Table of contents for 04-Jun-2020 in Chat

Pam never dreamt that her years of dieting would have such a dangerous effect on her teenage girls (p10). A 5-year-old boy watched his father shot dead during a shopping trip to buy crisps and drinks – but why? (p54). And proud mummy Kym shares why her tiny baby girl is much tougher than she looks (p37). Check out our fab fashion (p12), find ideas to transform your store-cupboard staples into tasty treats (p40), challenging prize puzzles and much, much more. Stay safe and well this week. During this worrying time, we wish all of our readers good health. We hope Chat off ers 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…

Pam McKenna, 48, Coventry Sitting in the doctor’s office, I took a deep breath and started to speak. ‘I think Amba has an eating disorder,’ I blurted out. Next to me, my 13-year-old daughter gasped. She thought she had an appointment for a sore ear. But lying to her was the only way I could get her through the doctor’s door. ‘You need help, darling,’ I sobbed. It was January 2018 and for the last six months I’d watched my youngest daughter disappear. My beautiful girl weighed just 5st 4lb. Just 5ft 2in tall, she was so frail. I was fraught with worry about her. Yet ashamed, too. You see, this wasn’t the first time I’d dealt with anorexia. Back in 2013, my oldest daughter, Jade, then 18, had had…

Fill up on fibre! A recent study by Harvard University has found that fibre is a crucial nutrient in fighting breast cancer.* Research found that women with a high-fibre diet were 8% less likely to develop breast cancer than those with a low-fibre diet. Scientists think this is because fibre helps to control blood glucose and improve insulin sensitivity. If your body doesn’t respond to insulin, this can cause a spike in blood sugar levels and release insulin-like growth factor (IGF), which helps cancer cells grow.** Fibre can also increase good bacteria in the gut, which breaks down levels of the cancer-driving hormone oestrogen. High-fibre foods include fruit, veg, pulses and wholemeal bread and pasta. Appy & healthy The fastest-growing diabetes app, Intellin, has added a tool to help patients who are…

Her engagement ring is fake Q My friend got engaged and had a big party earlier in the year. She was showing off her massive diamond ring, and everyone keeps saying how lucky she is. Thing is, I know it’s not real but I don’t know if she does. Do I tell her? Bea, 27 A Absolutely not! What the heck has it got to do with you? And how do you know they didn’t pick it together? You said yourself you don’t know if she knows, so she may well do. Either way, butt out! Your friend is happy – so, real diamond or fake, leave her to it and mind your own business. Am I being spied on? Q This sounds insane, but it’s keeping me up at night. We…

3 ways to… cut energy bills You could be paying more than £300 a year on your bills, compared to the average cheapest deals available, according to Bulb. Here’s how to pay less… 1 Shop around Use an Ofgemaccredited price comparison site like uswitch.com to see if you can cut bills by switching. Have recent bills to hand so you’ll know your tariff’s name and how much energy you use each year. Switching is easy and if you’ve never done it, you could save serious cash. However, if you’re on a fixed-term deal, always check if you’ll need to pay an exit fee if you leave early. 2 Beware of making it too easy It can be tempting to use an autoswitching company; these promise to search for cheaper deals on your…

Aries 21 March-20 April Come on, Aries, give yourself a break this week or you might just burn out. A little word in someone’s ear calms down a situation that’s been brewing. Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May Like bread on butter you’ll want to spread your high spirits around, Taurus. Think of a new idea and put it to the boss, because they might agree with it. Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June Put your thoughts into actions, Gemini, or you may end up just clutching at thin air. A romantic moment will seem like a lifeline, so hold on tight for more. Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July It’s an excellent week for getting new projects…

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£25 for any photos that we use on Picture Perfect. They must not have been sent to any other publication and you must include written permission from a child’s parent/s or guardian/s. Post to Picture Perfect, Chat, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP, or email chat_magazine@ti-media.com Unfortunately, we can’t return photos without a SAE. And please don’t forget to include your full address and a contact number.…

Joan Benoit was the first female gold medallist in which Olympic event The answer to each clue (apart from the first) begins with the last letter of the preceding answer. The shaded squares will spell out the prize puzzle answer. WIN £150 Puzzle 2 1 Water bird (7) 2 French emperor (8) 3 Paper shop (9) 4 Young frog (7) 5 Lift (8) 6 Practice session (9) 7 Breed of dog (8) 8 Coloured arcs in the sky (8) 9 African desert (6) 10 African burrowing mammal (8) 11 Food preparation area (7) 12 Scandinavian country (6) 13 Sailing boat (5) 14 South American ballroom dance (5) 15 Belief, view (7) 16 + Crosses, BBC drama (7) Your answer:…

