Table of contents for 23-Apr-2020 in Chat

With kids, we all need eyes in the back of our heads, but Leanne, Dawn and Joanna really, really do (p36). Would you pack up your family to go and live in the woods? Kirsty might convince you that there’s something in that simple way of life (p18). And beautiful bride Janine shares why her wedding was extra special (p10). There’s so much more to enjoy in this issue of Chat, from fashion (p12) and food (p42) to pics and puzzles. Stay safe and well this week. During this worrying time, we wish all of our readers good health. We hope Chat offers some welcome distraction. If you’re staying in and don’t want to miss out on your copy, you can download an issue from the App Store or Play…

The dashcam footage shown in court was enough to convince the jury that the camera never lies. In October 2018, Jason Van Dyke, then 40, became the first police officer in Chicago in almost 50 years to be convicted of murder for an on-duty death. ‘This is a victory for America,’ the Rev Marvin Hunter, Laquan McDonald’s great uncle told reporters. ‘America was on trial here and people all over America and all across the world have been waiting to see what was going to happen.’ Van Dyke was later sentenced to six years, nine months in prison for seconddegree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, one for every bullet he fired at McDonald. Shortly before his sentence was read out in court, Van Dyke said that…

Finishing my Sunday roast, I was stuffed. A slap-up meal with all the trimmings, it’d gone down a treat. But I knew that I’d pay for it later… See, ever since my early 20s I’d suffered with horrendous stomach cramps. They’d come out of nowhere. Either left me doubled over in pain or rushing to the loo. But, as the years had gone by, I’d just learned to deal with it. Especially as in May 1991, my hubby Neil, 31, had been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease, or Crohn’s. It meant he’d lost loads of weight, struggled to eat certain foods – it was physically debilitating. ‘So, it could be worse,’ I told myself. And I did my best to carry on. I tried every over-thecounter remedy I could buy.…

80% of people said painting their bedroom black helped them feel calmer.*** WE PAY CASH We’ll pay cash, or mention a charity of your choice, if we print your health story. Write to Your Health, Chat, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP or phone 020 3148 6150. You can send your story or email the Doc at chathealth@ti-media.com. Always consult your pharmacist or GP before using any over-the-counter or prescription remedies, and read the packet carefully. Turn over for more health…

Which actor was born to Vasily and Kitty Mironoff in 1945? To find out, solve the puzzle… Add a letter anywhere in each of the boxed-off words to fit the clue, eg, Prickle = TORN + H = THORN. Write the added letter in the space provided. Read down the added letters to spell out the prize answer. WIN £50 Puzzle 9 Prickle Peaceful Tree type Platform Long spear Great ape Corn Spreading quickly Sketched Unwanted plants Sand mounds Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 60 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

Seeing the name come up on my mobile, my heart skipped a beat. ‘Hey, you,’ I said answering, a smile creeping across my face. ‘Morning,’ my ex-boyfriend Lloyd, 26, said. That’s right, ex. It was October 2019, and we’d called it quits five months earlier. Yet, he was still in touch. And, truth was, I didn’t mind. I’d been devastated when he’d broken things off. We met on Tinder in November 2018, and Lloyd made me laugh, showed an interest in my life. And things got serious pretty quickly between us. I introduced him to my kids – Aimee, 12, and Macey, 6 – and we met each other’s families. We were proper loved up. But, once he’d moved into my house, the cracks began to show. Lloyd wasn’t working,…

Caramelised onion quiche SERVES 6 PREP TIME 20 MINS COOK TIME 1 HR • 375g pack ready-rolled shortcrust pastry• 45g butter• 500g sliced red onions• 1tsp caster sugar• 2 eggs• 170ml double cream• 1tbsp fresh chopped thyme• 1tbsp Dijon mustard You will also need:• 6 x 12cm tart tins• Baking parchment 1 Preheat oven to 190C/Gas 5. On a floured surface, roll out the shortcrust pastry and use it to line the tart tins. Cover the shortcrust pastry with baking parchment and fill each with baking beans. Blind bake for 15 mins, remove the baking parchment and beans and bake for another 5 mins. 2 Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pan, add the red onions, a pinch of salt and caster sugar. Cook for 20 mins, medium-high heat, stirring…

Sitting down to lunch with friends, conversation quickly turned to my bump. ‘When’s your due date again?’ one of the girls asked. ‘October,’ I smiled. It was August 2019 and, with just two months to go, I couldn’t wait. Me and my husband, John, 43, had spent many weeks preparing. The cot was built, sleepsuits and bibs folded. And while everything was super exciting, a part of me was nervous, too. Of course, I had all the usual questions… What would the labour be like? Would I ever sleep again? But the worry I just couldn’t shake was about breastfeeding. So, I turned to my friends for answers. ‘The hospital will help you get used to feeding,’ they assured me. But that didn’t make me feel any better about coming…

