Table of contents for 02-Mar-2017 in Chat

Hellman's Balsamic Vinaigrette, 235ml, £1.32 A soft, slightly fruity flavour, and the thick sauce-like consistency means you only need a little to coat salad leaves. Newman's Own Balsamic Dressing, 250ml, £1.49 This has a powerful garlic flavour! The light, oily dressing coats leaves really well, and will give an instant lift to a bland salad. Pizza Express Balsamic Dressing, 235ml, £2 This light dressing has a lovely balance of flavours - not too sharp or sweet - and coats leaves perfectly. NEW Florette Superfood Salad, 120g, £1.50 A fab mix of beetroot, wild rocket, spinach, baby kale, peppercress and chard. Tastes great!…

Serves: 12 Prep: 20 min 100g dark chocolate 200g shortbread fingers 75g raisins 25g glace cherries, quartered 1tbsp syrup 1 Line a medium-sized tin with baking parchment. 2 Melt chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water. 3 Meanwhile, crush 200g shortbread fingers coarsely with a rolling pin. The crumbs should be unevenly sized. 4 Pour crumbled shortbread into melted chocolate along with raisins, cherries and syrup and mix together thoroughly. Press mixture into tin and put in fridge until set - at least an hour before cutting into fingers to serve.…

His fist smashed through the door and he began to tear it down Ross Queen was my type down to a T! Good looking, muscly, confident…but trouble. ‘He’s not right for you,’ friends warned. There was something about Ross’ bad-boy image I couldn’t resist, though. See, underneath all the toughness, he was a sweetheart. We’d met in a nightclub, in September 2010. Dating on and off, we became a proper couple in 2013. Ross was such a caring boyfriend. And great with my daughter from a previous relationship, Nancy, then 6 months. He became the love of my life. But as time went on, Ross began to change. He had a vicious, jealous side. ‘If I find out you’re texting other blokes, I’ll go mad,’ he warned. His paranoia was…

A new donor Reading about Hayley and baby Imogen ( The gift of life , 12 January issue) changed my views on organ donation. I used to think I wanted to be buried as I arrived, but after reading her story I wept thinking about my own girls, and how Imogen's family would've coped if she'd died. I want Hayley to know that by sharing her story, she's recruited another donor, as I immediately signed up. Alison Boot, Clayhanger Kindness is free At the shops, I saw an elderly lady drop something. As I gave it back, she said she did it on purpose so she could chat to someone. We should make more of an effort to talk to old folk when we’re out and about. I…

1 Cook 280g wholewheat pasta in a pan of boiling, slightly salted water following pack instructions. Drain well, reserving a little cooking water. 2 Mist a large frying pan with cooking spray. Set over a medium heat and cook 6 chopped rashers of Weight Watchers Unsmoked Extra Trimmed Back Bacon medallions for 3-4 min. 3 Reduce heat, add a chopped shallot and 2 crushed cloves of garlic to pan. Cook for 1-2 min until just softened. 4 Stir in 200ml reduced-fat creme fraiche and most of 50g grated Parmesan. Add some of reserved pasta water to loosen sauce. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 5 Simmer for 1 min, then remove from heat. Transfer cooked, drained spaghetti the to pan with sauce. 6 Stir in an egg…

Every Sunday, my sister Kelly, 37, and I would leave our hubbies looking after the kids, put our glad rags on and hit the bingo in the city. We had a right laugh! But it was a long way to travel and, over the years, we stopped. ‘I play online bingo instead now,’ Kelly told me one day. ‘It’s great fun, and I’ve already had a few wins,’ she grinned. ‘You should try it.’ So I did. And it was fun! The chatrooms were full of players talking about life as the games played. ‘This is really sociable, just like when you go to the bingo hall,’ I said to Kelly. Plus, it was convenient playing from my own home. My favourite time to play was in the afternoon, after…

It was worth the sacrifice to reduce the risk of cancer returning… For the first time since my diagnosis, I felt incredible Standing under the warm water, I lathered my body with shower gel. But as I washed my boobs, I felt a small lump in my right breast. It was tiny – the size of a five-pence piece. I wasn’t worried. I’d found a lump months before and it’d just been a harmless cyst. I assumed this was another one. Though months on, in December 2015, the lump had become tender. ‘I don’t remember my last cyst hurting,’ I said to husband Mark, 39. I went to see my GP, who referred me for a scan. Two weeks later, I went to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham for an…

When a voodoo curse failed, it was time for drastic action THE CRIME In October 2014, Robert Ellis was attacked by five men in his kitchen. They slit his throat, then wrapped his body in plastic and dumped it. But they weren't behind the brutal slaying... THE STORY Robert and Noor Ellis lived in a luxury villa in tropical Bali, Indonesia – and had the lifestyle to match. Wealthy Robert gave Noor stacks of credit cards to buy whatever she fancied – usually jewellery, clothes, shoes. The couple had two sons – Peter, 20, and John, 24. The boys were brought up by nannies and sent to boarding school, but their parents were loving and attentive. They enjoyed fishing trips together at weekends, and their dad would treat them to…

