Table of contents for 26-Jan-2017 in Chat

Tesco Free From Instant Rice Noodles, £1.50 If you can't eat gluten, these rice noodles make a tasty - if rather slippery! - alternative. Quick to prepare with boiling water, at 287 cal, they make a tasty, low-cal lunch. Pot Noodle, £1.12 These classic curly noodles come in a tasty, but not overly Chinese-flavoured liquid. Along with peas and carrots, it'll stop your tummy rumbling - but a high 430 cal. Naked Noodle, 99p The thin noodles in a dark-brown soup don't look that appetising - but what a delicious authentic flavour! Our fave, and at just 269 cal, a filling lunch. NEW Del Monte Squeezie, 79p, Asda Made from 100 per cent real fruit, with no added sugar or preservatives. In Apple, Mango; Apple, Strawberry, Banana; and Apple,…

Everything we’d done since we met had been wiped Over the coming weeks, it was like we were dating again As soon as I laid eyes on him, I knew… My nerves about our first date melted away as he walked over and gave me a hug. ‘I’m glad we’ve finally done this,’ I smiled. I’d been talking to Daniel, now 34, for months after we matched on a dating website and I’d bumped into him a few times. But now, in July 2008, we’d arranged a proper date. Tall and handsome, Daniel also made me laugh. Our first date was quickly followed by another… I was falling in love with Daniel, but I kept my feelings quiet. Then, one night a week later, I was dropping Daniel home after…

Every time, Justin came back with something wackier Staggering out of the taxi, I couldn’t stop myself from giggling. ‘Shhh,’ my friend Naomi, 34, laughed, as she turned her key in the lock. We’d been on a night out, and Naomi had offered to let me stay at hers. As we tottered into the hallway, I heard a friendly voice coming from the living room. ‘Where have you two party animals been?’ ‘None of your business,’ Naomi joked. ‘Theresa, this is my brother Justin.’ Shaking his hand, I was immediately drawn to something peculiar towards the back of his head. ‘Is that what I think it is?’ I asked in disbelief. Justin, 44, turned around and revealed a Cadbury’s Creme Egg dyed into his hair at the back. ‘That’s amazing!’…

Women have banned their husbands from walking with me! Touching down on the island of Fuerteventura, I couldn’t wait to spend a week soaking up the sun. ‘Look at that sea!’ I said to my sons Christopher, now 24, and Matthew, 19, in September 2011. We unpacked our bags and went for a stroll down the promenade, but we’d only managed to take a few steps before I had to stop for a break. ‘Are you OK, Mum?’ Matthew asked, concerned. ‘I’m fine,’ I said, through gritted teeth. I’d been suffering from excruciating back pain for months. Prescribed painkillers, I’d been too embarrassed to explain I was suffering from another symptom, too. I was slowly losing control of my bowels and bladder, and had already had a few embarrassing incidents.…

Michael Starke Brookside’s Sinbad was popular in light-hearted storylines from 1984 to 2000. After a stint in medical drama The Royal, Michael played Corrie’s Jerry Morton for a year from 2007. Single dad-of-four Jerry and family often irked the neighbours – most notably Gail! Bill Ward Areal case of kill Bill! Bill joined Corrie in 2007, as bully builder Charlie Stubbs who terrorised his girlfriend Shelly. Charlie then moved on to Tracy Barlow - who whacked him over the head and killed him! Bill came back from the dead to play Emmerdale's James Barton but left the show last year, after being pushed from a bridge by on-screen wife Emma. Ian Kelsey As lothario Dave Glover in Emmerdale, Ian was killed off…

1 Luxury surroundings The five-star Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso is an adult-only retreat. With three pools, two spas, numerous dining options and top-notch service (including your own butler!), it's nothing short of paradise. 2 See the sea Book a room with a sea view, throw open the curtains and enjoy. You'll soon forget about the drizzle, mist and fog back home! 3 Get pampered Take an early morning exercise class, use the hotel gym, or book a massage by the sea complete with the sound of the waves lapping against the shore. 4 Hit the water Just a short bus journey away is Xel-Ha, a water-based adventure playground built into the natural surroundings. Pick up some snorkelling equipment and admire the wide variety of beautiful fish in a unique place.…

