Innholdsfortegnelse for 18 December 2025 i You South Africa

IT feels like we all echo the same refrain this time of the year. Frazzled and a bit frayed? Yup. In need of a break? Indeed. Counting the sleeps till the high days and holidays finally come our way? So say all of us! Let’s be honest, by the time middle December rolls around it feels like the year has lasted for 12 centuries, never mind just 12 months. There were highs and lows, good days and bad days, a million moments to cherish, process or let go. People and things and the stuff of life – so many hours of human-ing packed into another year around the sun. But here we are, we made it! And now it’s time for some well-deserved rest. We hope this issue will be…

FOR years she was the queen of the yo-yo diet, sharing her stories of weight loss and gain with her phalanx of fans who empathised with her every step of the way. She was just like everyone else – fighting fat, rejoicing when the scale went down, cursing it when it went up, managing a wardrobe full of outfits in different sizes. But two years ago everything changed. Oprah Winfrey had jaws dropping on the floor at the premiere of The Color Purple when she debuted her super-svelte figure – and the kilos have only continued to fall from the 71-year-old’s frame. She, like dozens of others who have kilos they want to shed and big bucks in the bank, has jumped on the weight-loss drug bandwagon. Oprah says she…

SHE sits perfectly still on the couch, patiently lifting her stumps as the scoliosis brace is carefully positioned around her torso. Fourteen-year-old Felicity Ncube waits without complaint – she’s been adapting to new challenges her whole life. It’s been five years since YOU first met this remarkable teenager, and the little girl who once bounded around although she has no arms or legs has grown into a thoughtful Grade 8 pupil with a passion for painting ocean scenes and baking chocolate cakes. Felicity’s latest chapter isn’t about new talents, though – it’s about navigating another challenge as her body changes. Born with Tetra-Amelia syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes the absence of all four limbs, Felicity taught herself as a baby to roll to where she wants to be.…

STRIPES ON DECK Classic sailor stripes remain a timeless favourite – get the look with a blue or red striped T-shirt or top for that effortless holiday-by-the-sea feel. DO IT IN STYLE Keep up with the trend in textured skirts – think crochet, rope, tassels and mesh – and wear them with T-shirts or shirts in red, white or blue. SET SAIL Dresses with stripes and check patterns, in red or blue or with nautical motifs, are a good choice for a relaxed day outdoors. CUTE COVER-UP A must-have if you need to throw on something over a swimsuit or tank top. Look for stripes and motifs like shells and textured fabrics like rope, mesh and tassels. DENIM THAT STAYS THE COURSE A staple item with which to build your…

For daily horoscopes, go to you.co.za SAGITTARIUS 22 NOV – 20 DEC SET INTENTIONS THIS FESTIVE SEASON The planets are still clustered in your sign, including a new moon on the 20th, so now is a good time to set your hopes, intentions and wishes for next year. Anticipate that you may feel equal parts of dread and hopefulness for the next year, but it is best to simply try to go with the flow. Family and extended family may require more patience than usual but given the festive season, draw on your generous spirit and embrace everyone wholeheartedly. YOUR LUCKY NUMBERS 12, 38, 47, 48, 43, 25 CAPRICORN 21 DEC – 20 JAN Even with Mars in your sign urging you to toughen up, the new moon on the…

ETHAN Hawke is walking and talking. No surprise there, given that over the course of his career he has raised walking and talking to an art form. In the 1995 romantic classic Before Sunrise he and Julie Delpy played the twentysomethings Jesse and Céline, who meet on a train and spend one perfect night walking and talking around Vienna. They did it so well that nine years later the sequel arrived, Before Sunset, in which Jesse and Céline walk and talk around Paris. Nine years after that came the bittersweet final part of the trilogy, Before Midnight, with the now-married couple walking and talking in Greece. And now, on a warm autumn morning, Ethan and I are walking and talking around Brooklyn, New York. I’d call our encounter Before Midday,…

