Table of contents for August 20, 2015 in Pick Me Up!

From Kate Williams, Head of Features What A Thriller! If you’re looking for a beach read, I have to recommend Daughterby Jane Shemilt, which will keep you guessing as you top up your tan. What A Town! I’m a Swindon girl born and bred. I’ve even got a T-shirt celebrating my hometown’s most, erm, interesting attraction! What’s the naffest thing about where you live? What A Fitness Fail! I’ve just bought a Fitbit a pedometer you wear on your wrist – and it’s set me 10,000 steps a day. Mmm – lots of extra tripsto the biscuit tin! 1,131 ...that’s how many babies were named Elsa in the States last year, following the success of Disney’s Frozen. But only 22 Olafs! What A Laugh! I had…

Smoothing down my mum’s pink dress, I struck a pose in the full-length mirror. Perfect! Then, I practised walking like I was strutting down a catwalk. My dream was to be a model or a beauty queen. But I wasn’t a girl who longed for this to be my career. I was a boy named Petronio. Growing up in the Philippines, I always knew I was different. Trapped in the wrong body. I longed to be a girl, more than anything. But I wasn’t... And, in the conservative country where I was born, I couldn’t be my true self. My family was very religious and I knew, sadly, they’d never accept me as anything other than a boy. Though I had friends I confided in, who accepted me, growing up,…

I wasn’t looking for love when I moved to Spain in November 2009. I just wanted a fresh start in the sunshine. But then I met Sercan Tosun, then 22, on a beach in Malgrat de Mar the following June. We shared an instant connection. Plus, he was gorgeous! His mum was Turkish, but he’d grown up in Holland. ‘Let’s meet up later,’ Sercan grinned, and my stomach did a somersault. Heart thumping, I said yes. On our second date, he kissed me for the first time. Sizzling! We were soon head over heels. A month later, we were in a club when suddenly the music stopped. Sercan led me onto the stage, grabbed a mic. ‘I love you - will you marry me?’ he said, dropping to one knee.…

DYSLEXIA 1 Dyslexia is a type of learning difficulty. 2 It affects intelligence. 3 Symptoms include problems reading. 4 Dyslexia is a relatively rare condition. 1 TRUE Dyslexia is a lifelong learning difficulty. While scientists are unsure what causes it, it’s believed to be passed on through families. 2 FALSE It has nothing to do with intelligence, as it only affects some skills and abilities. Children of all intellectual abilities can be affected by dyslexia. 3 TRUE Dyslexia causes problems with reading and spelling. Other signs a person has the condition include difficulty following a series of directions, struggling to learn sequences, like the alphabet, and poor handwriting. 4 FALSE It is one of the most common learning difficulties, and it’s thought up to one in 10 people have some…

SOME OF SICK DUTR OUX’S VICTIMS In the mid 1990s, children were disappearing in Belgium. In total, 15 had vanished. They included Melissa Russo and Julie Lejeune, both just 8. They’d been playing near their homes when they’d been abducted in June 1995 in Liege. Then on 28 May 1996, Sabine Dardenne, 12, was cycling to school in Kain, when she was kidnapped, drugged and thrown in a van. She was forced to crouch inside a metal truck before being placed in a cell in his basement. There, she was stripped naked and chained to a bed by her neck. Her depraved captor, Marc Dutroux, told Sabine she was his woman and sexually abused her. Sabine would be taken to a ‘chamber of martyrdom’ where Dutroux would rape and sexually…

1 Co-op Summer Loved By Us Whisky Smoked Pulled Pork, 400g, £4, (£7 for two) Well flavoured meat – add the dark sauce and you get the full, smoky effect. Plenty here to fill up to six soft rolls. 2 Morrisons Tex Mex Slow-cooked Pulled BBQ Pork Shoulder, 380g, £3 The sauce tastes like a hot, spicy brown sauce and, though the meat is fairly dry, the sauce adds that all-essential moisture. 3 Tesco Slow Cooked Chipotle Chilli Pulled Pork, 410g, £4 (£7 for two) Perfectly cooked meat with a slight chilli kick.The sauce adds a delicious, sweet hotness.…