Rather than staying with her daughter until the end, Jessica fled THE CRIME On 31 July 2014, 2-year-old Isabella Smith just wanted to be read a story and tucked up in bed. Instead, the innocent toddler was drugged and drowned by her own mother - who then heartlessly slit the throat of her older daughter Alana. THE STORY Isabella Smith was an adorable, chubby-cheeked toddler with blue eyes and a cheeky smile. One weekend in July 2014, she was staying at a hotel in Cannon Beach, Oregon, with her mum Jessica, 42, and older sister Alana, then 13. They’d just enjoyed a fun day at the beach – but it would be the last happy time they shared. Just hours later, the children would become the victims of a horrific…

What I loved Finally having a properly working telly! Was getting very bored of the tablet perched on my knees… Sofa Sundays here I come! What hacked me off Hat hair. Love a hat, can't bear the flat-headed look it leaves me with. What's the answer? (Other than don't wear a hat, obviously). What made me laugh A mate who's a drummer saying his neighbours are listening to great music. Whether they like it or not… Hope you hear something to your advantage this week!…

I was paralysed, couldn’t even lift my head… Now I’ve learned how to change a nappy with one hand! I’d just stepped out of the shower and wrapped my wet hair in a towel when a sudden feeling of sickness washed over me. The joys of pregnancy! I thought to myself, looking down and passing a protective hand over my bump. I was 37 weeks pregnant with my first baby, and me and my husband John, 36, were so excited to welcome our little boy. John and I had met in a nightclub 14 years ago, and enjoyed a brilliant life together, with holidays and weekends away, before finally tying the knot and deciding to start a family. My pregnancy had gone smoothly, so I didn’t give the nausea…

Makes: 6 Prep: 20 min Cook: 20 min 200g unsalted butter, softened 200g caster sugar 4 eggs 1tsp vanilla extract 200g self-raising flour 1tsp baking powder Filling: 150g unsalted butter 300g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting 2tsp milk 6tbsp strawberry jam 1 Preheat oven to 200C/Gas 6, and grease a 12-hole muffin tin with straight sides lining the base of each cup with a small circle of greaseproof paper. 2 Cream butter and sugar together, then beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Sift flour and baking powder into bowl, and fold in. 3 Spoon mixture into tins, and bake for 20 min until risen and golden-brown. Remove from tin and leave to cool on a wire rack. 4 For filling, whisk butter, icing sugar and milk together, then stir…

‘Erm, it’s a bit... personal’ Shift work Q I've been offered night work, but my husband says it can damage your health. Ali, 44 A Shift work may increase your risk of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and even cancer, though no-one's sure, and some people seem to be affected more than others. Keep 11 hours between shifts, and having a healthy lifestyle. Smear test Q I get reminders for smear tests, but my womb was removed eight years ago! Surely they aren't necessary? Alix, 56 A Depends on your op. A subtotal hysterectomy leaves behind your cervix, so you'll still need smears. After a total hysterectomy, you might still need smears if the surgery was for cancer. Ask your doctor. Medication worry Q I've got through a bad patch and…

I was so happy, I couldn’t stop smiling! Racing around the shops, me and my hubby Richard, 49, had left everything a little bit to the last minute! But what with Richard working offshore, I’d waited for him to get home to shop. And so on the Sunday before Christmas Day in 2015, we hit the shops – hard. First we shopped for some presents, then we snapped up a turkey and all the trimmings. Plus, we bought lots of extra treats for our four children – our eldest, 23, twins, 21, and youngest son, 17. Even though they’re now all grown up, we still love spoiling them. Eventually, we managed to get everything that we needed! Back home, we were both exhausted after our busy day. Richard headed up…

