Table of contents for 09-Mar-2017 in Chat

Lovely Laura, gone. My beautiful boys’ lives in the balance... Tucking my boys into bed, I kissed them good night. ‘Be good for your Aunty Laura, won’t you?’ I said. Laura, 21 – my hubby’s little sister – had come to stay and was looking after Jayden, 7, and Ellis, 5, the next morning, when I was at my sales assistant job that day in December 2015. Laura was brilliant, like a sister to me, too. I could tell by the way she adored my boys she’d be a fab mum herself one day – and the boys loved her just as much, too. The next day, my work trundled along as normal until the afternoon when my phone rang. ‘You need to get to my dad’s place immediately!’ my…

On the screen was a photo he’d secretly taken of me Now I want to work with kids in care homes – warn others Every night was the same. Sitting alone in my bedroom watching telly. It was June 2013. Two years earlier, I’d run away from home and been taken into a care home in Merseyside. I was miserable. Then my phone beeped with a message from a strange number. Hey, gorgeous! Who’s this? I replied. Lee Lambert’s profile showed a smiley bloke with a shaved head. He said he’d got my details through a group message we were both part of. So we knew the same people. I told Lee I was 15 and in Liverpool. I’m 21, I run a nightclub, he replied. We started messaging daily.…

Serves: 8 Prep: 25 min Cook: 20-25 min Vegetable oil, for greasing 270g pack filo pastry sheets, thawed if frozen 50g butter, melted 1 egg, beaten 80g ground almonds 25g soft brown or caster sugar 1 South African pear, peeled, cored and thinly sliced 1 South African apple, cored and thinly sliced Icing sugar, for sprinkling 1 Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4 and lightly grease two baking sheets with the oil. 2 Unroll pastry sheets and cut into eight equal squares. Brush each square with a little melted butter, stacking them up to make 8 piles on the baking sheets. 3 Reserve 1tbsp of beaten egg, then mix rest with ground almonds and sugar. Share mixture between piles of pastry, spreading it in middle to leave a border around edge.…

I clambered out of the kayak, and then I collapsed Now I’ve booked a trip to Singapore for later this year Just as I was waking up, I heard my phone buzz. Heart skipping a beat, I leapt up to read the text. Morning, gorgeous! It was from Nigel. We’d just met on Facebook, after he randomly added me as a friend. We got chatting and there was an instant connection. Within days, I was falling for him. When he asked if I wanted to meet up, I didn’t think twice. I was worried we wouldn’t have the same chemistry in real life but, if anything, it was even stronger. ‘I know it’s early days, but I think I love you,’ he told me. ‘I feel the same,’ I said.…

Collection Volumax Volumising Mascara, £5.99, Boots Mascara, plus primer to add volume and keep lashes healthy. Top tip: Apply without primer for a daytime look. Lottie #LASHGOALS XXL Ultra Volumising Mascara, £6.95, Superdrug The angled brush boosts lashes big time. Top tip: Be kind to the delicate skin around your eyes, take off make-up more gently. Max Factor False Lash Epic Mascara, £11.99, Boots A giant-sized brush gives full-on lashes. Top tip: Use the end of the brush for lashes at the corner of eyes. KIKO Extra Sculpt Volume Mascara, £8.90, www.kiko  cosmetics.com If it's big, clump-free lashes you want, the hourglass shape of this brush does the job. Top tip: Be sure the lid's on tight to stop mascara drying out.…

Her lips were pale and her little face was turning purple Next day, I went round with some flowers to thank her Our new routine already felt like second nature. At 10pm each night, my hubby would settle our baby Molly in her Moses basket, while I prepared her bottle. Molly had been born just eight days earlier by Caesarean, but we already couldn’t imagine a world without our baby girl in it. The house was quiet as I turned off the bedroom light and headed for the kitchen. But I hadn’t made it far when I heard a strange noise. ‘What’s that?’ I asked my other half Adrian, 30. It was a strange gurgling sound, a bit like vomiting. Turning the light back on, I went over to…

