Table of contents for 07-May-2020 in Chat

Donna shares the heartbreaking reason she’s taking on the most terrifying challenge of her life (p62). Suz’s childhood was something straight from a fairy tale, but where was her happy ending? (p26). And Shani was scared for her 5-year-old boy, Ellis. What makes a kid that age say something so shocking (p10)? On top of all your usual faves, we’ve got tempting breakfast treats you can bake yourself (p42) and a stunning pendant necklace, free for every reader (p30). Stay safe and well this week.…

Perched on the edge of the bed, I watched in awe as thousands of people pounded the pavements. It was the day of the 2019 London Marathon. Seeing runners cross the finish, sponsors on their t-shirts, I’d never felt so inspired. ‘This time next year, I’m going to run a marathon,’ I vowed to my husband Simon, 64. He said nothing back. If he could, he’d have cracked a joke, told me I’d never even run for a bus… I also knew he’d be proud. He couldn’t say any of those things, though. Simon had always been quick-witted and wickedly funny. But then, aged 55, he started getting muddled. He’d lose his train of thought mid-sentence. And there was a change in his posture, too. His head would droop, back…

THE GREAT ESCAPE HM Prison Maze in Northern Ireland was considered to be one of the most escape-proof prisons in Europe. Among others, it held paramilitary prisoners during the Troubles – the violent, 30-year political conflict. In the biggest prison break in British history, on 25 September 1983, 38 inmates escaped. One prison officer died of a heart attack after being stabbed as he attempted to stop the breakout, while many more were injured. In the following weeks, 18 of the escapees were recaptured but the others managed to successfully flee to freedom. REIGN OF TERROR OVER Dennis Nilsen was sentenced to life, guilty of six counts of murder, on 4 November 1983. The Scottish serial killer first struck in 1978 and went on to kill at least 12 men over…

She won’t even kiss me! QAfter three children and some medical problems, my wife decided that our sex life’s over. I’ve accepted no more intercourse, but why can’t we still be intimate? If I try, she tells me to get off. I asked if she’d do things to make me less sexually frustrated, but she says we’re too old. We’re in our early 50s! Is there anything I can do? Rob, 51 AYou’re right, intimacy isn’t only about sex. But what else are you doing that makes you more than just friends? Maybe suggest a date night. Pull your weight with chores. I’m not turning it on you, but consider how she’s feeling. Show her how much she means to you. If you need more help, consider marriage guidance. Hubby’s beer goggles Q…

When my consultant asked me what my goal weight was, I was unsure what to say. ‘I want to be a size 12 again,’ I admitted. So that became my goal. After my first weigh-in, I headed to Iceland. Filled my trolley to the brim with enough Slimming World ready meals to last the week. At first, it was strange. I was cooking dinners for Matt and Emily, then 2. And I’d breastfeed Henry as I zapped a meal in the microwave for me. But all my meals were healthy, nutritious and still filling. Stepping on the scales at my second weigh-in, I took a deep breath. ‘You’ve lost 6lb!’ the consultant smiled. I wanted to lose weight for a whole host of reasons Over the next three months, I…

Q How can I get longer, thicker eyelashes without using falsies? Kathy Lane, 63 A Long, thick lashes are the go-to look for appearing more awake, glamorous and feminine. Sadly, not all of us are blessed with naturally long lashes. The best way to fake this fluttery look is by choosing a mascara with a wand to suit your eyes. Short, straight lashes? You’re better off using a small, plastic wand like Catrice Cosmetics Eyeconista Las Millionizer Volume Mascara, £4.99, to really reach into the corner of the eyes. If your lashes are sparse or thin, a thicker, bristle tipped wand like Rimmel Scandal’Eyes Volume on Demand Mascara, £7.99, and Essence I Love Extreme Volume Mascara Waterproof, £2.80, will add va-va-volume. TRIED AND TESTED Garnier Ultra Blends Almond Crush Yoghurt Hair Mask, £2.49…

