Table of contents for 02-Apr-2020 in Chat

Welcome to this week’s Chat… Even at a size-30, Mikala had always sworn she’d never diet. But then someone important asked for her help (p37). Natasha explains why her three boys are superheroes and has a moving message for other mums in her position (p62). And Mark shares why he’s chosen to go face to face with some of the world’s most evil men (p44). We’ve also got ultra wearable bold prints (p12) and three ways to liven up pasta dinners (p40). Plus all the usual features, puzzles and prizes you love!…

Jane Barnes, 57, Reading ‘Here we go again,’ I thought as my hubby Steve hobbled through the front door, frowning. It was April 2013 and, like every Tuesday, he’d been out playing football. ‘My left knee locked,’ Steve, then 50, frowned. I was used to him arriving home feeling a bit battered. ‘Rest up and ice it,’ I smiled. Only, as the weeks rolled on, Steve was still grumbling about his knee. His GP referred him to a physio, who gave him exercises to do. But despite the workouts, his left leg felt weak. ‘Not better, Dad?’ our daughter Coral, then 20, asked. ‘It’s getting worse,’ Steve admitted. By October 2013, his left foot dragged behind him. ‘I’m walking like Dad used to,’ Steve fretted. Is history repeating itself down…

Georgina Foster, 30, Bournemouth True-life PATIENT CASEBOOK Climbing into the water, my teeth began to chatter. ‘Keep moving!’ shouted our swimming instructor. ‘You’ll soon warm up.’ Only, I knew I wouldn’t. Every time I went swimming, I’d end up sitting on the poolside. My hands would go blue, and then icy white My whole body froze as I hit the water. I felt numb, it was agonising to move. Watching my friends splashing, I knew my coldness wasn’t normal. But, by now, I was used to always feeling chilly. My hands would often go blue, then icy white. All my friends knew I needed to sit near the radiator, even in summer. The only reason it didn’t upset me was because my nan, Pamela, 77, was exactly the same. Always…

42% A recent study found that 42% of participants who ate two kiwi fruits one hour before going to bed fell asleep more quickly than when they didn’t eat anything before bedtime. This is thought to be due to the fruit’s high levels of serotonin, a brain chemical which regulates sleep.*** WE PAY CASH We’ll pay cash, or mention a charity of your choice, if we print your health story. Write to Your Health, Chat, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP or phone 020 3148 6150. You can send your story or email the Doc at chathealth@ti-media.com. Always consult your pharmacist or GP before using any over-the-counter or prescription remedies, and read the packet carefully. ***RESEARCH BY TAIWAN TAIPEI MEDICAL UNIVERSITY…

WIN £50 Puzzle 9 The Gotham typeface was an identifying element of which US politician’s successful presidential campaign? To find out, solve the puzzle… Add a letter anywhere in each of the boxed-off words to fit the clue, eg, Miserable = LEAK + B = BLEAK. Write the added letter in the space provided. Read down the added letters to spell out the prize puzzle answer. Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 60 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

Bored of al fresco bonks Q I’ve been with my girlfriend nearly five months and we’re very happy. But, she says having sex at home, in bed, is boring. She loves having sex outdoors, in restaurants and nightclub toilets, even tried dragging me into a shop changing room once! I’ve enjoyed it but the fear of being caught doesn’t excite me any more. What can I do? Ben, 24 A The fact you enjoyed playing out her fantasy is great, but tell her enough is enough. Male or female, if it doesn’t feel right, don’t consent. Explain that, as fun as it was, you’re not enjoying it now. If she loves and respects you, then she’ll understand. There are plenty of other places to have sex… But it’s meant to be fun for…

Parents are spending an average of £1,645 preparing for the arrival of their first baby, a study by Aviva has found. The figure is a jump of 18% since 2012, when the average amount spent by first-time parents stood at £1,389. The research also found preparations don’t always extend to longterm financial planning as just 27% had taken out life insurance to ensure financial resilience against the loss of a parent. Did you know?  One in three people will be in the red when they retire this year, with average debts of £17,460, research by specialist over-55s advisers Key suggests. Of those in debt, 48% still owe on credit cards and 31% have an outstanding bank loan. TOP TIP Spend just one evening comparing the cost of your gas or electric…

Coronation Street Yasmeen fights back! As she looks forward to going to Zeedan’s wedding in Spain, Yasmeen calls off the trip when Geoff fakes a funny turn. She soon realises what he’s up to though when she logs into his laptop and tells him she’s going without him. When he then pulls another stunt, Yasmeen decides it’s time to get help… Emmerdale Is Cain out of his depth? Having decided he no longer wants to work for DI Malone, Cain has kept a car from one of his dodgy jobs to use as leverage. What will the corrupt cop do when he finds out Cain has evidence that could lead to him being found out? Getting Malone off his back is going to be harder than Cain thought! EastEnders Whitney…

