Innholdsfortegnelse for Monday, September 02, 2024 i Woman's Own

I don’t know about you but I was hooked on The Traitors and am already counting down to it being back on our screens. Though will anything ever top the Paul/Harry/Mollie dramas? We’ll have to wait and see! One contestant I thought was brilliant was Miles, so I was thrilled when he decided to share his adoption story with us. Adoption enriches so many lives, yet for the first time in years the number of people choosing to adopt has started to decline. This means more children are waiting longer and longer to find a loving and safe home. Turn to p30 to read Miles’ honest and heart-warming account of how he and his husband Pip welcomed their two little girls into their lives – and the wonderful family they’ve…

Just months after making her relationship with Russian masseur David Putman public, could Alison Hammond be ready to properly open up about the romance? While she’s been somewhat coy about her lover so far, the star has now announced that she’s releasing her debut romcom novel in November. Titled Bombshell, the book is based on the relationship of a TV star. Coincidence? Perhaps though revealing the exciting news, Alison, 49, told fans, ‘I’ve got a new book coming out. Yes! It’s coming out this November, in the autumn. It’s absolutely brilliant. My character is called Madison and she’s married to a TV heartthrob husband who is absolutely gorgeous.’ She added, ‘Anyway, he lands this massive bombshell onto Madison that kind of flips her life upside down. She’s given so much…

A HAPPY RETIREMENT? Finishing work can be a bigger transition than any of us imagined There’s not much most men have in common with Britain’s most successful diver, Tom Daley, is there? For your average bloke, a six-pack is something they keep in the fridge next to the leftover takeaway pizza. A tuck position is what they do with their legs on the sofa when you’re trying to hoover under their feet, and I’m not even going to get started on a vertical entry… But this year, ladies, you just might find that your fella is in the same position as the diver – and we’re not talking pike. Because young Tom has finally announced his retirement after five Olympic medals and countless championship gongs. He’s 30. In theory, he’s…

Buy of the week Boost your energy naturally with Pukka Organic Morning Berry Tea (£4.75 for 20 bags, Tesco). It’s a caffeine-free, revitalising blend of rooibos, blackcurrant and ginseng. HEALTH MATHS 3 steps to protect eyes with contact lenses If you do one thing Leave your bed unmade Do you tidy your sleeping environment as soon as you wake? Then you may be making allergies worse. ‘An unmade bed is less susceptible to trapping pollen and dust mites,’ says sleep expert Martin Seeley from MattressNextDay*. This is because those tiny bugs love warm environments with lots of moisture. Letting the sheets dry out can help kill the mites and prevent pollen from being trapped. ‘Plus, allowing your bedding to remain unmade for a while will also expose it to natural…

Health ask us I can’t cope with losing my dog Q A few weeks ago, my loving, beautiful dog of 12 years died. It was sudden, and I’m overwhelmed with grief. The past few years have been hard with my parents passing away, but I’ve coped. Now, I find myself crying all the time and can’t eat or sleep. I’m embarrassed to admit this to friends and family. I feel completely at a loss. A Losing a pet is a harrowing experience, and it’s made harder by the belief that we shouldn’t feel this way about an animal. Yet, why shouldn’t you, as your dog was a big part of your life? This is why you must share your grief with those around you. Talking about your loss and allowing…

ARIES 21 Mar – 20 Apr At the beginning of this month, the New Moon is in an Earth sign, helping you to bring order to chaos and to ground your ideas with a practical plan. TAURUS 21 Apr – 20 May Now the Sun is in a fellow Earth sign, you’re much more able to get things done. Remember that ‘done’ is better than ‘perfect’, to help overcome procrastination. GEMINI 21 May – 20 Jun With Mars in your sign for just a couple of days more, it’s prime time to tap into this fiery energy to finish tasks and tie up any loose ends. CANCER 21 Jun – 22 Jul You’re deeply emotional and so it’s very important to honour this. Allow yourself to really feel the full…

CABARET MACABRE by Tom Mead (£20, HB, Bloomsbury) It’s 1938, and a gruesome series of events is about to disrupt the peace in snowy Hampshire. At the country house of Marchbanks, a body is frozen in a pond, with no possible explanation for how it got there. Meanwhile, a rifle is shot through a window, killing a man but not shattering the glass. To solve these impossible crimes, sleuth and former magician Joseph Spector is called in, but his investigations soon collide with those of Scotland Yard’s Inspector Flint. All hell breaks loose when a snowstorm traps both detectives in the house with the killer in this masterfully plotted whodunnit. THE EXAMINER by Janice Hallett (£18.99, HB, Profile Books) The six students on the Royal Hastings University’s art course are…

