Table of contents for 09-Apr-2020 in Chat

A trip to the supermarket could’ve cost Amelia her life – now her young daughter has an important warning to share (p62). The countdown was on for Nancy’s 30th. Could she reinvent herself in time? (p32). And after the tragic death of his disabled wife, suspicion fell on Peter. But could he really stoop so low? (p16). On top of all your regular fave features and puzzles, check out our round-up of the best supermarket style bargains (p12) and the fun Easter bake ideas (p42) to use up all that extra choc… if you have any, that is! Stay safe and well this week. During this worrying time, we wish all of our readers good health. We hope Chat offers some welcome distraction. If you’re staying in and don’t want…

An ox licking its hoof and a dog rolling on the ground indicate what in an Ancient Greek text? 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 answer. Your answer: WIN £150 Puzzle 2 1 Large African animal (5) 2 Egg dish (8) 3 Parisian tower (6) 4 Mischievous Irish elf (10) 5 Facial feature (4) 6 Small insect with pincers (6) 7 Spanish sailing ship (7) 8 Fluid collected by bees (6) 9 Heating device (8) 10 Wireless (5) 11 One of 8 children (8) 12 Percussion instrument (10) 13 Cry out (7) 14 Type of nut (9) 15 Teenager (10) 16 Second sign of the zodiac (6)…

Jodie Kefford, 22, Huddersfield Carrying another box through the door, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. It was September 2017 and my boyfriend Brad, then 21, was moving in with me. After a year of a longdistance relationship, travelling back and forth to my uni in Huddersfield and his in Salford, we couldn’t wait to be together. At first, I was worried. I lived with nine other people in a shared house, fretted it’d be too crowded. ‘It’s only until we graduate,’ Brad smiled. ‘Then we’ll get our own place.’ So it was decided, we’d live in Huddersfield and Brad would commute for his final year. ‘I can’t wait to spend every day with you,’ I beamed as we unloaded the car. Brad and I had met in…

Sick of sneezing QI dread this time of year as I’m about to suffer terrible hay fever! Is there a permanent cure? Amber, Bourton-on-the-Water AHay fever is an allergy to grass or tree pollen and strikes around the same time every year, when plants release pollen you’re sensitive to. It affects around onequarter of us, with an itchy, stuffy or runny nose, sneezing bouts, itchy, watery eyes and tiredness all symptoms. The allergy usually disappears after 10 to 20 years. Treatment beforehand generally means controlling symptoms with antihistamine tablets, steroid nose sprays, or sprays and eyedrops containing antihistamines or other drugs to calm the allergic reaction. A permanent cure would mean immunotherapy, where you’re given small but increasing amounts of the pollen you’re allergic to until your body stops reacting.…

Viviana Perestrelo, 29, Bedfordshire Walking through the centre, there were shiny black noses, bright eyes, wagging tails and lolling tongues everywhere. ‘Jess is out back,’ the rescue worker told me and my boyfriend Kevin. It was January 2017 and I’d already been looking at photos of Jess on the RSPCA website. A 3-year-old German Shepherd, she was beauty. And as we rounded the corner… ‘She’s adorable!’ I squealed to Kevin, then 31, as Jess bounded towards us, a huge, sloppy grin on her face. Later, watching her run around the nearby field, my heart ached with love. ‘Can we take her home?’ I grinned to Kevin. ‘You bet,’ he said. We signed the papers on the spot. We’d both wanted a dog for ages, loved animals. It was one of…

How to help bullied boy? Q Before the schools closed recently, my son came home upset. He said a boy in his class has been calling him ‘gay’. I’m worried he’s being bullied. I want to help him, but I don’t want to be the embarrassing mum. Jennie, 43 A Poor lad! This behaviour needs to be called out. Try to get in touch with the school now – they should have a clear anti-bullying policy. Ask that your son’s complaint is kept anonymous, to avoid further name-calling when the school re-opens, and ask that teachers monitor the situation. At home, reassure your son. Build his self-esteem and help him forge positive friendships by Skype while they’re off school. Author Olly Pike is on a mission to get a copy of Kenny…