Nail HQ London Strengthener, £6.99, Amazon Infused with coconut-oil and keratin, this is an intense hair mask for your nails! Top tip: Gel nails can weaken your real ones, so take a break between sets. Barry M Iron Mani Ultimate Nail Hardener, £3.99, Boots This two-in-one basecoat and treatment works to strengthen your nails and protect them from stains. Top tip: Always use a basecoat to avoid yellow fingernails! Mavala Scientifique Nail Hardener, £14.25, www.feel  unique.com Can transform even the weakest nails into strong talons! Top tip: Filing too often can cause nails to split. Sally Hansen Moisture Rehab Strengthener, £9.95, Superdrug Apply before going to bed to moisturise nails and cuticles while you sleep. Top tip: Serum is better than nail oil, as it won't mark your…

1 Preheat oven to 200C/ Gas 6. Prick 2 large baking potatoes with a fork. Measure 2tsp olive oil onto a plate, with a good pinch of salt and pepper and, one at a time, roll potatoes in mixture until completely coated. 2 Bake for 1hr until potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Leave for a few min until cool enough to handle, then cut in half and scoop out centres into a bowl. 3 Mash the potato with 2tbsp sour cream (from 150ml pot) and 25g grated Cheddar, then stir in 4 finely chopped spring onions and 2 finely chopped sticks of celery. Season well. 4 Load mash mixture back into skins, sprinkle with a pinch of smoked paprika and grill for a few…

Everybody get along Reading ( 158 ops later… , 17 November), I can't believe how people can be so cruel. Children are born with different life-changing conditions every day; why is it so hard to support families who need encouragement and kind words? All children are special no matter what they're born with or without. They should be made to feel safe and secure and free from the ridicule of others. Frances Morgan, Slough Shrinking shopping Over the years, nearly every item in my trolley seems smaller, lighter, thinner or more diluted. I know manufacturers want to stay competitive, but some products have shrunk so much that they’re unusable! Barbara Wootton, Newcastle-under-Lyme Fast… and ew! My son recently asked his dad, ‘Why is it called fast food?’ His…

I thought about the future – I didn’t want the kids to eat badly or be picked on Shoving pizza boxes in the bin, I ignored the Chinese boxes from the previous night that were in there. ‘We’ll add Indian later,’ I joked to my boyfriend Chris. Except it wasn’t a joke. We’d been together a year, he worked nights for London Underground... Neither of us could be bothered cooking, so we’d have takeaways. Not surprising really that I’d gone from a size-16 to a size-20. A month later, Chris brought me breakfast in bed and wrote, Will you marry me? in the jam on my toast – I yawned, but said yes! Wanting to lose weight, I joined Weight Watchers. And when I stepped on the scales, I…

Aries 21 March - 20 April You’re nearly there now. Don’t rush. If this week throws up last-minute legal obstacles and forms to fill in, don’t ignore them. Just be patient and do what has to be done. You’re still on course for success, so no need to worry. Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April - 21 May You and the person you fancy are so close, yet still not quite close enough. If only you could be alone together! But have you thought about what happens after that? You need to think about the long term as well as the present. Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May - 21 June Your boss says you’re doing very well, and that you’ve got a great…

He was a cuddly youngster, quieter than his brothers The news spun in my head. I was too numb to ask questions It’s easy to be proud of your kids when life is going well for them. It gets harder not to worry when they make choices you don’t agree with. But there wasn’t a day in his life when my son James didn’t have my full support. He was a cuddly youngster, much quieter than his five brothers and sisters, and shy. I’ll never forget the day when, aged 17, he told me he had a girlfriend. ‘She’s called Becki,’ he said, clearly smitten. A few weeks later, James brought her home. She was a bubbly girl, and it was obvious she adored my boy. Puppy love turned…