Which building is in the title of the last of William Faulkner’s Snopes trilogy? 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 answer. 1 Snake’s poison (5) 2 Sorcerer (8) 3 Kenya’s capital (7) 4 Young children (7) 5 Look for (4) 6 Bird of prey (7) 7 Fizzy drink (8) 8 Reflected sound (4) 9 Arboreal ape (9) 10 Rowdy (5) 11 Beatles hit (9) 12 English county (9) 13 Schooling (9) 14 Male relative (6) 15 Cupboard (8) 16 Seismic event (10) WIN £150 Puzzle 2 Your answer:…

GEORGE at ASDA All sizes 8-24 STYLE TIP Channel on-trend retro vibes with sunset shades NUTMEG at MORRISONS All sizes 8-22 STYLE TIP Opt for an easy-to-wear jumpsuit. The tie-waist feature cinches the waist and creates a flattering silhouette TU at SAINSBURY’S All sizes 8-24 STYLE TIP Every wardrobe needs a floral midi dress. Pair with a blazer for your daily walk F&F at TESCO All sizes 6-22 STYLE TIP A khaki jacket is the perfect lightweight cover-up. Layer over tops, dresses and jumpsuits…

In December 2019, after deliberating for well over four hours, the jury came to a unanimous decision and found Sharon Carrillo guilty of murder. She burst into tears and shook her head repeatedly. ‘We love you!’ one of Carrillo’s family members shouted to her as she was led out of the courtroom. During the sentencing hearing, the prosecutors said Carrillo’s daughter’s last words were, ‘I think I’m dying.’ They requested Carrillo be given a life sentence. Several family members gave character witness statements, pleading with the judge for a lower sentence. Her father Joseph Kennedy said his daughter had been abused by her husband Julio Carrillo. ‘He changed Sharon from the caring, loving mother we all knew into a scared, domineered shell of her former self,’ he told the court. The…

World health Parents, retirees, young adults and students are most likely to suffer from stress. Health concerns cause stress for 37% of retirees, while 27% say their weight is a major cause of stress.* swap and see Swap your sugar-filled energy drink for an Innocent Shot; it contains no artificial flavours and it is sugar-free, so you can give your mind and body a healthy boost. Waitrose, £1.99 for a 100ml bottle. Pick up a ping-pong paddle You may have been moved by Geraldine’s story (see opposite page), and if you or someone you love suffers from Parkinson’s disease, you may be interested to learn that ping-pong could help relieve symptoms. So says a new study.** Patients, even those who’d been living with the disease for many years, noticed improvements…

Which actor played Anne Reid’s younger lover Darren in the 2003 film The Mother? To find out, solve the puzzle… Add a letter anywhere in each of the boxed-off words to fit the clue, eg, Centre = MIST + D = MIDST. Write the added letter in the space provided. Read down the added letters to spell out the prize answer. WIN £50 Puzzle 9 Centre Prize Scope Rascal Start again Colour Small area Sweeping tool Running race Step Narrow boat Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 60 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

This stunning silver-plated crystal heart pendant with a 17in chain is yours free, simply by sending an 88p stamped, self-addressed envelope with the completed coupon printed below. Team your necklace with matching faux pearl and silver-plated jewellery: a 22in faux pearl rope for £5, a three-row faux pearl 18in necklace for £6, a silver-plated Prince of Wales bracelet for £3 and heart earrings and silver-plated studs for £6 for both pairs. The full set costs just £20 and if you order it all, we’ll enclose another jewellery gift – absolutely free! How to claim your free pendant Complete the coupon below and send it, together with a stamped, self-addressed envelope and any payment, to: LMS, Dept CHAT41, PO Box 998, Aylesbury HP22 9LE All applications must be received by Friday…

Tammi, 60 Opening my dating app, I clicked on a message that popped up. DTF, it said. Not knowing the lingo, I searched on Google. Whoa! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the definition… Down to… Well, you can guess the rest. Shockingly, this wasn’t the first time I’d received such vulgar messages. It was August 2017 and I’d recently divorced my husband of 20 years. We shared a son and grandchildren together. But, excited to start afresh, I couldn’t wait to get back into dating. Aged 28 or 58, we all need a bit of romance. Only, every man I connected with online just seemed to have one thing on his mind. Sex Maybe it was my tattoos, piercings and brightly coloured hair, men assumed I was…

