Table of contents for 21-Feb-2019 in Chat

Aged 4, innocent Rebecca should have been looked after. But what happened in a shed with her foster dad will haunt her forever (p6). Brave Sylvia had fought for her life but only felt like celebrating thanks to the help of a very clever surgeon, a talented photographer and some sexy undies (p29)... And Cree was having sexy fun with her much younger man – but would that change when feelings got involved? (p46) On top of even more captivating real-life reads, we’ve got easy-peasy midweek meals made from tins (p27), pretty pink home updates (p26) and stripy clothes galore from just £3 (p12). Not forgetting our usual fab prize puzzles! You lucky things!…

Card reader  Instead of throwing away birthday cards, I cut them into bookmarks. Saves them being wasted or stuffed in a drawer, never to be seen again! Lilian Smith, Barton Cap it all!  Fed up with white rings all over my black vanity shelf from my electric toothbrush, I used the cap of the toothpaste to catch any mess. It definitely helps to keep things clean and tidy. Glenda Collie, Bridge of Don Master key  I didn't have a pound coin for my trolley so I  used my house key! It worked really well. Hayley Tomkins, Swansea Hat’s brilliant!  When I have parties, my friends often forget which drink is theirs. So I bought these pretty ribbons with attached bows and hats from a craft shop and tied them to…

Still unsteady… Q I went dizzy, was sick and the world spun! My GP gave me pills as he says it's labyrinthitis, but I'm still unsteady! Rana, Preston ALabyrinthitis is inflammation of your inner ear, which controls balance, usually the result of a virus infection. At first, when vomiting is severe, you might need injections, but should soon be able to control symptoms with pills. It usually settles within a couple of weeks. Eczema problem Q As soon as I turn my central heating on, my eczema flares up! Kara, Derry A Eczema is dry, inflamed skin, so central heating can dry your skin further. Turn the heating down a tad, humidify the air with a bowl of water in front of each radiator, and apply moisturiser. But see your…

Meatball bake Serves 4 Prep: 10 min Cook: 40 min ● 500g pack lean beef mince ● 1 onion, finely diced ● 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped ● Salt and pepper ● 150ml vegetable stock ● 400g can tomato soup ● 400g can chopped tomatoes ● 100g Parmesan, grated ● 1 mozzarella ball, sliced ● Handful of chopped parsley 1 Put the mince, onion, garlic, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Using your hands, work the ingredients together - the mince should be smooth and the mixture should hold together easily. Roll into golf ball-sized meatballs and put them to one side. 2 In an oven-proof dish add the stock, soup and chopped tomatoes and mix well with a spoon. Place your meatballs on top of the sauce…

1997: Who killed Billie-Jo? On 15 February 1997, Billie-Jo Jenkins, 13, was found dead at a house in Hastings, East Sussex. Her skull had been shattered by multiple blows to the head. Her foster father Sion was given a life sentence for murder in 1998 - but six years later, the conviction  was quashed. Jurors in a retrial failed to reach a verdict and the case remains unsolved. 2014: Sadistic teen murderer After chatting on an online gaming forum for months, Breck Bednar, 14, told his parents he was staying at a friend's, before sneaking to the house of 18-year-old computer engineer Lewis Daynes. There, Daynes carried out a ‘sexual and sadistic' attack on his victim on 17 February 2014. He used duct tape to bind Breck's wrists and ankles,…

Livvy Haydock – Inside Britain’s Black Market BBC3 The trading of counterfeit goods in the UK is worth £9.3 billion a year! But the black market doesn’t just offer cut-price versions of designer goods, it supplies cheap drugs, too. This one-off documentary explores the scale of the problem. Flack W Anna Paquin stars as American London-based PR exec Robyn who’s skilled at sorting out her clients’ problems but not so good at dealing with her own issues. This six-part series also stars Sophie Okonedo as Robyn’s boss Caroline while Lydia Wilson is her bonkers colleague Eve. Endeavour ITV With the world anticipating the Apollo 11 moon mission, Endeavour investigates the death of Oxford University’s astrophysicist Adam Drake and his girlfriend Christine in a car accident. But clues point to foul…