Aries 21 March - 20 April Every so often, something happens that changes plans, like meeting someone you want to spend your life with, or being offered the job of a lifetime. If it happens, all you can do is say yes, and go wherever it takes you. Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April - 21 May You’re losing interest in a project you were keen on. If it doesn’t get better soon, you think, you might just chuck it all in the bin. That’s a bit drastic -better to just put it to one side for a while and come back to it again later. Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May - 21 June When you reach an agreement, a handshake is enough.…

The damage was done. I was just a child, but I was broken I froze in terror as David Suttie, 20, leered over me. His cold, unblinking eyes were piercing through glasses as thick as milk-bottle bottoms. ‘Please don’t,’ I sobbed as he shoved his rough hands up my dress, inside my knickers. But he ignored my quiet sobs as he molested me. I was about 5 when it started – my earliest memories are of David Suttie dragging me upstairs. Stripping me naked, prodding, poking me. It was the late 1960s, and my parents were mates with Suttie’s sister. They lived close by, so during school holidays Mum and Dad would send me over while they were working. Usually, his sister looked after me, but sometimes Suttie babysat alone.…

Irritable bowels Q Eating often triggers cramps and bloating, but if I manage a poo, it instantly stops the pain. Priya, 32 A Any recent bowel symptoms should be checked, but this sounds like irritable-bowel syndrome, IBS. Treatment is usually eating the right things, increasing fibre such as oats and avoiding trigger foods. Ask your GP to recommend a dietician. Tight chest Q After running for a few minutes, I get a tight feeling in my chest. Is it OK to ignore it? Mary, 50 A Don't ignore it, as it could be angina - a lack of blood supply to your heart muscle. Other possibilities are asthma if you're also short of breath and wheezing, or you're unfit, in which case it'll stop as you exercise more! Your GP…

At one week old, Isabella passed away. Our family fell apart We had to turn our tragedy into something positive As we stared at the monitor, our unborn baby began to wriggle, and tears of joy filled my eyes. ‘Everything looks fine,’ smiled the sonographer. My husband Dan and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. This was our fifth baby, but my 14th pregnancy. I’d suffered nine miscarriages, all before 12 weeks. Now, with a healthy scan at three months, I could finally relax. Our four children, Charlie-Jane, then 13, Georgia, 11, Mason, 3, and Tabitha, 18 months, began to look forward to our new arrival, too. But at 25 weeks, I started to feel really unwell. My feet swelled alarmingly. Tests showed that I was suffering with the…

Whatever was causing me to be so ill was still a mystery I could already feel my stomach churning as I sat down at the dinner table… Then Mum put a big dish of spaghetti bolognese in front of me, and I was nearly sick there and then. ‘I’m sorry, I can’t eat it,’ I said, pushing the plate away from me. Her face dropped, and she let out a big sigh, but before she could reply, I had to run to the toilet to throw up. I’d started getting agonising stomach pains a couple of weeks earlier, in November 2013. Initially, they went away, but came back a month later, and now I was in constant pain. I felt like I had a rugby ball in my stomach, and…

I couldn’t risk having a child because of my strong medication We all have bits of our bods we don’t like, or that give us gyp. For me, my feet were my bugbear. As a child, they were turned in and my toes bent over, making it impossible to walk normally. Instead, I hobbled along, balancing on the sides. Wearing through countless pairs of shoes, I drove my foster parents insane! ‘I can’t help it,’ I said innocently. When I was 9, the GP said I was ‘at that age’, just looking for attention. He couldn’t have been more wrong. As the years passed, I got used to walking weirdly. Luckily, I was never bullied for it. By 23, I was limping in pain, my twisted feet taking their toll.The…

I tried to accept life as Lisa... But sex was a big problem The baggy suit trousers dragged on the floor, the jacket drowned me, sleeves hanging by my knees. But staring at my reflection, I felt right. Like a boy, I thought. It was 1978, I was 9, and I’d snuck into my dad Tony’s wardrobe to secretly try on his suits. From the age of 3, I’d preferred kicking a football to playing with dolls. ‘Lisa’s just a tomboy,’ my mum Michelle, then 29, would say. But, deep down, I knew it was more than that. At 12, I started to fancy girls, yet I didn’t identify with being a lesbian. All my mates were boys and I thought, felt and acted like a boy. Only, physically, I…

Doctors couldn’t be sure why he had cerebral palsy As a new mum, it’s easy to worry about nothing. ‘All babies are different,’ my GP reassured me in November 2013. True. But how different could my 9-month-old twins really be? Solomon and Sebastian weren’t identical, but they’d always hit milestones around the same time. Until three months earlier, when Solomon started sitting up on his own. Sebastian seemed nowhere near doing so. I tried to be reassured by the doctor. And, back home, me and my husband James, 39, tried our best to encourage Sebastian. But by his first birthday, he still wasn’t sitting unaided. ‘It doesn’t feel normal,’ I said. And while changing Sebastian’s nappy, I also noticed that his little legs were so tight and stiff. We were…

