Innholdsfortegnelse for Monday, July 24, 2023 i Woman's Own

Dinner parties are one of my favourite things, and with no last orders or queues and plenty of house measures, having friends over can often be the most fun choice. Where I let myself down is the cooking (don’t get me started on the steak debacle of 2022!). On p48, author Jenny Knight takes us on a journey through her dinner party past and I loved every bit of it – the nostalgia of dropped puddings and clinking of glasses, you feel like you’re right there with her. And there’s plenty more in the issue, from the 20 pages of real life to great ideas for coastal walks (p66). Plus, on p90 we take a look at how the other half live, with the stars who have been enjoying a…

We’ve seen him help couples find love on First Dates and rove around Europe sampling local culture and cuisine with pals Gino D’Acampo and Gordon Ramsay, but how well do we really know Fred Sirieix? The star lives in London with his fiancee, Fruitcake, and has two children from a previous relationship. Here, he tells us what makes him happy. 1 CELEBRITY HERO Muhammad Ali, because of what he stood for in and outside of the ring. His interviews were incredible – he was like a poet. 2 Item in your wardrobe My go-to is a white T-shirt. They go with everything and you can wear them everywhere. In the old days, you’d need to wear a suit to look smart, but now you can look cool in just…

HONEYMOON While most couples opt to jet off somewhere alone for a bit of one-on-one time for their honeymoon, Stacey Solomon, 33, and Joe Swash, 41, chose to stay home with their beloved family. ‘We are calling it a “homeymoon” because we just wanted to spend it at home with all the kids all summer,’ said Stacey. With a house as nice as Pickle Cottage – which is complete with a swimming pool – we don’t blame them. SOLO PARENTING AND MILESTONES Just two months after they tied the knot, Joe had to leave the family home for work. The actor and presenter was away for two weeks filming I’m a Celebrity… South Africa, leaving Stacey to manage their brood alone. What’s more, while Joe was away, daughter Rose, then…

It’s easily done. You think the rays aren’t strong enough, or end up basking in them longer than you thought – and suddenly your skin is red and hot and sore to the touch. Despite knowing how bad it is for our skin, and our health generally, many of us get sunburnt. ‘Sunburn is the top layer of your skin being damaged by UVA rays,’ explains GP Dr Hilary Jones. ‘You get redness because your immune system sends blood to the damaged area, causing redness and warmth. The damaged skin cells send signals to your brain which cause the pain.’ It’s not just the immediate discomfort that you have to worry about. Getting burnt raises your risk of cancer, as well as premature skin ageing. ‘Around 86% of melanoma skin…

Struggling to get in with your doctor? The good news is there’s help around the corner. Over 30% of people aren’t making the best use of their nearest pharmacy*, despite it being a one-stop shop for good advice on illnesses, medication and treatment for many ailments from athlete’s foot and earwax to diarrhoea and indigestion. ‘If your symptoms suggest that there is something more serious, a pharmacist can then raise a red flag and say whether you need to see a GP,’ says pharmacy manager Shirin Alwash**. Here are just some of the health worries that can be sorted on the high street. 1 Beat vaginal dryness One in two postmenopausal women experience vaginal dryness, itching and inflammation***, but there’s a solution. If you’re over the age of 50 and…

There’s no miracle cream for dimpled skin, stretch marks or lumpy bits. We’ve all got them and should embrace them, not hide away come swimsuit season. But these feel-good formulas will help smooth, blur and tone skin so you can bare all with added confidence. Bumps be gone! A cream that permanently eradicates cellulite sounds too good to be true – and it is! No topical product can cure puckered thighs. On the plus side, cellulite is completely normal, and affects 90% of women, slim or not. The first course of action is daily body brushing. Use The Body Shop Round Body Brush, £10, thebodyshop.co.uk, on dry skin before a shower, moving in long sweeping strokes. It will boost circulation, loosen toxins and slough dead skin so legs feel smoother.…

Sliding a giant, fabric orange over my head, I wriggled it down around my body and looked in the mirror, unable to stop myself from giggling. It was April 2009, and I was preparing to run my second London Marathon, and I couldn’t wait to hear the crowds cheering me on. For the past 11 years, I’d been a physiotherapist in the army, helping severely wounded soldiers, but the stress had taken its toll and I struggled daily with depression and anxiety. Running had become a cathartic outlet for me – I’d put on my running shoes and I’d instantly feel myself relax. But now, I was hoping to make others feel better, too. By wearing a wacky costume, I wanted to raise cash for mental health charities and, what…

