Innholdsfortegnelse for Monday, October 2, 2023 i Woman's Own

Autumn is upon us (although the weather at the start of the month didn’t seem to agree!) and on p16 you’ll find 24 of the best ankle boots to get you through the season. They start at just £5.95. The rest of the issue is bursting with must-reads too – on p22 take the test to see if you’re drinking too much, and on p26 find out how to save your sex life. Where do you stand on age-gap relationships? Most people don’t tend to mind, even when it’s quite a few years, but that answer is often very different if you’re talking about your child and them dating someone older. On p30 one mum shares her thoughts! Enjoy, and have a great week! AIR FRYERS AREN’T JUST FOR CHIPS…

He’s faced a constant struggle with his health in recent years, but it seems things have now got even worse for Eamonn Holmes. From undergoing surgery for his chronic back pain last September, to then fracturing his shoulder after falling down the stairs at home, the 63-year-old hasn’t been able to catch a break. And now, he’s revealed that he ‘can’t walk’. Eamonn shared the worrying update as he returned to his GB News breakfast show following some time off over the summer. ‘I can’t run, I can’t walk, I can’t do anything except watch TV and eat,’ he said. Speaking to guest Tim Franklin, who is running around the world, he added, ‘I just got problems last year in my back, which I haven’t recovered from. It’s not good,…

THE RISE OF DOG ATTACKS The American bully XL is really getting a name for itself, and not in a good way They’re supposed to be our best friends, but when dogs get dangerous they can be deadly. The recent horrific attacks on an 11-year-old girl in Birmingham and 22 pregnant sheep being torn apart in Wales are very real reminders of that. In both those cases the dog involved was an American bully XL, a type of dog that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed will be banned. And it’s true that they do seem to be incredibly lethal. There are now at least 11 million dogs in the UK – only a few thousand of which are thought to be American bully XLs. And yet these powerful canines…

One-pan lasagne PREP TIME: 10 MINSCOOK TIME: 5 HRS 45 MINS (ON HIGH)CALS: 610 FAT: 19GSAT FAT: 10G CARBS: 66G SERVES 4 Let your slow cooker do the hard work with this easy twist, no layering required! YOU WILL NEED For the ragu: 500g beef mince (5% fat)1 onion, finely chopped4 garlic cloves, crushed3 celery sticks, finely chopped3 carrots, finely chopped2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes75g tomato puree2tsp dried oregano4tbsp Worcestershire sauce (or Henderson’s Relish)3 bay leaves To finish: 500ml hot beef stock250g dried lasagne sheets (uncooked)250g ricotta cheese100g grated mozzarella cheese 1 Add all the ragu ingredients to a slow cooker bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix well, cover and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 7-9 hrs until the sauce is thick and…

Sun, sea, sand and surgery. It’s easy to see why Turkey is a hot holiday destination. But lately the country has seen a rise in visitors wanting cheap, accessible cosmetic surgery, with clinics offering packages at five-star hotels, which often include boob jobs, tummy tucks or veneers for around £2,500. With breast enlargements costing up to £8k in the UK, it’s easy to see the appeal. But since 2019 at least 24 people from the UK have died following surgery in Turkey*, leading to it being dubbed the ‘capital of butchery’. The number of UK people needing hospital treatment after cosmetic surgery abroad has shot up by 94% in three years, with procedures in Turkey accounting for more than three-quarters of those in the past six months**. The British Association…

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 Shakespeare character said ‘discretion is the better part of valour’? The answer is the one missing from the grid. ARIELBEATRICEBIANCADOGBERRYFALSTAFFFESTEGONZALOHERO LEONTESOBERONPISTOLPORTIAPUCKSILVIAVIOLA CROSSWORD ACROSS 7 Backless sofa (5)8 Adorns (9)10 & 11 Across. Action sequel from 2022 starring 20 Across, 22 Across, 26 Across & 24 Down (3,3,8)11 See 10 Across12 Five-sided figure (8)13 Organ of smell (4)15 Fish type (7)17 Lockjaw (7)20 Jon _, actor who starred as Don Draper in TV’s Mad Men (4)22 Jennifer _, actor whose films include Labyrinth and Noah (8)25 Clear and precise (8)26 Tom _, star of…

