Innholdsfortegnelse for August 5, 2025 i Woman's Own

Falling in love with a band feels like a rite of passage for tweens and teens. It certainly was for writer Sandie Jones, who, on p38, shares how her obsession with Duran Duran helped determine her future career. I love her story of mad dashes around town to catch sightings of her idols – and photos of her filling up her autograph book, and snapping a selfie or two. I’ve been hooked on a band myself (Hanson, in case you were wondering!) and it’s easy to see why so many of us turn into groupies – and stay fans as we get older too. Music has a way of taking you back to a moment in time, and enveloping us in heady memories of fun and freedom – so to…

Two months have passed since the Loose Women stars learnt that big changes are coming to the show. By the beginning of 2026, they know it is being cut to just 30 weeks of the year, it will be filmed in a new location and without an audience and guests. ‘SOME OF THE PANELLISTS ARE FIT TO QUIT’ However, the huge, sweeping alterations to the format that ITV is undertaking has meant the show has become a different beast behind the scenes, with reports of the women warring with each other as well as producers about what will happen with their jobs. In particular, it’s claimed that it’s caused a rift between the older legends and the younger newcomers. ‘This has caused absolute chaos. It’s war,’ a source close to…

GET OVER IT! Trying to look younger – or simply ‘less tired’, as I call it – is the Holy Grail of getting on a bit. Cosmetic surgery has exploded in a dizzying array of injectables, chemical peels and fillers. But, according to a new survey*, no matter what you do, those pesky Gen Zers will still think you’re past it if you hit a certain age. More than a fifth of 13-28-year-olds consider you over the hill at the grand old age of… 35. On the upside, being that ancient doesn’t necessarily make you undesirable. No, that’s more to do with using outdated slang, dressing younger than your years, and sleeping around. And one of their pet hated phrases? Being told to ‘get over it’. So now you know…

Strawberry cheesecake lollies MAKES 6 LOLLIES Light, refreshing, and much healthier than shop-bought ones YOU WILL NEED 150g strawberries90g caster sugar1tsp vanilla extract500g low-fat natural yogurt100g white chocolate, melted and cooled60g hundreds and thousands HOW TO DO IT 1 Put the strawberries, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl. Crush the fruit with a fork until broken up, then mix in the sugar and yogurt. 2 Transfer to a jug, then divide between 6 ice-lolly moulds. Add a popsicle stick to each and freeze for at least 4 hrs, or overnight, until solid. 3 Once frozen, remove the lollies from the moulds. Dip the end of each lolly in the chocolate, then sprinkle with hundreds and thousands. Serve your creations straight away, or put them on a lined tray, wrap well and…

I blame my ‘groupie’ tendencies on my mother, who was so upset by Elvis’ death that we had to come home from holiday a week early. As a seven-year-old, it was disappointing to say the least, but by then, I think I must already have had an innate sense that pop culture was so much more than spinning vinyl on the turntable or putting a blank tape in the cassette deck to record the Top 40 countdown on a Sunday night. It may also have been my mum’s insistence that if Elvis ever came to London and met her, it would be love at first sight. Or perhaps it was the scrapbook of newspaper clippings of his wedding to Priscilla, which cultivated the idea that kneeling at the altar to…

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 Launched in 2015, the American Society of Microbiology runs an annual contest for art, which is created using what piece of equipment? The answer is the one missing from the grid. BEAKER BOTTLE BURNER CLAMP FLASK FUNNEL GAUZE GOGGLES PETRI DISH PIPETTE SCALES SLIDE TEST TUBE TONGS TRIPOD CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Non-liquid food (6)4 Level (8)10 Get better (7)11 __ Stewart, star of films Twilight and Panic Room (7)12 __ Fisher, star of films Confessions of a Shopaholic and Wedding Crashers (4)13 Draws near (10)15 __ Bledel, star of films Gilmore Girls and The…

Stephen Mangan ‘IT’S EXCITING, FUNNY AND DRAMATIC!’ The Fortune Hotel opens its doors for a second series… As the hit reality competition returns for an eight-part run, 10 new pairs of holidaymakers check into the luxury Caribbean resort with their sights set on winning £250,000. On arrival, the contestants are asked to select a room key and in each room is a briefcase, one of which contains the cash prize. Eight of the cases are worthless, while hidden in another is the dreaded early checkout card. The aim of the game is to find the money-filled case and keep hold of it. But the fortunes of each pair begin to change when they get the opportunity to swap cases as they compete in challenges. The couple that ends the day…