‘This makes me feel alive’ Julie Lovegrove, 61, is a professional photographer and lives in North Somerset. I didn’t ever know what I wanted to be when I grew up so, for pretty much all my adult life, I’ve fallen into jobs, including admin and bookkeeping, which have mostly been fine, but that’s all. I’d always had a hankering to travel to exotic and far-flung places and ‘do something’ with animals. I used to dream of being brave and adventurous like Joy Adamson, Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey. MOVIE INSPIRATION The film Born Free had grabbed my imagination as a young teen. Ever since then, I’d wanted to go to Africa and sit on the rock where Elsa the lioness sits with her cubs at the end of the film.…

What’s best for shady spots? Most gardens have an area that remains in shade almost all day long, but that doesn’t mean you can’t grow anything there. ‘We recommend plants such as ferns, Heuchera, Fatsia japonica and Hostas as shady foliage plants,’ says Julian Palphramand, head of plants at British Garden Centres. ‘Flower-wise, foxgloves thrive in the shade, as do Aquilegia, Fuchsia, Lobelia, Geranium and Hydrangeas.’ What herbs can I plant together? ‘Herbs thrive off the sun – to get the best crop of herbs find a position that basks in a minimum of six hours of sunlight daily,’ says Johanna Elvidge, head of design at Marshalls. If you’re just starting out, opt for perennial herbs such as thyme, fennel and sage. Keep mint in a separate container because it…

DENISE WELCH She’s hung out with Tom Cruise in the past thanks to their mutual friendship with Sir Michael Caine, but he isn’t the only cruise that Denise favours. The 65-year-old toured Italy, starting in Naples, via Celebrity Cruises UK, with husband Lincoln Townley and her mother-in-law. Where’s next on the list, Den? THE BECKHAMS Back in 2021, David, 48, and wife Victoria, 49, splurged £5m on a luxury yacht, and since then the famous family have taken every opportunity to sail the open seas in the 93.5ft vessel. Named Seven, it has five bedrooms and so far has whisked the family off to Miami, St Tropez and the Amalfi Coast. Can we join you next time? AMANDA HOLDEN During holiday season, jet-setter Amanda swaps sunbathing on the sand to…

Linda DITCHES HER RING Linda Robson has once again fuelled rumours that her marriage to Mark Dunford is on the rocks. The 65-year-old star, who’s been married to Mark for 33 years, set tongues wagging with a cryptic comment in which she admitted to misplacing her wedding ring. ‘I did lose my wedding ring. Maybe that was a sign!’ she said. Linda’s latest admission comes after she shocked fans by revealing that she and Mark haven’t been intimate in two years. ‘I’ve been celibate for two years… I’ve had no choice, I’ve not had it for two years!’ she said. The former Birds of a Feather star’s savage revelations didn’t end there, as she went on to say she has no time for romance and would rather go on holiday…

IT’S A MATCH Keep cool with breathable, absorbent linen-blend fabric. Pyjamas, £40, sizes 6-16, chelseapeersnyc.com MIRROR MIRROR Get the designer-looking seagrass trend for less. Mirror, £24.99, H&M Home MAKE WAVES Add colour to your table. Place mats, £6 for a set of two, Dunelm PLASTIC FANTASTIC Great for the garden. Wine glasses, £12 for a set of four, John Lewis & Partners THINK PINK With detachable straps. Swimsuit, £28, sizes 8-18, Very WATERCOLOUR PRINTS Make a statement in this bold, patterned trouser set. Top, £17, cropped trousers, £17, sizes 18-28, shoes, £19, Papaya Curve at Matalan; earrings, models own PRIME AND PROPER Blurs imperfections. I ❤ Revolution Primer Base, £4.50, Primark WOVEN WONDER Oversized for all of those summer essentials! Bag, £45, Next SUNSET SHADES Add a final touch of…

Denim jacket When the sun goes down, temperatures can drop even in warm locations, so make sure you have a classic denim jacket to hand, to combat chills. This slightly cropped, close-fitting style from Peacocks is the perfect throw-on piece – turn up the sleeves to show off your wrists and wear it open over your fave holiday outfit. Striped shirt An oversized shirt is a summer-suitcase essential – wear it on its own during the day over your swimwear for a cool cover-up option, or team it with slim-cut trousers and sandals for a sophisticated evening look. We love this striped linen-mix style from H&M. Floral dress The ultimate threw-on-without-a-thought outfit? A floral frock, of course! The clever adjustable waist and neck ties on this design mean you can…

