Innholdsfortegnelse for 25-Jul-2022 i Woman's Own

We’ve got a bumper issue for you this week, with 20 pages of real life – which promise to make you laugh, cry and, in the case of the story on page 38, maybe even gasp a little! As always, there’s plenty of everything else you love too though – and although we’re all understandably a little nervous about COVID-19 (and airport chaos) putting the kibosh on any upcoming holiday plans, I’m still letting myself daydream, and that means outfit planning. On p16 we’ve got beach bags, all £20 and under (I’ve got my eye on that beige and black Primark number), and on p34 a round-up of this season’s must have wardrobe item – the summer trouser! Culottes are making a comeback! Enjoy, and have a great week! The…

THE GREAT BRITISH SEX DROUGHT We need to put down our phones and pick up the passion… Sex is officially screwed. Just like VHS tapes, Sony Walkmans and the Rubik’s Cube, passion is so out of fashion, sweetie. These days the only thing getting turned on between the sheets is your laptop/mobile/bedroom telly. Incredibly, a recent conference of sex and fertility specialists came to the conclusion that the real reason more couples were turning to IVF to conceive wasn’t for medical reasons, but because they couldn’t be bothered to make love. Seriously. Even the thought of a much-wanted baby didn’t encourage them to do the deed. Sex was on the to-do list but came somewhere between finishing the work emails and putting the bins out. The sexperts concluded that our…

Heartbroken by the loss of my dog Q A month ago, my gorgeous dog passed away. She’d been with me for 13 years, and I am heartbroken. I’ve been crying for weeks, I can’t eat or sleep, and whenever I catch sight of her things, I feel broken again. None of my close friends has dogs, so I worry they will judge me if I tell them how shattered I am. I live alone and have no children – what can I do? A Losing a beloved pet is an emotionally devastating experience. And this is why you must not let embarrassment about your feelings hold you back from talking about the severity of your heartbreak. Friends without pets may not understand but take time to explain it’s not just…

Holidays and indulgence are often linked, but you don’t have to derail your good intentions just because the sun is out. Worried about fitting into your favourite jeans come September? You don’t need to! We’ve teamed up with WeightWatchers to help you lose weight with its new flexible path to sustainable weight loss. It’s designed specifically for YOU so you can live your fullest life while losing weight. ABOUT THE PLAN Based on what you love to eat, WW’s nutrition experts craft a plan including a list of ZeroPoint™* foods unique to you. Take the personal assessment at ww.com/uk to find yours. You get rewarded with extra points for doing healthy things that you choose, like drinking water, eating more non-starchy veg or activity such as walking. So long as…

Tucking my son Frankie, then three, into bed, I kissed the top of his head and felt a rush of love as he hugged me. ‘I love you, Mummy,’ he said. Motherhood really was magical. Since Frankie had come along in September 2016, I’d raised him on my own after things hadn’t worked with his dad. I wasn’t interested in another relationship and loved being on my own. No one to bicker with over dirty dishes, or meddling mum-in-laws making life difficult. ‘Here’s to being single,’ my friend Jen, then 28, and I had toasted. But now, in November 2019, I’d started thinking how lovely it would be for Frankie to have a sister or brother. When I discussed it with friends, they said they were sure I’d meet a…

‘My cartoons took on a life of their own’ Helen Morrish, 53, is an artist. She lives in south London. Working as an art director for a women’s magazine, I had life all planned out. ‘When I’m 50, I’m quitting,’ I told my husband Stevie, then 57, in January 2016. ‘You’ve been saying that for years!’ He joked. Both creative souls, I’d been to art school while he was a builder and decorator, with great carpentry skills. I longed to leave my job and be an artist full-time, and I pictured us living out our days together along with our rescue Staffie Rupert, me drawing and Stevie building his fantastic bird boxes. But a few weeks later, in February, we were meant to be going out for the evening with…

Japanese-style miso, walnut and chicken stir-fry PREP TIME: 10 MINS COOK TIME: 10 MINS SKILL LEVEL: EASY CALS: 354 FAT: 17.4G SAT FAT: 2.3G CARBS: 12.3G SERVES 4 A little miso paste goes a long way and here it brings a rich savoury flavour. YOU WILL NEED 2tsp white miso paste 2tbsp light soy sauce 500g chicken breast fillet, sliced 1tbsp toasted sesame oil 75g walnuts 1 red onion, sliced 1 green pepper, sliced 2 large ripe plums, destoned and cut into wedges Coriander leaves, to garnish Boiled rice or noodles, to serve (optional) HOW TO DO IT 1 Mix the miso with 1 tbsp soy sauce in a mixing bowl then stir in the chicken. 2 Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the chicken…