All sizes 6-22 STYLE TIP Your summer wardrobe needs a broderie dress. Easy to wear, this lovely piece will keep you cool on warm days GEORGE at ASDA All sizes 8-24 STYLE TIP Wide-leg trousers make your legs look longer, but to balance the volume, pair with a fitted top NUTMEG at MORRISONS All sizes 8-22 STYLE TIP Show off your shoulders in a midi ditsy dress. No need for a necklace with this neckline – just add statement earrings and you’re good to go TU at SAINSBURY’S All sizes 8-22 STYLE TIP Jumpsuits are here to stay! Add a belt to accentuate your waist and create an enviable shape WE WANT YOU WE’RE LOOKING FOR WOMEN JUST LIKE YOU TO APPEAR IN OUR MAGAZINES. EVERYONE’S WELCOME, SO APPLY TODAY!.…

Nic Bescoby, 30, Rochdale Sprinting across the living room, I fumed as an ornament crashed to the ground. ‘George!’ I bellowed at my 18-monthold and sent him to the naughty step for the umpteenth time. It was October 2012 and I’d always had a strict routine for George. Working in childcare, I thought I knew best, wanted to keep him safe. And I planned to do the same with George’s one-month-old sister Ellie, too. George hated it, his lip quivering. And if I wasn’t punishing him for touching something he shouldn’t, I was rewarding him for good behaviour. Exhausting. Then, in May 2013, I spotted something on a Facebook parenting group. Gentle parenting – a calmer approach to childcare. More talking, less shouting. And the results of the method showed…

Horrible taste in my mouth Q There’s a metallic taste in my mouth, spoiling my enjoyment of food. What’s wrong? Tracey, Sevenoaks A The number-one cause is gum disease, which leads to traces of blood and pus leaking into your mouth. The metal taste comes from iron inside your red blood cells. Brush and floss your teeth regularly, use mouthwash and check with your dentist. There are other possibilities. Iron tablets, or multivitamins containing metals such as copper or zinc, can leave a metallic taste, or it can be a side effect of some drugs, including tetracycline, the gout medicine allopurinol and some cancer treatments. Changes to your sense of taste in pregnancy or during a cold or sinusitis can cause a temporary metallic taste. Serious causes such as kidney…

PLAYWRIGHT BLUDGEONED Popular English playwright and author Joe Orton, 34, was murdered by his lover and mentor Kenneth Halliwell, 41, on 9 August 1967. Kenneth fatally hit Joe over the head with a hammer nine times before killing himself with an overdose of sleeping pills. Their bodies were found the following day by a chauffeur, who was due to take Joe to a meeting with a film director. A bloodstained hammer was discovered nearby. SUITCASE MURDER Bernard Oliver, 17, was reported missing by his family on 6 January 1967 when he failed to return home after an evening with friends. There were various sightings of the teenager around Muswell Hill, London, close to where he lived. But on 16 January, his dissected body was found in two suitcases in a…

Tanya Murphy, 54, Poole Arms flailing, I giggled excitedly as my two older brothers, then 6 and 7, splashed around in the water. It was 1971 and we were at the local swimming pool with our Uncle Barry, then 21. As we grew up, Mum’s brother Barry was a regular visitor to our house. Dad was in the Marines, so Mum appreciated an extra pair of hands. Barry took us to the ice rink or to the pool. And when I was with my brothers in the water, I loved it. But then… ‘Come on, Tanya,’ Barry grinned from the poolside. ‘Let’s take you to the children’s pool.’ There, in the smaller pool, away from the others, Barry would touch me. He’d shove his hand down my costume when no…

Chat winners issue 10 (5 March 2020) £1,001 CASH K Styles, Northfleet £1,000 CASH P Dutton, Sandwich £500 CASH R Impey, Harrogate; B Allwood, Milton Keynes £250 CASH J Rose, Swindon £150 CASH C Lea, Leeds £100 CASH M Gillbanks, Liverpool; M Goulden, Woolston; T. Jones, Blyth; R Williams, Hengoed; K Ancell, Warrington £60 CASH E Sundborg, Lowestoft £50 CASH A Hudson, Sheffield; S Ingold, Cromer; M Birch, Kinloss £30 CASH B Kimpton, Oldham; C Wharmby, Ruddington; M Bates, Porth; N Ferguson, Walsall; K Darlington, Sandy £25 CASH V Graham, Bradford; J Foster, Gateshead; P Canty, London; J Brophy, Bedford; C Thompson, Gateshead; J Garland, Bromley; O Owen, Tywyn; P Crow, Pontefract; A Shrimpton, Portsmouth Anyone from your town in the list this week..? PUZZLE 1 757 PUZZLE 8 VIC…