3 ways to… help you keep your finances on track these tricks and tips will help you stick to a budget 1 Put up barriers It’s so easy to spend money online, so make it harder! Retailers often let you save your card details online, but don’t. Needing to get your card and input your details each time takes longer, but it gives you chance to reconsider. 2 Be accountable When it comes to your goals, going public about them could help. So whether you’re saving for a dream holiday or clearing debt, consider sharing your targets on social media and updating your followers with your progress – just remember to admit it if you go off the rails! It could help keep you motivated, plus you may find support from others pursuing…

Aries 21 March-20 April Keep steaming ahead this week, as you’re likely to come across a big reward for your effort. A change of plan may make you question a partner’s true motives. Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May Thinking like a winner will get you to the finish line even quicker. Going all out with someone you’ve had your eye on lately shows honesty is the best policy Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June A new and absorbing project will be coming your way quite soon. Going full speed ahead will lead you into an exciting and dynamic phase. Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July Thrilling times for you, Cancer. A suggestion from a lover will have…

DearTomasz, Remember when our worlds collided? Bundling shopping bags into the car, I checked my watch. It was just before 1am on 21 September 2019. I’d nipped to the 24-hour Asda for some last-minute bits for the family fun day I was organising for our local community. Hot dogs, buns, a string of bunting. Heading home, I mentally made a list of what was left for me to do. That’s when I saw you. A pair of glaring headlights were heading straight for me. I swerved left, but it was too late. Your car smashed into the driver’s side of my bumper, crumpling the metal and spinning me 180 degrees. All I could hear was my terrified screams as my car finally came to a stop in a ditch. My…

WIN £1,001 Puzzle 5 Whose acting career has Rachel Bilson said she wants to emulate? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the prize puzzle answer. ACROSS 11 Relating to flowers (6) 12 Expressions of regret (9) 13 First man (4) 14 Instantly (2,1,5) 15 Light purple (5) 16 _ Franklin, singer (6) 17 Colonist (7) 18 Christian martyr (5,6) 20 Sphere (5) 22 Freedom from guilt (9) 24 Difficult to lift (5) 28 The Young Pope actor (4,3) 29 Very large tent (7) 32 Deprive of food (6) 34 Presenting (8) 36 Unevenly balanced (8) 37 Be indecisive (6) 39 Of the stomach (7) 40 Army officer (7) 45 Give lessons (5) 47 Second-to-last match (4,5) 48 Fossilised resin (5) 51 Actor starring…

Karen Green, 60, Chelmsford True-life PATIENT CASEBOOK As I washed out the conditioner, I felt a few of my hairs come loose. Usually it was the odd one or two… But lately, it seemed I’d end up with several tangled around my hands. At first, I wasn’t worried. Then my brush started filling up with tufts of my dark-blonde hair. Before I knew it, I was cleaning it out daily. ‘I think my hair is thinning,’ I fretted. Don’t be ridiculous,’ my husband Viv, then 57, would say. ‘It looks fine to us,’ my sons Daniel, 31, and Robert, 29, shrugged. But I wasn’t convinced. Concerned, I eventually took myself to the GP. He worried I might be anaemic, which can cause hair loss. But a thyroid and blood test…

MANHUNT FOR KILLER On 9 October 1965, Elsie Frost, 14, was walking from a sailing club to her home in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, when she was stabbed five times in the head, hand and back. She staggered through an underpass and collapsed at the bottom of a flight of stairs, where she died from shock and blood loss. More than 12,000 men were interviewed and a national manhunt was launched. But, to this day, the police haven’t found a motive or her killer. MALCOLM X ASSASSINATED Born Malcolm Little, the black minister and human-rights activist was shot dead, aged 39, at a rally in New York on 21 February 1965. The assassins allegedly belonged to a rival religious group, but some believed the murder was part of a Government conspiracy.…

