Table of contents for 07-Oct-2021 in Chat

My gorgeous fur babies 0 Lexi Lou, 2, at the back, and her one and only pup Gracie, 10 months – look so alike I often get them mixed up. They are both very spoilt little babies.Rachel Hopwood, Sheffield My husband Kevin and I were lucky enough to get away to Croatia this summer and, of course, we always take our Chat mag with us!Jane Welton, Trimley St Mary I can’t help but laugh at this picture of my 4-year-old daughter Holly soaking her big sister Chloe, 9, instead of filling up the pool. So cheeky!Lisa Bates, Wolverhampton How dapper does my 6-month-old cockapoo George look in his little bow tie? He’s the cutest thing!Pip Smith, Moulton Cam, Elicia and I met at secondary school and, after 30 years, our…

What connects footballer Theo Walcott and US singer Katy Perry? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the four-word prize answer. ACROSS 1 Funny (5) 4 Infant (4) 6 Sample (8) 13 Tropical fruits (7) 14 First letter (7) 15 Blusher (5) 16 Without fat (4) 17 Swiss city (6) 18 Breakfast food (6) 20 Stretched tight (4) 21 Lift up (5) 22 Goes in (6) 25 Tommy _, Men in Black actor (3,5) 28 Muppet frog (6) 30 Out of practice (5) 32 Convict (8) 34 Boarding house (6) 35 Dutch cheese (4) 38 Humble (6) 39 Waterway (5) 40 Large mounted gun (6) 43 Spanner, say (4) 44 Creepy, eerie (6) 45 Baptise (8) 48 Savoury taste (5) 49 Portugal’s capital…

Acne marks are annoying Q An acne flare-up on my face cleared months ago, but it left dark spots. Will they ever fade?June, south London A It’s known as post-inflammatory pigmentation and can happen after your skin becomes inflamed for any reason, such as a burn, injury, infection, dermatitis or acne. The inflammation triggers melanocytes – pigmentproducing cells in your skin – to switch on and make more pigment, resulting in a dark patch. The darker your skin, the more likely this is and the longer the dark patches can take to clear. Usually, they fade in a few months, but following repeated bouts, they can last for years. Treatment usually means waiting, and protecting your skin from the sun to avoid further darkening. Lightening creams, chemical peels or laser…

MURDERED IN RESTAURANT Waiter Shamsuddin Mahmood, 26, from Bangladesh, was shot dead by a masked killer at a curry restaurant in Orkney, in June 1994. It appeared to be a racist killing. The case went cold for 12 years, until a witness said he’d seen Michael Ross coming out of a nearby toilet with a gun just before the attack. Ross, 15 at the time, had since joined the Army. In 2008, he was jailed for life for murder, with a minimum term of 25 years. He still maintains his innocence. A COMMUNITY SHAKEN Having a population of just 160, many residents of the Isle of Gigha didn’t even bother locking their doors. But in September 2018, employees of the only hotel arrived to discover a break-in. Someone had stolen…

FILL ME IN In Russia, the khristosovanie, or triple kiss, is a greeting traditionally exchanged at what festival? Solve the puzzle by following the arrows and writing in your answers. Then read down the letters in the shaded squares to find the prize answer. WIN £100 puzzle 14 Your answer: CIRCLE TIME Thought to be over 5,000 years old, to which species do the 16 trees known as the Sisters in Bcheale, Lebanon, belong? Fit the words into the grid, then read down the letters in the shaded circles. 3 letters ATE BUT CAR CUE EAR ERA LAX LEA MET NET 4 letters HALO LION PLEA ROBE SHOP TAXI YETI 5 letters EXIST LIMBO SOAPS 6 letters ALMOST CAMERA ITALIC ROTATE ROYALS SALMON 8 letters INNOVATE WIN £100 puzzle 15…

3 ways to... change your money mindset Fidelity International’s Emma-Lou Montgomery gives her tips on how to think differently when it comes to your cash. 1 Beware of social media ‘External influences in your life could be a big part of how you measure your personal financial success,’ says Emma-Lou. ‘Following Instagram influencers who appear to live lavish lifestyles may make you feel despondent that you can’t afford the same things – or that you should bust your budget to follow suit. Rethinking who you follow can have an immediately positive influence on how you think about yourself and your finances,’ she adds. 2 Small amounts do matter ‘The impact of the pandemic has shown us how important financial planning is and how setting up a financial safety net for…