Gemma Arterton ‘FUNNY WOMAN SHOWS HOW FAR WE’VE COME!’ The story of 1960s TV star Sophie Straw continues… We loved the first series of the comedy drama based on Nick Hornby’s novel Funny Girl, which followed Blackpool factory worker and beauty queen Barbara Parker as she pursued her showbiz dreams in 1960s London and found fame as sitcom star Sophie Straw. Now back for a second series, the latter half of the 60s finds Sophie initially on a high. She’s the nation’s favourite comedy star and her romance with married producer Dennis Mahindra (Arsher Ali) is full of promise, but trouble is lurking around the corner… Sophie’s new sitcom flops, a devastating family secret is uncovered and a question mark hangs over whether she can continue to be with Dennis.…

I come from a long line of women who love make-up. My nana was a ‘bit of rouge and lippy’ lady until she passed away aged 95, and my mum, Kathleen, 74, never leaves the house without getting done up. And ever since I tried her blusher, aged 11, I’ve been hooked. I’ve gone from copying Mum’s style as a schoolgirl, to wacky eyeshadow in my 20s and bright lipsticks in my early 30s. When I became a mum at 35, I found there was no time to put a full face on, but I refused to give up. I invested in some DIY lash extensions, put my lipstick in the car and could be ready in five minutes after applying a bit of foundation and bronzer. DITCHING MY ARMOUR…

Beach to boardroom Those lightweight cotton and linen shirts you’ve been wearing all summer over your swimwear can easily transcend through to autumn. Style a sleek roll neck underneath or add a knitted tank and finish with your favourite jeans. Shirt, £25, sizes 8-20, Very Paula Shoe swap Most floaty summer skirts look just as good teamed with boots as they do with sandals, especially ones with a darker shade. Lean into the Western trend with a pair of cowboy boots. Perfect for summer festivals as well as winter walks, they’ll get plenty of wear. Skirt, £35, sizes 8-24, M&S; boots, £24, Primark Paula Nifty basics Never underestimate the power of a wardrobe staple and this is where my long-sleeved tops really get to shine. Offering extra coverage on those…

Whether you’re freaking out over hairy nipples or it’s incontinence that’s causing you anxiety, we all have body issues and ailments that we find tricky to talk about. In fact, almost half of Brits say they’ll scroll the internet for information on symptoms, rather than speak to their doctor*. The bad news? Without proper advice, your health and wellbeing could suffer. Here, our experts have the fixes to some of the most common intimate body and health hang-ups, so you can stop worrying. Hairy nipples You might have spotted hairs on your areola – the pigmented skin around the nipple. ‘These may only appear for the first time when your body is going through hormonal changes, such as the menopause,’ says GP Dr Deborah Lee**. Certain meds, such as testosterone…

‘The beach hut is my retreat’ Kate Iles, 60, lives in London with her husband, Eddie. Sitting on the steps of my beach hut in Whitstable, Kent, I love gazing at the sea and sky – the landscape clears my head. It’s an hour’s drive from London, and when I get there I’ll swim or take my inflatable kayak out. Later, sitting in the sun with a book, I feel relaxed. It’s the only place I’m sure of no interruptions – the reception is too weak for anyone to ring me. My sister Judith saw the hut for sale 25 years ago. We split the £4,000 price, and our mum, Maisie, chipped in too. We had to rebuild it after a few years, but we kept it painted blue. Inside…

GOLDIE HAWN When Kate Hudson had her first child, Ryder, in 2004, actor Goldie, 78, said she didn’t want to be called grandma because it has ‘so many connotations of old age and decrepitude’. So she put a twist on the name and asked her grandkids to call her glam-ma. And glam she certainly is! GLORIA HUNNIFORD Loose Women’s Gloria, 84, likes to spend as much time with her grandkids as her busy schedule allows. ‘I see my grandchildren all the time and I’m hands-on,’ she revealed. ‘There’s great energy that comes from them and I love being in their company.’ KRIS JENNER Momager Kris is a proud grandma to 13 children, who call her Lovey. The reality star, 68, gushed, ‘I love nothing more in this world than being…