Meera Syal ‘MRS SIDHU IS REALLY NOSY!’ The actress and author on playing an amateur sleuth… Slough is the unlikely setting for new four-part crime drama Mrs Sidhu Investigates, which stars Meera Syal as a caterer who discovers she has a knack for solving mysteries. ‘There’s this great sense of unfulfilment about Mrs Sidhu,’ says Meera. ‘She realises that time’s passing and there are so many things she hasn’t done, so she thinks, “Is this it?” She then gets the chance to get involved in solving crimes. She doesn’t set out to be a detective, but she suddenly realises that she’s good at it! She’s fun to play.’ In the first episode, Mrs Sidhu arrives to cater for high-end health club Sharpetone where the day takes an unexpected turn when…

Phil & Steph MAKE AMENDS Disgraced ITV star Phillip Schofield is said to be back on ‘good terms’ with his wife Steph after leaving her ‘very angry’ following his affair with a younger male colleague. The couple’s relationship was left fractured following Phil’s scandal, with the former This Morning presenter admitting, ‘[it’s] not brilliant right now’ during an interview with the BBC in June. At the time, Phil, who described the affair as ‘unwise but not illegal’ said, ‘Let’s just say it was an incredibly difficult conversation. The most difficult conversation I’ve ever had to have with her, and she is extremely disappointed because I lied to her as well.’ The two are now thought to be talking again and sources say Phil is making regular visits to the family…

WHY HAS MY DAD LOST WEIGHT? Q It’s been a few months since I saw my father as he lives a long way from us, but my son got engaged recently so he came to visit for the celebrations. I was shocked to see his clothes hanging off him. He has lost a lot of weight. When I asked him about this, he got very defensive and told me to stop fussing. Please help. A Unexplained weight loss always needs looking into. Your father may be frightened about what’s happening, which is making him defensive. Reassure him that even if there’s something serious going on like a cancer, that it’s important that he sees a doctor, as the earlier a diagnosis is made the better the outlook. Can we travel…

Daily defence Protect your skin from sun damage and the effects of anti-ageing with E.l.f. Skin Suntouchable! All Set For Sun Setting Spray SPF45, £14, elfcosmetics.com. It’s a great way of topping up on sun protection throughout the day without affecting your make-up. Soothing stick This soothing face mask not only has a mess-free application – you apply the stick directly to skin – but it also nourishes and calms. Use Klorane Organic Peony Soothing Stick Mask, £19.50, escentual.com, whenever your skin feels sore or sensitive. Reduce wrinkles The brand new Nivea Q10 Power Anti-Wrinkle Ultra Recovery Night Serum, £14.99, Boots, targets wrinkles and fine lines while you sleep, to produce a tighter and smoother complexion by the morning. Glow getter Buff away dead skin cells, dirt and grime with…

And… relax 26 September-2 October 2023 ARIES 21 Mar – 20 Apr The Full Moon’s in your sign on 29 September, bringing an abundance of ideas. Don’t be too hasty or you may repent at leisure. Keep calm and carry on. TAURUS 21 Apr – 20 May Jupiter is now retrograde in your sign, giving you the chance to slow down. Where can you make changes, and how can you implement a more practical plan? GEMINI 21 May – 20 Jun For you it’s all about trusting your inner vision for the next few weeks. Screen out negative input and focus totally on what is most important to you. CANCER 21 Jun – 22 Jul Your gentle nature can be taken for granted. If you need to put in a…

SWIMMING FOR BEGINNERS by Nicola Gill (£8.99, PB, Bedford Square Publishers) Everything is in order in Loretta’s life – but a little girl in fairy wings and cowboy boots is about to turn her world upside down. Loretta leads a perfectly ordered existence, from her engagement to an uncomplicated man and her thriving career to her meticulous five-year plan – which absolutely does not include children. But could an abandoned six-year-old she meets in an airport have the power to change Loretta’s perspective? A heart-rending tale. BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN by Jessica Knoll (£16.99, HB, Pan Macmillan) 1978. The lives of two women become entangled by acts of unspeakable violence. In Tallahassee, ambitious sorority president Pamela leads a quiet, studious life. Until one night at 3am, she stumbles across the murdered…