Keeping mum There are reports in the news all the time about the growing number of childless women, but why does it bother so many people? It is nobody else's business. When a woman reaches a certain age, she is expected to start thinking about having kids. If she doesn't, society demands an answer. There may be medical reasons why these women can't reproduce or it may be personal choice. I wish people would just leave them alone. Ava Barnes, St Asaph Rude with food How many of us have family members who can’t seem to eat a meal at the table without texting on their phones the whole time? It’s bad manners the likes of which our parents would never have tolerated. How times have changed! For the worse…

NOT GUILTY After hearing all the evidence, Judge Darlene E Schempp deliberated for just 10 minutes before convicting Roman of involuntary manslaughter. She said there was no evidence to suggest Roman had planned the killing, and that there was ‘no question the defendant loved his mother very much’. Roman had already spent more than two years in prison and was sentenced to a further three years probation. The judge insisted Roman had meant no malice in his actions. Elizabeth Roman, who had sat through her grandson’s trial, afterwards told the press how drained she and Timothy were from the ordeal. She said it was time for them to start a ‘whole new life’.…

Sex after op? Q I'm due a hip replacement next month. I'm embarrassed to ask, but can I have sex afterwards? Merryl, Minehead A The op could even improve your sex life if hip pain or stiffness now limits your enjoyment. Lay off sex for about six weeks after and take it gently, with your partner on top. Don't kneel or bend your hips too high for the first few months. There’s blood! QI had irregular bleeding and my GP found a cervical polyp. Is it serious? Antoinette, Lewisham A These smooth, fleshy growths inside your cervix - the neck of your womb - might cause bleeding but are almost always harmless and simple for a doctor to remove. But, in around a quarter of cases, there's a polyp inside…

Sylvia Crossett, 55, Plymouth Relief flooded over me as the nurse smiled and told me to put my shirt back on. ‘It’s just hormonal,’ she reassured. A week earlier, in April 2014, I’d found a small lump in my right breast. About the size of a 10p piece. I’d been terrified it was cancer. Thoughts of dying, leaving behind my husband Neil, 55, and two children, Emma, 29, and David, 26, had filled my mind. Not to mention my three precious grandchildren, Ellie, 10, Mason, 4, and Teddy, 3. But now, the nurse had assured me nothing was wrong. That night, I put on a figure-hugging black dress, did my hair and make-up, and Neil and I headed out to celebrate. In January 2015, I had a routine mammogram, didn’t…

Aries 21 March - 20 April There’s a new way to solve an old problem, but you’re not sure, so you’re thinking about the old way instead. It wasn’t great, but at least you knew where you were. Don’t slip back - go with the new. ● Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April - 21 May If you can’t have what you want, you’d rather nothing at all. Very dramatic, but it leaves you empty-handed. If you compromise a little, the chances are you can have at least half of what you want. ● Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May - 21 June You might have found your dream job - but dreams can also be confusing. You might well find that this new…

Coronation Street Tracy tries to pay off Tyler… Tracy and Steve will adopt Amy’s baby when it’s born, but with the father Tyler now working in the Bistro, they’re worried that he and his mum Vicky will scupper their plan. Tracy had threatened to report Tyler for having sex with a minor, but it fell on deaf ears, so she offers him £5,000 to stay out of Amy’s life. But that doesn’t work either so what will Tracy do? Meanwhile, Gina tries to build bridges with Sally, and Tyrone’s convinced that Mary fancies him! Emmerdale Rhona’s life hangs in the balance Rhona had been hoping to have a duvet day with Pete, but when he insists on going to work, she agrees to cover Vanessa’s shift. One of her jobs…

Cree Ingles, 49 Chatting to my neighbour one afternoon in September 2011, I was grateful for the company. Depressed after a break-up four months earlier, my self-confidence was on the floor. ‘I want to get out more,’ I told her. ‘But I can’t face the world right now.’ Just then another resident from the building appeared in the corridor, a girl on his arm. He’d moved in recently and I’d seen him about, but been too miserable to pay attention. ‘Have you met the new bloke?’ I asked the neighbour. ‘Why? You got your eye on him..?’ she laughed. ‘Nah, I’m just being nosy!’ I answered truthfully. Anyway, I was old enough to be his mum! A few minutes later, the new bloke returned, alone. ‘I’m Aaron,’ he smiled. ‘Nice…

