Table of contents for 14 April 2022 in Chat

If you need some inspo to make a life change, you’ve picked up the right mag! Stephenie (p10) wanted a baby but didn’t want a man. But she didn’t let that stop her. Fenella (p30) packed in her 9-5 for a life of circus skills. And why not? And when Sarah-Jane (p34) needed to overcome her addiction issues, her new looks told the story. There’s tons more real-life, plus prize puzzles, food, fashion and more. Have a great week!…

To his family, he was a loveable young man with a bright smile and outgoing personality. To his teachers, he was a silly boy, as goofy as can be. And his classmates at Thomas Edison High School agreed, voting him Class Clown. But later, to his own toddler son, Daunte Wright was simply Daddy. There are always two sides to every story, and the truth was that Daunte was no angel. Barely out of his teens, he’d been involved in shootings, burglary, assault and armed robbery. In April 2021, Daunte, 20, was driving near his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his girlfriend Alayna Albrecht-Payton, then 19. Daunte was driving his brother’s white 2011 Buick LaCrosse. Only, police officer Kim Potter, then 48, and a rookie cop she was training that…

Sex is so painful Q As soon as I ejaculate, I have a sudden searing pain in my penis. What’s wrong? Max, Hartlepool A Painful ejaculation is no joke, but guys rarely discuss it and we don’t even know how common it is – estimates range from 2-25% of men. The most common cause is infection, usually caught through sex, of your testicles, the prostate gland or your urethra. A prostate gland that’s enlarged with age, the after-effects of surgery, or nerve damage, are all possibilities, too, and sometimes we just can’t pinpoint a cause. Check with your GP if you’ve recently started antidepressants as these can cause orgasm pain as a side-effect. Treatment depends on the cause and might mean antibiotics or, rarely, surgery. I see imaginary people Q…

OVER TO YOU Can you set a puzzle in this format? Send i 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 Patrick Gorman, Yate, South Gloucester WIN 5x £25 Puzzle 6 ACROSS 1 Border 2 Black bird 3 Bees home 4 Not closed DOWN 1 Sound reflection 2 Slow leak 3 Michael __ MP 4 Boy’s name Your answer: CHAIN WORDS What type of hat gets its name from an 1882 play by Victorien Sardou? Get from Start to Finish, making words by joining two boxes together as you go, eg: FL + AX, AX + _ you decide! When you reach Finish, two unused boxes join together to give you the prize answer. WIN £100…

Dog’s a passion killer! Q My girlfriend is refusing sex with me because our new puppy likes sleeping on our bed. He growls when I go to touch her. I’ve also fallen in love with the little chap, but to be totally honest I’m not prepared to be in a sexless relationship. Mike, 35 A No-one wants to share their bed with a bonk-blocker, even if they are adorable! You may find this sorts itself out as things settle. If not, chat to your girlfriend, tell her that, though you love the dog, you both still need time alone as partners. Find solutions, like a comfy bed for your dog on the floor? Or is there a vet-approved treat you can distract him with while you two get busy? No…

Natasha, 30, Penzance As another message pinged on my phone, I panicked. Sorry I can’t come, I’m ill, I tapped back. It was April 2016, and I’d been talking to Matt, then 30, on Tinder for weeks. He had gorgeous eyes, and his kind face drew me in. We’d been playing video games together online, getting on so well. That’s because he doesn’t know what you look like, a mean voice said in my head. See, my profile pics were cropped closely to my face. What they didn’t show was my body. All 21st of it. I really want to meet you, Matt replied now. But I fobbed him off. As soon as he found out my big fat secret, he wouldn’t want to know. I couldn’t face the rejection.…