3 ways to… boost your earnings Getting a pay rise isn’t the only way to increase income. Here are some other ideas… 1 Get a side-hustle You could net extra cash in your spare time by harnessing your skills. According to job search engine Adzuna, working as a virtual assistant pays up to £16 per hour; the role varies but can involve doing admin, which can often be done in the evenings. If you’re a social media whizz, why not make money from it? Contact businesses to see if they could use your expertise, or search online for companies looking for help. 2 Explore your creative side If you enjoy creating hand-made crafts, then you could turn your hobby into a money-making venture. Whether you like making bath bombs or…

Aries 21 March-20 April Being the life and soul of the party will lead to someone inviting you to join their online group. Look out for an opportunity not to be missed. Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May Searching for a lost piece of jewellery will be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Retracing your steps may be necessary in order for you to find it. Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June You will find yourself the likely candidate to come up with a brilliant solution for all concerned when family members need help to sort out a problem. Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July A virtual date will have you burning with desire, and finding…

When a member of the Japanese parliament received a strange and disturbing letter from a 26-year-old man in Tokyo, they brushed it off as being from just another oddball. Thank you very much for reading this letter. I can wipe out a total of 470 disabled individuals, wrote Satoshi Uematsu in February 2016. At the time, he was working at the Tsukui Yamayuri-en care facility, just outside Tokyo. And, worryingly, he was responsible for the care of 150 vulnerable, disabled residents. I am fully aware that my remark is eccentric. However, thinking about the tired faces of guardians, the dull eyes of caregivers working at the facility, I am not able to contain myself, and so I decided to take action today for the sake of Japan and the world,…

Chat winners issue 6 (6 Febuary 2020) £1,001 CASH J Saban, Worksop. £1,000 CASH J Derbyshire, Northolt. £500 CASH M Samuel, Newent; S James, Redruth. £250 CASH B Whitehouse, West Bromwich. £150 CASH P Stevens, Farnham. £100 CASH L Webster, Falkirk; R Starr, Telford; F Claridge, Oxford; D Draper, Swadlincote; D Selby, Gainsborough. £60 CASH L Hending, Bristol. £50 CASH L Johnson, Swinton; J Perkins, Bootle; G Wake, Birmingham. £30 CASH D Gilligan, Harrogate; J McCluskey, Diss; R Bramall, Craigavon; L McNulty, Wolverhampton; L Buchanan, Coatbridge. £25 CASH J Edwards, Droitwich; J Hall, Cleveland; R Hunt, Hailsham; M Bachelor, Chester; P Webb, Abingdon; M Thompson, Newton Aycliffe; J White, Gillingham; L Scott, Abergele; K Howlett, St Ives. Anyone from your town in the list this week..? PUZZLE 1 2184 PUZZLE…

Waking from my stupor, I clutched my head in agony. It was early 2005 and, like many 20-year-olds, I liked a night out. Only, where most people might go out for a couple of glasses of wine on a Saturday evening, this was a Tuesday morning and I’d spent Monday getting blackout drunk. ‘Ouch!’ I winced, knocking back painkillers. I checked my mobile for clues, hoping that memories of the past 24 hours would flood back and shed light on my car crash of an evening. But I was met with an array of texts and missed calls from my mum. ‘I’m worried for you, love,’ said one. ‘Let me know you’re OK.’ It’d been three weeks, maybe four, since I last saw my family. Looking at myself in the…

WIN £1,001 Puzzle 5 Who has Mo Farah said should play him in a film of his life? Solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the prize answer. ACROSS 11 Hold in custody (6) 12 Never-ending (9) 13 Leave out (4) 14 Impose limits on (8) 15 Italian dish (5) 16 Unjust (6) 17 Swindle, trick (7) 18 Star Wars actress (5,6) 20 __ Winfrey, talk-show host (5) 22 Six-sided (9) 24 __ Thomas, Welsh poet (5) 28 Squashed (7) 29 Request again (7) 32 __ Nicks, singer (6) 34 Mattress frame (8) 36 Regain possession of (8) 37 Songbird (6) 39 Item of bathroom furniture (7) 40 Ordinary, dull (7) 45 Delete (5) 47 Express in another language (9) 48 M__ Shyamalan, The Sixth Sense film director (5)…