We all like to look and feel our best without harming the environment. Whether you’re prettying up your face, body, hands or feet, looking after your hair or attending to more personal matters, there’s an eco-answer out there. Fuzz busters ✣ SHAVE… Choose wooden or metal razors and a scheme that recycles blades. For a greener glide try Dirty Shaving Cream, £9 for 100g, Lush, with calming oat milk and lavender, it’s made from natural ingredients and not tested on animals. ✣ SUGAR… Make your own wax with sugar, lemon juice and water. You’ll find lots of recipes on YouTube – just Google ‘DIY sugar wax for beginners’ – and follow the instructions. Take care to let the wax cool first. Apply against the growth of hair and rip away…

Charlene ‘UPSET’ AT CO-STAR MIX-UP As the anchor of Loose Women, Charlene White is one of the most recognisable faces on ITV, but the star has opened up about being ‘upset’ at being mistaken for her colleague Brenda Edwards five times in just one day. The 42-year-old shared a lengthy message on social media shaming ‘lazy’ people who can’t ‘work out black women don’t all look alike’. The mum-of-two wrote, ‘I’m used to being mistaken for my other black @loosewomen ladies. We all are tbh. Some ppl are too lazy to work out black women don’t all look alike. But I’ve spent today at a do with my LW fam where multiple times I was called Brenda. My response? “No, I’m the other black one.”’ She added, ‘You have no…

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Summer is the season of sun and fun, but one downside is struggling to get enough sleep when it’s hot. Menopausal? Those stifling nights can be even worse. This lack of restful slumber can result in moodiness and difficulty concentrating – so not so fun, after all. From when to exercise to what to wear, we speak to the experts about how to get a good night’s sleep even when the temperature is soaring. Feeling the heat ‘Humid nights cause people to wake more frequently, reducing sleep quality and quantity,’ says Alison Jones, sleep expert at mattress brand Sealy. ‘Warm temperatures reduce the time spent in slow-wave sleep and REM sleep – stages when the body does critical work to rejuvenate and restore itself.’ The optimal sleep temperature is 16-18C,…

SUMMER TROUSERS SPECIAL Tapered leg Typically finishing at the ankle, tapered trousers are a smart alternative to clingy skinny jeans. The slightly loose fit skims over hips and thighs before narrowing just above the ankle for a cool tailored look. Flared If you are a pear or hourglass shape, wearing flared trousers can help to balance your silhouette. Look for styles that flare gently from the knee and wear with heels to add length to your look. Want to dip a toe in the trend? A crop kick flare is a more subtle cut. Culottes They may seem like a tricky trouser shape, but the key is finding the right length for your legs – they should finish at the slimmest part of your calf or ankle for a flattering…

‘I’d catch glimpses of my neck in the mirror’ Lorraine Stewart, 61, is a hairdresser and lives in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, with her husband Scott, 59, who is a personal trainer. Working as a hairdresser, I’d spend all day in front of a mirror, forever catching glimpses of the wrinkly skin on my neck, which had been a problem for me since turning 50. I had great skin when I was younger, but as I aged I became increasingly unhappy with it. As well as my neck, the skin on my lower face and around my eyes was loose and crêpey. It all aged me. I’d tried injectables and fillers in my late 40s, but they only gave me a temporary fix, and for a decade I dreamed of…

CLUES & ARROWS Fill in the clues in the direction of the arrows Puzzle solutions CROSSWORD CLUES & ARROWS WORDSEARCH SUDOKU WORDWISE cone, coned, conn, conned, denned, denounce, DENOUNCED, denude, done, donee, donned, dunce, dune, encode, encoded, ended, endue, endued, enounce, enounced, need, neon, node, none, noun, nude, once, ounce, unco, undo, undone. Answer: OPERA Sudoku To solve the puzzle, each 3x3 box, each column and each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9. Wordsearch Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Anna Nicole is an example of what type of work? The answer is the one missing from the grid. BALLETBOOKCOMICDANCEFILMMIMEOPERAPAINTING PHOTOPLAYPOEMSCULPTURESERIESSONGSTATUE CROSSWORD Put your feet up and have a go at this old classic ACROSS 1 Light creamy dessert (6)4 & 22 Down 2021 monstermovie starring 10 Across, 15Across & 26 Across…