Q I’ve recently gone vegan and want to make the switch with my beauty routine too. What brands do you recommend? Claire James, 36, Edinburgh A Vegan beauty used to be pricy and hard to track down, but these days so many people are shifting away from animal products that mainstream brands are following suit. Nail polish often includes colourants like carmine red from beetles and shimmery guanine from fish scales but Mavala Nail Polishes are all vegan friendly and the new Chill & Relax range, £5.50, is full of lovely pastels. The Body Shop have been ethical since before it was fashionable and their Tea Tree, Aloe and Vitamin C skincare ranges are all 100% vegan. For hair, try eco-friendly brand Faith In Nature. Their vegan Shampoo and Conditioners,…

WIN A HOLIDAY Pay-as-you-go energy supplier Boost has created the Give Me The Energy Awards to celebrate amazing mums and dads by giving out five £100 vouchers weekly, and one £2,000 holiday voucher. T&Cs apply. For more info: goodtoknow.co.uk/boostcomp £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.…

The video for which Whitney Houston song was directed by Forest Whitaker? The number next to the clue tells you which line the answer’s in. We’ve put a section in to start. There may be two Across answers in one line. Down words fill themselves in. The shaded squares spell out the prize answer. WIN £150 Puzzle 2 2 Moves through the air The whole amount 4 You might have a chocolate one for Easter Able to move easily or quickly 6 Complete Remnants of a fire 8 Nocturnal bird Type of renewable energy Your answer:…

£40 AND UNDER TOPS STYLE TIP Abstract brushstroke prints are very on-trend SHOES SKIRTS STYLE TIP Wear with a lightweight knit DRESSES STYLE TIP If you’re unsure about bright, bold prints, try monochrome…

Kemia Hassel was found guilty of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Shocking evidence had been played in court – a recording of a phone call between Kemia and her mother where she admitted she’d been behind the murder of her husband. ‘I knew what was going on. I knew what was happening. It was planned in Korea,’ she said. Sentencing her to spend the rest of her life behind bars, without the chance of parole, Judge Angela Pasula told her, ‘Ms Hassel, the road to redemption is long and arduous and you will spend the rest of your life walking it.’ Tyrone’s father, also called Tyrone, promised to make sure his grandson would know how amazing his dad was. And his mother Lashanda delivered some haunting final words…

According to recent research, 16 million Brits suffer from insomnia, with a further six million reporting anxiety-related illnesses. But, with 30% worrying about being prescribed medication which is too severe and those drugs causing a number of unwanted side effects (14% complained of drowsiness) or quite simply having no impact at all (15% reported sporadic relief), many are turning to CBD oil (cannabidioil, extracted from the cannabis plant), which comes in the form of food, oil and capsules, to manage their symptoms. A study conducted with an outpatient psychiatric population found that during a three-month trial, anxiety scores decreased rapidly, with very few side effects.* *RESEARCH BY EOS SCIENTIFIC.…

Are my eye appointments essential? Q My optician keeps sending reminders for my eye test but my eyesight’s fine, do I need to go? Saura, Caterham A Up to you, but the NHS recommends an eye check every two years. It’s free for some people, for example if you’re over 60, under 16, receive some benefits, suffer from some eye conditions or have a family history of glaucoma. Besides checking your eyesight and making sure any glasses you wear are still right for you, the optician can spot early signs of problems such as cataracts, glaucoma (raised pressure inside your eye) and macular degeneration (the leading cause of blindness in older age) while they’re still potentially treatable. Looking at the back of your eye is also the only way to see blood…

Clare Davies, 42, Northenden, Manchester Taking a step back, I smiled, admiring the freshly painted white walls. The nursery was coming along beautifully. ‘Perfect,’ my husband Rob agreed, folding tiny white sleepsuits. It was August 2009 and we were preparing for our first baby. Meeting Rob in my 20s, we’d spoken about kids from day one. So, after getting married in March 2009, we started trying on our honeymoon. Weeks later, we were ecstatic when a test came out positive. ‘We’re so lucky,’ I told Rob. It was all coming together. Before long, the 20-week scan was upon us. But the sonographer said the baby looked small. ‘It’s quite common,’ she explained. Only, something didn’t feel right. As a nurse myself, I’d learned to listen when my body was telling…

According to an improbable legend, which emperor played the lyre as Rome burnt during the Great Fire of Rome? Solve the crossword, then read down the yellow squares. The yellow shaded squares will spell out the prize puzzle answer. ACROSS 1 Form into a knot (3) 3 Short sleep (3) 5 __ Harington, Game of Thrones actor (3) 6 Age, epoch (3) 7 Belonging to us (3) DOWN 1 Japanese capital (5) 2 Go in (5) 4 Mountain (4) WIN £50 Puzzle 13 Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 60 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