Unsure of my vagina diagnosis Q My vagina lips are raw, red, burning and sore. I’ve been diagnosed with vulvodynia. What is it? Stacey, Poole A Vulvodynia means pain in your vulva, the area around your vagina. Infections, allergy, pressure on a nerve, damage from childbirth or skin conditions such as eczema can be to blame, but usually the cause is a mystery. Treatment might include antidepressants, not because you’re depressed but because they work on pain-carrying nerves, and local-anaesthetic cream. Biofeedback can work well – you insert a sensor device into your vagina and a specialist therapist teaches you to squeeze your vaginal and pelvic muscles while the sensor readout confirms you’re doing the exercises correctly. It helps to avoid long baths, soap or deodorant in that area, plus…

Staring up at the man in the navy suit, I watched as he shuffled his papers. He smelled of shoe polish and stood with a briefcase by his side. ‘I’m sorry to tell you, your mother is dead,’ he said. ‘Do you understand?’ What’s he on about? Mums don’t die, do they? My mum Betty had been ill for some time. She’d found a lump while breastfeeding my younger sibling. And instead of helping Mum to feed the hens on our farm in Yorkshire, or baking like we used to, I just remember her spending a lot of time in bed. Eventually, she’d become so unwell that me and my two siblings were taken to live in a children’s home. My dad Arthur carried on working, while Mum was taken…

Jess Taylor, 30, Grimsby Hearing the doorbell, I raced to get it. Pizza’s here!’ I called to my husband Matt, then 27. As I grabbed the warm boxes from the driver, my mouth watered. And back on the sofa, I got stuck in. It was September 2016 and I was heavily pregnant. Had been using the excuse of ‘eating for two’ a lot. Frankly, it was beginning to show. A size 22-24, I weighed around 16st. But, as I was growing a little human, I reasoned it shouldn’t matter. Or at least, I tried to pretend it didn’t. See, as a teenager, I’d developed an unhealthy relationship with food. Aged 16, I’d loved the freedom that came with starting college. There were no more set lunch or snack times like…

Oaty banana bread MAKES 2 LOAVES PREP TIME: 25 MINS COOK TIME: 50 MINS • 65g Flahavan’s Organic Jumbo Oats• 100g Flahavan’s Organic Porridge Oats• 130g whole wheat flour• 1tsp gluten-free baking soda• ¼tsp baking powder• 1tsp ground cinnamon• Pinch of sea salt• 4 medium very ripe bananas, mashed• 300ml honey• 300ml maple syrup• 60g unsalted butter, melted• 60ml oat milk• 100g low fat Greek yogurt• 2 large eggs• 1tsp vanilla extractYou will also need:• 2 20x6cm loaf tins, lined 1 Preheat the oven to 150C/Gas 2. Spread 50g of Jumbo Oats and all the Porridge Oats in a single layer on a baking tray lined with baking paper and place in the oven. 2 Toast the oats for 8-10 mins, until light golden, mixing once, halfway through. Remove from…

Kerry Williams, 41, Merseyside Peering into the garden, I burst into laughter. We’ve made a den,’ my daughter Eboney, 13, giggled as she popped her head out of a bush. Larking about with her best friend in the sunshine, Eboney’s smile was radiant. She was always having a laugh. And, when she wasn’t dancing to music videos, she was experimenting with the brightest make-up, watching tutorials online. I was a busy single mum, juggling my work as a mental-health practitioner with raising my two kids. But with Eboney and her big brother Leon, 17, it’d never felt that hard. My parents Peter and Margaret had been on hand to look after them when they were growing up, taught them their first words, the flags of every country. So, when Eboney…

HOW TO ENTER TEXT Simply text CHATB 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 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. INTERNET Join our Chat…