In the television world where everyone seems to have had something nipped, tucked or injected, Linda Robson has always been a breath of fresh air. The down-to-earth actor and mother of three has been one of the few women on daytime TV who has shunned tweakments in a bid to look younger. However, Linda has admitted it hasn’t always been easy abstaining from the odd bit of help in the beauty department and she’s been tempted in the past. But now, Linda has issued her children with a stark warning. ‘My girls keep talking about wanting lip fillers,’ Linda said recently, ‘and I’ve warned them, “Don’t you dare have your lips done or I’ll never speak to you again.”’ ‘MY GIRLS TALK ABOUT WANTING LIP FILLERS’ NEEDLE NO-NO The star,…

Beauty how to DID YOU KNOW? A base tan, whether real or fake, does not protect your skin from UV damage. Any skin colour, from very pale to very dark, is vulnerable to the effects of the sun and skin cancer. If you have sensitive skin… Try Avene Intense Protect 50+ Sunscreen, £20, boots.com. Suitable even for babies from six months, this simple formula contains the very highest broad-spectrum protection with four UV filters to prevent skin irritation. For tanning addicts… Try Ultrasun Body Tan Activator SPF30, £22.40, johnlewis.com. This non-greasy, non-sticky formula helps activate the production of melanin in your skin to safely super-charge the natural tanning process, reducing the time you need to spend in the sun. For makeup lovers… Try Coola Makeup Setting Sunscreen Spray SPF30, £39,…

SARAH COOPER-WHITE Group Beauty Director RHIANNON DERBYSHIRE Senior Beauty Editor EMMA NORTH Senior Beauty Writer DARCY BROWN Beauty Assistant Steam clean I love it when steam is used in salon facials, so I was really excited to try PS Cleansing Face Steamer, £12, Primark. It’s great to give skin a deep clean, plus heat and steam help serums and moisturisers to sink in better. It’s a brilliant bargain – I was very impressed. Rhiannon Chiselled cheeks Using a gua sha tool turns my daily skincare routine into a moment of mindfulness. I use Lacura Gua Sha, £6.99, Aldi to massage in serums, which helps the tool glide seamlessly over the skin. Working with the contours of my face, any tension completely disappears. Darcy On a roll I keep my Brushworks…

HE’S STARTED BINGE DRINKING Q My partner was made redundant during lockdown. He’s now working as a delivery driver and at first it was a huge relief to have some cash coming in. He has started going for a drink ‘with the boys’ when he clocks off on a Friday night and comes home drunk. He insists he’s fine because he is teetotal during the week, but I’m worried. A The recommended alcohol limit is now just 14 units for both men and women. A single pint of beer is likely to be two or even three units. It’s good that he’s giving his liver a rest during the week but he needs to moderate what he drinks in one evening. A binge is more than eight units in a…

If you’ve gone off sex, pee when you sneeze or can’t remember what you had for dinner, rest assured, you’re not alone. Welcome to middle age and beyond! But annoying as these health niggles are, you don’t have to let them get you down. Follow these tips and restore your confidence, fast… SAGGY BUM Underworked glute muscles (aka your bum) won’t just cause a saggy behind, they could lead to injury, particularly in your lower back. So what can you do to perk things up? There’s no exercise more effective than squats, says training specialist Benjamin Bulach. Do 10 while waiting for the kettle to boil or when brushing your teeth. Watch a YouTube video to perfect your technique. URINARY INCONTINENCE If you’ve ever had one of life’s ‘oops moments’…

As our lips met, I felt a surge of excitement pulse through my body. Dave and I had been on two dates and he was exactly the kind of man I had been hoping for all these years. And now at 40, after dating over 100 men, I had finally found someone I could see myself with. Dave was genuine, down to earth and had emotional intelligence. But, as our lips touched again, I knew it was time to tell him something important about me. Many men had been put off when I’d opened up to them in the past, but I knew I trusted Dave, and now I had to confess – I was still a virgin. EARLY RESOLVE I remember sitting down with my mum Patrice when I…

Skulking down the stairs at 1am, I tiptoed into the kitchen and went straight to the cupboard, grabbing the family-sized bag of chocolate buttons. I ripped it open, shoving piece after piece into my mouth, polishing it off in 10 minutes. I listened for every sound, and knew if my husband Neal, then 34, caught me, I’d say I was getting a glass of water. Every morsel tasted sensational and the rush of sugar fed my fixation. Quietly, I crept back upstairs to bed, where Neal slept soundly, our four-year-old daughter Eva in her room next door. I carefully got under the covers, my family none the wiser about my midnight feast. It was October 2018 and I was obsessed with sugar. From chocolate to doughnuts to Nutella-laden toast, I…