Lynne Hall, 52, says, ‘When Becki tried to find us, my parents Eva and George said it was up to me if I wanted to reach out. I wasn't ready for the upheaval. But in 2016, when I saw Becki's Facebook post, I'd lost my husband, dad and mother-in-law. I realised life's too short. I was nervous, but it couldn't have gone better.' Wynn Nixon, 68, adds, ‘I've always wanted to find Lynne. When Becki told me she'd found her, I cried with joy. Harry and Georgina are amazing, call me “Nanny Wynn”. I've had the chance to thank Eva, too. I'm glad she could give Lynne such a wonderful life.'…

Jade Jarvis, 26, Eastbourne Standing in the shower, brushing my hair, I noticed something troubling... My hairbrush was covered in huge clumps of my long, thick brown locks. I hadn’t felt any pain, so couldn’t have been brushing too hard. And I was only 16! This definitely wasn’t normal. It was September 2008. Concerned, I ran downstairs to show my mum Melanie, 39. ‘That is a lot,’ she agreed. Worried, my GP referred me for tests. I started a petition, got in touch with Apple... ‘You have alopecia areata,’ the GP told me a week later. A form of hair loss, doctors didn’t know the exact cause, but it was likely a problem with the immune system. I burst into tears. ‘I don’t want to go bald!’ I sobbed to…

A month later, there was even more bad news. Tests on lymph nodes in my chest had come back cancerous. I now needed the lymph nodes removing on my right side. I went straight in for surgery, and when the nurse took off my bandages this time, I didn’t feel disgusted. Just numb. Afterwards, the chemotherapy drained all the energy I had. Slumped on the sofa in my pyjamas, I watched children’s TV programmes with the grandkids. As for feeling sexy or feminine, those days seemed long gone. Finally, I was told I was cancer-free in January 2016. It was a huge relief. Weeks later, I went to see a plastic surgeon about breast reconstruction. ‘Can you do a tummy tuck at the same time?’ I joked, grabbing hold of…

Don't let fraudsters try to trick you out of your precious pot of money! 1 Beware of cold calls While a ban on pension cold-calling came into force on 9 January, experts warn you should still be on your guard. ‘Scammers are shameless and will contact potential victims by any means possible,' says Andrew Megson, Executive Chairman of mypension expert.com . ‘Anyone who approaches you out of the blue with “once in a lifetime” pension opportunities is an illegitimate provider,' he adds. 2 Other tricks The pension cold-calling ban could lead to more fraudsters setting up websites instead, so be vigilant if you're searching online for retirement income options. ‘If the website is vague about where your money's going and uses buzzwords such as “pension liberation”, “free…

Toni&Guy Radiant Brunette Shampoo, £7.19, Boots A shampoo to enhance brunette tones and add shine that might be lost. It works on natural and coloured brunette hair. L’Oréal Paris Elvive Purple Shampoo, £5.50 Not only does this work on brunette hair, but grey and blonde, too. It’s enriched with purple toners and a UV filter to help prevent colour fade. John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Visibly Deeper Shampoo, £6.99 If you’re looking for a shampoo that can make your hair gradually darker in-between salon visits, then this is the one for you – it contains semi-permanent acid dye technology to enhance colour. Charles Worthington ColourPlex Toning Blue Shampoo, £7.99 Brunette hair is prone to oxidising, which can bring out red and orange tones. This blue shampoo helps to neutralise these and…

Kelly Laing, 42 Knocking back a cocktail, I spun my sister Donna around to the pumping music. It was summer 2009 and we were having a ball at Donna’s hen do. We’d been dancing all evening at a local club. ‘The fun’s not over yet,’ I winked at Donna, then 29. ‘What now?’ she grinned. Suddenly, the room went dark and the music stopped. Eyes wide, Donna’s gaze locked on the handsome policeman sauntering straight towards her. As he unbuttoned his shirt, I watched her face with glee as it suddenly dawned on her… Not a copper, but a stripper! Donna’s cheeks flamed bright red as he started gyrating above her lap, while the rest of us whooped and fell about laughing. What a show! Afterwards, the stripper introduced himself…

Q Have your partner’s family and friends accepted you now? Ann Johnson, 59, Runcorn A His family have grown used to me. They do their best to include me, but I'm conscious about letting them have time alone with their son, as they don't see each other often. As for friends, neither of us have real local friends. People think our relationship is just sexual. But after over seven years, it's much more than that. Q Do you sometimes lack the energy that your partner might have? Jodie Burke, 38, Cardiff A I lack energy in that Aaron is able to do physical work that I can't. I also don't have the sex drive he has, but he's very patient with me in that area. Q When you realised you…