Kia Carlton, 27, from York (left), says: 'When I lost Telan, it felt like the world had stopped spinning. I went to her grave every day, brought her teddies. It was a way for me to channel my grief, a way for me to feel like I could still do something for my baby. And then the teddies started to disappear. I was frantic, couldn’t understand who’d steal things from a baby’s grave. Later, I found out Elizabeth Jowitt and Sean Jefferson were decorating their flat with Telan’s ornaments. I was so angry. I hate them so much and will never forgive them. They chose to do this – and it’s despicable.’…

Want the perfect… COCONUT PRODUCT? Try one of these… Body: Lavera Exotic Body Wash with Organic Coconut and Organic Vanilla Fill your shower with the scent of summer, thanks to this gorgeous-smelling body wash. It’s made from natural and organic ingredients, too! Face: Yes to Coconut Cleansing Wipes These wipes cleanse as well as hydrate your skin – great for when the sun has left it feeling dry and flaky. Hair: Coconut Water & Coconut Oil Masque Hydrate & Shine This is a real treat for your hair! Use once a week after shampooing to bring dry, damaged locks back to their former glory. ASK JESS Q Help! I want to take my hair straighteners on holiday, but I’ve not got much luggage-allowance weight left! A Try THX Total Hair…

Muriel Won Within A Month Of Joining! Well owl’s that for a surprise..? Owning owls had been a lifelong dream and I’ve had Oscar, my barn owl, since July last year. I became good friends with Wessex Bird of Prey Rescue, too. Cheeky fella My Oscar was a cheeky fella. Once, my husband, Cyril, 66, called me into the kitchen as grapes were scattered all over the table. That was typical Oscar being mischievous! When I joined Pick Me Up! Bingo I won within a month of joining! A friend had recommended it... so I signed up - there was so much choice! I’d tried the Sapphire room and a few other games. But my favourite was Tiki Bingo. On my winning game, I bought some tickets at 10p each.…

Everyone knows finding a four-leaf clover means good luck. As a child, my friends and I loved wandering the outdoors in search of the rare leaves - we never had any luck! ‘Maybe one day,’ my dad, Jim, now 68, would console me. Years later, my 9-year-old son, Tom, learned about four-leaf clovers from his gran, Kay. ‘They bring good luck to whoever finds them,’ she told him as he listened with wonder. Fascinated, Tom started looking, desperate to find one. He was in my dad’s garden on 13 May when something amazing happened. ‘Mum, I’ve found a five-leaf clover!’ Tom yelled. Thinking he was having me on, I counted the leaves. 1-2-3-4... 5! I didn’t even know five-leaf clovers existed! Supposed to bring wealth and luck, we already benefited…

LEO 24 July-23 Aug I think you’ve been a saint to put up with certain family members the way you have, as they’ve tried to push you to the limit. From this weekend, things get easier and you may be in for a surprise apology. Enjoy it. It’s been a long time coming. Call: 09058 170 714* VIRGO 24 Aug–23 Sept You must try to handle this week’s events with common sense. To blow things out of proportion is only going to cast you as immature. Live and let live must be your motto as others make changes which make you realise why you’re right to part company. Call: 09058 170 715* LIBRA 24 Sept–23 Oct Don’t get involved with the mind games that are going on or you’ll regret…

Bike seat a bit hard? Then put a knitted cap over it. Mine’s much more comfy now! Eva Vida, Prestatyn Cut up old maps to make flowers for pretty gifts. You can find lots of attractive designs on the Internet. Donna Gray, Cleveland So they don’t get mixed up, use coloured hairbands to keep your knitting pins in pairs. Elizabeth Black, Rutland Cover a small tub of Pringles with green paper and ribbon, cut a slot in the lid and you’ve got a 'mad hatter’ money box for kids. Paula Smith, Tipton The string bag from washing-powder tabs is perfect for holding a small bottle of water when you’re out and about. J Wilkins, Frome  If you’ve run out of dish scourers, a scrunched-up carrier bag does the trick.…

