitting me with the hammer.’ George, 34, said, ‘I’d been up for the best part of four days. With the mixture of those things I think something had to give. When I went for tests at the hospital, they said the enzymes in my blood were consistent with having three minor heart…

Hundreds of desperate British couples are travelling abroad to select the sex of their child. And most of them are choosing to have girls. The revelation follows reports showing an increase in the number of families turning to foreign fertility clinics. Gender selection is banned in Britain but in one US clinic alone, 80% of couples from the UK are opting to have a daughter rather than a son. It seems an incredible statistic in these days of gender equality but could it really be true that mothers prefer daughters? Hardwired? Dr Daniel Potter, who runs a fertility clinic in Newport Beach, California, believes it’s the result of a deep emotional longing experienced by many women. ‘The process is driven by the mother who has identified with little girls since…

1 Bag-busters The skin around the eyes is up to 10 times thinner than the rest of your face so it’s no wonder it’s more susceptible to lines, dark circles and puffiness. Tap on Soap & Glory Make Yourself Youthful Rejuvenating Eye Cream, £14, around the eye socket before bed to help drain any fluid that’s gathered underneath. In the morning, nothing feels more refreshing than Vichy Aqualia Thermal Eye Roll-On, £14, with its cooling rollerball and de-puffing formula. Keep Tired it in the fridge eye for an instant treat perk-me-up. 2 Clever concealers Avoid heavy concealers that will gather in fine lines and opt for light-reflecting formulas, like YSL Touche Eclat, £25. Where you apply this is key. Don’t paint it on over your dark circles – this will…

Discuss with your partner the effect that shift parenting will have on your relationship Determine whether the arrangement is something you can maintain for a longterm or short-term period Determine whether this type of arrangement will affect your current job If you don’t think that it will work with what you do right now, decide whether you are willing to pursue a different career that will allow you to be a shift-parent Decide when you and your partner will have ‘alone’ time Arrange times when the whole family can spend quality time together Discuss the division of household duties, children’s schedules and expectations with your partner Parenting Made Easy: How To Raise Happy Children by Sue Atkins (£12.99, Vermilion)…

How it works 1 It’s bursting with potassium-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables, but doesn’t contain too many that are high in sodium (salt). This helps to regulate the body’s water balance and reduce fluid retention. 2 It’s calorie counted so, as well as losing fluid, you’ll also be losing 1-2 pounds of fat a week. 3 It’s low in foods like onions, cabbage and beans that are a common source of bloating. Breakfasts Make a smoothie by whizzing 175ml natural coconut water with 2 small bananas (ideally frozen), 100g blueberries and 3 large strawberries. This makes 2 servings, so only serve yourself half. Porridge made with 40g oats and 140ml skimmed or almond milk (microwave for 1½ mins on full power). Top with 1tbsp of low-fat natural yogurt…

Cherry vodka slush SERVES 6 PREP TIME 5 MINS YOU WILL NEED 480g frozen cherries 2 x 150ml pots cherry yogrt 4tbsp vodka 6 butter biscuits, halved 12 fresh cherries, to serve HOW TO DO IT 1 Place the frozen cherries in a food processor and blend until finely chopped. With the motor still running, pour in the cherry yogurt and the vodka and blend until it becomes a smooth, semi-frozen slush. 2 Pour into glasses and serve with the butter biscuits and fresh cherries on top. NUTRITION PER SERVING 173 cals, 3.5g protein, 26g carbs (21g sugars), 4g fat (2g sats), 1g fibre, 0.7g salt Tropical pavlova SERVES 8 PREP TIME 10 MINS YOU WILL NEED 200ml whipping cream 1 large ready-made pavlova base 200g tin chopped pineapple 2…

Lying in my hospital bed, I was surrounded by friends and family but I’d never felt so alone. One minute I had a successful career working as cabin crew, the next cancer had come along and turned my world upside down. The strain had caused my relationship to crumble and I was bald, thin and fighting for my life. It was August 2008. A month earlier, I’d gone to Eastbourne General Hospital for blood tests after suffering from extreme tiredness, aching arms and finding unexplained bruises on my body. Shocking news When the doctors diagnosed me with acute myeloid leukaemia, I was rocked to the core. I was told that without treatment I wouldn’t live more than three weeks. As I began a gruelling course of chemotherapy, I struggled to…