Ridley Road BBC1 Based on the book by Jo Bloom, this four-part thriller shows a chilling side to Swinging Sixties London, where fascism is on the rise. The story follows Jewish hairdresser Vivien (Agnes O’Casey) who falls for Jack (Tom Varey), a member of an anti-facist group called the 62 Group. But when he gets injured, Vivien finds herself going undercover to expose a new Nazi movement. The starry cast list includes Eddie Marsan and Rory Kinnear, along with ex-EastEnders favourites Tamzin Outhwaite, Tracy-Ann Oberman and Danny Hatchard. Muppets Haunted Mansion DISNEY+ In the Muppets’ first-ever Halloween special, Gonzo is challenged to spend a night in Disney’s spooky theme park ride The Haunted Mansion, while Miss Piggy and Kermit cross-dress in order to disguise themselves on a scary undercover mission.…

Robin Seeyle, 59 With his legs dangling over the inflatable doughnut, my son came flying down the river. ‘Look at me!’ Chad, then 6, squealed. He’s growing up so fast. It was June 1993 and I couldn’t think of anything better than spending the day with my son. He’d recently fallen in love with tubing down a river a short walk from our house. My husband Gary, then 26, and I had two other sons Garrick, then 2, and Jerry, 10, as well as a daughter, Brandy, 12. Despite Chad suffering with ADHD and speech problems, he was the smart one. He loved fixing broken gadgets, rummaging through local bins hunting for bits and bobs to repair. Once, aged 5, he fell over and knocked himself in the living room.…

Q+A Face Mist, £6.50, qandaskin.com This isn’t just about giving your face a quick cool down. This spritz gives skin a health kick with hyaluronic acid, aloe vera and prebiotics that help support the skin barrier and hydrate dry skin. PS Vitamin E Body Oil, £3, Primark Vitamin E is the headline act in this body oil, supported by sweet almond oil, together softening stretch marks and scars. It really quenches dry, itchy spots across the body. Lacura Vitamin C Serum, £5.99, Aldi Vitamin C isn’t just great for the common cold – it’s a brilliant skin-brightener when applied topically, too. So if you have dull skin, or patches of pigmentation, bag this when you’re at the checkout and switch on that glow. NYX Lip Lingerie XXL Matte Liquid Lipstick,…

Anyone from your town in the list this week..? Chat winners issue 27 (8 July 2021) £1,001 CASH J Newham, Chilwell £1,000 CASH B Knight, Hull £500 CASH D Brown, Cromer; L Reynolds, St Ives £250 CASH P Wright, Blackpool £150 CASH K Mawdsley, Clitheroe £100 CASH C Razavi Rezvani, Barnsley; J Sutton, Colchester; B Quinn, Bishop Auckland; J Scott, Tunbridge Wells; K Fox, Coventry £60 CASH L Williams, Isle of Man £50 CASH M Bevan, Welshpool; G Ross, Dingwall; J Snook, Plymouth £30 CASH S Hill, Newark; Y Parr, Coventry; P Barker, Maidenhead; S Gosling, Congleton; L Smith, Worcester £25 CASH Y Briggs, Poole; C Cross, Todmorden; D Howlett, Holmfirth; P Wright, Woodbridge; J Cowlishaw, Scarborough; J Sowerby, Poulton-le-Fylde; F Cummings, Worsley; M Cherry, Reading; J Burr, London PUZZLE…

Shannon Lowery, 40 Creeping into the kitchen, I held my breath. I shouldn’t be doing this, I told myself. Tiptoeing across the cold tiles, I opened the fridge. It was past midnight and I’d had dinner just a few hours ago. But I needed food. Soon I was filling my arms. Yogurts, cheesecake, pieces of pie, sausage rolls, a slab of Cheddar. Back in my bedroom, it was gone within 10 minutes, but I instantly felt better. It was summer 2006 and I’d been doing this every night since I was a teenager. Even when my family padlocked the fridge, I found a way. Now 25, my food obsession had reached dangerous proportions – literally. I weighed 42st, washing and dressing was a struggle, and I needed a wheelchair. My…

Michael Avenatti loved to cause a splash. As a big-shot lawyer, he rocketed to fame in early 2018, when he represented American porn actress Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against then-US President Donald Trump. Avenatti didn’t shy away from publicity – in fact, he courted it. He declared himself Trump’s nemesis and made endless appearances on TV shows as the case hit headlines worldwide. It was safe to say that he was not afraid of the limelight. If anything, he got a buzz from it. World of celebrity Avenatti was born in February 1971 in Sacramento, California. A clever student, he graduated top of his university law class in 2000. Almost immediately, he was thrown into the world of celebrities. In his first job, he assisted the company’s partner in multiple…

Claire Vincent, 50, London Minutes after my daughter Mia was born in June 2011, chaos erupted. She’d turned blue and doctors couldn’t work out why. ‘What’s wrong?’ I cried. Scans had shown she was perfectly healthy, but now, at just a couple of hours old, Mia was rushed to Great Ormond Street Hospital. Tests showed she had transposition of the great arteries, a rare heart condition where her arteries were the wrong way round. ‘Will she be OK?’ I asked. ‘We’ll do everything we can,’ the doctor told me. At 4 days old, Mia had open heart surgery. Only they suspected the artery issue was part of a bigger problem. Her ears lobes were floppy and misshapen. She had no semicircular canals in her inner ear, and abnormalities in both…

