Table of contents for 12 October 2023 in Chat

We pay £25 for any photos that we use on Chat To Us! Get in touch! EMAIL chat_ magazine@futurenet.com POST Chat, 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, London W2 6JR Find us online at facebook.com/chatMagazine…

TRUE-LIFE As Marko’s kind eyes met mine, I hung on his every word. It was July 2017 and I was sitting in on a sport and wellness seminar. Marko was presenting, but when he smiled it made me feel as though he was talking just to me. I’d popped along to find out how to improve my strength and fitness. Not as straightforward for me, as it may be for some. I was born with no arms, you see. The rare birth defect, phocomelia syndrome – severe malformation of the extremities – meaning my arms were severely shortened. I never let my disability get in my way, though. As a kid, I’d learnt to eat, dress and hold things with my legs. I could paint with my feet, holding the…

YOU’RE THE JUDGE! In the early hours of 23 February 2022, an emergency call handler answered the phone to a panicked man. Steve Hendricks was frantically calling from his girlfriend’s home in Green Bay, Wisconsin. ‘I have no idea what’s happening,’ he said. Only, his next words must have made even a hardened 911 operator recoil. ‘My girl swears that she found the severed head of her son in the basement,’ he said. Police were called out to the home straight away, where Steve lived with his girlfriend, Tara Pekanich, and her 24-year-old son, Shad Thyrion. Tara confirmed she’d made the grisly discovery in a bucket left in her basement and police checked it out. ‘At the bottom of the stairs, to the right, there was a green bucket with…

Q I took up running, but had to stop because of heel pain. My GP says it’s Achilles tendinitis – what’s happened? Irie, Kingston A Your Achilles tendon, the sinew that connects your calf muscle to your ankle bone, has become inflamed. Overdoing exercise, particularly running, is the most common cause and tendinitis affects nearly one in 10 runners at some stage, although it can also appear out of the blue. It’s more likely if you’re older, aren’t training regularly or are running up hills or on hard roads. You’re likely to suffer pain in the tendon during or after walking or running but symptoms should usually get better after a few weeks, or possibly months, of rest and painkillers. Other treatment might mean a steroid injection around the tendon,…

World Smile Day is on 6 October! ANSWERS: 1. Catherine, Princess of Wales; 2. Margot Robbie; 3. Idris Elba; 4. Serena Williams; 5. Ryan Reynolds; 6. Stacey Solomon.…

Q My son’s heading off to uni soon, and while I’m proud of him, I’m going to be so lonely when he’s off and having fun. I’m a single mum and he’s my only child. I’ll be rattling around the house on my own. How can I keep the loneliness at bay while he’s away? Janet, 56 A First of all, congrats – it sounds like you’ve raised a smart young man. Bravo! Now’s the time to do all the things you never could when you had a little one. Whether that’s volunteering for a charity or going out for cocktails on a Tuesday, just cos! Be so proud of yourself for getting your boy this far – now put a bit of time into you, flower.…

Filo fish pie We’ve swapped mash for filo pastry in this lighter version of a classic. SERVES 4-6 PREP 25 MINS COOK 20 MINS • 30g unsalted butter • 2tbsp plain flour • 150ml dry white wine • 300ml whole milk • 2tbsp crème fraiche • 2tbsp Dijon mustard • Bunch parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped • Bunch chives, finely chopped • 250g skinless salmon fillets, cut into even chunks • 250g skinless smoked haddock, cut into even chunks • 200g raw king prawns • 4 eggs, hard-boiled, cooled, peeled and quartered • 270g filo pastry • Olive oil, for brushing • Green beans and peas, to serve You will need: • 1.5ltr ovenproof pie dish 1 Melt the butter in a medium pan over a medium heat, stir in…