Health ask us HER ANKLES ARE SWOLLEN Q My mum lives a long way from me, so I don’t see her very often. When I visited her last week, I noticed her ankles looked very puffy. She says they have been like that for months. They go down a bit overnight and then swell up throughout the day. Is this just old age, or should she see her GP? A This is probably fluid on her ankles, and it can be a sign that her heart isn’t pumping as strongly as it should be. Her doctor will want to see her and examine her heart. They will probably also do some tests and may offer her some water pills and other medicines, so please do ask her to make that…

‘Sick fantasist accused my partner of rape’ Nicola Holt, 52, and her partner had their lives torn apart by fake claims. Sitting up in bed, I saw my fiance Mo, then 39, pulling a T-shirt over his head as he hopped around in the dark. ‘What are you doing?’ I hissed, glancing at the clock bleary eyed. It was just after 10am on a Sunday in July 2019, and we’d been enjoying a lie-in. ‘Popping out to get ice cream for an event later today,’ he grinned. Typical Mo, work was never far from his mind. We’d been together since 2013 but were friends years before that. I had an interior design business while Mo owned a wine bar, restaurants and ice cream vans. We had lots in common –…

When people talk about their soulmates, most of them mean their partners. Not me. My soulmate was my sister Sarah. Although we had three half-sisters, Paula, Sharon and Debbie, from my parents’ previous relationships, who we became closer to in later life, Sarah and I grew up together and had a special bond. She was older than me, just by a year. Irish twins, they call it in our home town of Derry. When we were younger we had the usual childish bickers and as teenagers Sarah was far more outgoing than me, and my mum was always forcing her to take me along to the local disco. But when she got married at 20 and had a little girl, Emma, three years later, in 1990, we really bonded. It…

I spend my life in dark colours and have too many black tops and dresses to count. Even when I buy something lighter, I’ll wear it a couple of times and then return to my trusted favourites. My husband Paul, 54, who works in insurance, teases me constantly about my ‘widow’s weeds’ but I ignore his opinion. I love black, I think it suits me, and after all, a girl can’t have too many plain black tees can she? Still, it’s summer so, in the spirit of sunnier days, I’ve decided to ditch my dark wardrobe and, dare I say it, wear the colours of the rainbow every day (gulp!) to see how it affects my mood and that of others. Here’s how I got on… MONDAY As a yoga…

READER QUESTION Q I need to get my 17-year-old daughter insured on the car. What does ‘fronting’ mean? A Fronting is when a driver declares they’re the main driver of a vehicle, when it’s someone else. This form of fraud is often committed by parents aiming to get cheaper car insurance for their child. If a driver is found to be fronting it may affect any insurance claims, their policy may be cancelled and they could be prosecuted for fraud, warns Action Fraud. Go green for less When ordering groceries online, check if there’s an eco-friendly delivery option. For example, with Ocado and Sainsbury’s, if you see a green van icon when booking your slot this means your shopping will be delivered by a van that will already be in…

CLUES & ARROWS Fill in the clues in the direction of the arrows Sudoku To solve the puzzle, each 3 x 3 box, each column and each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9. Wordsearch Which of these methods of communication gave its name to the German entry to the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977, by Silver Convention? The answer is the one missing from the grid. EMAILFAXLETTERMEMOMIME PAGERPHONEPHOTOPOSTCARDRADIOSEMAPHORETALKTELEGRAMTEXTVIDEO CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 2022 musical drama directed by 29 Across, and starring 4 Across, 21 Across and 22 Down (6)4 Peter _, played Tyrion in Game of Thrones (8)10 Household electrical device (9)11 Oily fruit (5)12 Clemency or pity (5)13 Ungrateful (9)14 Snuggles (7)16 Cupid (4)19 Ammunition, informally (4)21 Haley _, actor whose films include The Girl on the Train…

A GAME OF LIES by Clare Mackintosh (£16.99, Little, Brown Book Group, HB) How far would you go to protect your secrets? Seven contestants in a deadly reality TV show are about to find out. High in the Welsh mountains, the stranded group is given a daunting task – to guess each person’s darkest secret. Succeed, and the whole world will discover the truth, live on air. As tensions rise to fever pitch, one of the contestants disappears. Contending with murder, Detective Ffion Morgan begins the most high stakes investigation of her career. Ingeniously plotted and deliciously original, this complex crime thriller explores the lies that bind us together – and tear us apart. BEGIN AGAIN by Helly Acton (£14.99, Zaffre, HB) If you could start afresh, what would you…

