Table of contents for 28 April 2022 in Chat

F&F at TESCO All sizes 6-22 STYLE TIP Offset printed bottoms by tucking in a plain T-shirt to balance out proportions. GEORGE at ASDA All sizes 8-24 STYLE TIP Wrap tops are universally flattering, highlighting your waist and skimming over your middle. Wear with slim-fit jeans. NUTMEG at MORRISONS All sizes 10-22 STYLE TIP Tap into the utility trend and opt for streamlining top-to-toe colour with a built-in belt for added definition. TU at SAINSBURY’S All sizes 8-24 STYLE TIP Panelled jeans work their magic by slimming and elongating your legs.…

After nine days of testimony and nearly nine hours of closing arguments, Curtis Reeves, 79, was cleared of second-degree murder and aggravated battery charges. It had been eight years since the fatal incident in the cinema. But the jury took just three hours to come to their decision. Shocked faces filled the courtroom and Chad’s family were left stunned as the verdict was heard. There was a loud gasp and Chad’s widow Nicole was visibly shaking. However, Reeves did not react, and seemed calm. ‘I don’t understand. I don’t understand, ’ Chad’s family repeated, as they wept and hugged each other in the car park outside the court. But Reeves was free to celebrate the end of his ordeal. ‘It was trying, not just for me, but for my family.…

1 Keep calm Relaxation can reduce symptoms, while stress can make them much worse, according to a study by Ohio State University. The stress hormone cortisol affects the immune system so that it’s less able to cope with allergens such as pollen. Anything that helps you relax – dancing, singing, meditation or yoga – can reduce the effect of cortisol and strengthen your body’s response to allergens. 2 Hit the pool Here’s another reason to get moving – research carried out at Worcester University found that hay fever sufferers who exercise regularly had mild symptoms. And taking a dip helps you escape the high pollen count outdoors. 3 Watch your diet A void alcohol (particularly red wine), pickled or canned foods, smelly cheeses, smoked meats (salami, ham, sausages) and chocolate,…

Emma Barber, 30, Worcester Finishing dinner, I rubbed my tummy and groaned. ‘I need the loo again, ’ I told my fiance Dean, then 30. ‘You’re going after every meal, ’ he frowned. He was right, and it’d been happening for weeks. It was September 2020 and we were away in Woolacombe with our 1-year-old son, Oscar. But two months earlier, I’d spotted blood in my poo. Maybe I needed to eat more fruit and veg, or had popped a vessel down below, I’d thought. But now, on holiday, as I got into bed, I cried out, struck with the most horrific pain. It felt like I was being stabbed in my bum. At home, the GP prescribed cream for piles. But two weeks later, no change. Perhaps I had…

When Amielle was just 3 months old, her parents, Nick and Yvette, were told she had sensitive skin. She’d got sunburn for the first time, and didn’t settle in the afternoon. By the evening, her whole face had puffed up and was swollen. The worried parents, who live in Sydney, Australia, took her straight to A&E and had no idea what the problem was. The doctors didn’t know either. It wasn’t until years later, when Amielle was 7, that the couple learnt what was wrong with their daughter. After minimal sun exposure, just going out to play at break and lunchtime, Amielle suffered severe sunburn to her face. She was referred to a dermatologist who finally diagnosed her with xeroderma pigmentosum, a very rare condition that means her skin cells…

Aries 21 March-20 April You will need to put on your negotiating hat when work piles up. Speaking to the boss will identify problem areas and a decision to ease the burden will benefit you. • Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May Once you have a new idea, you are unstoppable. Someone in a position of power is expectantly eyeing your every move, as they have bigger plans for you. • Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June Mercury, your planetary ruler, is currently in your sign and your mind is working overtime. If you’d like some new furniture, shop carefully and you’ll find a bargain. • Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July Take pleasure in things you find…

Q I have age spots on the back of my hands. How can I get rid of them or make them less obvious? Liz, 68, West Bromwich A Age spots are caused by overactive pigment cells and the skin’s natural reaction to UV light. They’re really common, especially if you’ve had a lot of sun exposure over the years and haven’t applied a daily SPF. Age spots crop up on hands more frequently as hand-washing takes off any sun protection you may have used. Professional in-clinic lasers are the best treatment plan, but the costs can quickly mount up. Fortunately, you can reduce the look of age spots at home. Try Nivea Luminous 630 Anti Dark-Spot Hand Cream, £6.99, Boots. It works to lighten dark patches and combat uneven skin…

