Table of contents for 05-Mar-2020 in Chat

Handed a terrifying diagnosis, Trish’s bucket list was different from the norm (p24). Would yours look the same? Laura battled to conquer her demons to see her little boy grow up (p34). And when Kristy saw something horrifying from the bus window, she knew that she had to act (p10). Spring’s around the corner at last and we’ve got the perfect green looks (p12). And our fab fakeaways are better than the real thing (p40). Plus the best prize puzzles and all your usual faves! Have a lovely week!…

Kristy Bond, 30, South Yorkshire Sitting in my usual seat, I felt the bus come to a halt. Every day, I followed the same route. Past shops, the same buildings, the schools, I knew each bump and bend of those roads. That’s how I knew, without even looking up, exactly where I was. I mean, how could I forget? This stop, the house next to it, it’s where everything changed for me. It was February 2017 and, even though I was 27 now and a mother, I still felt like the same terrified 11-year-old whenever I was there. For, in August 2001, when I was 11, I’d been excited about a sleepover with my friend Lisa, at the home of a family friend. ‘We’ll stay up late, play on the…

Most people in the Michigan county of Oakland were still fast asleep in the early hours of 23 November 2017. Turkeys waiting to be roasted, potatoes ready to be peeled, America was ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. Yet for County Sheriff Deputy Eric Overall, 50, it was just another day at work. The veteran cop, with 22 years of service under his belt, was on duty. He loved his job. Married and with kids of his own, Eric was passionate about helping young people. He worked as a school resource officer and acted like a father to so many children who turned to him for guidance. A local hero. But that morning, as Eric patrolled the streets, trouble was brewing. Eric had received reports from cops down the road in Lapeer…

Health SOS IBS is the most common gut disorder, with around two in 10 of us suffering says Bupa. Aiming to change the stigma is Regular Girl, a blend of fibre and probiotics to help keep things moving. It’s approved by Australia’s Monash University, which researches the FODMAP diet for IBS, a plan that focuses on eliminating certain gas-causing foods. See regulargirl.com. Swap and see  When it comes to cutting down your calorie intake, every little helps… If you like sugar in your coffee, try a natural syrup – Sweet Freedom’s new one comes in Caramel or Vanilla, doesn’t contain any refined sugar and is 13 calories per tsp, compared to 16-20 in sugar. From Sainsbury’s and Ocado online, £3.29 for 350g. Are germ-ridden gym clothes making you ill? If…

THE SOHAM MURDERS A search was launched on 4 August 2002 after pals Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman (L-R above), both 10, went missing. After 12 days, school caretaker Ian Huntley, 28, was arrested. A search of Huntley’s home and workplace found charred pieces of the girls’ Man United football shirts. Huntley’s DNA was found on them. On 17 August, the bodies of both girls were found in a shallow ditch about 10 miles from their home in Soham, Cambridgeshire. Huntley was convicted of two counts of murder and given two life sentences, to serve a minimum of 40 years. JAILED FOR KILLING NIECE December 2002, Stuart Campbell, 44, was jailed for life for the kidnap and murder of his 15-year-old niece Danielle Jones. Danielle went missing from her home…

Top tip Serve with potato wedges on the side. Quesadilla SERVES 4 PREP TIME 5 MINS COOK TIME 15 MINS Per serving: ● 283 Kcal,● 32g carbs ● 1 x 290g tin mixed beans in chilli sauce● ½ yellow pepper, deseeded and diced● Sea salt, ground black pepper● 1 large tomato, finely chopped● 2tbsp fresh coriander, chopped● ½ small red onion, peeled and finely diced● 1tsp red wine vinegar● 4 low-calorie tortilla wraps● 160g grated mozzarella 1 Add the mixed beans in chilli sauce to a frying pan with the diced yellow pepper. Season with salt and pepper, and cook on a moderate heat for 10 mins until the sauce has reduced. 2 While the beans are reducing, make the salsa by placing the tomato, coriander, red onion and red wine…

Aries 21 March-20 April Don’t rock the boat, Aries, as work colleagues may try to influence you to do something you don’t want to do. Stay strong and all will be plain sailing. ● Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May You’ll get a lovely surprise as an unexpected windfall may come your way. Count your blessings and your pennies, and spend quality time with a loved one. ● Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June Come on, Gemini, keep dreaming about lazy days in the sun. Someone will try to get you into a holiday mood this week, so get ready to open your wallet. ● Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July You hear some juicy gossip, but don’t…