Beaming from the stage, a giant bouquet of flowers in my arms and a sparkly crown on my head, I could hardly believe where I was. It was 1999 and, at 18, I’d won the regional final for Miss Junior America. ‘What would the bullies at school think now?’ I thought. ‘The girl with the elephant leg,’ they’d called me. But now I was a pageant queen! After years of feeling like a freak, I was having the last laugh. ‘I WOULD END EACH SHIFT IN AGONY’ CRUEL TAUNTS I’d been born with my right leg twice the size of my left, and had never known it not to be swollen, full of liquid, the skin stretched. Doctors didn’t know the cause, and had told my mum it’d eventually go…

Sitting on the floor, my little girl pressed her hands against the ground and slowly pushed her legs up. Then, biting her lip in determination, she carefully walked her hands along her thighs, until she was standing straight. After a brief wobble, she beamed proudly at me. ‘Well done,’ I smiled back. But, deep down, I knew something was wrong. It was April 2016 and my daughter Carmela, then two, was being checked by a physio. LONGED-FOR BABY Born in March 2014, Carmela was our much-longed-for baby, following two rounds of fertility treatment and five years of infertility. At 10 weeks I took her swimming for the first time. She loved the weekly sessions until suddenly, at seven months, she started screaming in the water. Her cheeks would go bright…

Health ask us HEEL PAIN HORROR Q I have a bony lump on my heel, which is becoming increasingly painful. I’ve got to the point where I can only wear trainers – any other shoes are just too uncomfortable. I’ve rubbed anti-inflammatory gel into the area, but it hasn’t done anything. A This sounds like a calcaneal spur. Ask the receptionist at your surgery which doctor does steroid injections, and make an appointment to see them to determine if they could inject the area. Failing that, they may refer you to an orthopaedic surgeon to discuss the possibility of surgically removing the spur. Can I prevent seasickness? Q Last week, my husband announced that he’s booked a cruise to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. While the brochure and itinerary makes…

Matalan BOHO BEDROOM Try soft pinks and neutrals in Ikat-style prints to recreate this laid-back look B&M NATURAL SANCTUARY Give a neutral palette a fresh feel with shades of green and plenty of plants…

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 Spikes in the popularity of which name have been attributed to the 1906 play The Doctor’s Dilemma and the 1971 movie Love Story? The answer is the one missing from the grid. CLARISSADELIAGINOGORDONHESTONJAMIEJENNIFERKEITHMADHURMARCOMARYNIGELLAPAULRAYMONDRICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 6 Is aware of (5)7 Fail to notice (8)10 Ail (7)11 Ballroom dance (7)12 __ Bloom, star of films The Good Doctor and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (7)13 Saoirse-Monica __, star of TV series Derry Girls and film Coffee Wars (7)14 Upbringings (11)19 Green __, 2011 superhero film starring Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively (7)21 Ben __, star of…

With two successful grownup kids, a strong 35-year marriage and a four-decade long career in showbiz under his belt, it seems Martin Kemp really does have it all. But he doesn’t take his blessings for granted, saying, ‘Something I learnt as a kid was to always breathe in the good moments. When you’re younger, your head is full of what is going to happen next and it’s always one step ahead of you.’ The former Spandau Ballet star added, ‘So, when the good things happen, make sure you stand back and take it in, because you don’t know what’s coming down the path.’ Martin, 62, reveals how his marriage has come full circle, why he’s so proud of his children, Harley, 35, and Roman, 31, and his new passions in…

GHOST BUSTED! He’s the hardest-working man in showbiz and now Les Dennis is back on the road in a UK tour of Ghost the Musical. ‘If you love the film, you’ll love this, it’s heartbreaking,’ he tells me, referring to the 1990 movie classic. Les plays two spooks that featured in the hit flick and he’s thrilled that the musical includes the tear-jerking Righteous Brothers ballad Unchained Melody. Though he’s palpably relieved that he won’t have to practise his pottery skills! Even Les has his limits. LIFE OF RILEY Great to catch up with my pal of almost 30 years, Lisa Riley. Since returning as Mandy to Emmerdale back in 2019, she’s reclaimed her crown as Queen of the Dales and her future looks brighter than the gaudy clobber she…