Halley Berry LEO (14 AUGUST) Feel-good planet Jupiter’s influence brings Leos good luck and freedom this year. How will Halle’s rumoured roller-coaster marriage to hunky Olivier Martinez be affected? We’ll find out in November. Aries 21 Mar – 20 Apr Life with children and lovers just gets better and better but there’s a skeleton rattling deep in your closet. Are you getting angry? Are you tempted to call time on something that’s quietly driving you crazy? Don’t act just yet. For more call 0901 609 4780* Taurus 21 Apr – 20 May Every loss allows for something new to happen. Every exciting development means you have less energy for whatever went before. This weekend something needs to go to make space for something better. For more call 0901 609 4781*…

Debbie first heard about Quidco in 2007 from her husband Richard and has been making money ever since. She logs on for everything she wants to buy these days. ‘Someone at Richard’s office recommended Quidco to him and he was so impressed by the website that he decided to sign up for an account,’ says Debbie. ‘When he told me about it, I followed suit and opened my own account. The first thing I bought was house insurance, and then I sorted out my car insurance, too. I just couldn’t believe how easy it was.’ Soon, Debbie was logging on to quidco.com whenever she wanted to buy anything. ‘I had looked at other sites in the past but they were far inferior to Quidco,’ she says. ‘The site lets you…

Shopping grumble Shop assistants keep offering me store cards at the till and it’s really starting to bug me. It’s nothing personal, but I just feel that they shouldn’t be piling the pressure on in the current economic climate. Then when people do sign up, it makes the queues absolutely massive! This is very, very annoying. Especially on a busy Saturday! Manisa Kuinkel, via email It’s a total disgrace White Dee was apparently offered £100K to appear on CBB . Has Channel 5 lost the plot?! She’s not a celebrity, she’s a convicted thief, whose only claim to fame is being featured in Channel 4 documentary Benefits Street . It makes me see why this country is going to the dogs! Lisa Bruton, Birmingham Serves Katie right! I read the…

Gordon Bennett! Listening to Cheek To Cheek , Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett’s new album, reminded me of when I met the crooner, 88, in his home overlooking Central Park. As his dog Happy covered him with kisses, I quipped, ‘I’d lick your face too if I lived with you in a place like this!’ Luckily he took it like the gent he is. Golden boys Back on the road with a new show, Tony Hadley and I met one recent morn. Last time we hooked up, we were in Cannes. Oddly enough, we look browner now, so much so it was mooted we could launch our own range of fake tan products! American idol US chat show king – and…

Holiday Over Easter my husband and I went to our log cabin in France for a week. It’s on a lake in the middle of nowhere and it’s bliss. We took the dogs along with us and spent every day going for long walks. We try to go there a few times a year. Embarrassing moment I rarely get embarrassed but the other day I held an event at my farm for members of the press, it was a lot of hard work to pull it all together so I was feeling quite emotional. During my speech thanking everybody, I just burst into tears and couldn’t stop crying. Someone had to pass me some loo roll, that was pretty cringeworthy! Moment that scared me Ben Fogle talked me into doing…

Andrea McLean  Back in 2011, Andrea, 44, was unwittingly roped into starring in a fake raunchy film, the brainchild of four men and a woman who came up with the bogus project as part of a massive £2.7m tax fraud scam. Andrea was told the film, A Landscape Of Lies, would star A-listers including Jeremy Irons, and had a £20m budget. In fact, it ended up seeing her in lesbian kissing clinches. Carol McGiffin Carol made headlines in 2010 when she admitted to taking cocaine shortly after her 40th birthday. The presenter, 54, revealed, ‘I took cocaine for the first time when I was 40. I just wanted to see what the attraction was, since so many people were at it, but I just didn’t get it. So there was…

The gunman was standing in front of me, the steel barrel of his AK-47 rifle dangerously close. In one click of the trigger I would be dead. My heart was frozen with terror at the same time as a little mocking thought turned in my head. ‘That’s just what you wanted, isn’t it?’ it said. That morning I’d woken up hoping my time on this planet would soon be over, that I’d have a way out of this miserable life. Yet now, here, by the strangest of coincidences, I was actually facing death for real. A gunman had burst into the school where I worked as a bookkeeper. He’d waved the gun wildly and screamed, ‘We’re all going to die today.’ Only this wasn’t just about my life any more…