L’Oréal Paris 72H Moisture Wrapping Mask, £7.99 You’re probably used to slathering on hyaluronic acid, but now the superstar ingredient is being used to plump, smooth and soften dry, straw-like hair. The result is hair that is swishy, silky and a lot more manageable. Sally Hansen Good. Kind. Pure. Nail Polish, £8.99, Boots This caring nail colour is made with 100% Vegan ingredients such as potato, corn and wheat, which are kinder on weak nails than some traditional polishes. Even the brush is plant-based! Batiste Naturally Hemp & Coconut Milk Dry Shampoo, £4.25, Boots If you rely on dry shampoo, make the switch to this plant-powered, vegan-friendly formula. The smoothing ingredients mean flyaways are tamed as roots are refreshed. P.S. It smells ah-mazing! MAC Mini MAC Stack Mascara, £12, maccosmetics.co.uk…

STYLE TIP Add a classic denim jacket for spring and elongate your legs with a pair of flattering wedges in a neutral shade. STYLE TIP Don’t be afraid to wear checks with stripes. Try a lightweight shacket over Breton stripes for a cool, casual look. STYLE TIP Swap your jeans for a denim skirt. Wear tops tucked into high-waist styles and finish with designer-inspired accessories. STYLE TIP Nail two trends in one with this pink-and-lime colour-block combo. Keep your clothes tonal and add popping accessories…

Jurors found Kim Potter, 49, guilty of both first-degree and second-degree manslaughter. While the verdict fell short of the murder charge and conviction that Daunte’s family and activists had called for, protesters still celebrated outside court. At Potter’s sentencing hearing this February, she tearfully apologised to Daunte’s family, saying that she prayed for them every day. But Daunte’s mum Katie begged the judge to hand down the maximum sentence of seven years. ‘She took our baby boy with a single gunshot through the heart and she shattered mine. She took his future,’ she said. ‘I will never be able to forgive you for what you have stolen from us,’ she went on, addressing Potter directly. Jailing the former cop for two years, Judge Regina Chu said, ‘I recognise there will be…

Fenella Carcary, 36, Fareham, Hampshire Yawning, I looked at the clock: 5pm. ‘Just half an hour to go now,’ I smiled to my colleagues in the pharmacy. It was January 2018. It’d been a long but uneventful shift and I was looking forward to getting home and putting my feet up. Then suddenly, the doors to the pharmacy flew open. A man in a balaclava and cap ran in. ‘Give me all the Valium you have,’ he boomed at me. I’d heard of hold-ups in pharmacies before, and thought if it happened to me, I’d be terrified. Instead, it was fury that hit me. ‘How dare you? Get out!’ I roared. Grabbing a stool, I rushed at him. ‘I’m sorry,’ he blurted, running out as quickly as he’d come in.…

By now, I’d been asking my doctor for a gastric bypass for a while, but finally, in December 2019, I was put on a waiting list. Because of the pandemic, surgery was postponed. But in July 2020, I went into the Royal Cornwall Hospital for the five-hour operation to create a pouch in my tummy. It meant less food would make me feel much fuller and I’d be physically unable to overeat. Only, I was terrified that the op would fail. ‘I’m not going to be excited until I wake up and it’s done,’ I told Matt hours before. But it went well, and back at home Matt cared for me as I recovered. For the first week I slept in my recliner, only eating liquid food such as protein…

Indulge in luxe beauty care for less, with 20% OFF all the Angela Langford Skincare range of facial products, including this Bloom & Glow Radiance Restoring Face Oil with Chia Seed and Sea Buckthorn (15ml). WAS £20.50, NOW £16.40, at angelalangford.com/wo, using the code WO at checkout until 1 May 2022. Subject to availability. The offer applies to full-size facial products only, and excludes Sample Packs, Muslin cloths, Gift Vouchers and Gift Hampers. Free delivery on orders over £50.…

Aries 21 March-20 April An article you read will inspire you to make some home renovations. You’re extremely busy with work, so enlist help from willing family and friends. • Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May A day out with a friend will reveal a secret that only you know about. Chatting about the old times will make you laugh a lot, so plan another outing. • Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June If you’ve embarked on a new partnership, you might find you end up doing most of the work while they take credit. You’ll consider doing something on your own. • Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July Do something out of your comfort zone as Mercury…