Izabela Swierczynska, 38, Chesterfield Glowing with pride, my arms outstretched to her, I watched as my 11-month-old daughter Grace took a couple of steps before stumbling into me. I bundled her up as we giggled together. Aren’t you clever?’ I said to her, beaming. ‘She’ll be running circles around us in no time,’ my partner David, 49, laughed. We were proud parents. And who could blame us? We’d worried that Grace had been a little late in hitting some of her developmental milestones. But now, in June 2016, she was up on her feet – and weeks later, she was running around. And everywhere she went, she clung on to her favourite toy, a stuffed penguin she named Birdie. Then, in January 2018, I woke up to the sound of…

Easter lemon cake PREP TIME: 30 MINS, PLUS CHILLING COOK TIME: 20 MINS 6 large free-range eggs220g caster sugar200g cornflour For the filling:140g butter180g caster sugarFinely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons2 eggs, beaten300ml softly whipped double cream For decoration:Mini eggs You will also need:3 x 20cm round cake tins, greased and lined 1 Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4. Beat eggs with caster sugar until light and fluffy and the whisk leaves a ribbon trail when lifted out. Sieve cornflour into the mixture and fold in gently. Divide batter between the tins and bake for 15-18 mins until golden brown and cooked through. 2 While cake is baking, prepare lemon curd. Put butter, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and…

Jaymelea Hurren, 28, Blackpool Holding out my palm, I giggled as the horse gobbled up a sugar cube. Then my dad Chris, then 26, scooped me up and put me on the horse’s back. It was 1998 and, aged 7, I loved nothing more than weekends with my daddy. He’d split from my mum Paula, then 25, when I was 2. But I adored every minute we spent together, playing video games, horse riding, watching films. Dad taught me a lot. If I ever fell out with friends, he’d tell me not to get into fights. ‘Violence is never the answer,’ he said, telling me to walk away. But, like all teens, I could be a handful. In May 2009, when I was 17, Dad said he wanted me to…

Splenda, the greattasting sugar alternative, is serving up a sweet treat by giving a reader and a friend the opportunity to win a masterclass with world-renowned celebrity chef and Celebrity Hunted winner Jean-Christophe Novelli. This fantastic prize includes an exclusive, fun, hands-on ‘Cooking with Splenda’ French patisserie day on 13 June for our winner and a guest with the celebrity chef at his Hertfordshire academy. You will enjoy a champagne reception, delicious three-course lunch and a luxurious overnight stay at a manor house hotel with breakfast, plus a signed apron and recipe book! During the day, Jean-Christophe will demonstrate the versatility and great taste of Splenda in some specially developed recipes. Splenda comes in sweet minis tablets and granulated form, which can be used spoon for spoon just like sugar,…

CLOSING DATE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS 21 APRIL 2020 (Three days later for postal entries) 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 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…

Samantha Lasserre, 35, Aldershot Bringing the meeting to a close, I put my hand on my forehead. Clammy and dizzy, I wasn’t feeling right at all. ‘You’ve gone as white as a sheet,’ a colleague said. Though I’d felt rough all morning, I was a supermarket manager and couldn’t miss this training session in January 2019. At first, I’d put it down to hormones. After all, I was 24 weeks pregnant with a baby boy. Me and my husband Bruno, then 34, were so excited, had already named him Maxime. But now I was worried that something was seriously wrong. ‘I think I should go to hospital,’ I said weakly. A colleague drove me to Kingston Hospital’s Early Pregnancy Unit. I’d become a regular there after intermittent bleeding throughout my…

To everyone who knew them, Helen and Peter Dansie were the picture of a happy couple. Married for 44 years and living in retirement in Adelaide, Australia, they had one grown-up son, Grant. In the past, Helen had worked as a microbiologist, Peter as a pilot. Now, the couple raised goats, enjoyed an idyllic lifestyle. In 1995, Helen had a stroke, which left her with long-term disabilities, and she could no longer walk. Peter had given up his job to become her full-time carer. He’d be seen pushing his beloved wife in a wheelchair wherever they went. Devoted, so it seemed. Perfect day On Easter Sunday 2017, Peter and Helen were out in the Adelaide Park Lands, a huge green space of 27 parks and botanical gardens. They were in…