Rosie Bradley, 49, Chatham Looking at the message on my phone screen, I blinked back tears. Sorry for your loss, it read. The sender was Blair Crittenden, who I knew through mutual friends. Sweet of him, I thought. I’d had so many kind messages of late. It was March 2019 and I’d lost my husband Nick five months earlier, to a sudden heart attack. Married for 25 years, five kids together, Nick was the love of my life. I missed him dearly. Typing a message back to Blair, then 31, I thanked him for his kind words. We got chatting, exchanging messages every couple of days. Truth was, I was lonely. Blair was struggling, too. ‘I’ve got no one else,’ he told me. So when he told me he was…

WIN £1,001 Puzzle 5 Where did actor Margot Robbie first meet best friend Cara Delevingne? Solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the prize answer. ACROSS 11 Distant, far off (6) 12 Large reptile similar to an alligator (9) 13 American state known for Mormons (4) 14 Italian island in the Mediterranean (8) 15 Good __, TV series starring David Tennant (5) 16 Cooking instructions (6) 17 Reduced; taken down (7) 18 Actor who starred in Con Air and Leaving Las Vegas (7,4) 20 Frighten (5) 22 Register for a regular service (9) 24 A score of 40-all in tennis (5) 28 Maybe (7) 29 Falls between the US and Canada (7) 32 __ Estefan, singer (6) 34 Give in (6) 36 Pardoned (6) 37 __ Waller-Bridge,…

Jen Squires, 35, Warlingham Propping up my son Dexter, next to me, I wondered if he’d finally take his first steps. ‘Come on Dexter,’ called my husband Alban, 39. Dexter smiled, grabbed onto the table ledge, and then… He plopped on his bum. ‘We’ll just keep trying,’ I laughed. It was June 2017 and I felt sure Dexter, then 15 months, should be toddling. Or crawling at least. But he was always trying to pull himself to standing. Admittedly, he had a strange way of doing it… Almost like he was relying on his arms to push himself off the floor. Still, I thought it was sweet and unique. But our childminder didn’t think it was right ‘Maybe speak to the health visitor,’ she suggested. He was always trying to…

Heather Rodgerson, 34 Cradling my newborn, Jareth, in my arms, a flurry of emotions came over me. ‘Let’s hope you take after your daddy,’ I whispered, planting a kiss on his head. But my elation was blurred by fear. It was May 2013 and having a second baby was something I’d deliberated over for so long. Once, I’d thought I’d never have any babies at all. See, when I was 6 months old, I was diagnosed with the rare eye cancer retinoblastoma. I’d inherited it genetically – sadly, it ran in our family. It meant I had to have my left eye removed to save my life when I was just 3. It was replaced with a prosthetic. And from then on, I depended entirely on my right eye. I…

Kym Brown, 26, Cheltenham Taking in the stack of sleepsuits in the drawer, I turned to my partner Ryan, then 25. ‘It’s official,’ I laughed. ‘Our little miss has more clothes than me!’ It was May 2018 and, a few weeks before, we’d found out the sex of our baby. Ryan and I had met a few years earlier, while working at the same restaurant. Not long after, we became official, moved in together. When we’d started trying for a baby, it’d happened almost instantly. ‘You’re going to be a dad,’ I’d beamed in January The colour drained from Ryan’s face! But he was as excited as I was. That’s why, at 16 weeks pregnant, we paid for a private scan. I was thrilled when we were told our baby…

Q My eyebrows are fair and sparse – how do I make them look fuller? Claire O’Donnell, 35, London A In trend terms, brows have never been bigger. But that doesn’t mean you need to have yours tattooed, or draw in a scary ‘power brow’. A pro thread and tint is a good idea, but if that’s not an option, try Max Factor Real Brow Fill & Shape, £9.99. This double-sided tool has a twist-up crayon to fill in gaps and powder you dab on with a little sponge for definition. If that sounds complicated, fibre gels fix hairs in place, deepen your shade and pad out sparse bits in a single swipe. Essence Make Me Brow Eyebrow Gel Mascara, £2.50, has a tiny, precise brush – the Blondy Brows…

It was a normal summer afternoon like any other when Markeis McGlockton, 28, picked up his partner Britany Jacobs from work, with their three children in the back of the car. The pair had been childhood sweethearts, meeting while Britany was a student at Dunedin High School, Florida. That day, 19 July 2018, nursing assistant Britany took over the wheel. She drove to the Circle A Food Mart store, where Markeis and his five-year-old son, Markeis Jr, got out to buy snacks. Britany pulled up in a disabled space, perhaps thinking it the only spot left. But as Markeis was inside buying crisps and drinks, Britany was approached by Michael Drejka, 47. Drejka had got out of his own truck and started searching for a disabled permit on the family’s…