Last October, I did the unthinkable. I chose to have my foot amputated. Growing up, I’d had five operations on my right foot. I’d been born with bilateral clubfoot, and the operations to correct the position of my feet seemed to have worked. By 13, I was fine, sorted. I could run, ski, cycle. Do any sport I liked. Then, five years ago, at 18, I broke my right foot when I stumbled climbing the stairs. All the operations had weakened the bones. I was offered an external fixation - an operation to rebuild the foot and hold it together with pins. But it didn’t work. Worse, I was left in raging pain, and reliant on crutches. The only sport I could do was swimming. Devastating. So, when the doctor…

Five years ago, my mum, Devika, then 65, was enjoying her retirement. She loved knitting, gardening and eating Indian food with me and my dad, Ernest, also 65. But then, Mum started asking Dad the same questions several times over, struggled to spell simple words and got confused using the TV remote. ‘I’m worried about her,’ Dad confided a few weeks on. He went with her to see our GP, who referred her to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust’s Adult Mental Health Unit. There, she had a brain scan and different paper tests. And, three months later, Mum was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. We were all terrified, but Mum was brave. The early-onset form progresses quite aggressively. Mum stopped wanting to try anything new. Then she became more and…

There are never enough hours in the day! As a working, single mum-of-three, I’m kept very busy. On Monday 15 June this year, I’d an appointment at 2.30pm on the other side of town. Just before the school run! Typical. ‘Can you collect the boys?’ I asked my eldest, Lewis, 17. A responsible lad, he’d collected his younger brothers, Brandon, 5, and Nathan, 9, before. Brandon attends Orchards Nursery, finishing at 3.10pm, and Nathan’s up the road at Cherry Tree Primary, leaving at 3.30pm. That morning, I dropped them off in the car, as usual. ‘Be safe!’ I smiled, waving. Panic On my way home that afternoon, at 3.15pm, I had a call from Lewis’ girlfriend, Jess, 17. ‘Brandon’s hurt!’ she panicked. ‘The railing at Cherry Tree’s gone through his…

We’re offering Pick Me Up! readers the chance to win a pampering spa break for you and a friend at the award-winning four-star Whittlebury Hall Hotel and Spa. The two-night spa stay package allows you to enjoy full use of The Leisure Club facilities, a three-course dinner in Astons Restaurant, overnight stay in our refreshed bedrooms, full English breakfast and full use of The Day Spa Heat and Ice Experiences. The award-winning The Day Spa incorporates unique Heat and Ice Experiences, providing body sensations brought about by dramatic changes in temperature. Facilities include a Sanarium, Caldarium hot room, Aromatherapy Crystal Steam Room, an Ice Cave, Roman Salt Steam, Experience Showers, Foot Spas and the Hydrotherapy Pool. For your chance to win, you’d better get puzzling! Terms and Conditions apply. This…

‘Trudy’s a pretty remarkable woman – and kudos to her for getting to the bottom of the mystery. Those graveyard robbers should be ashamed of themselves. Stealing from graves is totally immoral. And to decorate their flat! But, the main thing is there’s a happy ending and they’ve been stopped.‘ Heather Annan, North London ‘It’s sad to hear how low people can sink, isn’t it? No matter how broke or desperate, you just can’t steal from graves. It’s a horrible thing to do. But then, along comes Trudy to restore everyone’s faith in humanity. The fact she’s helped Kia is fantastic.’ Charlie Richardson, Meiford, Powys…

We got Alice, our sweet, beautiful springer spaniel, as a puppy. She was playful, energetic - and obsessed with chasing tennis balls. We went running together, and she loved joining me and my hubby, Richard, 31, in the pub! She went everywhere with us - even on our honeymoon to Cornwall in May 2013. And, living in the small village of Woodhouse Eaves, she was well-known and loved by everyone she licked! Fainting fits Back in February, we took Alice for a walk in the park. Only, when I threw her tennis ball, Alice didn’t chase after it. She stood stock-still, watching it fly through the air and bounce on the grass. ‘What’s wrong?’ I frowned. I decided that maybe she just wasn’t in the mood that day. The following…