Cradling newborn Darcey-Helen in my arms, a soppy grin spread across my face. ‘She’s my little pumpkin,’ I told my girlfriend Kerri-Ann, then 24. It’d been a shock when Kerri-Ann fell pregnant shortly after we met. I was in my late 30s, with two teenagers already. But she moved in, and when Darcey arrived in May 2017, I was besotted with them both. Only our newborn bubble didn’t last long. Darcey was barely a week old when Kerri-Ann vanished with her at 11:30pm, and didn’t come back for three days. Didn’t return my frantic calls or texts. It wasn’t the first time – she’d been disappearing all through our relationship, She’s still young, I’d told myself. Besides, who could blame her for visiting mates while I spent all week away…

PS… Matte Bronzing Powder, £1, Primark Maintain your gorgeous summer glow with the help of this bargain powder bronzer. Available in three flattering shades, there’s a colour to suit every skin tone. Use it to contour cheekbones, add an all-over bronzed base and keep your skin looking healthy and radiant, no matter what time of the year. Lacura Coffee & Coconut Body Scrub, £4.99, Aldi Boasting a delicious mix of coconut, soya bean and jojoba seed oil, this scrub will leave the skin feeling silky smooth and soft, while added ingredients of coffee seed powder and sugar will help to achieve smoother-looking textures. Use to prep the skin for tanning, shaving and maintaining polished pins.…

BEHIND THE BIG CRIME TRUE-LIFE Every night before bed, Peter Farquhar wrote in his journal – just a few lines documenting his innermost thoughts. He’d done it since New Year’s Day 1990. Perhaps an unsurprising habit for a popular and cherished English teacher. ‘He was one of the most extraordinary teachers of my life,’ said TV journalist Michael Crick. Peter carried on with education when he retired. Became a guest lecturer at the University of Buckingham. Wrote several novels. On the surface, Peter lived a charmed life. But in truth – as his meticulous diaries detailed – he was lonely and hiding a secret. He was gay. As a devout Christian, Peter felt his sexuality was at odds with his religion. Unable to live the life he wanted, he buried himself…

Fave cartoon character growing up? Bod was my all-time favourite. I loved the theme music, too. Guessing which flavour milkshake Alberto Frog, the orchestra conductor, would choose at the end of each episode had me gripped! Chocolate or sweets? Chocolate, especially a Galaxy Ripple. Every day should end with a cup of tea and some form of chocolate before bed! If you could live anywhere, where would you go? Definitely Malta. I holiday there regularly – the island is small but has so much history and amazing architecture. It’s very family friendly, the sun seems to shine nearly all year round and there’s plenty of places to buy delicious pea pastizzi, which are basically mini mushy pea pasties! Do you have any pets? Oohhhh, yes. I have a pug, Coco,…

Partly named for an earlier discovery by a Scot, Welshman Edgar Purnell Hooley patented which material in 1902? 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 one-word prize answer. WIN £100 Puzzle 2 1 Ring-throwing game (6) 2 Irony, satire (7) 3 1215 charter (5,5) 4 Emergency vehicle (9) 5 Unpredictable, irregular (7) 6 Dromedary or Bactrian, eg (5) 7 Big cat (7) 8 US state whose capital is Dover (8) 9 Medium-sized brass instrument used in bands (9) 10 _ Monday, 1986 hit by The Bangles (5) 11 Salad vegetable (8) 12 Soft fruit (9) 13 Egg part (4) 14 Common name for the patella (7) 15 Flightless Antarctic bird (7) 16 The _, Isle of Wight rock formation (7) Your answer:…

LACE-UP BOOTS STYLE TIP Try wide-fit options if you have broader feet and struggle to wear boots comfortably. WESTERN BOOTS STYLE TIP Wear these Wild-West inspired boots with flowy, floral dresses and chunky knits. CHUNKEY-HEEL BOOTS STYLE TIP These look great with high-waist jeans and a biker jacket – a brilliant everyday boot. FROM £5.95 KNEE-HIGH BOOTS STYLE TIP Look for a loose leg style if you have thicker calves – perfect worn with midi skirts.…