Chat winners issue 4 23 January 2020 £1,001 CASH A Hancock, Stonehouse £1,000 CASH M Cross, Weston-super-Mare £500 CASH E Updale, Doncaster; C Sawyer, Tonbridge £250 CASH N Bassett, Cheltenham £150 CASH J Lack, London £100 CASH B Johnstone, Cramlington; K Biglane, Somerset; F Hawkes, Weston-super-Mare; M Mott, Loughborough; C Dennis, New Romney £60 CASH J Harrington, Bristol £50 CASH E Crutcher, Bournemouth; L McCormack, Liverpool; M Peace, Sheffield £30 CASH T Bundy, Eastbourne; J Dunt, Ipswich; J Davison, Guernsey; K Day, Porthmadog; K Casbolt, Biggin Hill £25 CASH R Thompson, Preston; J Graham, Ballymena; J McLaren, Glasgow; C James, Grays; S Rattenbury, Newcastle upon Tyne; V Smith, Hitchin; M Candler, Emsworth; H Lisle, Newcastle upon Tyne; L Tomlinson, Dereham Anyone from your town in the list this week..? PUZZLE 1…

Comedian Russell Howard has said something he dislikes about his appearance is his resemblance to whom? Solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares for the prize puzzle answer. ACROSS DOWN £1,001 winner Issue 03 16 January 2020 ‘Fantastic. I’m really pleased and will spend the money on mine and my husband’s birthday celebrations.’ Sharon Wellham, Grimsby Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 60 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

Walking through my front door, I felt ready to collapse. Another busy day at the cafe had left my feet throbbing and back aching. All I wanted was a quiet, relaxing evening. Fat chance! No rest for the wicked, don’t you know?! I still had cake orders to fulfil, dinners to cook and homework to help the kids with. Eloise, then 15, Izaak, 11, Verity, 8, and Eve, 7, were always fighting for our attention. A standard evening in the Tizard household. ‘How was your day?’ I asked my husband Nick, 47, when he finally got in from his job as a delivery driver. I’m shattered,’ he huffed. Sometimes it could be gone 10pm by the time we’d fallen on to the sofa. Could just about manage a glass of…

Could his sport wreck his health? Q My son wants to take up boxing later this year, but I worry that it might cause brain damage. Noella, Wandsworth A Bruises are to be expected, and there’s the danger of cuts, lost teeth, broken ribs, internal bleeding and even permanent eyesight damage from a blow to the eye. But it’s the knocks to the head that worry some doctors. A knockout blow can cause bruising or bleeding to the brain, but doctors believe even minor head blows might cause brain damage if they’re repeated over a long time, which is why ex-professional boxers are more likely to suffer brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Boxing safety standards have improved, and the risks seem much lower for amateur boxers than professionals,…

My wife’s banned sex Q My wife announced she’s having a year off sex to clear her head and reset her body. She’s decided we’ll become vegan and teetotal, do lots of exercise. She sleeps in the spare room. I’m all for living a healthy lifestyle but this is extreme! I don’t know if our marriage will survive without sex. Pete, 36 A Tell her your thoughts, right now. A healthy lifestyle’s great, but a year off sex?! What makes you intimate and separates you from being friends? It can be simple, like holding hands, but you need something you don’t share with anyone else. Say you will support her, but she can’t impose her choices on you. I can’t say no to family Q Why do I end up doing all the…

Q I’m a busy new mum, what beauty buys do you recommend? Ellen Sinclair, 34, Edinburgh A Having a baby really cuts the faff from your beauty routine, but that doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself every now and then. Weleda makes gentle, natural baby products that you’ll love too. Have a soothing soak with your little one in Calendula Cream Bath, £13.95, then slather on aromatic Calendula Baby Oil, £9.50. Sanctuary Spa is another great brand for time-poor parents. The 1-minute Daily Glow Mask, £14, transforms knackered skin in 60 seconds, while Wet Skin Moisture Miracle, £8, is a body hydrator that you apply right after you shower, there’s no need to dry off. It sinks in instantly and smells dreamy. LETTER of the week! TRIED AND TESTED SPRING PEDI SPECIAL Flexitol…