OVER TO YOU Can you set a puzzle in this format? Send it, with a photo of yourself, to the address on p3. There’s £20 for every one we use! This week’s puzzle was compiled by Janice Gardner, Edinburgh ACROSS 1 A present 2 Lazy 3 To deviate from the perpendicular 4 American poet DOWN 1 Covered thinly with gold paint 2 Suggestion 3 No raised areas or indentations 4 Pigment that makes carrots orange, caro… WIN 5x £25 puzzle 6 Your answer: HALF & HALF Nicholas Breakspear is the only English person to have held what position? Cross out a letter in each square to get a grid filled with words. The uncrossedout letters in the shaded squares give the prize answer. WIN £100 puzzle 7 Your answer: BRICK TRICK…

ARROW WORD The Act I Prelude from which opera is played at the podium awards after every F1 Grand Prix? Solve the puzzle by following the arrows and writing in your answers. Then read down the letters in the shaded squares to find the prize answer. WIN £1,000 puzzle 10 Your answer: SUDOKU To solve the puzzle, each 3 x 3 box, each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9. Solve the puzzle and the numbers in the highlighted squares will give you the prize puzzle answer. WIN £60 puzzle 11 Your answer: WORDSEARCH Liverpool footballer Gerry Byrne played the entirety of the 1965 FA Cup final, setting up a goal, despite breaking which bone in the first five minutes? The answer is the one missing…

Obsessed with my exes Q Things have always been up and down with my fella – we’ve been together for nearly a year. He loves me but brings up my past, wants to know who I’ve been with, all the details. He even goes through Facebook to see my old posts and is nasty about them. I’m getting sick of this weird behaviour. What can I do? Georgia, 31 A It sounds like he’s intimidated. But we all have a past and that’s where it should be left. Tell him how it feels hearing his derogatory comments. Does he want you to delete the posts? You really shouldn’t have to. You’ve been with him for a year. Can you see the next 10 like this? I know I couldn’t! How…

Clare Coe, 33, south London My honeymoon tan was still glowing as I saw the little blue line. ‘Pregnant!’ I gasped in surprise. My new hubby James, then 33, was out playing football, but later that evening he pulled me into a shocked hug. We were thrilled. It was July 2019, and while we wanted kids, we’d not expected it to happen so soon after our wedding. All was well at our 12-week scan, so we began telling friends and family. Started throwing around a few names. ‘Who do you think the baby will look like?’ I smiled at James as we snuggled up one night. ‘Hopefully you,’ he laughed. But really, we just wanted our little one to be healthy. So when the sonographer fell eerily silent during our…

Q Do you have any tips on how I can avoid buying costly counterfeit products online by mistake? P Smith, Surrey A You’ll find lots of information on this at getsafeonline.org, a resource designed to help individuals and small businesses stay safe, secure and confident when using the internet. It advises to buy only from reputable sellers that you know to be genuine, either from experience or recommendation. Also, beware of goods advertised on social media sites or via text message. And if a normally expensive item is offered cut-price, ask yourself why this is the case. For more useful tips, visit the site.…

THE BIG QUIZ The answers to all but one of these quiz questions can be found hidden in this wordsearch grid, reading forwards, backwards, up, down or diagonally. To help you, we’ll tell you that the answers are in alphabetical order in each section. However, one answer can’t be found in the grid. This is your prize answer. See page 56 for entry details. THE SILVER SCREEN – MERMAID 1 What is the name of the mermaid princess who falls in love with a human prince in the 1989 animation The Little Mermaid? (5) 2 Which 1984 film stars Daryl Hannah as a mermaid who saves Tom Hanks from drowning and falls in love with him? (6) 3 Astrid Bergès-Frisbey played a mermaid in the 2011 film Pirates of the…

Beauty Editor Stephanie Maylor shares her favourites The Body Shop Clean Conscience Reusable Make-up Remover Pads, £10 for 7, thebodyshop.co.uk These washable cloths replace the need for single-use cotton pads. Splash with micellar water, cleanser or toner and swipe across your face. LastSwab, £9, lastobject.com We get through 1.8 billion cotton swabs in England each year and about 10% of those are flushed down the toilet. Next time you need to fix a mascara smudge, try this reusable bud that’s easily cleaned with soap and water and can be used 1,000 times. Garnier Ultimate Blends Shampoo Bar, £7.99, Boots Shampoo bars come in plastic-free packaging, last between 60 and 80 uses, and Garnier’s version even contains 94% plant-based ingredients. The curve of the bar means you can really massage the…