True-life PATIENT CASEBOOK Kicking a cardboard box next to my desk at work, I felt a pop in my back. ‘Oh no,’ I groaned to myself. It was February 2012 and ever since doing a handstand in a swimming pool as a teen, I’d suffered from back pain. Physiotherapy, osteopathy, nothing had been more than a quick fix. In time, I’d had to give up the activities I’d always loved, like horse riding and car racing. But now, it felt like something more sinister. ‘Just nipping out,’ I told my colleagues through gritted teeth. Walking up the road, my back was in agony. In the supermarket I couldn’t even bend down to pick up a carton of milk. Returning to the office, I made my excuses and left. Somehow I…

Throwing my head back and cackling, I pointed at my laptop screen. ‘Take a look at this one!’ I shrieked to my twin, Daisy. Peering over my shoulder, she giggled. Can I have your sweaty stripper heels? one bloke had written. Another guy wanted my old stockings. It was September 2022, and I’d been on OnlyFans since March 2020. The website, popular with those in the sex industry, allows users to charge for saucy content. I’d been an exotic dancer for three years, so when the pandemic closed the strip clubs, I’d had to think on my feet – literally! Before that, I’d worked in a supermarket warehouse on minimum wage. So I really loved working from home. Felt more in control of my career than ever. I’d bought a…

Q My sister is a spoiled brat – she’s in her 30s and demands money from my mum when hers runs out. And I don’t think she’s ever done her own laundry. My mum complains about it all the time to me but never actually says no. It’s infuriating. I don’t understand how she’s ever supposed to grow up if Mum’s always babying her! Kayley, 38 A You’ve got to change the way you react to this, sweetheart. Your mum is allowing your sister to disrespect her so when she moans to you about it, tell her you’re not interested in hearing about it anymore. Shut it down, petal. And the same goes for your sister. You’re the only one who’s going to get wound up because you’re involved in…

3 ways to… cut energy bills this autumn With the colder months looming, reduce the amount of energy you use with these tips. 1 Stop daft draughts Draught-proofing your home to help keep the warm air in and the cold air out is a simple, quick and costeffective way to save energy. For tips on how to add draught-proofing to your windows and doors, such as how to fit a brush strip across the bottom of your front door, visit the How to Draught Proof Your Home guide at diy.com. While if you have an open chimney, did you know that you can get draughtexcluders designed to fit inside the chimney or around the fireplace, to stop the warm air going up and the cold draughts coming in?* Find out more…

Big Brother ITV2 ● Five years after the reality show came to an end on Channel 5, it’s coming to ITV2. As usual, an assortment of housemates from all walks of life will enter the brand new Big Brother house, where cameras will capture their every move for the next six weeks. AJ Odudu and Will Best host the main show, presiding over the weekly evictions and quizzing housemates, with a nightly companion show to debate all the hot topics. ‘I grew up with Big Brother so hosting it is a dream come true,’ says Will. ‘I can’t wait to tell the housemates not to swear!’ DON’T MISS DON’T MISS Barbara Knox at 90 ITV1 ● Barbara Knox is Coronation Street’s longest serving actress, having first played Weatherfield’s Rita almost…

Simple Smoothing Gel Cleanser, £8, Boots This gentle cleanser contains exfoliating AHA acids which brighten, ceramides to maintain moisture and hyaluronic acid to deeply hydrate. Use each morning to keep your skin healthy! Lanolips 12-Hour Overnight Lip Mask, £13, cultbeauty.co.uk Soothe chapped and dry lips with this new overnight lip mask packed with both nourishing and brightening properties. Generously apply before bed to wake up to a smooth pout. Kiko Milano Create Your Balance Defining Eyeshadow Duo in Get Up and Go, £13.99, kikocosmetics.com A gorgeous mix of both rusty metallic and matte hues, this mini eyeshadow duo is the perfect handbag must-have. Touch up your eye looks on the go with ease. E.l.f Skin Suntouchable! All Set For Sun Setting Spray SPF45, £14, elfcosmetics.com Protect your skin from sun…