World HEALTH Remember the days when we only had to worry about a cold or a dodgy stomach? Even pre-COVID-19, an estimated 2.7 million UK adults suffered with such minor health concerns, yet only 16% would visit the doctor when they felt unwell.** Appy and healthy Atlas, the world’s first artificial intelligence-based food-tracking app for your gut microbiome (presence of bacteria, viruses and fungi) will allow you to snap a photo of your food and discover its influence on gut health (free, iOS). Have you ever considered having your hearing tested? Probably not. Unless you’ve noticed a problem, you’re likely to be part of the large UK population (37%) who has never been for a checkup. Over 90% of the population regularly go for eye tests, but there appears to…

Although his study of finches became more famous, what type of bird is thought to have originally inspired Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theories? To find out, solve the puzzle… Add a letter anywhere in each of the boxed-off words to fit the clue, eg, Young sheep = LABS + M = LAMBS. Write the added letter in the space provided. Read down the letters to spell out the answer. Young sheep Small black fruit Evil magic woman Face coverings Demand Backless sofa Ghoul Item of furniture Simple Squeeze Facial hair WIN £50 Puzzle 9 Your answer:…

Nancy Fawehimi, 30, Loughton, Essex Brushing a pile of hair to the corner of the salon floor, I propped the brush against the wall. Lunchtime now then,’ I announced to my colleagues. It was 2006 and, at the age of 16, I’d bagged myself an apprenticeship at a hairdresser’s. Every day was hectic. But I always had something to look forward to – my lunch break. A chippy, Indian takeaway and sweet shop all round the corner, I was spoilt for choice. Fish and chips today, I smiled to myself as I walked out the door. Even grabbed a few snacks for the afternoon slump, too. With each pound I lost, I felt so much more energised But, over the next few years, it meant I really piled on the…

Ally Grizzard, 24 Lifting my Yorkie pup Lilly into the passenger seat beside me, I tickled her chin. ‘Sweet girl,’ I smiled, clicking the seatbelt round her body. It was January 2015 and I was taking 6-week-old Lilly for her jabs at the vet. Driving down a country road, something in the distance caught my eye. A hay truck. Only, it seemed to be hurtling straight towards me… With seconds to make a decision, I yanked the steering wheel to the right. My body rattled around the car as it flipped. I was hurtled 50ft out of the car, landing on my back in a field. Panic-stricken, I tried to call for Lilly but no words came out. I couldn’t move or feel anything. ‘We don’t think that you’ll walk…

Q Do I really need to use a night cream? Andrea Thompson, 65 A During the day, our skin is exposed to dirt and pollution, but when we sleep, it gets the chance to repair itself without any interruption. As we get older, it is less capable of doing this on its own, which means a night cream becomes essential. Choose a nourishing formula like Garnier Organic Anti-Ageing Lavandin Night Cream, £10.99, which is full of goodness that can help to smooth your complexion. Want to boost the effects? Try pairing it with The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane, £4.60, a wrinklebusting serum that can help with dark spots and skin texture. TRIED AND TESTED Max Factor Miracle Second Skin, £12.99 The make-up version of a really good Instagram filter. Perfect…

Chat winners issue 2 (9 January 2020) £1,001 CASH T Greene, London Anyone from your town in the list this week..? £1,000 CASH H Martin, Newton Abbot £500 CASH S Hardman, Bolton; M Newman, Hamilton £250 CASH J Walker, Dumbarton £150 CASH D Harrison, Lancaster £100 CASH L Hutchin, Worthing; M Robinson, Rowley Regis; C Cameronn, Aberdeen; C Scallan, Coventry; C Meanwell, Newark £60 CASH E Butterfield, North Walsham £50 CASH W Thomas, Broxburn; H Primett, Erith; A Isted, Dorking £30 CASH P Malone, Dunstable; C Ogden, Runcorn; R Farrero, Nottingham; D Allen, Bolton; J Hargreaves, Rochdale £25 CASH S Lewis, Shrewsbury; S Bramley, Driffield; H Urwin, Brampton; S Johnstone, Edinburgh; C. Gregory, Leigh; E Ferguson, Harlow; J Beavan, Stevenage; J Williams, Helston; J Bunn, Hexham PUZZLE 1 522 PUZZLE 2…