Chelsea Ferguson, 30, Hartlepool Pinning my name badge to my McDonald’s uniform, I checked the time. ‘Seven hours to go,’ I said to myself, refilling the straws and napkins. It was August 2005 and, aged 16, I’d got myself a part-time job. It wasn’t very glamorous. The days could be long and stressful, the grease would get everywhere. And the £4.10 an hour wage just about covered my new clothes and shoes. What’s wrong with being proud of my business? For the next two years, I spent nearly every weekend working in Maccies. Must’ve served up thousands of Big Macs, nuggets and shakes. But then, in September 2008, when I was 19, I moved to Sheffield to study Performing Arts. Hanging up my McDonald’s cap for the last time, I…

3 ways to earn money from your love of pets 1 Get walking You could bag some big money by dog walking. Either advertise locally or you could sign up with a website such as rover.com that puts prospective walkers in touch with people who need their pooches walked (although you’ll pay commission on your earnings to the site if you take that route). The amount you can earn varies, but you can typically get about £10 to £20 per hour’s walk, so the money can quickly add up, especially if you get some regular clients. Plus it’s great exercise! 2 Become a sitter If you prefer to stay indoors, you can still make cash by visiting people’s pets in their homes when they’re away. And if you’re not a fan of dogs,…

TEST KITCHEN UK Meatball pasta bake Are you in the mood for something comforting? Then why not try this family-fave pasta bake? SERVES 4 PREP TIME: 15 MINS COOK TIME: 30 MINS ● 450g pork sausages, skinned● 1tbsp chopped fresh basil● 1tbsp chopped fresh parsley● 2tbsp olive oil● 1 onion, chopped● 2 red peppers, sliced● 3 garlic cloves, crushed● 200ml white wine● 560g passata● 300g fusilli or penne pasta, cooked and drained● 150g mozzarella, chopped 1 Preheat oven to 190C/Gas 5. Mix the sausagemeat with the basil and half the chopped parsley and roll into balls. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook for 10 mins or until golden, then set aside.  2 Soften the onion, peppers and garlic. After 5 mins add wine. Stir in passata and meatballs.…

Aries 21 March-20 April Bumping into an old flame will bring back some happy memories, but an ex is an ex for a reason. Someone else will shower you with affection, so lap it up. ● Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May Willpower is necessary this week when it comes to health and fitness. Turning your back on sweet treats will help you shed those few stubborn pounds. ● Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June Laying the groundwork for a new project this week will show everyone what a great builder you are. It’s time to look at finances and invest in something. ● Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July Your achievements and hard work will bring you…

Born in1960 in Wisconsin, USA, Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was described as a happy child in his early years, but notably became more subdued after double hernia surgery, aged 4. His family relocated to Ohio in 1966. His parents – chemistry student Lionel and type machinist Joyce – had a tense marriage. A shy child, Dahmer found it hard to fit in at school. Instead, he enjoyed solitary, strange pursuits – such as dissecting dead animals he’d found in the woods – which his father mistook as his son’s scientific interest. At 14, Dahmer realised he was gay. He turned to alcohol and developed a fascination with murder and necrophilia. Before he graduated from high school, his parents divorced. The teenager stayed alone in the family home, even after his parents…

CLOSING DATE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS 14 APRIL 2020 (Three days later for postal entries) TEXT Simply text CHATA followed by a space and your answer/s (spaces between answers please) full name, door number and postcode to 84988 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 TI Media Limited and Chat. If you want to receive these, please end your text with TIOPTIN. Texting tips INTERNET Join our Chat Comp Club now and enter your puzzle answers directly online at our website address comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles Existing puzzles and prizes members may need to re-register, just click on the ‘Join now’ button once you are on the website. PHONE Simply…

Chat winners issue 1 Anyone from your town in the list this week..? (2 January 2020) £1,001 CASH S Maisey, Swindon £1,000 CASH B Curtis, Clacton-on-Sea £500 CASH S Wilkinson, Freshwater; M Tovee, Waltham Cross £250 CASH C Hammond, Woodbridge £150 CASH E Reade, Cardiff £100 CASH L Chappell, Addlestone; H Cosgrove, Southport; K Bailey, Brentwood; L Harvey, Londonderry; S Dunn, Gloucester £60 CASH A Cadwaladr, Caernarfon £50 CASH D Potter, York; J Cartwright, Poole; S Kavanagh, Fareham £30 CASH Spot the Difference: Null & void £25 CASH A Brown, Harwich; A Davis, Newtownabbey; S Clinton, Hemel Hempstead; L Woodrow, Hitchin; J Robinson, Enfield; P Butcher, Lowestoft; L Whale, Ashford; C Ancell, Gosport; P Esplin, Forfar Chat PUZZLE 1 225623 Chat PUZZLE 2 ACORN Chat PUZZLE 11 961 ● All…

