Table of contents for 19-Jul-2018 in Chat

What’s that saying – with friends like you, who needs enemies? You don’t need to tell that to Krissie, whose best mate helped herself to her hubby! Read the shocking details on p6. Tissues at the ready for Betty’s story on p52. She lost her daughter at the age of 18 but has created a fitting tribute in her name. Lauren thought she was so fat she’d die in her sleep. But check her out now on p31. Plus, we have seaside style for your home (p22), bargain beach bags from just £3 (p12) and £15 off at Iceland online (p8). Not forgetting puzzles on 16 pages. Enjoy!…

C alum says, ‘I got married at a very young age, but I believe everything happens for a reason. If I had never got married to Krissie, then I would've never met Beth. Krissie and I argued over stupid things. She changed a lot when we got married and I felt trapped. I'm much happier with Beth. She's exactly like me. We share the same sense of humour.' Beth says, ‘I'm sorry for Krissie that it didn't work out for them. I tried to get them back together. Before jumping straight into a relationship with Calum, I wanted to make sure it's what he really wanted. But they didn't work it out, and I couldn't help how I felt for him. I did feel bad for Krissie, but it felt…

Shannon Carter, 26, Leicester As my dog Teala bounded across the field, I tried to keep up. It was July 2005, I was 13 years old, and it was the start of the summer holidays. I couldn’t wait to hang out with my mates and go for walks with my boyfriend Jack, 13. My mum Jane, 50, was staying with her boyfriend, leaving my sister Laura, 17, in charge. Next day, I scrubbed my body raw in the shower Me and Laura weren’t close, especially as her boyfriend Martyn, 24, was always hanging around. I’d come home from school and he’d be slouched on the sofa in his boxers, swigging beer and smoking. I spent most evenings out in the fields with Teala, avoiding going home. That night, sneaking in…

Go green! Half-fill a big garden pot with leftover veg scraps, then add topsoil. The scraps will turn to compost and feed your flowers. Money-saving and eco-friendly! Josephine Whitehouse, Brierley Hill Clearly clever  Flowers too short for your vase? Scrunch up the cellophane wrapping they came in and stuff it into the bottom of the vase, before filling with water. It'll give your flowers height and looks nice, too. Christine Smith, Uddingston Egg-cellent! When boiling eggs, add food colouring to the water, so you can easily tell them apart from the raw ones in the fridge. Hazel Anderson, Morley Lemon aid Pop lemons in the microwave for 20 seconds then let them cool before squeezing. Works a treat to give you every last drop of juice. Alexandra Low, Halesowen Roll…

Dry vagina Q My vagina is drying up and sex is becoming impossible! What can I do? Trudy, Swansea A If you're menopausal, it could be the result of a drop in the hormone oestrogen. Oestrogen cream or HRT from your GP will help. Other causes include drugs such as contraceptives, breastfeeding, anxiety or lack of arousal. If lube doesn't help, see your GP. Bottom pain Q Sometimes, out of the blue, I get a stabbing pain in my anus. What could it be? Lucy, Margate A Your GP will check for causes such as piles or a skin tear. But this sounds like proctalgia fugax, pain from spasm of the muscle around your anus. Nobody's sure what triggers it, but keeping your bowels regular might help. Often the pain…

I took over the spare room, bought fabric in fun prints Counting the pennies in my purse, I sighed. I loved being a stay-at-home mum to Charlie, then 4, and Joan, 2, while my hubby Mark went out to work as an electrician – but it meant we didn’t have much spare cash. Enough for the essentials, but come the end of the month, money was pretty tight. When it came to buying kids’ clothes, I’d get cross at how pricey they were. ‘They just grow out of them so quickly,’ I said to Mark, 38. Then, one day, I had an idea. In the past, I’d dabbled in sewing, mainly curtains, bunting for my children’s bedroom and dog beds. Could I make clothes for my kids? I wondered to…

1 Hairdryer Left to air dry, my hair is naturally very frizzy. So blow-drying it with a brush leaves it sleek and shiny. Lee Stafford Coco Loco Jet Set Dryer, £29.99, comes in a set with free shampoo and conditioner from Argos. 2 Retinol night cream I’ve tried lots of wonder ingredients, but retinol reduces fine lines and wrinkles. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Moisture Rich Night Cream, £7.99, Superdrug. 3 Mascara As a natural blonde, my lashes look thin and sparse without a coat of mascara. Max Factor Dark Magic Instant Dramatic Volume Mascara, £11.99.…