When Christina McCartney headed home from work on 1 May 2017, life was normal. She was engaged to Stephen Ritz, and a mum to three kids. They all lived happily in Osgood, Indiana. There was more than a decade between her eldest, Nickalas, then 13, and her two younger children – Desiree, 23 months, and Nathaniel, 9 months. So Christina always had a helping hand from her teenage son. He’d sing to the little ones, and read them stories. He adored being a big brother. But as she turned the key in the door that day, everything changed. Nickalas came out of the bathroom, holding tiny Desiree in his arms, a towel wrapped around her torso. ‘Mum, something’s wrong. She’s not breathing right, ’ Nickalas said. Christina knelt down and…

SAIHAN ISLAM, 18, EAST LONDON I’m nominating my volunteer buddy, Maria, 26, as my hero. Maria was paired with me by disability charity Sense through its buddying scheme. The scheme matches volunteers with people with disabilities, who are more likely to experience feelings of loneliness. As someone with autism, this scheme has been a lifeline. We used to meet up weekly in person, but through the COVID-19 lockdowns, we chatted over the phone and did activities together online. We have a lot in common like history and politics, and enjoy films and visiting online museums. Having a volunteer buddy is important to me. Maria is someone that I can talk to outside of my family, which is really nice if I’m feeling anxious. She’s always so kind _ and helpful,…

Cover version After I’d decorated my bedroom, I found it difficult to find a matching coloured vase for my silk flowers. So I covered a crisp tube with leftover wallpaper. I think this looks rather good, plus it’s recycled! Christine Kelly, Wallsend, Tyne & Wear No-rip tip Need to dispose of a sensitive document but don’t have a shredder? Try soaking the paper in some water and squeezing it together like paper mache. Eleanor Taggart, Newtownabbey, County Antrim Foiled again If you’ve run out of scourers, just crumple up some aluminium foil instead. It does a great job on pots and pans and saves you buying new scourers. Shula Clarkson, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk Glass act! We like to save little glass bottles, such as those from Starbucks, clean them and…

THE BIGGIE WIN £1,001 Puzzle 18 British comedian Bill Bailey’s earliest memory is visiting which seaside resort? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the three-word prize answer. ACROSS 11 US island state (6) 12 One-storey buildings (9) 13 Duty list (4) 14 Spring flower (8) 15 Clear liquid (5) 16 Be present (6) 17 Accumulate (7) 18 Goes through, feels (11) 20 Delicious (5) 22 Study of the world (9) 24 A cricket tournament (5) 28 Dried grapes (7) 29 Louder (7) 32 Fires a gun (6) 34 Particular (8) 36 Law-breaker (8) 37 Run a business (6) 39 Give permission (7) 40 Blue cheese (7) 45 Edition (5) 47 Postal locations (9) 48 An apology (5) 51 Upkeep (11) 53 Stylish…

Vie Portland, 51, Eastleigh, Hampshire True-life PATIENT CASEBOOK Slipping off my shoes and socks, I winced at the blisters on my heels and toes. Ever since I could remember, blisters had formed over my body. Even in my mouth and throat. The slightest friction between my skin and clothes and they’d appear on my feet, arms, hands. Especially in the warmer months between April and October. ‘It’s probably eczema, ’ one doctor told my parents. ‘Thin skin, ’ said another. ‘Her skin is too thick, ’ one contradicted. But no creams helped. The kids at school picked on me, made fun of how I walked. Hobbling, trying not to create friction. For years I lived with just not knowing why my skin blistered so easily. Wore vests under my bra,…

Hayley Garbutt, 54, Scarborough Wiping a table at work, I felt a tap on the back. ‘Blimey, has anyone ever told you, you look just like Kat Slater from EastEnders?’ a man gawped. Trying not to roll my eyes, I pushed my dyed black hair behind my ear. ‘You’re not the first, ’ I winked. It was June 2021, and aged 53, I was working as a waitress in Scarborough. Worlds away from Albert Square, but being a Kat lookalike was fast becoming my surprising claim to fame. With my jet-black hair, leopard-print wardrobe and feisty personality, I couldn’t deny the similarities. I’d been getting stopped by strangers comparing me to the soap character for years. Some customers found the likeness so uncanny they’d ask for photos and autographs, sure…