1 Life's a beach! There are loads of sensational beaches with miles of golden sand and rocky inlets. Walk along the shore, build a sandcastle or explore a rock pool. You won't be bored for long! 2 Bar with a view After a day on the beach, chill out in a bar with views over the Atlantic. Locals' favourites include The Lewinnick Lodge, Fistral Beach Bar and the Carnmarth Hotel. 3 Fab food Check out The Fish House on Fistral Beach. The setting is amazing, the fish is locally caught and with an open kitchen you can watch your meal being cooked as the sun goes down. 4 Give us a wave! Head for the Cribbar, also known as the Widow Maker. This area around Little Fistral and Huer's Hut…

He smashed Lyvette in the side of the face for no reason THE CRIME On 30 September 2014, Lyvette and Daniel Crespo were fighting. He'd been cheating - and not for the first time. He came home and beat her as he had many times before. This time, though, he also turned on their son. For Lyvette, it was the final straw. THE STORY Lyvette and Daniel Crespo were high-school sweethearts. Married in 1986, they appeared to be the perfect couple. A year later, they had their daughter Crystal and, a few years on, son Daniel Jr. With a young family to look after, Daniel put everything into building a career in local politics. He worked his way up and eventually was elected Mayor of Bell Gardens, the area in…

What I loved The dozens of hot-cross buns that have arrived in the office for us to sample! Yum! That glorious smell of cinnamon, a hint of orange…oooh, heaven! (My faves are toasted, with melting butter…) What hacked me off Butt pain. No, really. Sciatic nerve hell. Sympathy, please! What made me laugh Somebody in the office asking if the size of the pain related to the size of my butt. Cheeky! Anyway - they're fired! Hope your week is just peachy!!…

I’m exhausted! Q Since a major bowel op last year, I've felt exhausted, but my GP says nothing's wrong. Diane, 63 A Your doctor can rule out causes such as anaemia or vitamin deficiency, but major illness can leave you tired for months, for reasons we don't fully understand. Try gradually increasing exercise, and if it's getting you down your GP might suggest talking therapy, CBT. Sight fears QI've been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, AMD. Is there a cure? Lilly, 71 AAMD, damage to the retina, is the most common cause of blindness among over-65s in this country. Stopping smoking is important, and vitamin supplements can help. Eye injections or laser therapy are other options, depending on the type of AMD. Puffy ankles Q My GP recommends elastic support…

I thought that my heart would burst with grief... It’d been yonks since I’d heard from Will Norris, 28. ‘Can I take you for a spin?’ he messaged out the blue on Facebook in January 2014. He’d just got a Mini Cooper. ‘Show-off!’ I teased, but I still accepted his offer. Will had been in the year below me at school. Now he’d become a primary-school teacher, while I worked for a charity. That night, we stayed up until 3am, chatting and reminiscing. And, the following week, we headed out for dinner together. Quickly an item, Will moved in with me. Then, on my 27th birthday, in March 2015, he popped the question at a Burnley FC match – on the pitch at half-time, in front of my family! We…

Tesco British Beef Cheese Burgers, £3 Two ready-to-grill patties, 2 slices of cheese, 2 buns and a pack of tomato relish. As the burgers need to be grilled, this is the real deal, but an easy buying option. Lidl Speedfeast Quarter Pounder With Cheese, 85p Because the whole thing - bun and all - is microwaved, it all comes out the same soft consistency. But the meat pattie does taste authentic, and the relish is really good. Rustlers Quarter Pounder, £1.50 As the meat patty is flame-grilled before cooking, it has a great flavour! But the mustard-come-tomato sauce is an acquired taste! NEW Bonne Maman Rhubarb Conserve, £2.30 Stir this sweet yet tart jam into yogurt, serve on granola or porridge, or just pile onto hot buttered toast or a…

Nikki’s message I think 12-year-old Nikki Christou is a worthy recipient of the Pride of Britain Award (12 January issue). Nikki has arteriovenous malformation which causes pain and facial changes. She wants to educate others about disfigurement. Her message that beauty comes from inside generates a vital message that we should never judge someone based on appearance. Jill Cohen, Leeds What a cheek! Our neighbour’s constant borrowing is too much. So when he asked if he could use our hedge trimmer, my husband Paul said he was using it all day. ‘In that case,’ the neighbour said, ‘can I borrow your golf clubs, as you won’t need them?’ Kay Maddocks, Theobalds Grove Silly questions Having finished uni, my daughter’s having interviews, but is amazed by questions she’s asked, like, ‘What…