GIVEN the intensity of filming a movie or TV show, it’s not surprising that actors often form an unbreakable bond with their co-stars and when the projects end, some go the extra mile to commemorate the experience by getting matching tattoos. Two such co-stars are Wicked: For Good’s CYNTHIA ERIVO and ARIANA GRANDE, who undoubtedly have formed one of the closest bonds in showbiz. Cynthia (38) and Ariana (32) have had poppy flowers inked on their fingers and the phrase “for good” tattooed on the palms of their hands. The poppy represents the flower fields near the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz while the phrase is from the movie’s title. “We’ve had such a wonderful time doing this together, and we’ve had such an experience learning about each…

The eighth issue of YOU Codebreakers is jam-packed with puzzle fun, including crypto quotes where the aim is to decipher something said by a famous person using the clue provided and your wits. There’s also a delightful mix of codebreaker grids for those who are new to the game and experts. Get your copy in stores now or order online at media24shop.com. You can also place an order with Johan Terblanche at 021-406-4962 or johan.terblanche@media24.com. See your writing or news tips in print! Here are the email addresses you need for submitting material for publication. News ideas news@you.co.za Personal stories web@you.co.za Original jokes chuckles@you.co.za Recipes recipes@you.co.za…

THE warning sign is impossible to miss outside the house: “Beware of the dogs”, the letters proclaim in bold red capitals. And as we climb the stairs to her front door there the creatures are – a giant Australian cattle dog and an Alsatian hovering protectively on either side of their owner. As we get closer they start barking incessantly. “Shurrrrup!” their owner yells and the animals obey in an instant. They know who the boss is around here – their owner acknowledges this with a grin. “I’m the alpha in this house,” she declares. When you see Glynnis Breytenbach in action it’s little wonder her dogs do as she says. The formidable DA firebrand and former prosecutor is a force of nature who allows little to intimidate her. As…

I’M UNSETTLED BECAUSE MY GIRLFRIEND DRESSES SO PROVOCATIVELY Q I’ve been dating my girlfriend for three months and I’m increasingly troubled by her behaviour. She’s extremely flirtatious with my male friends, and initially I wondered if I was imagining things. However, several of my female friends have now approached me about her inappropriate conduct. Her clothing choices are equally concerning. While I was initially attracted to her alluring style, her habit of displaying her cleavage and wearing very short dresses is becoming embarrassing. I want to feel proud of my girlfriend – someone who’s both attractive and elegant, not provocative. When I’ve tried discussing this she dismisses my concerns, claiming I’m “abnormally jealous” and don’t want her to look attractive. She refuses to acknowledge the feedback from my female friends…

HE LOVES playing videos games, swimming and watching TV but that’s where the similarities end between this kid and his peers. After all, how many other 15-year-olds have a doctorate in quantum physics and can bend your ear for hours about black holes, bosons and the mysteries of the universe? Laurent Simons is, in fact, considered the only one in the world. The teen, who’s known as Belgium’s “Little Einstein”, recently entered the record books as the youngest person to have a PhD in a physical science field when he graduated from the University of Antwerp. With an IQ of 145 – a score only about 0,1% of people the world over can brag about – Laurent’s intelligence is in the same league as brainboxes like Albert Einstein and Stephen…

1 KIM GETS HITCHED Her character Samantha Jones on Sex and the City might never have officially settled down, but KIM CATTRALL has just said “I do” for the fourth time. Kim (69) and sound engineer Russell Thomas (55) recently got married in an intimate ceremony at the Chelsea Old Town Hall in London. According to sources, the couple, who have been dating since 2018, only had 12 guests in attendance. Kim was a blushing bride in a cream Dior jacket and white skirt paired with lace gloves and a bespoke hat. 2 JADA’S BEING SUED JADA PINKETT-SMITH and WILL SMITH are facing new scrutiny after the actor’s former assistant filed a lawsuit against Jada for threatening him. According to Bilaal Salaam, Jada (54) approached him at Will’s 53rd birthday…