Ben ‘I WASTED 17 YEARS WITH VANESSA’ Ben Ofoedu, 53, has let rip at his ex, Vanessa Feltz, after tying the knot in a star-studded wedding with new partner Vanessa Brown – who he calls ‘Vanessa 2.0’ – just two years after calling it quits with the daytime TV star, 63. The Phats & Small singer – who was said to have been unfaithful to Vanessa Feltz – said, ‘I wasted 17 years of my life. I don’t believe in long engagements any more. You don’t want to get married if there’s a question mark over your engagement. If you don’t want to commit to someone, that’s fine. But don’t pretend you do and hold on to someone for a long period of time. Let them free, let them fly.’…

LITTLE GEMS Scoop your hair back and show off these shoulder-grazers. Earrings, £17.99, parfois.com HEATWAVE HERO Eco-friendly, easy-to-apply protector. Attitude Sunscreen Stick, £20.40, amazon.co.uk RETRO RATTAN A chic and expensive-looking dish in which to display your fruit. Bowl, £24.99, H&M BUCKET LIST The perfect finishing touch to your holiday outfits. Hat, £17.99, Zara SUITCASE ESSENTIAL Make a splash in this vibrant hue and cool cross-back finish. Swimsuit, £28, sizes 8-20, Very SUNNY MOMENTS Take your swimwear from beach to bar in these cool cover-ups. Top, £28, skirt, £30, both sizes 10-32, Simply Be; jewellery and sunglasses, all stylist’s own BRONZE GODDESS Achieve a natural-looking glow. Sunset Hour Gradual Self-Tanning Drops, £15.99, Zara GO-TO PRINT Team with matching top for an eye-catching look. Shorts, £36, sizes 6-18, River Island SMOOTH STRANDS…

WHY DO I NEED MY COIL REPLACED? Q Upon turning 40, I started using the Mirena coil for contraception, and was told it would last for eight years. I’m now menopausal and have been discussing HRT with my doctor. They say that if I want to keep the Mirena as the progestogen component of HRT, it will need to be replaced. I’m only 47. Please explain. A The Mirena (or intrauterine system) releases a low dose of progestogen into the lining of the womb (about the equivalent of taking two mini pills a week). It’s licensed for eight years if it’s used for contraception, but if it’s used as part of HRT, we recommend replacing it every five years to protect the womb. Pain in the neck Q I woke…

Tan drops If you want your face to look tanned without having to sit in the sun, then try Collection Cosmetics SPF Bronzing Drops, £5.99, collectioncosmetics.com. Not only do they produce a natural-looking bronzed glow, but they also provide SPF30 sun protection, too. Brazilian dream Transport yourself to a tropical paradise minus the plane ride with Palmer’s Brazilian Coco Cream, £13, ocado.com. The whipped body cream is infused with coconut, acai, guarana and Brazilian nuts to nourish, firm and smooth skin from head to toe. Defining shampoo If you have curly hair, then you’ll love this new shampoo launch. Delivering intense moisture and definition, Q+A Curl Defining Shampoo, £8.95, qandaskin.com, gives you your best curls yet thanks to coconut oil, shea butter and avocado extract. Bronzed base Mix this lightweight…

29 July-4 August 2025 ARIES 21 Mar – 20 Apr As a Fire sign you can be quick to anger, and right now you can use this energy constructively by channelling it positively towards one of your most important goals. TAURUS 21 Apr – 20 May It’s time to release any unwanted emotions. As a fixed Earth sign it can be hard for you to let go, but it is necessary for you to move forward. GEMINI 21 May – 20 Jun You would rather think your way out of a situation than feel everything deeply. However, it’s essential for you to make time to go within in order to find clarity. CANCER 21 Jun – 22 Jul It’s time to open your heart to your own divine power. Be…

THE SECRETS OF HARBOUR HOUSE by Liz Fenwick (£9.99, PB, HarperCollins) Newlyn, Cornwall. Kerensa is sent by her father’s auction house to catalogue a ramshackle building overlooking the sea. What she discovers inside changes her life forever. The neglected Harbour House was once home to two female artists. The paintings they left behind are entrancing – in particular a hypnotic portrait of a young woman. Researching the life of the exceptionally talented artist Bathsheba Kernow, Kerensa delves into the rich and sensual world of Venice in the 1930s. Exploring forbidden love, self-discovery and art history, this luminous novel is an ode to the courage of women who refuse to live in the shadows. BELIEVE by S M Govett (£16.99, HB, Penguin Books) Who can you really trust? Ten years after…