READER QUESTION Q Can I save money with an NHS prescription prepayment certificate? A A prescription prepayment certificate lets you get as many NHS prescriptions as you need for a set price. Currently, prescriptions in England cost £9.35 per item. And a prescription prepayment certificate costs £30.25 for three months and £108.10 for 12 months. So, if you’re going to buy four or more prescriptions in three months, or 12 or more in 12 months, it may be cheaper to buy a PPC. Visit gov.uk/get-a-ppc for details. Go green for less Get a free trial pack of nine laundry tablets from eco-brand Smol (plus £1 p&p) at smolproducts.com. You’ll need to sign up for a subscription starting 10 days after you’ve ordered the trial box, so…

Q I’d love to be able to create a wildlife habitat in my back garden, but I’m not sure where to start. What do you suggest? A Wildlife specialist Vivara has launched a range of new wildlife bundles designed to help beginner gardeners give a corner of their green space back to wildlife. Designed to fill a 1m x 3m border space, there are four bundles to choose from and each one is designed to support different types of native wildlife. Try the Bee Rose Garden, which comes with a Bee Hotel Pantelleria, a Tabarca Insect Hotel, and four varieties of Bee Perfect Roses. Q I want to make my patio feel more like an outdoor room, but what’s the best way to decorate the space? A Warm sunset shades…

And… relax ASK ALEXA‘WHAT IS MY HOROSCOPE TODAY?’ ARIES 21 Mar – 20 Apr Spending some time outside will be a great inspiration. Inviting family members to a garden event will make you very popular. TAURUS 21 Apr – 20 May Hold off any grand reveals until the universe brings a solid conclusion. Local communities will appreciate your plans. GEMINI 21 May – 20 Jun There’s an exciting opportunity when a neighbour offers you a share in their new venture. Check the competition first. CANCER 21 Jun – 22 Jul Jupiter in retrograde will help bridge any gaps due to your busy schedule. Someone plans to live abroad – think of the holidays! LEO 23 Jul – 22 Aug Be honest with your friends. Expressing your feelings will clear up…

THE CHOICE by Penny Hancock (£16.99, Pan Macmillan, HB) One mistake is all it takes… Renee Gulliver had the kind of life that many could only dream of. A thriving career as a relationship therapist, a stunning home on the scenic east coast of England, three children and a beautiful grandson Xavier. But when she forgets to pick Xavier up from school, the unthinkable happens – her grandson disappears. Between a devastating ultimatum from her daughter and judgement from the local community, Renee’s world falls apart. As long-held secrets come to light, threatening to destroy everything, can Renee keep her family together? A gut-wrenching story about the power of our decisions. OKAY THEN THAT’S GREAT by Susannah Wise (£16.99, Orion, HB) Marnie has a lot on her plate. At middle-age,…

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW From fronting fashion campaigns to presenting Britain’s Next Top Model and being the voice of Capital Breakfast for seven years, Lisa Snowdon, 50, is no stranger to the spotlight. But how much do we really know about her? We sit down with the star, who lives in Essex with her fiancé, George Smart, to find out what makes her happiest. 1 Reality-TV programme MasterChef. I love food, I love watching people make food and eat food! I love John and Gregg. I have to make sure I’m not hungry when I watch it. 2 Moment I laugh about In St-Tropez, we had a boat for the day and my dad tried to come into the boat from a jet ski. The guy helped him,…

Andrew Garfield ‘I’VE WAITED 10 YEARS FOR THIS ROLE!’ The Spider-Man actor stars in an American real-life drama Based on the true-crime novel by Jon Krakauer, Under the Banner of Heaven follows the events that led to the brutal murder in 1984 of young Mormon woman Brenda Wright Lafferty (Normal People’s Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her baby daughter in a town in Salt Lake Valley, Utah. The seven-part series has been created by Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-winning scriptwriter of 2008 film Milk, who was brought up in a Mormon household. ‘Dustin’s been adapting this book for 10 years and he’s an ex Mormon himself so he has a very personal connection to it,’ explains Andrew Garfield, who stars in the drama. ‘When I first read the book I was obsessed,…

DC PETS SUPER LEAGUE I never thought I’d be in a film with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Kevin Hart but that’s what happened when I was asked to voice a mutt called Willow in the new flick DC League of Super-Pets! Not since I ‘played’ Nosey Smurf in Smurfs: The Lost Village have I had such a pivotal role! Especially one where I talk about dragging my bottom along a floor. I smell a BAFTA! STRUMMING ALONG I’ve been lucky enough to come to Nashville before to interview Dolly Parton but this trip has given me a chance to really feel the rhythm of the Music City, and what a heady beat it has. I checked out the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Johnny Cash Museum. But…