Table of contents for 06-Aug-2020 in Chat

Faced with a medical emergency, Claire found that laughter really was the best medicine to cope (p34). Kayla styled herself after her favourite fashion doll and her size didn’t get in the way… until it did (p37). And how did a job application expose a man who thought he’d got away with murder? (p16). We’ve got the latest supermarket style (p12) and ice cream puds perfect come rain or shine (p40). Plus the prize puzzles you love. Stay safe and well this week. During this worrying time, we wish all of our readers good health. We hope Chat offers 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 Play Store direct to your…

Emelie Falk, 37 Sitting on the sofa with my husband, my mind started to drift. ‘What are you thinking about?’ Mateos, then 28, asked. ‘My family,’ I shrugged. It was December 2009, and after getting married a few months before, we wanted to try for a baby. But something was holding me back. I knew I had been adopted when I was tiny. Welcomed into an adoring family, I loved my parents. But I couldn’t deny that I had questions about my blood relatives. And how could I start a family without knowing my own? ‘You have to ask your mum,’ Mateos said. He was right. A week later, I spoke to my mum Sylvia, 61. The best of friends, I knew that she’d always tell me the truth. But…

As shop assistant Sondra Better, 68, went to work on the morning of 24 August 1998, she was feeling excited. The grandmother and mother-of-three was counting down the days until her retirement. With just two shifts left to go at the second-hand shop where she worked, Sondra had grand plans to celebrate the momentous occasion. The moment she’d finished work for good, Sondra and her husband Zeke planned to travel to New York. They’d renew their vows and celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. That afternoon, Sondra was the only member of staff working at Lu Shay’s Consignment Store in Delray Beach, Florida. But when her shift was over that evening, two teenagers were walking past the store and made a grim discovery. Fighting back Walking into the shop, they were…

Emma Bullimore, 44, Peterborough True-life PATIENT CASEBOOK Glancing over at my son, I was really starting to worry. He had sunken eyes and a grey complexion. It was June 2018 and for the last few weeks, Harry, then 15, had been battling tonsillitis. Today, he could barely open his eyes. As my husband Pete, 46, and I tried to lift Harry off the sofa, he collapsed. We raced to Peterborough City Hospital. Doctors took blood tests and rushed for a CT scan. ‘Harry has two abscesses on his brain,’ they said. Transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, Harry was taken straight for surgery. As we waited for a doctor, a nurse showed us around. She took us to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, where Harry would be staying. And then she…

Wags to riches During the lockdown, Made in Chelsea star and pilates instructor Verity Bowditch and her mother Denise welcomed beautiful Bijou from RSPCA West Hatch Animal Centre in Somerset. In preparation for her telly debut on Made In Chelsea, the husky has featured in Verity’s virtual pilates classes! Little, but lovely After her first hamster died, Vicki Pitchford found Mushu online at Great Ayton Animal Centre. Despite lockdown restrictions, Vicki only had to fill out adoption forms and take a few phone calls before Mushu arrived on 11 May. The sweet-natured, adventurous hamster is now a happy family member. Purr-fect match Eleanor Kirby spotted Mila on RSPCA Millbrook Animal Centre’s website. She got to know Mila through video chats, even hosting a virtual tour of her house and garden.…

Sweet Arches, 28 Placing a ring on one of my freshly manicured toes, I moved my dainty size 4 feet into position and snapped a picture. ‘That’s the shot,’ I smiled to myself. It was May 2019 and I was in the process of uploading the first photo to my new Instagram account. Not a personal page laden with pics of holidays or with friends. No, this account was dedicated to my feet! Though most people are grossed out by feet, I’ve always loved them. Would even offer to massage and pedicure my friends’ toes. When a pal showed me countless social-media accounts for people toe-tally obsessed with feet, I knew it was my calling. ‘I’m going to set one up!’ I giggled. I had the credentials, with my high…

3 ways to… save energy during the summer Cut back on your energy usage in the warmer months and save cash with these handy tips from E.ON… 1 Dial it down When the weather’s warmer, there’s no better time to try braving a cooler shower. By dropping the temperature a few degrees, even for the last couple of minutes for a refreshing blast, you can start saving on the £80 a year that UK households spend on average on heating water for showers. You might even enjoy it! 2 Lighting for less Installing outdoor lights in your garden or patio to add atmosphere to summer evenings doesn’t have to strain your energy usage if you opt for energy-efficient LED or solar-powered bulbs. 3 Keep your cool Close all your blinds…