Beauty Editor Sophie Cullen shares her favourites Pixi Vitamin C Boost Sheet Mask, £10, Boots Pop on for 15 minutes, sit back and let the vitamin C and hyaluronic acid mix get to work at brightening and de-puffing your skin. Yes to Tomatoes Yin & Yang Paper Mask, £2.99 Harnessing the powers of salicylic acid and tomato extract, the treatment adheres to facial contours to help to combat blemish-causing bacteria and excess oil. Soap & Glory What a Peeling! De-Clog Mask, £4 Worried about blocked pores? This mask will remove dirt and impurities as you peel it off.…

TEXT Simply text CHATA 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 TI Media Limited and Chat. If you want to receive these, please end your text with TIOPTIN. 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…

£25 for any photos that we use on Picture Perfect. They must not have been sent to any other publication and you must include written permission from a child’s parent/s or guardian/s. Post to Picture Perfect, Chat, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP, or email chat_magazine@ti-media.com Unfortunately, we can’t return photos without a SAE. And please don’t forget to include your full address and a contact number.…

What symbol indicates that a UK footpath is part of the National Trails? The Clue number tells you which line the answer’s in. We’ve put a section in to start you off! There may be two Across answers in one line. Down words fill themselves. The shaded squares give the prize answer. 1 Female relative • Hit with the foot 3 Go somewhere as a companion or escort WIN £150 Puzzle 2  5 Compulsory contribution to state revenue • Mesh 7 Having the same opinion as someone else 9 Lazy • Movement of the sea What was the name of the Chihuahua friend of Stimpy the cat in the 1990s US animation? The three answers in this puzzle read the same across and down. The clues are given, but not…

Ashton Rains, 29, Lowestoft Reluctantly pulling on my uniform in December 2005, I dragged myself to school. ‘I’ve got a cold coming,’ I groaned, struggling through my lessons. By lunchtime, I felt so rough, I went home for a snooze. Waking up later on, I noticed my hands were tinged purple, the colour spreading down my fingers. ‘My hands look funny,’ I frowned to my mum Lorraine, then 38. ‘Let’s get them checked out,’ she said. The doctor said it looked like Raynaud’s disease – a syndrome causing reduced blood flow to some parts of the body. ‘It should clear up,’ he assured me. It did, but a week later, the purple tinge returned. I noticed a brown dot on my finger – a tiny ulcer Over the next two…

I’m seeing colours Q Sometimes everything looks yellow to me, especially when I wake up in the morning. Is it serious? Lindy, Wigan A Yellow vision has a name, xanthopsia. Some people think that the painter Vincent van Gogh might have had it, which would explain the yellow tinge to many of his paintings. There are several possible causes, including too high a dose of the heart drug digoxin – if you’re taking digoxin, speak to your doctor immediately. Jaundice, the yellow skin colour caused when your liver isn’t working properly, can lead to yellow vision as it stains the lens and fluid inside your eye yellow. Cataracts, gradual clouding of the lens inside your eye, can also give everything a yellow or brown tinge, and vitamin-A deficiency is a possible…

Lisa Haines, 33, Milton Keynes Sitting there, in my hospital gown, I watched as the doctor approached with a piece of paper. I glanced at my sister Joanne, then 30, and took a deep breath. ‘The tests show you have Addison’s disease,’ the doctor said. A rare autoimmune condition, it meant my adrenal glands weren’t producing enough cortisol or aldosterone – hormones essential for a whole range of vital bodily functions. I burst into tears. No wonder I’d been so unwell. It was 2010 and I’d been suffering from low blood pressure and fatigue, plus had dropped from 10st to 6st in just six months. At first, I’d put it down to my type 1 diabetes. Only I’d been following doctor’s orders, sticking to a restricted diet, testing my blood-sugar…

Dale Driscoll, 64 Scooping up her tiny dog Doodles, my granddaughter Brittany, then 12, ran down the stairs towards me. ‘Nana!’ she exclaimed, planting a kiss on my cheek. I laughed as Doodles licked my face. Even though I popped round most days, Brittany was always happy to see me. Especially now, in July 2009, when my daughter Helen, 34, needed all the support she could get. See, she’d just spent weeks in hospital after breaking her leg, hip and femur, plus damaging her liver, in a nasty car accident. And now I was helping out with Brittany and her older brother Branden, then 15, whenever I could. I loved how close-knit we all were. So it came as a surprise when Helen told me she’d moved her new boyfriend…