While the condition’s not life-threatening, it’s incurable All the time I’m awake,I make the most of every moment One day, my mum Mandy, 45, said she’d noticed I was acting weird. ‘You seem confused,’ she frowned. I was adamant I’d sent her some texts, but she said I hadn’t, that I kept asking the same questions. It was February 2010, I was 15 and recovering from a chest infection. ‘I think I’m still under the weather,’ I told her. But, suddenly, I turned hyperactive. ‘I don’t want to leave you alone,’ Mum fretted. Needing to pop to the shops, she took me with her. But, as Mum looked around, I suddenly felt really tired. I’ll just sit down here, I thought. Next minute, Mum was shaking me awake. ‘What…

My daughter Olivia, then 4, fidgeted as I brushed her long, blonde hair. ‘Sit still,’ I told her. As I parted her hair into pigtails, I noticed a little bald patch at the back of her head. It was small – the size of a 50p piece. I wasn’t sure what had caused it, but I wasn’t too worried. But when I collected Olivia from school later, I found two more patches on top of her head. ‘They weren’t there this morning,’ I said to Olivia’s stepdad Matthew, 34. I took her to our GP, who told me it was alopecia and explained that it’s the sudden loss of hair. An autoimmune condition, it’s thought to be triggered by stress or illness, where the immune system attacks hair follicles. But…

We said we’d give it a year or so, rearrange the wedding Vows done, rings exchanged, we headed to the studio We had to act fast or we’d never walk that cobbled street, never stand at the bar of the Rover’s Return… It was November 2015. We’d just seen on the news that the set of Coronation Street was moving out of Manchester city centre to Salford. It meant the tour was finishing. For years, fans’d been able to visit Coronation Street, see where Richard Hillman murdered Maxine, where Ken Barlow confronted Deirdre about her affair with Mike, where Fiz Brown nearly died in a tram crash… My fiance Tim, 36, and I are massive fans. Never happier than when we’re on the sofa with a cuppa, as the…

Aries 21 March - 20 April A solid contract or agreement’s good to have. Of course, you’ll have to read it all carefully first, but it really is to your benefit. So, when it’s offered, don’t wave it away as unnecessary. You may be glad of it at some future date. Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April - 21 May If you’re lost, the best thing is to stop and look at a map. Only you’re already late, and stopping would make you later still - or so you say. But five minutes of calm thought will save you hours of going round in circles... Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May - 21 June There’s a job on offer that looks great, but probably…

ONE SWIPE AT LOVE Single guy Shed Simove has released a tongue-in-cheek app, Shinder, allowing female users to swipe right or left on his profile only.That's right, he's the only man available to date. Shed explained that getting noticed on dating apps is tough, adding, ‘I'm now a big fish in my own pond.’ POND LIFE Chinese scientists claim humanity's earliest ancestor may be a microscopic marine life form existing 540 million years ago. Saccorhytus coronarius, measuring just 1mm, had muscles, a thin layer of skin and, possibly, gills. Its mouth, with four rows of teeth, made up half its body. Well, some of us are still all talk… HERO LEGO See the goodies and baddies all brickin’ it in the world’s largest Lego exhibition this spring. DC Comics it…

Insecure and paranoid, he hated it if a man looked at Mum I staggered from the car, heard myself screaming in the chaos As I burst out laughing with my mum Maria, 52, I was struck again by a thought I’d had countless times before. She’s not just my parent, she’s my best friend. It was last May, and we were online shopping. Earlier that day, she’d admired the dress I was wearing and insisted I order her the same one. ‘You want people to mistake us for sisters,’ I teased, and it’d set us off giggling. Meanwhile, my stepfather Jose Leonardo, 56, sat stony-faced in an armchair. ‘Ignore him,’ I whispered to Mum, nudging her. But, glancing at Jose, Mum fell silent abruptly. I rolled my eyes. Truthfully, I…

Tearing open the letter, I groaned when I saw it was a reminder to book my smear test. I’d had my first one three years ago, in 2011. I hated it, felt so uncomfortable. I couldn’t bear the thought of going through it all again. ‘I’m too busy,’ I told my fiance Chris, 30. I just wanted to forget about it, but Chris wouldn’t let me. ‘It’s important,’ he lectured. He was right. So I booked an appointment the following week, in April 2014. After, I had to wait three weeks for the results. Then, one day at work, I got a call from my GP. ‘I’d like to see you,’ she said. So Chris took me for an appointment that afternoon. ‘I’m afraid we’ve found abnormal cells,’ the doctor…

