Table of contents for 28-Jul-2016 in Chat

 By the time Alan arrived home, I was an absolute mess – furious, sobbing and sozzled! Locking him out, I ranted and yelled through the letterbox. He said that although he loved her, she was just a kid and he'd never leave me ‘How could you?’ I raged at him. Alan just sat in the back garden, his head bowed. A few hours later, I let him in to pack some things. ‘I love her,’ he admitted. ‘But she’s just a kid, I’d never leave you.’ Outraged, I kicked him out. The kids, my sister, Julie, 71, everyone was horrified. They found it impossible to believe that Alan could cheat. A week later, I jetted off to Greece for a break with my daughter. But my heart was still shattered,…

I broke out in a cold sweat, couldn't stop shaking The pain was unbearable. ‘I can’t take much more of this,’ I cried to my partner David, 31. I was heavily pregnant with twins and suffering from SPD – symphysis pubis dysfunction. It’s a painful condition affecting the pelvis and back. Whenever I walked, my pelvic bone would click. It was absolute agony. I’d not had any problems during my pregnancy with my daughter Lily, 2. But doctors reassured me that the pain would subside after the babies were born. Finally, on 4 March last year, I went into Royal Preston Hospital to be induced. I’d given birth to Lily naturally and was determined to do the same again. But, as my labour progressed, there were complications due to my…

Power concerns Q When I walk under a power line near our house, I feel a tingling sensation all over! Is it doing me any harm? Val, 58 A Almost certainly not. High-voltage cables create an electric field, which you can feel on your skin. There have been fears that living near them might increase the risk of leukaemia children, or other problems such as MS, though most people think that's very unlikely. Toweringly tall Q I'm over six feet tall and I hate it. Is it possible to have surgery to make me shorter? Marcie, 23 A Orthopaedic surgeons will sometimes shorten one leg, by removing a piece of thigh bone, for adults or children whose legs are unequal in length. But it's unlikely that a surgeon would agree…

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chris pacing towards me Plucking a top off the rack, I draped it over my swollen belly. ‘What do you reckon?’ I grinned at my best mate Carlie Dunn. ‘Suits you,’ she smiled. It was October 2010, and Carlie, 27, and I had gone shopping for maternity clothes. Both about to be first-time mums, we’d chat about cravings, moan about swollen ankles. We’d been mates since we were 13 and shared everything – even our due date! In the end, our babies arrived two weeks apart, in February 2010. Then, when we both split with our partners, we cried on each other’s shoulders. I soon met Gareth, 33, and Carlie met a new man and had another baby. But when that…

The best bits are the fun games and excitement I stared at the screen in complete disbelief. ‘Come and have a look at this,’ I called out to my wife Claire. ‘I’ve won £647,’ I beamed. ‘Really?’ she asked, dashing in to have a look for herself. I’d only actually signed up to Chat Mag Bingo a day earlier. It was my mum who’d recommended it to me. She’d had a win on the slots and raved about how much fun the website was. So I signed up. For me, the best bits of Chat Mag Bingo were the fun games and the excitement of watching it play out. A win was a bonus. So I couldn’t believe I’d won over £600 a day after joining. Claire and I were…

Less contact Recently, I saw a father give his 5-year-old son a contactless bankcard to buy some sweets and a newspaper. This isn't a good way to teach a child about money. This boy won't learn how to handle cash and calculate the correct change. And he may grow up thinking all he has to do is swipe a card in a machine and he can have whatever he wants. Cilla Shiels, Warrington Burst the bubble I agree with Diane Hakala ( We Hear You , 2 June issue) about quitting soaps. I stopped watching Eastenders , Corrie and Emmerdale as they’d become too gloomy… There’s enough sorrow in the world! Maureen Jessop, Bath First aid When I was at a pal’s house, he accidentally cut himself, so I gave…

I was crowned the Arm Amputee British Champion I’ve been proving people wrong since before I was born. While she was pregnant with me, my mum Jade’s waters broke too early. ‘Your baby will likely be stillborn,’ she was warned. Yet out I came, kicking and screaming, even though I was 10 weeks premature. And Mum was in for another surprise. I only had one arm. No collarbone, no shoulder blade, no left arm. It’d hadn’t shown on the scans. Doctors told Mum that I may not make it through the night. But despite the many complications, I pulled through again. I spent my early years overcoming other problems from my early birth, like collapsed lungs, a dislocated knee and a twisted pelvis. But I always bounced back! And believe…