When Kristie Powell, 39, told people on social media of her pregnancy in early 2018, she was looking forward to a new chapter in her life. The dog groomer, known for her soft heart when it came to rehoming stray pets, told her online friends she was expecting a baby by a sperm donor. After 22 years of dating and meeting many, many suitors that didn’t suit, I’m excited to announce that I’m now making my very own perfect little prince… She thanked family and friends for their support. In May 2018, baby Slater was born and Kristie, who lived in Bellambi, in New South Wales, Australia, shared the happy news online. Last night at 9.26pm I officially became a mummy! she wrote. He is my perfect prince now & forever…

Pulling on my favourite leather trousers, I checked my reflection in the mirror. Not bad for a mum of four, I thought. It was 17 November 2018, and I was ready for a rare Saturday night out. I couldn’t wait to dance the night away with my pals to celebrate my cousin’s birthday. ‘Thanks for babysitting,’ I said, hugging my sister, Jennifer, then 44, goodbye. After a few drinks in Manchester, we headed to a nightclub in Leigh. But, almost as soon as we got onto the dance floor at around 1.45am, I realised I was feeling a little worse for wear. I wasn’t used to drinking so much, it’d gone to my head. ‘I need to go home,’ I told a friend. Before I had a chance to leave,…

Q Is there anything you miss from your old life? A There’s only one thing I can think of and that’s a washing machine and a tumble dryer. You never know how long it takes to wash and dry clothes until you live in the forest and have to do it by hand! But otherwise there’s nothing else I miss from before. Q Were you worried about how your kids would adjust to life off-grid? A Of course. We’re living a very alternative lifestyle and it was going to be a big adjustment. But when they’re all at school, I think they have the best of both worlds. Q What’s a typical day like for the family? A Pre-social distancing, we would all still get up and go to school…

A HERO FELL Detective Constable Michael Swindells, 44, was stabbed to death in Birmingham on 21 May 2004. The attack happened while he was chasing a suspect who had been seen threatening members of the public with a knife. Glaister Earl Butler, 48, who had mental-health problems, was charged with murder, but the jury accepted his defence of diminished responsibility. He was detained indefinitely in a secure psychiatric hospital. PUBLIC EXECUTION Kenneth Bigley, a British civil engineer, was kidnapped along with two colleagues in Baghdad, Iraq, on 16 September 2004. The kidnappers – from an Islamic extremist group – said they would kill the men within 48 hours if coalition forces did not release their female Iraqi prisoners. The first two hostages were executed soon after the deadline was reached,…

‘Nothing is safe’ Leanne Parker, 41, Bracknell Scurrying across the kitchen, Ronny, 1, reached for a rogue dog biscuit, shoved it in his mouth. ‘That’s not for you!’ I laughed, scooping him up. It was June 2010 and my Ronny was constantly putting things in his mouth. Just like all toddlers, I reasoned. But when he started preschool in September 2011, his teacher gave me a warning. ‘Don’t be alarmed if his poo’s blue!’ she said. Ronny had been seen licking crayons like lollipops, before devouring the whole thing. ‘He’s always eating something he shouldn’t be,’ I said. ‘Maybe he has pica,’ she said. Googling it, I discovered pica is an eating disorder that compels people to eat non-food items. Most grow out of it by adulthood. A GP soon…

3 ways to… help you manage your money 1 Emma This app (emma-app.com) lets you view all your bank accounts and credit cards in one place and categorises all your spending so you can see where your cash is going. It has loads of great features, like finding subscriptions you’re signed up to but may have forgotten you took out. And it tracks any fees your bank charges you, such as for your overdraft. Available from the App Store and Google Play. 2 Yolt You can connect Yolt (yolt.com) to your bank accounts and credit cards; it analyses your spending and offers useful tips on how to cut back. It also has a tool that lets you set budgets and tracks how well you are sticking to them. Available from the App…

Aries 21 March-20 April Your morals and values may be tested, Aries, but taking a risk on something you’d not normally agree to will excite you and ignite the naughty passion within you. • Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May Having a sense of humour will be helpful now, Taurus, when someone close to you is being irrational. Don’t take something that’s said to you too much to heart. • Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June Family and close friends will show you just how grateful they are for all that you do. Your hard work will be rewarded when a great offer comes up. • Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July We all make mistakes, even a…

TEXT Simply text CHATD followed by a space and your answer/s (spaces between answers please) full name, door number and postcode to 84988 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 TI Media Limited and Chat. If you want to receive these, please end your text with TIOPTIN. Texting tips INTERNET Join our Chat Comp Club now and enter your puzzle answers directly online at our website address comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles Existing puzzlesandprizes members may need to re-register, just click on the ‘Join now’ button once you are on the website. PHONE Simply call 0906 470 7003 For every call to our competition Lucky Line, we’ll donate 10p to The Brain Tumour Charity. •…