Barry M Lip Rehab, £4.99 Soothe and protect lips with this nifty little mask thanks to the avocado, hemp seed oil and vitamin E mix. Collection You Do You. Cheek & Eye Tint, £4.99 A natural flush of colour for cheeks and a sheer wash of tint for eyes. Apply with fingers for a lightweight, buildable finish. Neutrogena Clear & Soothe Moisturiser with turmeric, from £5.99 Hydrate and calm breakout-prone skin – this quick absorbing water-gel immediately soothes and hydrates. Rimmel Scandaleyes Wow Wings Mascara, £7.99 Get full XXL lashes thanks to this unique two-sided brush: load up with the winged side, flare out with the curved side. TOP TIP Does your eyeliner crumble while you put it on? Pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes prior to applying…

Norwegian Fjords | British Isles | Baltic Cities | Worldwide Book your 2021 cruise today! We’re offering tremendous value Buy-One-Get-One-Free* savings on our newly launched sailings, for a limited time only. These savings are available on board a choice of four elegant cruise ships and include newly launched itineraries on departures throughout 2021. These great value prices make it so much easier to join us for the cruise you’ve always wanted to take, enjoy a longer voyage south to the sun, or treat yourself to a higher category cabin, or of course, use the saving to spend on board or ashore!…

£1,001 CASH J Bradbury, Shropshire £1,000 CASH V Hawkins, Southampton £500 CASH M Flook, Pontypool; P Ward, Crawley £250 CASH Y Priddin, Chester £150 CASH H Clegg, Glasgow £100 CASH A Brookes, Colchester; M Potts, Derbyshire; P Dejonge, Jarrow; Y Angel, Preston; C Bailey, Lytham St Annes £60 CASH K Mers, Southampton £50 CASH H Thomas, Neath; J Pepperell, Salisbury; C Tidswell, Peterborough £30 CASH J Brinkworth, West Glamorgan; J Doubleday, Spalding; J Chappell, Banbury; S Rumbold, London; N Hilton, London £25 CASH G. Morris, Hertford; C Gale, Peterborough; S Marshall, Portland; T Lunn, Leeds; C O’Brien, Runcorn; S Hoskins, Weymouth; L Pyper, Newtownards; K Lambert, Preston; L Hailstone, Driffield Anyone from your town in the list this week..? Chat PUZZLE 1 90000 Chat PUZZLE 11 356 Chat PUZZLE 12 FLUTE ● All…

Jemma Palmer, 38, Hull Hearing my boyfriend Gareth, then 30, turn his key in the door, I panicked. I shoved the pregnancy test into my jeans pocket, checked myself in the mirror. ‘Is that you, love?’ I shouted nervously from the bathroom of the little flat we shared. ‘Who else would it be?’ he teased. Taking a deep breath, my brain scrambled for what to say. It was March 2015 and I’d fallen pregnant with our first child. Truth was, it was a massive shock. We’d only been dating five months. I had no idea how Gareth might react. But my worries vanished when I spotted a bouquet of red roses in his hand. ‘Just because,’ he smiled. It felt like a sign. And Gareth was over the moon when…

WIN £1,001 Puzzle 5 What connects Dominic Monaghan and Diane Kruger? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the three-word prize answer. Across 1 Roost (5) 4 Noisy (4) 6 Football officials (8) 13 Rekindle (7) 14 Group of Atlantic islands (7) 15 Soft fruit with a stone (5) 16 Duration (4) 17 Unusual and foreign (6) 18 Volcano mouth (6) 20 Titled woman (4) 21 French river (5) 22 Dairy product (6) 25 2013 film with Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman (8) 28 Shed (4-2) 30 Stop (5) 32 Inhabitant (8) 34 Threads spun by spider (6) 35 Leader (4) 38 Lucky charm (6) 39 Pleasant smell (5) 40 Protect (6) 43 Brood, sulk (4) 44 Deep narrow gorge (6) 45 Shakespearean monarch…