RADIO 2000 host DJ SBU recently caused outrage with his views on making money on social media. The 48-year-old media personality, whose real name is Sbusiso Leope, was referring to statistics that found South Africa spends more time online than any other country, so they should cash in on it. “For me, it doesn’t make sense when someone has 100k followers but doesn’t have R100k in their bank account. You can’t have a million followers but not have a million in your bank account.” Many criticised his views as tone-deaf given the challenges content creators face, while others said followers are no guarantee of an income. “We don’t have to monetise everything – some of us are following for news and content,” one said. “Followers don’t pay rent,” another stated.…

MUSHROOM POISONING SPARKS INVESTIGATION ITALIAN COURT REMOVES OFF-GRID CHILDREN AUTHORITIES in Italy have removed the three children of a British-Australian couple living off-grid in a forest after the family came under scrutiny when they were hospitalised due to eating poisonous mushrooms. The children’s parents – Nathan Trevallion, a former chef originally from Bristol, and Catherine Birmingham, a former horse-riding instructor from Melbourne – moved to a dilapidated property outside Palmoli in Italy’s Abruzzo region in 2021. Their goal, they said, was to raise their children “as close to nature as possible”. The family produced their own food, relied on solar panels for electricity and pumped water from a well. The children, Utopia Rose (8) and six-year-old twins Galorian and Bluebell, were homeschooled and spent their days surrounded by the family’s…

QUICK POKE BOWLS SERVES 2 / PREPARATION: 10 MINS / COOKING: 6-7 MINS Lovely for a light lunch. Make a double batch of the sauce and keep in the refrigerator. Tofu (also with herbs or mushrooms in it) is available in almost every supermarket and is a good vegetarian protein source. You can also now get poke seasoning mix in stores. ASIAN SAUCE ◗ 4 garlic cloves, finely grated◗ 5cm piece ginger root, finely grated◗ 3 spring onions, chopped◗ 125ml (½c) soy sauce◗ 60ml (¼c) fresh lime juice◗ 15ml (1T) sushi vinegar◗ 15ml (1T) sesame oil◗ 30-45ml (2-3T) honey or sugar or sweetener◗ 45ml (3T) poke seasoning mix or sesame seeds◗ small handful chopped coriander leaves POKE BOWLS ◗ 450g cooked chicken OR pork strips OR prawns OR trout pieces…

Send suggestions for topics and requests for info to yourmoney@you.co.za. We may answer your questions in this column but won’t reply personally. DEBT mediation is not the same as debt counselling. Although it may sound like a more informal process, it has more risks. If you are already feeling like you’re drowning in debt going into the holidays, or if you want to take charge of your debt in the new year, make sure you understand and know more about this process before you decide to opt in. 1 MANY UNREGULATED DEBT CONSULTANTS OFFER MEDIATION AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO DEBT COUNSELLING Like debt counsellors, they act as intermediaries to negotiate restructuring your debt with creditors, but they are not regulated by the National Credit Regulator (NCR). While alternative dispute resolution…

TEXAS TALE A rough and tough cowboy finishes his drink at a bar and gets up to leave. A minute later, he comes back in and says, “I’m going to sit down and have one more drink. And if my horse isn’t back where I left it, I’m gonna have to do what I done in Texas. And I really don’t wanna have to do what I done back in Texas!” True to his word, he sits down, orders another drink and finishes it. He walks outside and sure enough, his horse is back tied up where he left it. As he’s just about to ride off, one of the other patrons timidly asks, “Mister? What was it you had to do in Texas?” The cowboy gets a far-off look…

LIZ & BILLY When country singer BILLY RAY CYRUS and British model LIZ HURLEY hard-launched their relationship back in April it was a pairing as contrasting as night and day. Billy (64) had just come out of a very tumultuous relationship with his ex-wife Australian singer Firerose (37), who had accused him of being emotionally and mentally abusive. So no one saw it coming when Liz (60) and Billy shared a joint post of them kissing in a field over Easter. “They’re very different, but it works. They’re so cute together,” a source told People. “It’s the kind of connection that surprises people but makes perfect sense when you spend time with them. Liz is very happy.” While Billy has become more and more sullen and moody over the years,…