Q Do I need to use a toner? Alyssa White, 48, Manchester A Toner refers to the liquid part of your skincare regime, which comes after cleansing, and before serum and moisturiser. According to Google Trends, searches for ‘toner’ have gone up by 250% since the start of October 2021, so it seems we’re all a bit confused about what they do and whether we really need them. A good toner will help to remove whatever dirt, oil and make-up is left after cleansing, balance your skin’s pH level, and prime skin for serums and moisturisers. Experts agree that while toners are not absolutely essential to skin health, they can certainly help target specific skin concerns. There are toners that correct pigmentation and mottled patches, like Cetaphil’s Healthy Radiance Brightness…

VANESSA GUY, 51, EXMOUTH, SAYS: I manage the Scope charity shop in Exmouth, and in April 2017, our fantastic volunteer Liz Lamb, then 56, joined. Her son Patrick has autism, and she wanted to give back. In November 2017, Patrick volunteered, too, and his dad Rob joined in 2021 after retiring. If it wasn’t enough of a family affair already, Liz and Rob’s daughter Hattie has also just started with us. The rest of our volunteers think the Lambs are fantastic, and have nicknamed them the ‘Von Scopes’ after the family in The Sound of Music! I can’t thank them enough for their help. Volunteers like them, giving their time and effort, help to raise vital funds for our charity, which provides essential practical and emotional support for people and…

Brace yourself Putting on bracelets singlehandedly can be such a struggle. So I use a hair pin to aid me by hooking it through one end and then holding it in place on my wrist, so I can hook the other end in place without losing it. Sophie Undrill, Branston Stick trick If you’re running out of places to hang drying clothes, try balancing some walking sticks between a chair and a radiator and hanging clothes on them. You’ll fit way more this way, compared to just hanging off the radiator. Isobel Currie, Chapelton Suck-cessful idea When my favourite attachment didn’t fit my new vacuum cleaner, I just wrapped some rubber bands around it and pushed them together. They hold and work really well. Aniko Ring, Exeter, Devon Hanging out…

What does British actor Tom Holland say is the worst job he ever had? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the five-word prize answer. ACROSS 11 Metallic element (6) 12 Rescue vessels (9) 13 Cinderella actor, _ James (4) 14 City in Cumbria (8) 15 Additional (5) 16 Nearly (6) 17 Hopelessness (7) 18 Country, capital Amsterdam (11) 20 Thigh bone (5) 22 Wrong (9) 24 Fret (5) 28 People who steal (7) 29 Line dividing north and south (7) 32 Get hold of (6) 34 Immediately (8) 36 Sport popular in America (8) 37 Seek (6) 39 Infinite (7) 40 Room for cooking (7) 45 Learn (5) 47 Deserving respect (9) 48 Artist’s stand (5) 51 Major sporting tournament (11) 53…

Caroline Bramwell, 56, Ilfracombe True-life PATIENT CASEBOOK Rubbing my belly, I took a deep breath. It was November 2004, and I was four months pregnant with my second child. Only, instead of enjoying my pregnancy, I was in agony, my stomach cramping. I’d noticed bleeding, too. ‘I need to see the GP,’ I told my husband Craig, then 39, desperately. I was terrified of losing my baby. But the doctor reassured me I wasn’t miscarrying. ‘I think you have ulcerative colitis,’ he explained. An inflammatory bowel disease causing inflammation and ulcers in the digestive tract. Relieved my baby was OK, I was referred to a specialist. Hoped medication would ease my rectal bleeding and stomach cramps. Only the specialist said I needed a colonoscopy. But it was too risky for…

ARROW WORD Which Mediterranean port was the target of two crusades started by Pope Clement VI in the 1340s? 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 WIN £50 Puzzle 12 NASA’s first spacewalk took place on a 1965 mission that was part of a space program with what name? The answer is the one missing from the grid. ANDROMEDA…