Scrolling through Instagram after a day of working from home, I can’t help but feel a huge sense of mum guilt as I’m faced with photos of my children’s friends doing fun activities like sailing, go-karting and theme park trips. It only hits harder because I know those outings come with a hefty price tag, while my kids - quite contently - are keeping themselves occupied by making music with pots, pans and spoons in the other room while I’ve been holed away in the study. HAPPY MEMORIES When I think back to the long six-week summer holidays of my childhood, I don’t remember doing such grand things like I see kids doing today. I happily played outside with friends, tagged along to work with my mum, and spent countless…

As the words echoed overhead, it was nothing unusual. ‘Level one paediatric trauma,’ the announcement said. I was an ICU nurse, looking after patients in critical condition and I’d spent the past eight years working at this hospital, in Missouri, in the US. Taking bloods, changing dressings and providing round-the-clock care for some of our sickest patients. ‘I WAS ALL TOO AWARE HOW SERIOUS IT WAS’ It was hard work, but a privilege to help people, and I’d had to get used to the fact that a day at work for me was my patients’ worst nightmare. Only, today was different, because I already knew this case was serious. The patient was a little boy suffering severe burns, in need of urgent treatment – and he was my little boy.…

Buy of the week Struggling to drift off? Enjoy a mug of BetterYou Magnesium Max Sleep Powder (£9.99 for 160g, betteryou.com) – blended to help promote deeper sleep. HEALTH MATHS 3 steps to protect eyes during a flight If you do one thing Wild swim safely Simple steps for when you take the plunge outdoors... Whether you’re opting for a dip in a lake or the sea, knowing how to take care of yourself is key to making the most of natural swimming spots. ‘If it’s been a while since you swam, don’t go out of depth or swim in difficult conditions,’ says swim teacher and open-water coach Ella Foote. ‘Check the weather is OK first and ensure you can get into and out of the water safely. If it…

He paid for sex Q I am in my mid-50s and living with my husband, who has admitted to paying for sex as well as having a porn addiction. This has gone on for years, and he’s now in therapy for what they are calling ‘compulsive sexual habits’. It’s been suggested in those sessions that we try couples counselling. I’m furious they’re suggesting what happened is down to our marriage. A It’s understandable that you feel furious, even betrayed, by the suggestion of couples counselling and the implication relationship issues have played a part in this. However, it’s unlikely that couples counselling was framed this way. It’s more likely that the suggestion is about your husband understanding how his behaviour has affected you. If it’s not for you, you don’t…

Mum’s warning to all women after abusive ‘predator’ ex freed from jail early ‘My ex is a predator - I am worried he’s a threat to other women’ Imagine being the victim of a crime, bravely seeking justice and feeling relieved to see the perpetrator put behind bars. But then imagine discovering that far from serving their full sentence, they are being released early. And all because prisons simply can’t cope with the number of prisoners. Last year, thousands of prisoners were released early under emergency conditions to try and ease the overcrowding situation, after serving just 40% of their sentence (the usual being 50%). And now, offenders could be eligible for early release after serving just a third of their sentence, under new reforms proposed earlier this year. Across…

READER QUESTION Q Can you save on package holidays by booking them at the last minute? A Potentially. You may find prices drop the closer you get to the departure date, although the later you leave it, the more flexible you’ll need to be about dates and destinations. However, savings aren’t guaranteed and you do run the risk of prices increasing rather than going down, especially in peak periods. Go green for less Get 10% off your first order of natural deodorants at Salt of the Earth when you sign up for the newsletter at saltoftheearthnatural.com. The offer includes these deodorant refill pouches (from £14.99, 300ml), which can refill Salt of the Earth roll-ons or spray deodorants up to three times*. 3 easy ways to... Boost your financial resilience Need to…

ON DUTY It was work hard but party harder for Dermot O’Leary last month when he hosted his BBC Radio 2 show live from Glastonbury at Worthy Farm, Somerset. We’re sure the star, 52, managed to bust some moves after hours. FESTIVAL FASHION Presenter Denise Van Outen, 51, nailed festival fashion chic with a beaded dress, fringe boots and oversized neon sunglasses. Our question is, how does she look so good while camping?! SPICY LOOK When Sporty meets Scary! Spice Girl Mel C, 51, channelled bandmate Mel B when she wore this leopard-print Adidas set as she soaked up the joyous Glastonbury atmosphere. POSH DIGS Forget pitching up a tent in the rain and sleeping on the muddy ground. When David and Victoria Beckham’s youngest son Cruz, 20, goes to…