The bakery counter was heaving with cakes but I knew just what I wanted. ‘I’ll take four of those pastries,’ I told the girl behind the counter. One would never be enough to satisfy my cravings for layers of buttery pastry and sticky, sweet icing. Back home I polished off all four. Greedy? Maybe, but I was 30 weeks pregnant and had taken the idea of eating for two and run with it. Anything I craved, I ate in abundance – toasted cheese sandwiches, pastries and trifle had been the things I hankered for most. In no time I’d burst out of my size 16 maternity trousers. My weight had been creeping up since I’d got together with my fiancé, Luke Shephard, 21, two years earlier. When we’d met I’d…

RETRO revival Mix ’70s-style pop art with geometric prints for a twist on the retro trend. Debenhams has some great accessories for the kitchen or dining room (above). Dinnerware, from £6.50, can, £14, wire bowl, £18, mugs, £8 each, jars, £12 each, utensil holder, £12, sign, £10, ornament, £14, flask, £12, tea towel, £7, cushion, £28. Get the look We love... Liven up your BBQ with Sainsbury’s colourful outdoor dining accessories. These summer staples start at just £1.50 and are perfect for some al fresco fun! 3 of the best Give your dining table or windowsill a quirky update – display your favourite blooms in mismatched vases and bottles. Patches work Want something that’s going to brighten up your little one’s bedroom and is value for money? Try this pretty…

Bullying isn’t always something you can see or hear and, too scared to speak out, victims often suffer in silence. It’s an anguish my friend Linda James, 54, knows only too well. I first met Linda in 2004 when her son came to my Cub Scouts group in Cardiff. I used to give Alex, then nine, lifts home when Linda couldn’t pick him up, and she and I soon became close friends. But it wasn’t until years later that she revealed her harrowing past. Linda had suffered prolonged verbal and physical bullying at school from the age of 11. Her self-loathing led to her developing an eating disorder. There was a time when she was living on just a handful of lettuce leaves a day and her weight plummeted to…

Quidco is a website where you can earn hundreds by getting cashback when you shop online. For a limited time when you join for free and make a purchase, Quidco will give you £5 cashback PLUS the retailer’s cashback. To claim your £5, join for free at quidco.com and select ‘Woman’s Own Magazine’ from the ‘How did you hear about us?’ menu.Browse Quidco’s thousands of retailers and offers. Click through from Quidco to the retailer and shop as normal.When you make a purchase you’ll get cashback into your Quidco account. You can then withdraw this from your bank account to spend on whatever you please.…

To celebrate the return of The Great British Bake Off, we asked, ‘What’s your signature cake?’ Here are our favourites on Facebook. Minion – I loved making this one. Sarah Nicholson Chocolate M&M cake. Similar to the one WO put on Facebook. Katy Jarvis Morgan What do YOU think? Last week we asked you... DO WORK FRIENDSHIPS HELP US? This is how you answered: YES 86% NO 14% Don’t forget to visit our website for this week’s question!…

His celebrity pals may call him up at all hours for cooking advice but, as TV chef Gino explains to Woman’s Own , people don’t like testing their culinary skills on him in case he doesn’t like their food! As he’s reunited with Mel Sykes for Let’s Do Lunch... for the summer, we cornered him to hear more about their friendship, dishing out tips and drunken cooking. How does it feel to be working with Mel again? It’s brilliant, we spend the whole time in fits of laughter. We laugh about everything – get us in the room together and we revert back to acting like teenagers. What’s the worst thing about working together? Honestly? It’s that she’s so tall, because she…

The once perfectly groomed Kelly Brook seems to have taken to dressing down recently – just like her new fiancé, David McIntosh. We here at Woman’s Own have noticed it’s not the first time she’s taken to looking just like her man, so we asked top body language specialist Judi James just why Kelly, 34, keeps morphing into her partner. Says Judi, ‘It’s natural to mirror your partner when you fall in love, but Kelly takes it to a new level. By tailoring her style to match theirs, Kelly strives for them to see her as ‘the one’, their perfect woman.’ Here, Judi gives her insight into Kelly’s past and present loves… Jason Statham TOGETHER 7 YEARS Jason was the big star here and Kelly seems…