In August 2014, my fiance, Stephen, 31, and I were overjoyed to learn that I was pregnant. But the good news didn’t stop there… Just two days later, my sister, Charlene, 29, called me. ‘I’m pregnant, too!’ she announced, super excited. I was so happy for her – she’d been trying with her hubby Vicktor for three years. Charlene’s due date was 2 May 2015, and mine was 15 days later. We were constantly calling and texting – comparing twinges and twinsets for our littl’uns! Having someone who understood what the other was going through made those nine months much smoother. Charlene gave birth to her son, Kai, a healthy 7lb 13oz, on 21 April . I’ll come up to see you tomorrow, I texted her that night. But, at…

I met Gareth Butler at school when we were teenagers - a jack-the-lad, he was a real ladies’ man. What an idiot, I thought. That was then... In January 2010, I was fresh out of a 13-year relationship, and he and I started hanging out with the same group of friends. Living in a caravan and working at a fair, Gareth was chubbier, but still loved himself! He spent ages styling his hair, and bought designer clothes. But I realised how caring he was and how much he made me laugh. We soon became an item, and Gareth moved in with me. We went for meals or snuggled on the sofa watching films. Then, a month on, much to my shock, I discovered that I was pregnant. I suffered from…

It was last October, and my husband, Graeme, 34, and I were so excited to find out the sex of our first child. Except, we were in for a big surprise... ‘What can you see?’ the midwife said, smiling. ‘Looks like a couple of splodges to me,’ Graeme said, frowning and trying to get a closer look... A couple? Yes - twins! It was weird, because there are no twins in either of our families. We were a bit shocked and overwhelmed to start with! But we soon warmed to the idea. ‘Two’s company, after all!’ Graeme laughed. Friends and family were ecstatic when they heard the news, offering to be there for us and help us out. Graeme and I got busy getting everything ready for the little ones’…

Is this PCOS? Q I’m 16, I have acne on my back and my periods haven’t started yet. Do I have polycystic ovaries? Katie-Jayne, Manchester A Not necessarily, although irregularities in female hormones can cause acne. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is diagnosed by an ultrasound scan, and acne is treated by topical treatment or antibiotics - see your GP. Health anxiety QI can’t stop worrying about my health. As soon as I sort one scare out, I start feeling ill again. I’m always at the doctor’s but they can never find anything wrong. What’s going on? Tasha, Shenfield A Health anxiety can cause significant distress and physical symptoms, which confuse the medical picture. Seek help with the anxiety first and you may find that you no longer experience physical symptoms.…

1 pint ...that’s the amount of urine (568ml) an average, healthy bladder is able to hold at a time. Cheers..!? Q Recently, my foreskin got stuck behind the head of my penis. Now I think I should be circumcised before I have sex again. Will this stop it happening? Kev, Gateshead A It’s perfectly safe to have intercourse without being circumcised - the foreskin is pretty elastic, so just ensure that you pull it back over once you’ve finished making love. Ice can help if it gets stuck again.…

Beetroot & Cranberry Chocolate Brownies Serves: 10 Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 25 min 1 Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4, and grease and line a shallow 20cm square cake tin. 2 Put chocolate, Xylitol and soya spread in a pan and warm gently to melt. 3 Whiz eggs and beetroot in a blender until smooth. 4 Mix ground almonds, salt, cinnamon, bicarb and cranberries with chocolate and beetroot mixtures. 5 Pour mixture into the cake tin, scatter over flaked almonds and cook for 20-25 min until firm to touch. 6 Leave to cool in tin and cut into bars to serve. *To make completely dairy-free, use a chocolate bar such as Kinnerton Dairy Free. **Or try Total…

My hen party was finally here! ‘Last night of freedom,’ I joked to my four fab bridesmaids. It was 23 May 2010. My fiance, Chris Chapman, then 27, was out camping with his dad. And I was intent on enjoying every last second of single life. The five of us had so much fun. Dinner, dancing. Then to cap off the perfect night, we headed back to mine for a moonlit swim in our pool. We were all mucking about. Then one of my bridesmaids playfully pushed me into the water. Everything happened so fast. I put my arms out to turn my fall into a dive. But I was too slow. Fell head first into the shallow end. Suddenly my arms were bent back and my head smashed into…