Samantha Saunders, 30, Ledbury, Herefordshire Enduring two years of IVF and genetic testing, we thought we’d done enough. Me and my husband Kriss, then 28, were determined our baby wouldn’t inherit the kidney condition I had. We’d chosen the healthiest embryo, the one with best chance. Yet here we were at the 12-week scan in December 2018, hearing the sonographer tell us our child’s organs were growing on the outside of their body. ‘It could be a sign of limb-body wall complex,’ she warned. It meant abnormalities in the foetus – and was a fatal condition. After everything we’d already been through, it felt so unfair. But we had to keep positive. For the next few months, we had regular scans and check-ups. Found out we were having a little…

Trish Hatton, 70, Whitstable, Kent Applying one final lick of paint to the garden fence, I stood back and admired my work. Another job done, I thought. But rather than feeling satisfied, I felt a wave of anxiety about my never-ending to-do list. The allotment needed tending to, the bathroom was crying out for a fresh layer of paint. Me and my husband Mike, 75, were booked in to see our solicitor, too. It was June 2017 and I was preparing for the worst. I was getting ready for the possibility I wouldn’t be here this time next year. Making sure everything was in order for my two kids and three grandchildren. See, I was about to have a huge operation to remove cancer from my mouth and jaw. Months…

Mum’s always starkers Q My mum’s always been very body confident. She doesn’t rush to get dressed after a shower and will often come into my room and talk to me while she’s drying herself. This makes me feel really uncomfortable, and I don’t know why. I ask her to put some clothes on, but she says, ‘I will when I’m dry.’ My friends stayed over recently and one of them saw Mum walking across the landing, naked. Now she’s told everybody at college, and I’m mortified. Billie, 17 A It’s fantastic your mum has so much body confidence! Maybe lovingly say you think it’s great she’s so comfortable in her own skin, but would she mind covering up a little when you have company. Make a joke out of it…

3 ways to… cut the cost of online shopping 1 Bag a bargain When you’re browsing online, don’t automatically close the chatbot that pops up at the bottom of your screen, as this could be your way to getting a discount. Start by having a chat about the item you want, then start haggling for some money off – you might be pleasantly surprised. 2 Get the right price If you find an item you want to buy on Amazon, put the product’s details into the website uk.camel camelcamel.com. This will show a graph of how the price has fluctuated on the site in recent months, which will help you assess how good the deal you’re being offered is. If you want to hold out in case the price drops, you can…

Coronation Street Bethany leaves Weatherfield As Sarah continues to warn her against getting involved with grief-stricken Daniel, Bethany realises her mum’s got a point when he breaks down at Sarah and Adam’s wedding and makes a poor job of proposing! The pair are planning to move to London, but will Bethany decide she’s best off on her own? EastEnders Can Gray bail out Whitney? Whitney’s in prison, accused of Leo’s murder, but she’s hoping she won’t be there for long with Gray acting as her solicitor. Will he secure her freedom at her bail hearing? Also, Lola drops a bombshell on Jay, and Shirley is suspicious of Suki as she keeps up her lie about having cancer… Emmerdale Corrupt cop alert! After Cain agreed to take a gun off Will’s…

Q My skin is looking a little grey and dull. How do I transform it to glowing and healthy-looking? Natalie Edwards, 56 A Introduce products that A help to nourish your skin and lock in moisture. Start with overnight treatments, like Botanics 100% Organic Restoring Overnight Facial Oil, £11.49. This gets to work while you sleep and helps to pump nutrients back into the skin. In the morning, use an exfoliator, like Liz Earle Gentle Face Exfoliator, £12. This helps to get rid of dead skin cells and unblock pores, which are big contributors to dull skin. Then opt for The Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturiser, £16. Not only does this smell amazing, but it helps to brighten dull complexions, leaving skin with a glowing sheen.…

Dear Isabel, Your daddy Trevor and I were so happy in October 2008, when we found out you were arriving. Your big sister Sophie, too – she was just 1. And on 16 May 2009, you were born. Only, I didn’t get to hold you. ‘She’s very poorly,’ nurses explained. Your dad went with you to intensive care. There’d been no warnings. A few hours later, I finally saw you, hooked up to machines. Same fluffy tufts of hair as your big sister. ‘My Isabel,’ I whispered. In the middle of the night, we had the most unimaginable news. ‘It’s leukaemia,’ the consultant confirmed. I fell apart. Your chances of survival were small. Transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital, you were fitted with breathing and feeding tubes. Then, at just…