STEAL her style Myleene Klass looks super glam in her leopard-print dress, and you can copy her exact look at Littlewoods. The dress is £60 and available in sizes 8-20. Team with nude killer court shoes (£22, sizes 3-8) to give your legs extra length. Feel-good fashion Celeb fave Lipstick Boutique has launched a new curvy collection. Including bright florals and elegant lace, the range aims to flatter and flaunt your curves. Available in sizes 16-24. Prices start at £45. 3 of the best colourful clutch bags  Add a splash of brightness A shoe thing New Look has upped its game in the fashion stakes with its wide-fit range of footwear – and we are loving it. As well as extra width, the shoes have under-foot cushioning and extra fitting…

Behind closed doors, the same scene is being played out all over Britain. One parent walks in from work, drops their keys, then is handed the baby, while the other parent heads out to work. There’s no time for a meal together, a kiss – not even a quick catch-up. This is ‘shift parenting’ – parents who have to care for their children in shifts in order to avoid childcare costs yet still keep their own jobs. It’s a far cry from the 1950s image of mother waiting at home with dinner when father came in the door. Today’s families choose to parent in shifts for a variety of reasons. For some, it keeps a salary coming in while the other partner relaunches their career. For others, it’s to avoid…

It's weird... but it works Can’t sleep? Try eating a piece of banana or make a banana smoothie before hitting the sack. Bananas are packed with sleep-inducing tryptophan, which should help you nod off. Embarrassing FEET? Over a third of us are too embarrassed to show our feet, according to Lloyds Pharmacy. Dare to bare yours with pharmacist Alison Freemantle’s tips. USE A PUMICE OR FOOT FILE Slough your feet every couple of days to stop the build-up of hard skin and make them less susceptible to cracking. MOISTURISE Choose a moisturiser with urea, which helps the cream soak in and soften hard skin. Rub in before bed. DON’T WALK BAREFOOT Take flip-flops to wear around communal changing rooms and at the gym or pool area, as you can pick…

My baby was a mistake I got pregnant at 21. Abortion is illegal here in Northern Ireland and I was too scared to use termination drugs. My son is now a year old. My parents have a ‘you made your bed, lie in it’ attitude and my boyfriend is working full-time to support us, so mostly it’s just me and my baby at home all day. I’m very lonely and feel like I’ve made a huge mistake. Mary, 23, Belfast You have not made a mistake, Mary. In your longer letter you say your friends are all studying or on gap years. That means we must help you connect with other parents who understand raising a baby is hard, thankless and often lonely work. Make an appointment with your health…

Times are tough. With wages and benefits being squeezed families everywhere are feeling the pinch. Once the rent and bills are paid there’s little left over for food. Many are forced to rely on handouts from food banks. But I’m here to tell you that it’s possible to feed yourself for just £1 a day. I’m a retired computer programmer, with a nice house in Heathfield, East Sussex, and a comfortable life, so you might think, ‘What does she know about poverty?’ But I haven’t always had it this easy. At 16, I met an older man and fell pregnant. We married but it was soon clear it wasn’t working. When I was five months pregnant with my second child we split up and I moved back to my parents.…

SECRETS TO slashing your energy bills! PULL THE PLUG ON STANDBY The average household spends up to £80 per year powering appliances and gadgets that aren’t in use, but which are plugged in or on standby mode and quietly running in the background, according to the Energy Saving Trust. It can be hard to work out what each item costs, so the table below explains how much of a drain on your purse various appliances can be. As a rule of thumb, if you’re not using something, unplug it! TIME TO UPGRADE? A whopping 93% of people underestimate how much they could save by upgrading a home appliance to a more energy-efficient model, according to research by appliance company AEG and energy firm Ecotricity.* Most white goods and kitchen appliances…

I Facebooked the birth I’ve always loved keeping my friends updated on Facebook, whether it’s photos from a night out or news about getting a new job. That’s why, when I got pregnant for the first time in July 2010, my partner, Jimmy, then 31, and I couldn’t wait to share the news. As soon as I hit the 12-week mark, up went a photo of the ultrasound scan – a barely-formed smudge against a fuzzy black background. Almost the minute I had uploaded it, I was inundated with a flurry of likes and lovely comments from family and friends. ‘Well, that was much easier than calling everyone individually,’ Jimmy laughed. The secret’s out The pregnancy went smoothly, but we decided to keep the moment I went into labour a…