I’d begun getting crushing chest pains at night Lauren Munro, 34, Hull Sneaking into the corner shop just minutes from home, I grabbed a basket. Filling it with sweets, crisps and chocolate, I took it to the till and handed the cashier my pocket money. With my stomach bulging over the waistband of my school skirt, I scurried home. Then I stuffed my goodies under the bed and ran downstairs to eat my mum Karen’s homemade dinner. Afterwards, I went back to my room, and ate all of my stash – every last crumb. At first, I felt great – until the guilt hit me... I was only in my early teens, but this was the start of my downward, or outward, spiral. Every day, I’d secretly binge on treats…

Winning on a 1p ticket Julie Ball, 51, Merseyside Life after death is something I believe in, and it helped me through the grief of losing my dad John. He died 20 years ago and I speak to him daily. I run a holistic and mystic gift shop which can be tiring, so – once home, I like playing Chat Mag Bingo. My favourite is Tiki Temple, I like the jungle symbols plus it has got four jackpots! Last September, I’d logged on to the site to play the Tiki Island slot game and had won £4. I then decided to have a game of Bingo in Tiki, buying 18 1p tickets for the next game. The game started, and before long I was close to winning two lines, then…

Debbie Plumb, 39, Cambridge Swishing into the office, I grinned at our team, a sea of happy, familiar faces. ‘Fancy a cuppa, Debbie?’ chirped Shaun, our Customer Accounts Manager. ‘Ooh, yes please,’ I said. My husband Justin and I had been running Plumbs’ Dairy since 2013, employing around 50 staff. But the business had been in Justin’s family for more than 60 years. It meant everything to us. To the community, too – we served over 10,000 customers across a number of different counties. Shaun had joined us as a Saturday boy, aged 17, eight years earlier. He’d worked his way up the ranks. Justin had taken Shaun under his wing, taught him everything he knew. We’d watched with pride as he’d flourished. Hard-working, determined, reliable, Shaun was the perfect…

Leanne Watkin, 36, Bedfordshire Shopping for your wedding dress should be one of the most exciting things in the world. But, for me, it was thoroughly nerve-racking. I spotted a lace dress that I thought would be perfect… Then I noticed the heavy skirt, the silk corset back and spaghetti straps. I put it back. Too revealing. But it wasn’t showing too much skin that worried me. It was knowing that if I wore it, there’d be no way to hide my sweat patches. I didn’t just sweat from my armpits like most people. I sweat from my back, chest and even my legs. And I mean really sweat! Mum had first noticed my problem back in 1992. Aged 10, I’d been sent to see a dermatologist. Shaking my little…

Theresa White, 48, Nova Scotia, Canada Snapping on my rubber gloves, I was ready to get down and dirty. It was April 2007, and I worked in an animal shelter. A moggy had been brought in two days earlier, fur matted with faeces. Now, I was going to clean him up, poor thing. ‘Bath time,’ I said softly. After gently washing the cat’s fur I reached for a towel… Suddenly, the animal started yelping, lashing out. Adrenaline pumping, I tucked the squirming cat under my armpit. ‘Help!’ I called out to the manager. She rushed in and helped calm down the cat, then we called the vet in to see it. Afterwards, I noticed blood on my top, on my right breast. It was coming from a small scratch. You…

Thin hair: Hask Chia Seed Oil Volumizing Conditioner, £6.99, Waitrose Uses a hydra-boost formula to pack each strand with moisture for thicker hair that’s not weighed down. Curly hair: Noughty Wave Hello Curl Defining Conditioner, £6.99, Superdrug Enhances your hair’s natural wave for soft, bouncy curls. Damaged hair: Herbal Essences Bio: Renew Argan Oil of Morocco Repair Conditioner, £4.50, Sainsbury’s Bring dry, brittle hair back from the brink with a blend of argan oil and aloe.…

Peanut butter and chocolate s’mores  Makes 6. Prep: 10 min Cook: 5 min Cost per serving: 32p 6 large marshmallows, or 12-18 small marshmallows 6tbsp peanut butter 125g pack of Caramel Choco Leibniz biscuits 1 Skewer six large marshmallows and set aside - if using smaller marshmallows, you will need two or three to cover the biscuit surface. 2 Spread a little peanut butter over the chocolate sides of 12 Caramel Choco Leibniz biscuits. 3 Toast marshmallow skewers over an open flame. Take care to just caramelise marshmallows on the outside, and not to burn them. 4 Once toasted, slide the marshmallows off skewers and sandwich between two biscuits. Gently press together, allow to cool slightly and serve. TOP TIP SAVE £££s  No need to use more pricey branded marshmallows…