'G od bless you, Mum,’ I said sadly, looking down at her grave. ‘She’s with the angels now,’ my sister, Angela, 37, said, wrapping her arms around me, our dad, Matthew, 59, and our youngest sister, Bernadette, 35. It was a cold, rainy day in November 2013. My mum, Jennifer, had passed away a week before. We’d just buried her in a quiet corner of St Everilda’s churchyard in Nether Poppleton, near our home in York. No tears allowed. Mum wouldn’t have wanted that. Instead, we’d focused on the happy times we’d had. The crazy way Mum used to laugh and her Sunday roasts. And because we’d lost her to breast cancer at 57, we’d insisted everyone wear pink. Even Dad! Gone missing Over the following weeks, we struggled to…

Brush On Block Mineral Sunscreen, £23, www. effortlesskin.com If you hate the feel of sun cream on your face, this could be for you! Simply brush this clear powder onto bare skin or over your make-up for SPF 30 protection. It’s water and sweat resistant, as well! Verdict: GENIUS! A natural product that won’t clog your pores. Pornogami, £10.99, www. firebox.com Origami usually involves folding paper into pretty birds or flowers… this adult version takes it a step beyond! We gave the book a go and had hours of laughter! Verdict: BONKERS! How do they come up with these things?! Zoe Longline Bra, £26, Boux Avenue This pretty bra has been designed with the festival season in mind, and has a mesh…

Back in 2012, a friend told me about winning on Pick Me Up! Bingo online. So I signed up and I’d won some nice amounts, too. One Friday, my husband was out and there wasn’t much on TV . Looking at my laptop, I saw that Pick Me Up! Bingo had sent me £5 to play with! I logged in and bought 60 tickets for the Bejeweled Bingo game at just 10p each. Bejeweled Bingo is brilliant. My numbers came up quickly and soon... 3...2...1...I’d filled two lines, which meant I’d won £565! But the game continued, and my numbers were dabbed off. Minutes later, I’d won the jackpot of £2,000! To double check that it wasn’t a mistake, I took a photo of the screen on my phone and…

When Rihanna shot to stardom in 2007, I found myself experiencing a taste of her fame. I was 18 and studying for a fashion-stylist qualification in London. At the time, I had short hair, shaved at the sides, very similar to RiRi’s back then. My friends started to notice my claim to fame, too. ‘You’re her double,’ they’d say. As a fan, I took it as a compliment, but didn’t think much of it until people started to approach me on the street! ‘Oh, my God, it’s Rihanna!’ they’d giggle, asking for autographs and photos. I always laughed it off, but the requests persisted. One man was almost hit by a car as he darted across the road towards me! But I didn’t crave the limelight. By 2011, constant Rihanna…

Buying your first place is a very exciting time. When I bought a mid-terrace house in Lancashire five years ago, I couldn’t wait to start furnishing and decorating it. And I knew exactly how to fund it! I’d signed up for Quidco a few months before, after my dad, Steve, had recommended it to me. It seemed like such a good idea, like getting money for free. I’d always shopped online when I didn’t have time to go into town. With a whole house to furnish, I didn’t want to traipse around shops looking for beds and sofas. I noticed the benefits straightaway. Lots of sofas and beds had 10 per cent off. Altogether on furniture and household appliances, I earned about £1,000 in cashback. Plus I got cashback on…

Having a natter to my mate, Gemma, 28, on the phone, we weren’t gossiping about the usual girlie stuff. We were comparing notes on our colostomy bags! I was 16 when I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease. I’d had tummy pain and blood in my stools for a few months. Medicine hadn’t helped. I’d feel better for a time, but then the condition would flare up again. Agony In and out of hospital, I was determined to carry on with my career as a professional dancer. Then, in 2002, I met my hubby, Andrew, 30, at a dance competition, where his mum was one of the judges. We hit it off right away. But there was my illness... ‘I have to warn you, I’m very poorly,’…