We’ve all done something crazy, thinking it was for the best. Me? I had tyre sealant injected into my face – because I really didn’t think I had a choice. I’m a trans-woman. I was born into a man’s body. And it sucked. So, when I was 30, I just went for it. Started to live my life as a woman. The doctor at the gender-reassignment clinic prescribed me hormones, and I had surgery to give me the body I should’ve been born with. But there was a problem. My face. ‘I look like a man in a dress,’ I sighed. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against men in dresses...it just wasn’t me. ‘Honey, you need facial fillers,’ one of my close trans-women friends said. They don’t…

 The second those big, brown, puppy-dog eyes locked with mine, it was love. With such a sweet face, who could be mad at Theo? ‘He’s irresistible,’ I said to my partner Julian, 45, last November. Julian was equally smitten and, as soon as we were introduced to 5-year-old Theo at the German Shepherd Rescue Elite centre, we knew he was coming home with us. A gentle giant, he hit it off at once with the rest of our brood…our cats Indie and Willow, and Archie, our Jack Russell terrier. When he wasn’t charging around with his new furry family, Theo was at our feet, hankering for a cuddle. ‘Big softie,’ I teased. But it seemed Theo was hiding an adventurous streak… Three days after we brought him home, I returned…

1 Cook 300g wholewheat pasta in boiling water for 11-13 minutes until tender, then drain thoroughly. 2 Meanwhile, heat 1tbsp oil in a large frying pan and fry 200g diced, smoked back bacon for 2 min, then add three trimmed, washed and sliced leeks and one sliced red pepper and fry for a further 3-4 min. 3 Add 50g roughly chopped walnuts, 200ml half-fat creme fraiche, juice and zest of a lemon, 100g spinach and 100ml water and heat until spinach has just wilted. 4 Stir in pasta and heat through for 1-2 min before serving. TOP TIP For a tasty change, you can try swapping the creme fraiche for a tub of tomato pasta sauce. Serves: 4 Cost per head: £1.30…

My numbers kept popping up. I couldn’t believe it! I jumped from my chair as the final numbers came up As I waited for my last number to pop up, I was so excited. It was November 2014 and I was enjoying a game on Chat Mag Bingo. Come on, I thought, tapping my foot in excitement. I was playing my fave – the 90-ball bingo in Emerald – and suddenly, there it was. The number I’d been waiting for! ‘I’ve won, I’ve won!’ I cried. My name was flashing on the screen. Whoop! Then my jackpot amount popped up – £1,250! ‘Wow!’ I cried, beaming. I’d never won such a huge jackpot. I absolutely loved playing bingo. It was fun, exciting. I’d played my whole life, going to…

Eccentric Brahe lived with a beer-drinking pet elk A great man was dead, a great mind gone. And for what? Tycho Brahe had dedicated his life to science and the study of the stars. Ever since he’d seen a solar eclipse, aged 14, in 1560, he’d spent every night observing the stars and planets. He’d been the first astronomer to describe a supernova, the explosion of a star, and chart the movement of the planets. What he’d found changed everything. Now, though, in 1601, Tycho Brahe was dead. His assistant Johannes Kepler described what had happened. Tycho had been at a banquet thrown by the Holy Roman Emperor in Prague, in the modern-day Czech Republic. The Emperor was one of Europe’s richest, most powerful men. Not someone you upset. So,…

Arriving home from yet another disastrous date, I felt fed up. ‘I’ve had enough of online dating,’ I sighed. A single mum to Imogen, 9, and Madeleine, 6, I’d been looking for love online for nearly three years. There was no shortage of dates. I just didn’t click with anyone. So now, in November 2014, I went to delete my account. First, though, I messaged Steve, who I’d been in brief contact with about a year earlier. We’d got on very well, but we’d never gone on a date. I’m coming off the site, I wrote. Here’s my number if you want to get in touch. Next thing, Steve replied. Messages pinged back and forth. The same age as me, Steve worked in telecoms and had a daughter of his…