CHER Superstar Cher is known for her wigs – from gravity-defying blue bouffants to sleek red ’dos, she’s worn them all. However, it turns out that when she’s not wearing them, the singer and actor, 77, can’t be in the same room as them. During her Living Proof: The Farewell Tour – which took place between 2002 and 2005 – the Believe singer asked for a separate room just for all her wigs and hairpieces. Surely there can’t have been that many? TOM CRUISE Limited privacy comes with the territory of being an A-list celebrity, so what do they do when they’re craving peace and quiet? When staying at Montenegro’s Forza Mare hotel, Mission: Impossible star Tom reportedly asked the staff to clear out their guests so that he could…

She was once TV’s golden girl, a national treasure loved by everyone from viewers to fellow showbiz names. Yet in the wake of the Phillip Schofield scandal, Holly Willoughby has faced criticism from the likes of Eamonn Holmes and Kim Woodburn – and now broadcasting legend Judy Finnigan has waded in. Judy, 75, has taken aim at Holly’s lifestyle site, Wylde Moon, even mocking the star’s choice of name for her wellness platform, branding it ‘ridiculous’. HARSH WORDS Judy – who presented This Morning alongside husband Richard Madeley, 67, for 13 years until 2001 – has made her feelings about Holly clear, stating, ‘[actor] Rosamund Pike… is scathing about Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop website and claims the whole wellness industry is a con. Hurrah! I’ve been waiting for someone to have…

WATERY GRAVE Splashes to splashes… it’s a water cremation! Evidently, boil-in-the-bag funerals are to become available in Britain after catching on in the US, Canada and South Africa. Co-op Funeralcare will offer the service in a pilot later this year. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? A relaxing way to go, a bit like floating on a warm sea. Er, not quite. The deceased is enclosed in a biodegradable pouch and placed in a container filled with pressurised water and potassium hydroxide, boiled at 150°. This turns tissue and cells into a watery solution, over a period of four hours. You basically end up a bag of sludge with a few bones. Those bones are then dried and returned to grieving relatives as powder in an urn. I mean yuck. Just yuck.…

Have you heard about? DANCING TO BEAT DIABETES Not only is moving to music fun, but it can significantly reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In fact, dancing for an hour or more each day at a moderate to vigorous intensity could make you 74% less prone to developing the disease**. If you’re not much of a dancer, then brisk walking and gardening have the same benefit. Can’t quite manage an hour? Aim for the NHS-recommended 30 minutes of daily activity. It worked for me Hannah Swan, 42, from Dorset ‘I’ve had long-term problems with my sleep, causing low mood and a lack of energy. I tried over-the-counter medication, but it made me feel groggy. I now use BetterYou Lights Out 5-HTP Nightly Oral Spray (£19.95, betteryou.com). The…

Health ask us I hate confrontation Q At a work appraisal, my manager told me she was often afraid to bring things up because I’m so emotional. It’s something my husband and kids often say too, and I know they’re right. Confrontation makes me cry or shake with fear, but I don’t know why. What can I do to sort this out? A Confrontation is an uncomfortable experience for many. That said, it shouldn’t lead to such strong emotions, and the fact that it does suggests there is something deeper that is making you feel unsafe. You first need to identify your triggers. What is it about being confronted that makes you feel so upset? Once you know this, you can work towards developing coping mechanisms for dealing with them.…

What do acids do? Skincare acids (also known as liquid or chemical exfoliants) break down the glue that holds dead skin cells to the surface of your skin. Clearing away these old, dull cells reveals the fresher skin beneath. Think of it as a spring clean for your complexion. Depending on which you choose, acids can reduce wrinkles, fade pigmentation and clear up breakouts. AHAs What are they? AHA stands for alpha-hydroxy acid. Thanks to their small molecule size these are the strongest of the skincare acids. What do they do? Slough away old cells. How to spot them: AHAs include glycolic, lactic, malic and mandelic acids. Best for: Fading pigmentation, softening fine lines and smoothing rough skin. Try: ✣ Byoma Brightening Toner, £11.99 Boots ✣ Typology Exfoliating Serum with…

When I was offered my dream job to open an art gallery in Singapore, I was so excited. I was 30 years old, single, passionate about my art career and couldn’t wait to live in a completely different country. As I packed my case and said my goodbyes, it never occurred to me that I might miss the country I was leaving behind. Yet, as soon as I stepped off the plane, wearing a woollen suit and thick tights, in 90 degree heat and humidity, I realised just how different my new life was going to be. Of course, Singapore was amazing. It was so clean, I had a huge apartment and I loved my new job. But before long, I found myself missing little things – such as making…