Nikki Pegram, 31, Wellingborough Moving in a blur, I packed my son’s schoolbag, bunged some toast on and gulped down a cup of tea. Life as a single mum to Freddy, now 7, was hectic. Since splitting from his father in July 2016, I played the part of mum and dad. Double the work and patience, but double the love, too. Sometimes, though, I longed for a man in my life for those womanly urges. So I installed Tinder. A girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do, hasn’t she? When I swiped right on Marc, 32, in October 2016, I thought, He’s a bit of alright. Hey, sexy, he messaged me with a wink. Hey, you, I shot back. Already, it was off to a flying start.…

Coronation Street Baby snatcher! The atmosphere is fraught with tension when Eva, Johnny and Jenny attend a mediation session to discuss baby Susie’s future. Things quickly turn sour and Johnny’s hopes of getting custody begin to fade. Later on, there’s panic when baby Susie goes missing and Liz discovers that Johnny’s snatched his granddaughter and is planning to flee to Spain! Emmerdale Killer Lachlan strikes again? Rebecca suggests to Ross they give their relationship another go and the pair are soon kissing, but there’s panic when Rebecca later mysteriously vanishes. What’s happened to her and could killer Lachlan be to blame? Chrissie’s murdering son is convinced Liv is responsible for the sinister texts he’s been receiving and decides to finish her off by tampering with the carbon monoxide detector at…

Krissie Stride, 23, Plymouth As I walked into the living room, my back was aching and my feet throbbed. My hubby Calum was sitting on the sofa, flicking through TV channels with the remote. ‘Good day?’ I asked, collapsing beside him. ‘Yeah, OK,’ he mumbled. Then... ‘Any news on jobs?’ I asked. ‘Nope,’ he said, not tearing his eyes from the screen. It was hard not to feel annoyed. Me and Calum had met on Tinder, and were married within five months. I’d felt like a princess on our wedding day. Now, seven months later, in April 2017, that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Calum was looking for work and struggling to find anything. I was working from 9pm until 5am as an exotic dancer just to make…

1. Visit Iceland.co.uk  and register (offer applies to new customers only) by entering your personal details, including name, address and phone number. 2. Choose your products and add to basket. 3. Enter the promo code CHAT1582JW8K into the promotion box at checkout to get £15 off your £60 or more spend. 4. Click continue and complete checkout. 5. You will receive an email once the order's confirmed and a separate email on the day of the delivery. A text will follow on the day of the delivery confirming your delivery slot time.…

In April 2018, Ron Medich, 70, was found guilty of directing the contract-shooting murder of business enemy McGurk and intimidating his widow. The millionaire property developer has now been sentenced to 39 years in prison so will surely end his days there. Outside court, Michael McGurk’s widow Kimberley said it was a ‘great day for justice and the jury system of New South Wales. ‘The damage to my family will never be repaired but the result today will allow my family to move forward,’ she said. ‘My children and I would like to thank everybody involved in the process from the bottom of our hearts.’ Medich is planning to appeal his conviction.…

Why the burn? Q I've now started to burn after just a few minutes in the sun. But I never used to burn at all. What's going on? Penka, Birmingham A Increased sun sensitivity could be a side-effect of drugs, including some antibiotics, water tablets, tranquillisers or skin tablets. You should ask your doctor about any you're taking. Try a change of soap, cosmetics or perfume, and avoid touching plants, as these can also be to blame. Contraception question Q I don't want to take the Pill and I've recently seen some contraceptive apps for my phone. Do they work? Sally, Taunton A These phone apps aim to predict the fertile days of your cycle. You enter your temperature every day, and sometimes factors such as the stickiness of your…

Pyoderma gangrenosum is a skin condition that causes tissue to die (become necrotic). The wounds rarely lead to death, but can cause chronic pain and scarring. It affects one in every 100,000 people, mostly those in their 40s or 50s. There are two types of the condition - typical ulcerative, which occurs in legs, and atypical, which is superficial and occurs elsewhere. No-one knows exactly what causes pyoderma gangrenosum, but it is usually a disorder of the immune system from a small swelling on the skin.…