Aries 21 March-20 April Feeling impatient at times? Remember not everyone is as quick to learn as you. Be patient and allow time for your family and friends to catch up to your speed. • Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May Enjoy the love and the company of your family. You don’t always need to be rushing around, pleasing others. Take some quality time out for yourself. • Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June As long as people don’t walk all over you and you make your own decisions, does it matter if someone doesn’t share your opinion? You’re your own person. • Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July Being detailed in your approach to a job could…

Q How do I choose the right suncream? Laura Sawyer, 45, Essex A SPF is only half the story when it comes to choosing which sun protection to use, you should choose a product with high levels of UVA protection for deeper down, invisible damage. ‘UV light that hits our skin consists of UVA and UVB rays, and UVA rays are able to penetrate deeper into the skin and can cause permanent damage,’ says Soltan Suncare expert Clare O’Connor. ‘UVB rays penetrate into the top layers of the skin and are usually responsible for the most immediate damage that we see and feel.’ SPF choice is dependent on personal skin type, time of year and location. Skin types may be different, but if you are very fair skinned or burn…

Schizophasia is the term for disordered speech patterns, a phenomenon which gets its colloquial name from what food dish? The number next to the clue tells you which line the answer is in. There may be two across answers in one line. Down words fill themselves in. The shaded squares spell out the prize answer. ACROSS 1 Caribbean island country 3 Meadow • Stay in bed late (3,2) 5 Number of lives a cat is said to have • Secret plan 7 Inspire with, fill with • Baby’s bed 9 Cartoon cat WIN £150 Puzzle 2 Your answer:…

On 23 August last year, Sondra Better’s nearest and dearest gathered in court in West Palm Beach, Florida. It took the jury about an hour to deliberate. Returning to the courtroom, the verdict was read out. Todd Barket was found guilty of first-degree murder. He was also found guilty of robbery with a weapon. The jury didn’t believe his weak defence and, as Barket sat with his head in his hands, the judge immediately sentenced him to life in prison with no chance of release. Sondra’s family hugged, before thanking prosecutors for their work. The verdict was all the more poignant, coming just one day before the 21st anniversary of Sondra’s death. Sadly, her husband Zeke never got to see justice served as he’d passed away in 2015. He’d hoped for an…

Appy & healthy Mindfulness app Synctuition is offering free use to everyone in an attempt to support the increase in mental-health difficulties as a result of the pandemic. Clear your mind from anxiety and negativity (IOS and Android). Swap and see Fancy a refreshing summer tea? Why not try this new Turmeric Chai tea from Tea India (£2.50, Waitrose)? Not only is it refreshing, but its active ingredient of curcumin may help boost your immune system. Look on the bright side! According to new research, having a negative outlook can make you more prone to developing dementia.* Scientists believe that this is because repetitive negative thoughts may cause a build-up of harmful deposits on the brain, which are linked to Alzheimer’s disease. However, the link was more associated with long periods…

The so-called ‘Sporting Parson’, the 19th-century vicar of Swimbridge in Devon, was the founder of which breed that originated with his dog Trump? To find out, solve the puzzle… Add a letter anywhere in each of the boxed-off words to fit the clue, eg, Imprisons = AILS + J = JAILS. Write the added letter in the space provided. Read down the added letters to spell out the prize answer. WIN £50 Puzzle 9 Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

DEATH AT THE MANSION On 13 September 1987, retired architect Simon Dale, 68, was found bludgeoned to death in the kitchen of his sprawling Shropshire mansion. He’d allegedly had a dispute with his ex-wife and mother of his five children, Baroness Susan de Stempel, over the sale of the property. She was eventually cleared of his murder in a trial but later found guilty of defrauding her elderly aunt out of a fortune and handed a seven-year prison sentence. HUNGERFORD MASSACRE On 19 August 1987, Michael Robert Ryan approached Susan Godfrey, 35, and her two children, 4 and 2, having a picnic in Hungerford, Berkshire. Holding up a gun, he marched Susan into the forest and shot her 13 times in the back. Ryan, 27, then fled to continue his…

Q What’s the craziest request you’ve received? A Someone asked me to run him over in my car! He said he’d sign a form to relinquish me of any culpability should he be hurt but of course I said no. The content I publish is very PG and I never do anything I don’t want to. Q So, is it an easy way to make money? A You might think that but there is actually a lot of work that goes into it. Every day, I spend anywhere between six to 10 hours on my phone, replying to messages and accepting or rejecting requests. That’s not to mention all of the time I spend pedicuring my feet, organising the shoots and planning accessories. Q How long do you plan to…