KATIE PRICE Despite ongoing bankruptcy hearings, former glamour model Katie threw youngest daughter Bunny an extravagant ninth birthday party. But fans saw that things weren’t quite as they seemed. Posting snaps of the lavish mermaid-themed do, Katie, 45, thanked a string of companies and included ‘#gifted’ in her caption, prompting one follower to slam, ‘It’s not actually Katie that deserves the credit for this. She’s done b****r all apart from scrounge a freebie. She sits back and takes all the glory.’ THE DUKE & DUCHESS OF SUSSEX They stepped down as senior royals to make their own way, but Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, have been accused of being unwilling to work for their money. One Spotify executive called them a ‘pair of f***ing grifters’. Royal expert Tom Bower claimed…

The sound of giggling erupted from the living room, and I poked my head around the door, stopping to watch my daughter Molly, 14, and my son George, 10. They were laughing together on the sofa and I thought how nice it was to hear them having fun, rather than bickering. All mothers will tell you how special their children are, but when I watch my two together and admire how different they are, yet still so similar in many ways, it strikes me just how true that sentiment is for them. Despite being my biological children and me carrying and giving birth to them both, they were actually conceived and carried in two different wombs. ‘I REALISED SOMETHING WAS DIFFERENT’ RARE CONDITION I first realised something was different…

Have you heard about? A WET TOOTHBRUSH IS ESSENTIAL FOR ORAL HEALTH Do you rinse your brush before cleaning your teeth? It’s an important part of your routine, says dentist Dr Payal Bhalla*. ‘Wetting the bristles helps ensure better toothpaste coverage across the tooth surfaces and a more thorough removal of plaque. The moisture also helps activate the toothpaste ingredients, boosting their ability to fight bacteria.’ A quick rinse under the tap will do the trick. It worked for me Angela McCalman, 56, from West Yorkshire ‘I’ve been taking Syno-Vital Oral Hyaluronic Acid (£30.99 for 30x5ml sachets, modernherbals.com) for 18 months. It’s made with hyaluronan, a component of the body’s connective tissues, and vitamin C, which supports collagen function of cartilage. The arthritis in my fingers and knees, and my…

Health ask us I’m unhappy about their friendship Q I don’t have a large circle of friends so the ones I have are very important to me. Recently two of my friends met each other at a wedding and got along really well. Since then, they have been seeing each other without me and going off to do nice things usually with their grandkids – I don’t have any. I feel ridiculous asking them not to be friends so what do I do? A The first thing to do is to look at why their friendship feels so threatening and try to work out why you’re feeling jealous. Are you worried that you’re losing them as friends? Or are you feeling insecure? Once you know the root of your feelings,…

My husband David and I had a wonderful week away with our two adult daughters in April of this year – the first since before lockdown. Tallulah is living in London, studying hard for law school exams, and Ottilie has thrown herself headlong back into student life, working for a teaching qualification. Relaxing together in the warm sunshine, we talked endlessly, ate and drank voraciously, and laughed a lot, as we always have done. Perhaps the biggest laugh of the week came when Tallulah realised that, approaching her 25th birthday, she is exactly the same age that I had been when I met her father, who was (and still is, funnily enough) 18 years older than me. DATING THE BOSS When she asked him how he would react if she…

READER QUESTION Q Do you have any tips on how I can boost my chances of winning competitions? A With competitions, there are never any guarantees, but you’ve got to be in it to win it. So by putting the time in and by entering lots of competitions, you may boost your chances. Also, competitions that require more effort, like writing a poem or a tiebreaker, usually attract fewer entries, so you may have a better shot. For more tips, visit the 40+ comping tips guide at moneysavingexpert.com. Go green for less Snap up these Brita Fill & Go bottles in Lime and Pink, which are designed to filter tap water as you drink, for a great price in-store at Sainsbury’s. Was £16, now £10.66, until 9 October 2023. Subject…

As the needle punctured the skin on my leg and pumped ink into it, I winced from the pain. ‘It will be worth it, Mum,’ my son, 24, winked. A tattoo artist, he’d convinced me, at 51, to get my first tattoo. It was his birthday gift to me, and as the cherry blossom and peonies began to take shape, I had to admit it looked beautiful. A few years ago, I’d have shaken my head vigorously at the idea of getting a tattoo in my 50s. I’d always admired them on other people, but never had the confidence to have one myself. But since my divorce in 2018, I’d been on a journey of change and growth and this tattoo was just another step towards the new me. I…