Celeb secrets While we can’t promise you locks quite as thick and lustrous as Michelle Keegan’s – we can tell you how she keeps her tresses in tiptop condition – especially on holiday! She’s a big fan of dr.organic Moroccan Argan Hair Oil Hair Treatment Serum, saying, ‘I sprayed it on my hair every morning concentrating on the ends before I went in the sun. Later, when I washed my hair, it felt amazing! Soft and well-nourished!’ If it’s good enough for Michelle, then it’s good enough for us! Want to know how VB keeps her great tan all year round? Well, the secret’s out! 'My body secret is Weleda Skin Food. What I love about it is that it’s not particularly expensive and you can find it anywhere. The formula…

Rebecca McGrath, 24, Burwell, Cambs March 2016 From the moment Danny and I met, pow! Instant chemistry. It was March 2016, and Danny, then 19, had just moved into my parents’ house as a lodger. He was funny, flirty and kind. Cute! I thought. So when Danny and I started dating a month later, my mum Greta, 62, and dad Gary, 59, weren’t surprised. ‘We saw that coming a mile off,’ Mum grinned. A month on, Danny moved into my room. Things moved fast. That July, on a caravan holiday in Great Yarmouth, Danny proposed. ‘Your mum and dad have given their approval,’ he smiled. We may have been young, but they knew it was more than just puppy love. In September 2016, we moved into our own place, booked…

Aries 21 March - 20 April You might not think so, but an argument with your partner shows that you’re getting closer and trying to do what’s best for the other. There is a compromise that’ll suit you both - so do try to find it. Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April - 21 May Should you go traditional or modern? You’re finding it hard to choose. But you could have both. Just make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons and, if you’re happy with the result, then anything goes! Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May - 21 June You’ve ambitions - but, so far, they’re just ideas. This week offers a job opportunity and financial help. If you were able to…

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Fairtrade Belgian Milk Chocolate, 100g, £1.45 Quite sweet, with a lower cocoa content, this melts in your mouth! Also great to use for baking as it creates a silky texture. M&S Single Origin Dominican Republic Milk Chocolate, 100g, £2 With 46% cocoa solids, this is a slightly darker treat, with a rich, velvet-smooth caramel taste. Asda Extra Special Peruvian Milk Chocolate, 100g, £1.50 Luxurious, with a wonderful, toffee and vanilla aftertaste that’ll have you wanting more, more, more…

Q How do you choose who you’re going to have sex with? Erin, London A Sometimes when we're out, I'll talk to girls and introduce them to Marc. Other times, we can be doing our own thing and find someone. I tend to use Tinder as it's easier to find hook-ups. Marc meets people in person. But no matter what, we always tell each other about a potential partner beforehand. Q Do you ever worry about STIs or pregnancy? Rachel, Hemel Hempstead A No. We don't use condoms with each other but always practise safe sex with our other partners. If we ever have any worries, we have to tell each other. It comes down to trust and common sense. Q Are you worried how Freddy’s pals may treat him…

We’d seen pink dresses, purple ones, green, sparkly. Dresses made of silk, lace, taffeta… ‘None of them are right,’ my daughter Tammi, 16, huffed. ‘We’ll find something,’ I reassured her. We’d been shopping for a prom dress for a couple of hours already. But it was no chore spending time with my girl. In no time, she would be all grown up, so these were special moments to cherish. Then, in the next shop, Tammi’s face lit up. ‘This one!’ she said, grabbing a blue, off-the-shoulder number. It fitted like it was made for her. The only problem was the $700 price tag – around £525! ‘Let’s reserve it and see what else we can find,’ I said. And, as if by magic, after trawling around more shops, we found…

Computer repairman Peter Fasoli, 58, lived alone in a one-bed bungalow in Northolt, west London. When smoke and flames were seen coming from his home just before 1am on 7 January 2013, the fire brigade and ambulance service were called in. Arriving at the scene, the emergency services found the home ablaze, and rushed into the house to rescue Fasoli. But it was too late. Shortly after, Peter Fasoli was brought out – dead. An investigation by the London Fire Brigade declared his death as not suspicious and said that the fire was most likely caused by a faulty light bulb. An inquest at West London Coroner’s Court agreed that Fasoli’s death was accidental. Peter’s family were devastated to lose him in such a tragic and unexpected way, and kept…