FILL ME IN Assisi, Gubbio and Terni are all towns in which region of Italy? 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 Tim Burton directed the 2019 live-action remake of which classic Disney animation? Fit the words into the grid, then read down the letters in the shaded circles. 3 letters AND ARC BAP BIT BOA COP EAT END ERA 4 letters DAMP DOOR LAVA LIDO LILT LOUD 5 letters LODGE PANDA PLANT PLAZA 6 letters ADVERB ALLIED AMOEBA ARCADE 7 letters CHAMBER CONTROL WIN £100 Puzzle 15 Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

3 ways to… protect from romance fraud Action Fraud is urging family members of online daters to help protect their relatives from becoming a victim of romance fraud. Here’s how to do it. 1 Know the facts According to Action Fraud, romance scams are when people are duped into sending money to criminals who go to great lengths to gain their trust and convince them that they are in a genuine relationship. They use language to manipulate, persuade and exploit so that requests for money do not raise alarm bells. Those who are less tech-savvy may be more at risk, which is why Action Fraud is asking us to look out for older relatives. 2 Steps to take Action Fraud says that there are a number of steps you can…

Roast lamb with crunchy mint crust Coating the lamb in flavoured breadcrumbs not only adds flavour but also keeps the meat succulent and tender SERVES 8 PREP TIME 15 MINS COOK TIME 2 HRS 15 MINS • 6 garlic cloves, crushed • 4tbsp olive oil • 3tbsp mint sauce • 130g lemon and pepper dried breadcrumbs • 2kg leg of lamb • 4 red onions, cut into wedges • 3 red peppers, deseeded and quartered • 4 sprigs rosemary 1 Heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Blend the garlic with 3tbsp olive oil, the mint sauce and breadcrumbs. 2 Pierce the lamb with a sharp knife several times and season generously. Coat the lamb in the mint crust, pressing it on firmly. 3 Put the lamb into a roasting tin…

Essence Hydro Hero Under Eye Stick, £2.79, Wilko The skin around the eye is much thinner and prone to dryness, making lines look more noticeable. A quick swipe with this twist-up moisturiser, enriched with panthenol, niacinamide and aloe vera, will nourish the under-eye area. Garnier Vitamin C Sheet Mask, £2.99 Vitamin C is a powerhouse brightening ingredient so if your complexion is looking sad and dull, spend 10 mins with this mask. It’s saturated with a bottle of serum to drench thirsty skin and boost radiance.…

It was a lazy Saturday morning in December 1994 in the Mosser household. Thomas Mosser, then 50, curled up inside his daughter’s playhouse and read stories to his little girl, Kelly, then 15 months. Afterwards, she wanted to play tea parties. Kelly toddled to the living room, picked up a toy teapot Meanwhile, Thomas checked the post. His wife Susan had signed for a package the night before. It sat on the kitchen counter of their home in North Caldwell, New Jersey. ‘I don’t recognise the return address,’ Thomas said. ‘Neither do I,’ Susan called back from the living room. He tore it open. Then a horrifying explosion sent shockwaves throughout the house. After checking Kelly was safe, Susan ran to the spot where the kitchen had been. Now, it…

HOW TO ENTER TEXT Simply text CHATD 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 don’t use any commas, etc. • Leave out answers you don’t wish to enter.…

Chat winners issue 2 (13 January 2022) £1,001 CASH P Baird £1,000 CASH L Pearce, Cromer £500 CASH K Lewis, Chesterfield J Clarke, Warrington £250 CASH S Pond, Alresford £150 CASH M Hall, Evesham £100 CASH J Beattie, Motherwell A Williams, Ferndown B Gibbs, Bicester S Smith, London H Wood, Canvey Island £60 CASH L Roche, Manchester £50 CASH R Summerton, St Leonards-on-Sea C Davis, Nottingham A Ketteridge, Cambridge £30 CASH A Drake, Keighley S Moore, Loughborough A Fleming, Sheffield K Hilton. Salisbury D Brinkman, Crediton £25 CASH R Coates, York J Beckingham, Glossop S Carroll, Rednal D Rushforth, Barnsley P Baker, Wolverhampton M Ford, Chichester A Williams, Ammanford J Ford, Newport J Whitney, Shrewsbury Any one from your town in the list this week..? Chat PUZZLE 1 168 Chat…