WIN £1,001 Puzzle 5 What connects Scarlett Johansson and Rami Malek? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the prize puzzle answer. ACROSS 1 Leaving (5) 4 Hit with the foot (4) 6 Letters from A-Z (8) 13 Quickly (7) 14 Lures (5,2) 15 Thin porridge (5) 16 Woodwind instrument (4) 17 Ceremony (6) 18 Put on garments (6) 20 Immerses in liquid (4) 21 Relieved, loosened (5) 22 Russian currency (6) 25 Fish tank (8) 28 Tusked marine mammal (6) 30 Country of the Taj Mahal (5) 32 __ Obama, former First Lady (8) 34 Young woman (6) 35 __ Moore, actor (4) 38 Shared or common (6) 39 Sudden terror (5) 40 TV show about advertising executives (3,3) 43 David Schwimmer’s character in…

Going for our tri-annual smear test tends to be low on the list of ‘fun’ things to do, so it’s no surprise that more than three million women aren’t turning up to their screening. But, with regular smear tests reducing the risk of cervical cancer by up to 80%, researchers at Queen Mary University of London have developed a DIY home smear-test kit, to avoid the trip to the GP and hopefully increase early detection. If successful, the kits will be available in three years.…

CINEMA SHOOTING Two members of staff at Liverpool’s Cameo Cinema were shot dead on 19 March 1949. A local sex worker falsely named labourers George Kelly, 27, and Charles Connolly, 26, as the killers. It was claimed the men confessed to a fellow inmate while on remand, but both denied it. Despite this, Kelly was found guilty of murder and executed in 1950. Connolly accepted a plea deal and admitted to being an accessory to murder. A review in 2003 saw the convictions of both men posthumously quashed. DRY-CLEANER DEATH Emily Frances Armstrong, 69, died from at least 22 blows to the head from a blunt instrument at her dry-cleaning shop on St John’s Wood High Street, London, on 14 April 1949. Her handbag was missing and a bloody handkerchief was…

Mikala Barsby, 39, Kendal, Cumbria Shoving the tray of food into the oven, I settled in front of the TV. After a long day at work, the last thing I wanted to do was cook. As a single mum with a full-time job, the main priority at mealtimes was convenience. Pre-made bolognaise sauces, ready-made lasagne, frozen pizza – anything quick. Typical lad, my son Kian, then 13, wasn’t complaining. He ate anything I put in front of him. As a prop in the town’s rugby team, being a bit heftier than the other boys was part and parcel of the position he played. Weighing in at 16st, he was a little overweight. But I told myself that, at 6ft, it all balanced out. And I was adamant that how you…

You can update your wardrobe for free by going to a swishing – or clothes-swapping – party. Just take along good-quality pieces you no longer wear and you can swap them for items others have brought along. Have a look online to see if there are any happening locally. If not, why not set up your own? There’s a really useful video on how to do it at loveyourclothes.org.uk. SAVING OF THE WEEK Food offer Bisto and Paxo have introduced some mouthwatering new products so you can create an authentic, American-style dinner in your own home. The Southern Fried Breadcrumbs from Paxo (RRP £1.29) and Southern Style Gravy Granules from Bisto (RRP £1.85) are on offer for just £1 until 6 May. Available from major supermarkets.…

Mark Williams-Thomas, 50, London After 12 years working as a police detective, Mark Williams-Thomas, 50, quit his job in order to make a fresh start. Beginning a career in investigative journalism, he had all the skills to uncover the dark secrets of the world’s most notorious criminals. Jimmy Savile: hidden in plain sight After TV and radio personality Jimmy Savile’s death in October 2011, he was still – in the minds of many of the public – a hero. But I was certain there was something sinister in his past, waiting to be uncovered. Rumours had swirled for decades and, after he passed away, people started to report cases of historic sex abuse by him. In 2012, I was approached about making an ITV documentary, Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy…

In 2012, cartoonist John Backderf released a graphic novel entitled My Friend Dahmer, about his friendship with the killer while they were at the same school. Adapted for the big screen in 2017, the film is also called My Friend Dahmer and tells the story of the two boys’ friendship from the age of 12 up to, but not including, Dahmer’s first murder in 1978. The film doesn’t excuse Dahmer’s crimes, but offers an empathetic portrayal of his formative years, and paints him as a lonely young man who has problems with his parents, is bullied by his peers and faces his own inner demons. Starring American musician and actor Ross Lynch as Jeffrey Dahmer, and Anne Heche as his mum Joyce, the film offers a chilling insight into the…