Blushing teachers, giggling children, and a few vague illustrations in a textbook… For decades, sex was a taboo subject in schools. Instead of learning about it properly, most of us were forced to pick things up along the way, through hushed conversations with friends and magazine articles. Now, the situation is finally changing. Since September 2020, Relationships Education has been compulsory in primary schools, and Relationships and Sex Education mandatory in secondary schools. However, some parents are concerned that it is all going a bit too far. Recent reports claim some schoolchildren are now being taught about anal sex and orgasms before they have reached the age of puberty, while others are being set masturbation as homework, and told to practise ‘closing the door and being private’ if they want…

Watching my little girl Lottie snatch her twin brother Corey’s favourite puzzle from his hand, I stifled a giggle and put on my ‘cross mummy face’. At 16 months, she was definitely already the boss. But watching them together truly couldn’t have made me any happier because it had been such a long, difficult journey to get here, one that cost us more than £40,000. ‘I WAS HAPPY FOR FRIENDS BUT HURT IT WASN’T ME’ I’d always dreamed of having children. Even when I was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome at 17 it never crossed my mind that it wouldn’t happen. I started working for a travel agent, bought a house, and hoped that marriage and babies wouldn’t be too far behind. But by the time I was 22 it…

Pizza dough MAKES 2 LARGE PIZZAS Making your own pizza dough is thrifty and easier than you might think. YOU WILL NEED For the dough: 500g strong white bread flour, plus more for dusting7g dried active yeast1tsp fine salt1tsp caster sugar HOW TO DO IT 1 Put the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add 325ml warm water and mix to form a rough dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5-6 mins until smooth. 2 Form the dough into a ball and put in a large, lightly oiled bowl or container (about 3x larger than the dough). Cover and leave in a warm place for 1-2 hr until doubled in size. 3 Divide the dough into 2 even-sized balls and stretch/roll out on a…

And… relax ARIES 21 Mar – 20 Apr Patience isn’t your strength, but you’re being asked to develop this asset now. By taking things slower and waiting for the right time, you will be rewarded. TAURUS 21 Apr – 20 May Jupiter shines her light brightly on you. So, enjoy this once in a 12-year return to your sign. Go for what you want by slowly building up towards your dreams. GEMINI 21 May – 20 Jun Is it time to make a change in your working life? If you feel the need for something different, now would be a good time to look at other options. CANCER 21 Jun – 22 Jul The Full Moon in your sign this week reminds you to leave the past behind. This is…

1 He’s a style icon. Before he could even walk, George’s influence was apparent, with the clothes he wore selling out almost instantly. In 2014’s official Christmas photos, the prince – then 17 months – was dressed in a Cath Kidston knitted tank top with a guardsmen motif. When it sold out, the brand rushed to restock, with many shoppers taking to eBay to snap up the cute top. 2 Even at the age of two and a half, he had friends in high places. Back in 2016, the toddler was allowed to stay up late to meet then-President Barack Obama, and was pictured wearing an adorable dressing gown and blue gingham pyjamas while shaking the US leader’s hand. 3 After George’s arrival in 2013, the…

Éanna Hardwicke ‘I WAS SHOCKED WHEN I READ THE SCRIPT’ The Normal People star on playing a manipulative killer… The chilling, true-life case of a murderer who preyed on two popular neighbours has been brought to life in BBC1 drama The Sixth Commandment. Timothy Spall and Anne Reid play Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin, who lived in Maids Moreton in Buckinghamshire and were duped by charismatic student Ben Field, who’s played by Irish actor Éanna Hardwicke. ‘Field is a complex and evil character,’ says Éanna. ‘I was shocked when I read the script. He comes across as mature, intellectual, funny, affable and a devout Christian, but as the story progresses we begin to see what his motivations are.’ ‘HE’S COMPLEX AND EVIL’ After duping Peter into a relationship, Field persuaded…

Top telly SHIRLEY TAKES A DIVE Shirley Ballas has got her summer wrapped up – and all for a great cause. As an ambassador for CALM, the suicide-prevention charity, she’s braced for stomach-churning challenges next month in a skyathlon, which will include a skydive and a wing walk! She admits – like me – to being terrified of heights but at least for the skydive, I told her, she’d be strapped to someone. My knees buckled in firm hold in the Strictly ballroom, never mind at 15,000ft! TALKING ABOUT BRUNO! I enjoyed a night on the tiles with Shirley’s old pal Bruno Tonioli watching Broadway smash A Strange Loop. It’s a jaw-dropping stage show that shies away from nothing – a bit like veteran Bruno who after decades in the…