He couldn't move, so someone must have taken him In his day, he’d sailed the seven seas. Been a pirate and a smuggler. ‘And a bandit!’ he’d tell anyone who’d listen. Owen Parfitt was in his 70s, and his life had been one of adventure, perilous exploits and escapades. And he loved telling people all about it. At the turn of the 18th century, he’d been a young sailor. Then he’d become an outlaw, plundering and robbing his way across the oceans. He’d been to Africa and America. And in the West Indies he’d practised black magic. He’d even seduced his much younger and very beautiful cousin Dorothy. But all he had left of those days now were memories and stories. Old age hadn’t been kind to Owen. By 1763,…

MUST’VE HAD A BALL! Icelandic football fan Gretar Sigfinnur Sigurdarson splashed out £140,000 to hire a Boeing 737 to fly to Nice for the Euro 2016 match against England. An amazing 180 passengers paid £750 each to join the extravagant day-return trip. They had a better day out than the England fans, then… FUTURE SHOCK A University of Central Lancashire lecturer has predicted that The Hunger Games could become reality, with humans hunting humans for sport. Citing Roman gladiatorial games and public executions as examples, Daniel Wright said, ‘Death as a spectacle isn't a new phenomenon.' UFO-CTOPUS! According to a recent study by researchers at the University of Chicago , octopuses have ‘alien' DNA - the building block of life . Their DNA is extremely complex…

What I loved An old-fashioned, truly fragrant, rosebush in my little garden. The blooms just keep on giving! Absolutely lovely. What hacked me off Thug pigeons. They're fat, lazy, noisy and, to be honest, quite scary! They've developed a kind of gang swagger, a bit like a bunch of unwelcome teenagers… What made me laugh A mate saying you know you're getting old when the only thing you want for your birthday is not to be reminded of it… So true! Hope your week involves at least one slice of cake!…

Because he looked different, strangers could be cruel George had to have a frame fitted on his head for four months With my hospital bag packed, I kissed my daughter Alex. ‘Mummy won’t be too long,’ I told her. ‘And I’ll be bringing home your baby brother.’ Me and my partner Mark left for Wigan Hospital. And, after a long and painful labour, our son was finally laid in my arms. We called him George. He was absolutely perfect, though small at only 5lb 1oz. George seemed to have large facial features, too. But I knew he was bruised after delivery. And I thought things would settle down. The doctors said he was fine, and we were allowed home. But, when he was 8 weeks old, George developed a chest…

I asked people to donate things for us to sell Eyes fixed on the little white stick, I waited anxiously for the result to appear. Then, seconds later… Negative. ‘Not again,’ I sighed, deflated. It was 2009, and me and my fiance Kyle, then 25, were trying for a baby. Things just didn’t seem to be going our way, though. And nothing had changed two years on in June 2011 when Kyle and I tied the knot. ‘Maybe we’ll make a honeymoon baby,’ I winked. Yet, a year on, I still wasn’t pregnant. And Kyle and I were exhausted from trying! We went to see our GP and were referred for tests. The results revealed Kyle had a low sperm count. ‘You have less than one per cent chance of…

I was given a drug to draw excess copper out of my body Scribbling away in my notepad, my hand kept randomly shaking. I struggled to grip my pencil and it kept flying from my grasp, too. It was June 2014, and I was studying for my A-levels. It must be stress , I thought. That September, I started studying Sociology at Canterbury Christchurch University. But over the next months, my symptoms got worse. My right hand kept shaking beyond my control. I was tired all the time, too. My balance seemed to be off and occasionally my speech would slur. I went to see my doctor at uni, but she agreed it was probably just stress and anxiety. Then, on a night out with friends, I was refused entry…

When I left, I knew that it'd be the last timeI saw him… Heart thumping, I stared at the photo that had popped up on my screen. His hair had gone grey, crinkles round his bright-blue eyes. But I’d never forget that face. ‘Tony Lawton,’ I gasped. My first love, the father of my son Daniel. The man we hadn’t seen for 35 years. And now, July 2012, he’d contacted me out of the blue on Facebook. Do you remember me? he’d typed. How could I forget? I typed, flooded with memories. I’d met Tony in The Rocks area of Sydney when I was 16. At 24, in the Merchant Navy, Tony was a good influence on me. Laid-back, cracking jokes. We fell in love, set off travelling the world…