Chat winners issue 28 (13 July 2023) £1,001 CASH A Williams, Shrewsbury £500 CASH S Oram, Trowbridge E Willoughby, Portsmouth £250 CASH P Mitchell, Cheltenham A Tynan, Llanelli £200 CASH G Bedwell, Worcester £100 CASH E Cartmel, Bristol J Duff, Lochgelly P Lee, Bridgwater £75 CASH R Dewey, Cheltenham £50 CASH C Poole, Leeds D Wilson, Keighley N Wright, Colchester J Whittaker, Leek J Atherton, Keighley J Barker, Chesterfield £40 CASH C Rumsey, Brandon £30 CASH L Kennedy, Kendal P George, Redcar £25 CASH A Wadeley, Birmingham R Walker, Bristol £20 CASH J Sailes, Pontefract Anyone from your town in the list this week..? A Hastilow, Tamworth M Aston, Southampton M Smith, Spalding J Graham, Crook G Trencham, Honiton K Saffery, Gillingham V McCarter, Coleraine I Scales, Scarborough B Jones,…

TRUE-LIFE Placing a tray of empty glasses on the bar, I scrawled my number on the back of a receipt. ‘It was nice to meet you,’ I blushed, handing it to the customer. ‘You too,’ he winked, stuffing it into his pocket and going back to his mates. In February 2022, I was waitressing at the local pub in my village near Swansea and one of the lads there had started flirting with me. The next day, he texted me. It’s Harvey. Fancy meeting up with me? Did I?! Meet after work this evening? I fired back. Harvey strode into the pub as my shift ended. Grabbing some drinks we sat down. He was 19, lived in the village and although he was slightly younger than me, that didn’t put…

Comedian Jack Dee describes his role in which play as the first successful thing he did in his whole school career? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the five-word prize answer. WIN £1,001 Puzzle 4 ACROSS 11 Period of 10 years (6) 12 Classic medical-themed board game (9) 13 Be quiet! (4) 14 Green vegetable (8) 15 2008 film starring Liam Neeson (5) 16 Jumped (6) 17 Grand house (7) 18 Actor who starred in Sophie’s Choice (5,6) 20 Woodwind instrument (5) 22 Item used for stargazing (9) 24 Permanent mark (5) 28 Losing one’s hair (7) 29 Chooses (7) 32 Place to see films (6) 34 Royal daughter (8) 36 Mark _, The Departed actor (8) 37 Ronald _, former US President (6) 39 Pet rodent (7) 40 Italian island (7) 45 _ Springsteen, singer (5) 47 US state (9) 48 Concur…

Really loud rumbles Q I make lots of loud embarrassing stomach rumbles. Is something wrong, and how can I stop them? Leonara, Southwark A Stomach rumbles, called borborygmi, are the sound of liquid or gas being squeezed along your bowel. We all have them but they’re more likely if your bowel muscle is overactive, for example when you have a case of diarrhoea or are hungry or anxious. Constant noisy rumbles often point to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) though can also mean a condition, such as coeliac disease, lactose intolerance or a form of bowel inflammation called Crohn’s disease, and you should see your GP if you have symptoms such as frequent diarrhoea, stomach pains or losing weight. Quieten the noises by eating little and often, avoiding gasproducing foods, drinking…

1 Brew up Sipping a cup of camomile tea can aid relaxation, according to research*. ‘The tea has mildly sedative properties which helps the body to regulate sleep,’ says GP and women’s health expert Dr Catherine Hood. 2 Stretch it out Try this yoga move to instantly calm your breathing and ease tight muscles. ‘A gentle spinal twist is ideal for releasing tension,’ says yoga expert Sue Fuller. ‘You can perform this posture while lying on your bed, with your arms out to the side and your knees bent. ‘Allow your knees to fall to the right and tilt your head to the left. Hold for five breaths through your nose and then repeat on the other side. Repeat this posture four more times while breathing slowly to relax your body and…