As we got older, there was something creepy about Daniel… Switching on the PlayStation, I couldn’t wait to battle my way to the next level. ‘Make sure you all take turns,’ my mum Tracey shouted from the kitchen. ‘We will!’ I called back, grinning at my stepbrothers, aged 6 and 4. I was 5, loved it when they stayed at weekends. My mum and their dad Robbie got together when we were babies. I couldn’t imagine life without them. Although Robbie was my stepdad, he was the closest thing I had to the real thing. I called him ‘dad’ from an early age and, as far as I was concerned Daniel and his little brother were my real brothers. Mum and Dad treated us to family days out, and we…

She’ll have to be careful for the rest of her life… Holding my 8-month-old daughter Morgan over my shoulder, I rubbed her back to burp her. As I did, I noticed her back had a kink in it. Strange… I’d never noticed a kink with my son Taylor, then 4. A few weeks on, in May 2010, Morgan fell ill with a cold. She was so poorly, I took her to Fairfield General Hospital, where I also mentioned her back. They took X-rays and, when I got the results, I was stunned… The doctor said Morgan had an abnormal curve in her spine – a condition called scoliosis. ‘She’ll need metal rods inserted to straighten it when she’s about 11 or 12,’ he continued. Morgan was referred to a specialist…

At 18, doctors told me I was born without a womb Hovering nervously in the car park, I realised we’d reached the end of an extraordinary journey. ‘Are you ready?’ Gemma asked. I’d never been more ready for anything as she handed me my son. Baby Theo was 8lb 6oz of perfection. So began our new lives as parents last September. See, at 18, doctors told me I was born without a womb. I hadn’t started my period so I’d been referred for tests. It was a huge blow. ‘I’ll never be a mum,’ I wept. ‘You will,’ my own mum Moira, 60, said. Then, when I was 21, there was a breakthrough... ‘You have eggs in your ovaries,’ my consultant at Liverpool Women’s Hospital revealed after tests. I may…

Thankfully, when I met my boyfriend Mike, he understood that I came with ‘baggage’… A Saluki dog called Lady, Keeli the African Grey parrot, three ferrets, two rabbits, Barney and Honey, and my two snakes, Hugo and Legless. ‘Quite a bunch!’ he teased. Mike and I had met at Pets at Home, where we both worked. And we were both animal crazy. Last March, after 10 months together, we bought a house and decided to add to our ‘brood’. ‘I want something different,’ I told Mike, 20. ‘Maybe a pig?’ So, we found a woman selling pet pigs in Surrey, two hours away. First, we had to get a licence, to transport livestock and take our porker out for walks. As soon as it arrived, in April, we collected a…

My entire body was angry, red and swollen. It was like I was melting My legs healed – for the first time ever, I was able to wear a skirt Sitting in the chair in the GP’s office, I tapped my feet nervously. I was there for my regular prescription of steroid cream for my eczema. ‘I need something stronger, the other stuff stopped working,’ I explained in October 2013. I had suffered with the itchy skin condition since I was a toddler. Had to slather my whole body in prescription-strength steroid cream twice a day to keep the symptoms at bay. But, gradually, I’d had to use stronger and stronger creams to get the same effect. Now, my eczema was at its peak. Usually the GP agreed, but this…

We’d been together for23 years, but couldn’t afford a wedding When the time comes, having that ring on my finger will make it easier My partner Mike came up behind me and gave me a cuddle as I did the washing-up. ‘When are you going to make an honest man of me?’ he laughed. ‘Get off, you daft beggar,’ I grinned, flicking bubbles at him. ‘I’d marry you tomorrow, but we’ve more important things to spend the money on.’ ‘Don’t say I didn’t ask,’ he chuckled, holding up his hands in mock surrender. Me and Mike, now 53, had been together for 23 years. We’d three daughters – Chelsea, Sasha and Cody. Mike was such a good dad and partner. We just didn’t have the money for a wedding. The…