She was cowering in her crate. But then a really moving thing happened… I’ve always had a soft spot for animals. As a kid, I’d set up a ‘hospital’ in the garden for wounded worms or frogs. ‘You’ll be a vet,’ said my mum Eryl, now 65. Not far off! Instead, I became a nurse, working at London’s Royal Free Hospital. I adore caring for people as well as animals. In 2003, I bought a West Highland White terrier puppy called Morgan. And I’ve fostered dozens of doggies. In July 2011, I decided to adopt a blind crossbreed called Pedro, now 9. Dogs rely mostly on hearing and smell, so Pedro’s sight loss didn’t hold him back. He rarely bumped into furniture, and I wore a bell on my shoe…

1 Cook two large baking potatoes on High in the microwave for 8-10 min, turning once, until cooked through. Scrape flesh from skin and mash. 2 Add 60g grated manchego cheese, 30g grated Parmesan, three grated and drained Pink Lady apples and salt to mash and mix well. 3 Shape mixture into 16 balls. In three separate dishes, put 5tbsp plain flour, two whisked eggs and 100g fresh breadcrumbs. Roll each ball in plain flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. 4 Heat a pan with enough oil to cover balls. Add balls to oil, fry on a medium heat until golden brown and warmed through - a couple of min. Drain on kitchen roll. 5 Make a dip by mixing 10tbsp plain yogurt with 2tbsp smoked paprika, 1tsp salt and juice…

Her stories and poems were full of blood, mutilation, knives THE CRIME On 6 March 2015, Ashlee Martinson shut her three little sisters in their room, took her parents' car and went on the run. But, as soon as she'd left the house, her sisters came out of their room. And they called the police - because Ashlee had killed her mum and stepdad… THE STORY Without making a sound, the girl crept into the isolated cabin, deep in the dense woods of America’s Midwest. And then she attacked. She tied up her victims, waved her knife in front of them. ‘Welcome to Hell,’ she snarled. ‘Never again will you see the light of day.’ Then she stabbed them. Over and over, until they were dead. Of course, it was…

We were still closer than ever, enjoyed nights out and had a healthy sex life Alan wanted to know how his old friend had pulled a good-looking young girl like Natasha Watching my hubby Alan swimming with our grandchildren, happiness bubbled up in my stomach. Coming up to 50 years, I thought, smiling to myself. It was summer 2014, and Alan, and I were three years shy of our golden wedding anniversary… I’d met Alan, then 20, at a disco in 1966 and married him in 1967 when I was 18 years old. As the years had flown by, we enjoyed a happy marriage and raised three lovely children. Grown-ups in their 40s themselves now, they were busy raising littl’uns of their own. Alan was a loyal, reliable husband, and…

Michele was reported missing Calvin's children still stood by him THE STORY SO FAR… It was 11 September 2001 and, as terrible world events unfolded, a family tragedy was also emerging. Michele Harris had vanished. With young children and a messy divorce, who was responsible for her disappearance? The case… 15 YEARS, 4 TRIALS… For a while, Michele Harris seemed to have it all. Raised in a small town, she didn’t come from a wealthy family but, while working as a secretary at a car dealership, she’d caught the eye of one of the owner’s sons. ‘She is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen…and then I got to know her,’ Calvin Harris later said. ‘She’s funny and outgoing.’ It seemed Michele was taken with Calvin, too. He’d…

Sainsbury's Stonebaked Chicken & Pesto Pizza, 325g, £3.25 Our favourite, this delicious, thin pizza has a crispy base and a fresh pesto flavour. Aldoni Cajun Chicken Thin Crust Stonebaked Pizza, 380g, £1.49 If you like your pizza spicy, this will hit the spot. The base is topped with lots of cheese and plenty of Cajun chicken. Co-Op Truly Irresistible Kashmiri Butter Chicken Pizza, 500g, £4.50 Despite not having much chicken, there's lots of onion, plenty of veg, cheese and loads of flavour on this curry pizza. NEW Choc ‘n’ Caramel Crunch Cornetto, £1.20 each, £2.99 pack of four A gooey, liquid caramel centre running through chocolate ice cream, topped off with a crunchy disc filled with chunky, crispy caramel pieces.…