Kayla Lavende, 35 Combing her long, blonde locks and dressing her in a polka-dot frock and tiny heeled boots, I shimmied my Barbie into her house. Sitting her down with her friends, I admired my collection. By the time I was 3, more than 200 Barbies lined my shelves or sat inside their intricate dolls’ houses. Ever since I could remember, I’d been obsessed. Doing their hair, styling their outfits, I loved Barbie’s individual look. And of course, pink was my favourite colour, too! I wanted to be just like my favourite doll. But as I got older, I looked a world away from Barbie’s slender figure. While my two older sisters Nicole and Chantelle were slim, I’d always been the fat sibling. And my parents Carla and John, both…

Chocolate and pecan brownies Ready in under an hour, this delicious combo is a perfect pudding SERVES: 8 PREP TIME: 10 MINS COOK TIME: 30 MINS • 300g dark chocolate• 250g butter• 350g sugar• 200g flour• 5 eggs• 250g pecan nuts• Kelly’s of Cornwall Ice Cream 1 Heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. 2 Grease a square cake tin with butter and line the bottom with greaseproof paper. 3 Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bain-marie or microwave. 4 Remove from the heat or microwave and leave the mixture to cool a little, then add the sugar, flour and the eggs, one by one, stirring continuously. Add the pecans and stir once more. 5 Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for…

Adult Material CHANNEL 4 This four-part drama stars Hayley Squires as porn star and mum-of-three Jolene Dollar. When Jolene meets 19-year-old aspiring performer Amy, she tries to take her under her wing. But her relationship with her protégée ends up almost destroying her home life and career. Mandy BBC2 Diane Morgan from After Life and Motherland stars in the BBC2 comedy Mandy, which previously aired as a one-off pilot. In the title role, she plays a woman whose biggest ambition is to breed Dobermann pinschers. But there are massive hurdles to overcome before that dream can become reality… Red Dwarf: The First Three Million Years DAVE Fans of Red Dwarf can chart the history of the classic sci-fi sitcom in this three-parter that will hear from co-creator Doug Naylor, plus…

TEXT Simply text CHATC 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 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. INTERNET Join our Chat…

I’ll never forget the way you looked at me. A patronising expression flashed across your faces. Staring back at the book in front of me, I tried desperately to make sense of the words. But it was as though the letters were floating above the page. When I glanced over at my classmates, their pens were scrawling rapidly across their notebooks. They knew the answers. All I had were questions. It was 2003 and, just like always, I was at the front of the class. Knuckling down, I studied hard for every subject. While my friends were out having fun, I was at home with my head in the books. ‘I’ll be the first one in our family to go to university,’ I told my mum Fiona, then 37. ‘You’ll…

Emma Bignall, 31, Essex Clutching his beer and pushing his cheek into mine, Jak held out his iPhone. But before snapping a pic, he stopped and glared at me. ‘Hold your wine up, then,’ he hissed. ‘What are you, an idiot?’ I faked a smile as he clicked the camera. The most beautiful girl in the world, he captioned the snap before posting it on social media. But the image was a lie, just like our relationship had become. I first met Jak on Tinder, in August 2018. He was funny, charming, had a brilliant sense of humour. And he was non-stop with compliments on my eyes, hair and figure. He made me feel like the luckiest girl ever. Jak could be extremely vain, spending longer in front of the…

WIN £1,001 Puzzle 5 What connects actor Leonardo DiCaprio and singer Shakira? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the three-word prize answer. ACROSS 1/69 Actor who played the title role in Billy Elliot (5,4) 4 Hard at work (4) 6 Boarded a ship (8) 13 James _, Titanic director (7) 14 Sightseeing visitor (7) 15 Mark _, author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (5) 16 Touch down (4) 17 Ronald _, former US President (6) 18 A workplace (6) 20 Water-filled ditch (4) 21 Correct a mistake (5) 22 Crept forward (6) 25 Games held every four years (8) 28 Kylie Jenner’s daughter (6) 30 Friend in Spanish (5) 32 Chinese region, formerly a British colony (4,4) 34 Poisonous snakes (6)…

Do I need vitamins? Q My husband laughs at me for taking vitamin D tablets. Aren’t we all supposed to be taking them? Helen, Wetherby A Well, it depends! Vitamin D is essential for many aspects of health, including strong bones and teeth. It comes from food such as oily fish, red meat, liver and eggs – but, more importantly, our skin makes vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. During spring and summer, most people in Britain will make enough vitamin D from the sun, but levels drop in autumn and winter. People who cover up in the sun, are stuck indoors, or have black or brown skin might not make enough even during summer and might benefit from taking a supplement – this might apply to lots of us…