Gazing at a tiny Collie Greyhound cross online, I melted. I’d always been a sucker for a puppy! She’d been born on a local farm, only the website explained that she wasn’t feeding, and her mum wasn’t interested, so she needed a new home. It broke my heart. ‘We need to look after her,’ I told my husband Simon, then 48, showing him the picture of the small black and white dog. We already had 2-year-old Cockapoo, Alli, but we had enough space. And my daughter, Jessica, then 13, and son, Konnor, 10, were big animal lovers too. Simon agreed, and in April 2020 we went to pick up the 7-week-old puppy from the farm. ‘Let’s call her Luna, like the moon,’ the kids decided. I was besotted, and for…

Which is the only one of the world’s 20 longest rivers to cross the equator twice along its course? Solve the crossword, then read down the shaded squares to find the prize puzzle answer. ACROSS 1 One-twelfth of a foot (4) 5 _ Lennox, Scottish singer (5) 7 Before long (4) DOWN 2 A religious woman (3) 3 Garden tool (3) 4 Tatty pieces of cloth (4) 6 Charged particle (3) WIN 4 x £20 Puzzle 13 Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

In-law holiday dilemma Q Every year, my hubby and I go away with his family, and though it is lovely, I want us to go away alone, too. We’re going to start trying for a baby next year so it could be our last child-free holiday for a long while! I suggested we skip the family holiday this year, but he’s worried it’ll look rude. Rose, 30 A It’s important for you to clearly explain this to your partner and to his family if they question why you’re not going. Finding time together as hubby and wife is normal, healthy and important. If he really doesn’t want to miss the holiday, compromise by spending a couple of nights elsewhere. Or suggest a minibreak in the UK so you can spend…

Rolling over in bed at 2am, I answered my trilling phone. After listening carefully to what crisis I was needed for, I hung up. ‘Gotta go,’ I told my wife Jules. ‘Good luck,’ she said, going straight back to sleep. Jules was used to me vanishing at all hours of the night. It came with my job as a hostage and crisis negotiator coordinator. And this particular morning in August 2014, my team was needed to talk a man in his 20s down from his precarious perch 30ft up a tree. He’d been caught burgling a branch of Currys. Legged it from police, scaled the tree. Only the branch he was balancing on hung right across one of the busiest railway lines into central London. ‘If he falls, or jumps,…

6-12 October 2023 Aries 21 March-20 April The beginning of the month brings a fresh perspective on your career. Go with the changes you’d like to make and know that you are more than capable. • Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May If you have been feeling a little tired lately, know that Jupiter retrograde through your sign is slowing you down a bit. Enjoy the rest and take time to reflect. • Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June With Mercury currently in an Air sign, you may be having some great ideas! Take action on each one to see what will work for you in the long run. • Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July Sometimes we…

Q My skin is really starting to sag, what can I use? Paula Jenkins, Kingston, London A As we age, our skin loses its elasticity and firmness. Help reverse the signs of ageing by using some powerhouse skincare ingredients. Pay close attention to the delicate skin around your eyes, as this is an area that always is one of the first to show signs of ageing. Tap some Q+A Seaweed Peptide Eye Gel, £6.50, Holland & Barrett, into crow’s feet to help tighten and smooth. Hyaluronic acid is also a great ingredient, which works to plump and smooth skin. Use The Inkey List Hyaluronic Acid Serum, £7.99, Boots, every day to maintain a youthful complexion. As we get older, our body stops producing collagen which is responsible for elasticity and…

To Anwen, R acing down the street on our bikes, didn’t it feel like the fun would never end? The wind in our blonde hair as we pedalled faster and faster. Or we’d be in one of our houses, just two doors down from each other in Rugby. Making friendship bracelets, sharing secrets. It was 1972, we were 7. Can you believe that was five decades ago? ‘I want to be a nurse when I grow up,’ I confided. ‘That sounds brilliant!’ you beamed. Best friends forever… Or that’s what we thought The next year, when we were 8, you came out to play one day looking glum. ‘We’re moving,’ you said. And not just across town. Your dad had a new job in South Africa, and your family were…