Aubrey’s raw, bleeding skin began to scab and flake off Pulling my daughter Aubrey, 2, onto my lap, she snuggled into me. ‘What’s up little monkey?’ I asked her. She’d a temperature, so I gave her some Calpol, then dropped her off at nursery. But back home later, I noticed Aubrey kept scratching her legs. I thought it was her eczema. I smothered her in cream, but later that day, last October, she was scratching so badly, even rubbing her legs against the sofa. In bed, she was screaming her head off and when I went in, she was covered in spots and had scratched them until they bled. I called the NHS 111 line and was told to take Aubrey to A&E. My husband Peter, 29, stayed with our…

GOSH Liquid Matte Lips in Nougat Crisp, £8.99, Superdrug Leaves lips looking fuller and plumped up, as well as feeling super-soft. Top tip: Exfoliate your lips once a week to get rid of any dry skin. Lottie London Slay All Day in Fleek, £5.95, Superdrug Won't budge all day, and the rich, creamy texture makes it a treat to use. Top tip: Keep your pout from drying out with a nightly slick of lip balm. MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Halcyon, £3, Superdrug A lovely, peachy toned lipstick at a bargain price. Top tip: Apply this in several thin layers for maximum staying power. Models Own Velvet Lipstick in Salted Caramel, £7.99, Boots Not only does this leave lips lusciously soft, it smells of caramel as well! Top tip:…

They both sing in choirs, love history, and write poetry! My John never thought he’d be on television – or spread across the pages of a magazine, for that matter. But then, he never thought he’d meet Neil, either. It was August 2015. John, 76, my husband of 52 years, had bought tickets for a coach trip from our home in Braintree, Essex, to London. But, as soon as we boarded the coach… ‘Excuse me,’ a man said. ‘Are you John Jemison?’ I did a double-take. The man speaking was a carbon copy of my John. Could’ve been separated at birth! He introduced himself as Neil Richardson, 71, and said he was travelling to London for the day with his wife Marion, 72. I couldn’t stop staring! The shape of…

They might be your friendly neighbour or colleague 1 FANTASIES The FBI has concluded that serial killers programme themselves in childhood to become murderers through fantasising. Serial killers’ fantasies are often about control and violation. In some cases, they may even replay traumas they’ve experienced themselves, only this time they’re the assailant, rather than the victim. Example: Californian Edmund Kemper, known as the ‘Co-ed Killer', murdered his grandparents in 1963, when he was just 15. On his release in the 1970s, he killed six young, female hitchhikers, had sex with their corpses, and dismembered them. He then killed his mother and her friend. Kemper said, ‘I knew long before I started killing that I was going to be killing… The fantasies were too strong.' Now 68, Kemper is still in…

We wanted something worthy of the silver screen Settling on the sofa, I got ready to enter the world of wizards and magic spells. I’d read Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone more times than I could count. But I never tired of it. I was obsessed with the book and films. When I’d met my fiance Ben, 30, in 2012, I’d made my feelings perfectly clear. ‘Love me, love Harry Potter,’ I’d told him jokingly. Luckily, he was a fan, too. It wasn’t just the wizard movies we liked, though. Ben and I are huge film buffs. So, years later, planning our wedding, it was no surprise we wanted something worthy of the silver screen. A traditional, stuffy do just wasn’t us. ‘We could have a Harry Potter theme!’…

A ticking time bomb was hanging over our boy’s head He was absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful blue eyes, chubby cheeks, button nose… but yellow skin! Even the whites of his eyes were discoloured. It was October 2015, and my son Oscar was a few days old. He’d been born a healthy 9lb 2oz. But, as soon as me and my husband Anthony, 33, brought him home, we noticed a yellow tinge to his skin. ‘It’s just a bit of jaundice. He’ll be OK in a few days,’ my health visitor said. But Oscar didn’t improve. One day, his skin would look pink and healthy, the next it’d be bright yellow. I thought back to when our daughter Millie, then 3, was born. ‘Her skin never looked like this,’ I frowned. But…

HARRY PUPPER Pampered Chihuahua Poncho, 4, has p-awesome digs! Owner Betty McCall, from Pitts, Georgia, turned the cupboard under her stairs into a tiny bedroom, complete with a brass bed frame , mattress, chest of drawers, and even a tiny reproduction of the famous painting of dogs playing poker. TOUGH GLOVE Caught having sex in a car at a Whitley Bay beauty spot, a woman told police she was ‘looking for her hat and gloves' in the footwell. The man admitted the offence and was cautioned, but the woman was found guilty of outraging public decency, fined £300 and ordered to pay £650 costs. JUMBO JUMPER At the Elephant Conservation and Care Center in Mathura, northern India, some local ladies have donated specially knitted, colourful jumpers to keep rescue elephants…