Serves: 8Prep: 15 minCook: 20 min 20g dark chocolate, chilled 4 digestive biscuits 40g unsalted butter, at room temperature 140g caster sugar 100g self-raising flour, sieved 40g cocoa powder, sieved Pinch of salt 2 medium eggs 120ml milk 1 Preheat oven to 170C/ Gas 3 and line a muffin tin with eight paper cases. 2 Use a fine grater to grate chocolate and then place back in fridge. 3 Put biscuits in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Set aside. 4 In a large bowl, mix together butter, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, eggs and milk until completely blended and smooth. 5 Divide mixture between paper cases and then sprinkle with chocolate shavings and biscuit crumbs. Bake for 18-20 min until well-risen and springy to touch.…

I became so self-conscious, I hated going out I’d heard it all before. ‘Cheer up!’ a random bloke teased while I was having a quiet drink with friends. I knew what he was on about. It was my sunken smile. See, months before, in September 2014, I’d been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy. It’s a form of facial paralysis. I’d been eating breakfast when I’d felt a searing pain behind my right ear. Then shortly after that, the right side of my face felt stiff. There’s no cure for the condition, but it improves for some people over time. ‘I’ve got the moody look,’ I joked to mates when I struggled to smile in selfies. I began taking steroid tablets and having acupuncture. It helped, but in April last year, my…

Models Own Colour Chrome Body Tattoos, £2.49, Superdrug A great budget option if you want to try the trend without spending too much! Top tip: Cooler skin tones tend to suit silver, and warmer ones look great with gold. Lottie London Holi Henna Temporary Henna Tattoos, £9.99, Superdrug A gorgeous alternative if you love the look of henna but aren't keen to try the real deal. Contains four sheets. Top tip: Use smaller designs for a more subtle look. Bohemian Jewellery Tattoos, £7.50, bohemian  jewellery tats.com Pricey for just one sheet - but the designs are so dreamy! Top tip: Share a packet with a pal and split the cost. Stylondon Metallic Tattoos in Turks and Caicos, £7.99, www. stylondon.com Put these on in place…

Alexander was sick every morning for a week The pounds rolled in, and we got closer and closer to our goal As I sat by my little boy’s bed, I watched him sleep and stroked his hair. Alexander, 2½, was usually such a happy child, but he’d been poorly all day. ‘He’s been sick three times,’ I said to my husband Phil, 42. ‘It’s probably a tummy bug,’ he reassured me. I hoped a good night’s sleep might do the trick. But the following morning, Alexander was immediately sick. The next day, he was sick again. And again the day after that. In fact, he was sick every morning for a week. The doctor couldn’t put their finger on what was wrong, and prescribed some antibiotics. Alexander and I were…

Seeing them beaming up on stage makes me teary-eyed You have to believe to achieve. That’s what I’d tell my kids Aimee-Lee, 10, and Keelan, 8. They both do me proud, despite being dealt tough hands. When Aimee-Lee was a baby, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a neurological condition causing muscle weakness. Over the years, she’s had physio to help her walk and worn a leg splint. Then in 2013, when she was 7, I received a call from a modelling agency. As a baby, I’d entered Aimee-Lee into a newspaper competition to be the face of Northampton. She’d won two years running! The agency remembered her and had asked if she might be interested in modelling. ‘Aimee-Lee would love it,’ I said to their stepmum Tracie, 44. But…

At the GP, Lucy was diagnosed with scabies, jaundice... The second my girlfriend walked through the airport arrivals lounge after a week away, I knew I was about to do the right thing... Back home, I got down on one knee and held out a diamond ring. ‘Will you marry me?’ I asked. ‘Yes!’ she cried. It was June 2013. We’d first met while travelling in Australia in 2008. After a holiday fling, we kept in touch via Facebook and, back in the UK in 2010, we started dating. Now, after three years together, we celebrated our engagement with some bubbly. ‘I’ll buy some wedding mags to take to London,’ Lucy said. She’d just landed her dream job as an admin manager for a lingerie company, and had training there.…

Cancer 22 June - 23 July Two decisions to make - one about your job and one personal. The job one is easy, because when you’ve done the sums the right answer will be obvious - but affairs of the heart are not so simple. And not cheap, either. Call 0905 817 0693* for more Leo 24 July - 23 Aug Once you’ve set your heart on something, you want it right away and you don’t want to wait. That’s why you’re trying to speed up the process, but really, there’s no need - in a few days it’ll all happen naturally, as you’ll see. Call 0905 817 0694* for more Virgo 24 Aug - 23 Sep You rediscover an idea you had about a year ago, and it seems…