With the number of online searches for ‘best chat-up lines’ increasing by 250% this year alone, we’ve put together a list of the best – or should that be cheesiest?! I think you’re suffering from a lack of vitamin me. Feel my shirt. Know what it’s made of? Boyfriend material. Are you a parking ticket? Because you have fine written all over you! Are you an onion? ’Cos I want to remove your layers… It’s a good thing I have my library card, because I am totally checking you out. Are you my appendix? I don’t know what you do but I feel like I should take you out. Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk by again? If I told you that youhad a…

FILL ME IN The Renaixenca is the name given to the 19th-century flourishing of literature written in what language? Solve the puzzle by following the arrows and writing in your answers. Then read the letters in the shaded squares to find the prize answer. WIN £100 Puzzle 14 Your answer: CIRCLE TIME Which town had its town hall burnt down in riots on a bank holiday held to celebrate the end of the First World War? Fit the words into the grid, then read the letters in the shaded circles. 3 letters EATENDERAEYELADRANRATROCTAT 4 letters LEEKLEFTLIARLILTLILYLULL 5 letters COBRA KNOWSTRAINYEARN 6 letters DEADENFACTORFULFILIDEALS 7 letters ECONOMYEMBARGO WIN £100 Puzzle 15 Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles…

3 ways to... get savvy on insurance scams Recent research by general insurer LV= has revealed that 91% of adults in the UK don’t know what so-called ‘ghost broking’ is – so we’re giving you the lowdown. 1 Be wary of cheap premiums Ghost brokers are fraudsters who usually pose as online insurance brokers and sell fake car insurance policies. They’ll typically try to lure in victims by claiming to offer car insurance with cheap premiums. However, if you buy a policy from them you won’t have valid insurance cover, which is a legal requirement. The consequences of driving without valid insurance can include: your car being seized by the police, being fined and needing to pay for any damage caused while driving without insurance. 2 Always check credentials Ghost…

Pina Colada panna cotta Bring a little tropical sunshine to the table with this cocktail-flavoured pud SERVES 4 PREP TIME 20 MINS PLUS CHILLING COOK TIME 5 MINS • 3 gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water to soften • 200g coconut yogurt (such as CoYo) • 1tbsp coconut rum (such as Malibu) • 1 mango • 4 thin wedges of pineapple, skin left on • 1tbsp toasted coconut 1 Squeeze the softened gelatine sheets in your hand to remove any excess liquid. Add the gelatine to 100ml boiling water from the kettle and stir to dissolve. 2 In a bowl, mix together the yogurt and rum. Slowly pour in the gelatine and hot water mixture, stirring continuously. Divide the mixture between four individual moulds or ramekin dishes. Chill in the…

Luke Hart, 32, Ashford, Surrey Running around our farm, playing with my younger brother Ryan, then 9, and my sister Charlotte, 3, life seemed idyllic. We lived off the land – Dad reared animals and Mum Claire, then 33, grew vegetables for us to eat. Only, a year later, in September 2001, after I got a place at grammar school, we moved so I could enrol. Suddenly, life changed. Mum worked part-time in a supermarket, Dad flitted around different jobs, eventually working for a local builder part-time. Money was tight and Dad’s controlling nature became more obvious. ‘Turn that light out!’ he’d boom whenever one of us dared flick a switch. While Mum was always patient and sweet, Dad was paranoid, prone to outbursts. He would even burst into the…

PS… Pro Lipstick in Taupe, £3.50, Primark The creamy, hydrating texture of this pigmented lipstick is enough to fool anyone into thinking this is a high-end product. In a beautiful pink-nude shade, it’s the perfect addition to every make-up bag. Collection Elevate-a-Lash Lift Mascara, £4.99, Superdrug Its hourglass-shaped bristle brush means this mascara grabs onto every hair, giving an instantly lifted look to short, straight lashes. The formula itself contains tiny, volumising fibres and creates huge, fanned-out lashes.…

chat PUZZLES 17 CLOSING DATE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS 10 MAY 2022 (Three days later for postal entries) PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS THROUGHOUT 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 63333 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. •…

My toes are wonky Q The little toe on my left foot has turned in and bends over the next toe. It hurts. What can I do? Anna-Marie, Masham A lt’s called an overriding, or overlapping, toe. Usually it affects your little toe on one or both feet, which twists inwards and sits over your fourth toe. Your toes become squashed and your little toe rubs against your shoes, making walking painful. Often an overlapping toe is something you’re born with or appears soon after birth and is inherited from a parent, although sometimes it appears in adult life due to injury, flat feet, nerve damage or overpronation, where you tend to walk on the outside of your feet. In babies, simply taping the toe into position often does the…