Dear me, When I close my eyes, I’m right back to where you are now. Holding that positive pregnancy test, fear crashing over you. It’s 1984 and, at 15, you were only a child yourself. You’ll leave school, barely able to read or write. ‘School’s pointless anyway,’ you’ll shrug to your mates. But things will get tougher for you. Suffering the loss of baby Dale, stillborn at 7 months, will force you to grow up even faster. Having Ashley in 1986, Blake in 1990, and Declan in 1993 will fill the hole in your heart. Only, the impact of quitting school won’t go away. Bills that you can’t read will drop through the door. ‘What does this say?’ you’ll shyly ask neighbours. And when the kids snuggle up with a…

STYLE TIP Co-ords are easy everyday outfits that require minimal effort. Size up on this cardi to get that laid-back look. STYLE TIP Not just for the weekend, dress up your jumpers for an evening out. Team with on-trend flared jeans and strappy heels. STYLE TIP Keep it tonal. A head-to-toe neutral outfit always looks chic, and far more expensive than it actually is. STYLE TIP Great for all body shapes, wrap cardigans flatter your bust and highlight your waist. Team with a midi skirt and boots. WE WHAT YOU! WE’RE LOOKING FOR WOMEN JUST LIKE YOU TO APPEAR IN OUR MAGAZINES.EVERYONE’S WELCOME, SO APPLY TODAY! Go to goodtoknow.co.uk/REAL to find out more details…

Michael Avenatti, 50, was found guilty of all charges in his attempt to extort Nike out of millions of dollars. He was jailed for two and a half years. Judge Paul G Gardephe said, ‘Mr Avenatti’s conduct was outrageous.’ He added that Avenatti had ‘become drunk on the power of his platform, or what he perceived the power of his platform to be’. Avenatti sobbed, and said his children should be ashamed of him, as the sentence was delivered. ‘Your honour, I’ve learnt that all the fame, notoriety and money in the world is meaningless. ‘I alone have destroyed my career, my relationships and my life, and there is no doubt I need to pay.’ But this is not the end of Avenatti’s legal problems. He faces a further charge…

I fought back tears listening to how doctors had performed a balloon atrial septostomy – a procedure where a small balloon was inserted into Bertie’s heart and inflated to open up the valve and get the oxygen flowing. It’d saved his life but it was a temporary solution. Bertie needed surgery to correct the TGA as soon as possible. Sitting by his incubator my heart broke. Is he in pain? Scared? Wondering why his mummy isn’t cradling him protectively in her arms? At 3 days old, he was finally strong enough for a cuddle. ‘I’m your mummy,’ I whispered, holding him close. Meanwhile, the country was going into the first COVID-19 lockdown. Doctors discharged us to keep us safe from the coronavirus. Taking Bertie home should’ve been a celebration. But…

‘Pulled’ beef ragu If you like a meaty pasta dish, you’ll love this tender version in a rich wine sauce. SERVES 6 PREP TIME 15 MINS COOK TIME 6 HRS • 800g beef shin or brisket • 2 carrots, roughly chopped • 1 stick of celery, roughly chopped • 1 bay leaf • 4 garlic cloves, bashed • 250ml red wine • 1 beef stock pot (we used Knorr) • 4tbsp tomato purée • Cooked pasta and fresh basil, to serve • 50g Parmesan 1 Put the beef, vegetables, bay leaf, garlic, wine, stock pot, 200ml water and the tomato purée into a slow cooker and season. Cook on low for 6 hrs. 2 Alternatively, put the ingredients into a casserole dish with a scrunched-up piece of wet greaseproof paper…

Aries 21 March-20 April You know how vital it is to comply with management to ensure success. It’s time for change and whatever solution you come up with, look beyond the present. • Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May Mars in direct motion is enabling the conditions necessary for magic to manifest. You are sensible, but Mars encourages you to take a little risk. • Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June Calling a friend for advice will give you some relief, but be ready to take action. A friend holding an online event will introduce you to someone new. • Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July You’re looking to update your style. Maybe change your hair and look…

CLOSING DATE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS 19 OCTOBER (Three days later for postal entries) HOW TO ENTER TEXT Simply text CHATC followed by a space and your answer/s (spaces between answers please) full name, door number and postcode to 63333 Texts cost 50p plus standard network charge (maximum 160 characters per text). When you enter by text, you may in future get SMS marketing messages from Future plc and Chat. If you want to receive these, please end your text with OPTIN. Texting tips • Don’t put any spaces in an answer that has several words: eg: CHATISTHEBEST not CHAT IS THE BEST. • If the answer is a name, you need only give the surname: eg: CLOONEY not GEORGE CLOONEY. • You can use capitals or small letters, but…