In Hinduism, which goddess was the first wife of Shiva who was then reincarnated as his second wife Parvati? Solve the crossword, then read down the yellow squares. The yellow shaded squares will spell out the competition answer. ACROSS 1 Plain and simple (5) 4 _ King Cole, singer and pianist (3) 6 Star Wars order (4) 7 Small magical creature (3) DOWN 1 Stringed musical instrument (5) 2 _ Toksvig, host of QI (5) 3 Baby’s bed (3) 5 Goal (3) WIN £50 Puzzle 13 Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit lifedeathprizes.com/win…

Dumped because of cancer Q Last year, I met a wonderful woman. She’s kind, clever, good-looking and more. We clicked instantly and became lovers after two months. Things were wonderful until I was diagnosed with cancer. I was sure she’d be by my side, but she ended things. My world has collapsed. I miss her terribly and don’t know how to handle it. Tom, 63 A Sweetheart, she’s obviously not the one for you. A true soulmate would be there in sickness and health. Isn’t it better to find out now? Put yourself first. Once someone treats you like a burden, you don’t need them in your life. You need people who will respect you, and treat you no differently. I miss my daughter’s ex Q My daughter recently split from her…

My unhappiness lingered in the back of my mind. I knew, deep down, I needed to lose weight to be content. And then, in 2017, I watched a terrifying documentary about people who were morbidly obese. They were putting their lives at risk. And I knew I was, too. Sobbing in bed that night, I was desperate for a quick-fix. ‘I don’t want to die,’ I cried to Ryan. ‘I’ll support you, whatever it takes,’ he told me. So, the next morning, I started researching. Found a surgeon in Mexico who could carry out a gastric-sleeve procedure. They’d remove 80% of my stomach, restricting the amount of food I could eat. In April 2018, I cut out carbs and sugar as part of my pre-operation diet. I lost more than…

Our Friends in the North Before Christopher Eccleston starred as Doctor Who and Daniel Craig became James Bond, they appeared in this 1996 drama about four friends from Newcastle. Spanning three decades from 1964 to 1995, the nine-parter takes in key political and social events, including general elections, police and local government corruption, plus the miners’ strike and the Great Storm of 1987. Also look out for Mark Strong and Gina McKee as characters in the close-knit group. The Darling Buds of May Enjoy all three series and two Christmas specials of this beloved ITV drama, which ran from 1991 to 1994. Based on the books by HE Bates and set in 1950s Kent, it stars Pam Ferris and Sir David Jason as Ma and Pop Larkin, who supplement the income…

Katie Walsh, 23, Stockport Heaving a heavy box along the path, I huffed and puffed. ‘Here, let me give you a hand,’ a friendly voice behind me said. ‘I’m Leslie Moore, I live across the road,’ he said. It was spring 2010, I was 13, and me and my mum Linda, then 54, had just moved into our new home. Leslie insisted on helping us lug our boxes inside. ‘What a gent,’ Mum smiled as she made him a brew. Leslie said he could help set up our computer, too. And true to his word, that same week, he sorted out our PC. After that, he always seemed to be at ours. I reckoned he probably fancied Mum, and I was pleased she had an admirer – she deserved it.…

Chat winners issue 19 (7 May 2020) £1,001 CASH L Ruston, Stoke-on-Trent £1,000 CASH F Gale, Ipswich £500 CASH F Ricketts, Baldock; A Rogers, Houghton Regis. £250 CASH B Allwood, Milton Keynes. £150 CASH D Wetherell, Bradford. £100 CASH I Turnbull, Gateshead; V Price, Abergele; J Kitchen, Reading; S Proudley, Gainsborough; H Ramial, Brighton. £60 CASH J Rivers, Brierley Hill. £50 CASH C McCormack, Omagh; V Heard, Camberley; D Connor, Winsford. £30 CASH J Probert, Rugeley; N Spratley, Croydon; A Bradley, Kidderminster; C Hill, Leicester; J Pinchess, Burbage. £25 CASH J Rutland, Oldham; E Falvi, Hartlepool; J Stewart, Wigan; B Nelson, Dudley; G Johnston, Swindon; G Brough, Seaham; S Clare, Consett; J Carr, West Glamorgan; D King, Leicester. Anyone from your town in the list this week..? • All contributions…