OVER TO YOU Can you set a puzzle in this format? Send it, with a photo of yourself, to the address on p3. There’s £20 for every one we use! This week’s puzzle was compiled by Ian Jones, Gateshead ACROSS 1 Give up 2 Top cards 3 A trick that deludes 4 Cavity, Crater DOWN 1 Ready money 2 Reverberate 3 Dish out cards 4 --Young, Great British Sewing Bee judge WIN 5 × £25 puzzle 6 Your answer: CHAIN WORDS What term is used in medicine to describe a phenomenon where seizures become increasingly severe the more they are experienced? Get from Start to Finish, making words by joining boxes as you go, eg: RU + SE, SE +… you decide! When you reach Finish, two unused boxes join together…

ARROW WORD The House of Glucksburg is the current ruling house of which kingdom? Solve the puzzle by following the arrows and writing in your answers. Then read down the letters in the shaded squares to find the prize answer. WIN £1,000 puzzle 10 Your answer: SUDOKU To solve the puzzle, each 3 × 3 box, each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9. Solve the puzzle and the numbers in the highlighted squares will give you the prize puzzle answer. WIN £60 puzzle 11 Your answer: WORDSEARCH What is the name of Nottingham Trent University’s Institute of Creative Technologies? The answer is the one missing from the grid. BRIDE CAKE CEREMONY CONFETTI DRESS FLOWERS FOOD GROOM GUEST RECEPTION RING SPEECH USHER VEIL VOWS WIN £50…

She’s like my shadow Q I started dating my boyfriend four months ago and I’ve been helping to look after his young daughter while he’s working. The problem is, she follows me everywhere, even when I get dressed or go to the loo. I’m worried it’s not appropriate and don’t know what to do. Vanda, 36 A It’s fab that the little one likes you so much. Most letters I get are about the opposite problem. But I understand your concern about boundaries. This sounds like a job for your fella. He’s her dad, after all. He needs to have a chat with his daughter about privacy, and if the mum’s in the picture, make sure she’s involved too. Kids do best when everyone’s on the same page. I’m feeling…

Charmaine Kinnear, 40, Romford, Essex As the music vibrated through the bar, I moved my body to the beat. ‘Having a good time?’ my best friend Patrice, then 38, asked. I smiled and nodded. Working as a tutor in health and social care and as an emergency ambulance practitioner was exhausting and hard work. And a night out with a friend was my perfect way to relax. It was June 2019, and we were dancing away when I spotted a good-looking man across the other side of the bar. He was tall with thick, dark brown hair and sparkling blue eyes – I held my breath as he started weaving his way through the crowds towards me. ‘You’ve got such a pretty face,’ he said smoothly. I grinned with delight,…

The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser, £5.50, Boots Rid your skin of impurities and remove any trace of make-up with this hydrating, skin-friendly cleanser. Blended with moisturising squalane, it dissolves grime without leaving your face feeling stripped and tight. Catrice 1.5% Hyaluronic Acid Hydro Depuffing Eye Serum, £4.49, justmylook.com Puffy eyes from burning the candle at both ends? Restore them with this cooling roll-on eye serum. Infused with hydrating hyaluronic acid, it revitalises tired eyesand makes you feel instantly awake. Lacura Foot Scrub, £4.99, Aldi This exfoliating foot scrub gets rid of all the dry skin that’s built up overwinter leaving your feet softer, smoother and prepped for a moisturising foot cream. 17. Colour Glow Cream Blush in Lemonade, £4, Boots For an instant pick-me-up when you’re feeling frazzled, nothing beats a…

Dear Casper, When you joined our family in March 2011, I soon realised you were the perfect fit. My beautiful German shepherd-husky cross, you’d been left to die in a shed by breeders. Heartless. You and your sister were the only survivors. And when we saw your photo on the RSPCA website, the deal was sealed. ‘We have to have him, ’ I told my hubby Gwyn, then 39. A lovely companion for us and our kids Scott, then 7, and Brooke, 3. You were a wilful pup, but you became calmer with training, well-behaved and gentle. Playfully running around with our guinea pigs. My gentle giant. As you grew, you looked more and more like a wolf. People didn’t know what a softie you were, crossed the road in…