Table of contents for 2 February 2023 in Chat

MOM STYLE STYLE TIP You'll want this slightly tapered baggy leg to finish at your ankle for the most flattering fit. Roll up if they're too long. WIDE CROPPED STYLE TIP This is a relaxed fit that can easily be dressed up or down. Keep tops and jumpers fitted and tucked into the waistband if you can. FLARED STYLE TIP Wear this leg-lengthening style with heeled boots or on-trend platforms to elongate your figure and make you appear taller. SKINNY FROM £13 STYLE TIP Perfect for your everyday wardrobe. Avoid rigid fabrics and look for designs that have added stretch for extra comfort.…

Gulp! I can't swallow Q I just can't swallow pills! Why can't I have syrup or dissolving tablets instead? Con, Oldham A You're not alone. Around one third of people have difficulty getting pills down, and this often seems to stem from a fear of choking, or a past experience of choking. Crushing tablets and taking them with something like jam or yogurt can be an answer, but not all pills are safe to crush, so check with your chemist first. Liquid medicine might be a solution, but many drugs are hard to make, or won't work properly, in syrup or dissolving form, so your best bet is to learn to swallow pills. Usually you can train yourself to do this, and start by practising swallowing small sweets or pieces of…

I've never had sex Q I'm embarrassed that I'm still a virgin. I'm a 24-year-old lad and even though I've had girlfriends, I've never had full sex. I play rugby and the lads often go on about who they are sleeping with. Some of them much younger than me. Should I just pay a prostitute and get it over with? I'm sick of being the butt of their jokes. Freddie, 24 A Stop putting yourself down and comparing yourself to others, petal. When you meet the right girl, you'll become intimate - honestly, there are no timelines for this. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. And definitely don't rush into having sex just because you think everyone else is. Half that locker-room talk will be a load of old codswallop…

3 Ways to… SAVE ON HOLIDAYS Planning a break? Don't pay more than you have to 1 Try to keep flexible Check holiday prices directly on different travel companies’ websites, and also try comparison sites like TravelSupermarket.com. See if you can save by choosing different dates; eg, if you need to go in the school summer holidays you might be able to save by travelling in the last two weeks rather than the first two. Check prices for flying from a different airport, too. And if you're booking flights, it's a good idea to use a comparison site such as Skyscanner (skyscanner.net), which shows you different prices for airlines, as well as which day of each month has the cheapest flights. 2 Budget for extras When you're comparing holiday prices, factor in…

Barry M Ultra Liner 2-in-1 Eyeliner & Lash Enhancing Serum, £9.99, barrym.com This buy is so genius- it's a liquid liner infused with hair-boosting ingredients such as ginseng and japonica leaf to strengthen the lashes and encourage growth. Lano 101 Dry Skin Super Cream, £10.99, cultbeauty.co.uk Suffering with dry skin?The cold weather sometimes means you'll need a richer cream.This gets to work impressively quickly, immediately soothing even severely dry patches. Pacifica Vegan Ceramide Hydration Fill Undereye & Smile Line Jelly Patches, £8, cultbeauty.co.uk Dehydration can make wrinkles look deeper. These patches a re infused with hydrating ingredients to temporarily plump up lines. Gamier Ultimate Blends Glowing Lengths Hair Food Pineapple & Amla Shampoo, £6, Boots Ashampoothat seriously boosts shine, this uses natural fruit extracts to soften and nourish dry strands, leaving…

NERINA FALEYE, 55, FROM FULHAM, SAYS: My daughter Alysha Allen is definitely my hero. Alysha, 33, has been breaking down barriers as a profoundly deaf primary school teacher for the past four years. Not only has she been awarded for her outstanding contribution to teaching, but she's also been recognised as an influential figure in the deaf community. As one of very few deaf teachers working in a mainstream primary school, she teaches hearing and deaf children side by side. Using sign language and lip reading in her teaching, many of the students have picked it up too, and are fluent in signing as a result. A recent survey for Get Into Teaching found that more than three-quarters of parents would be proud to tell others that their grown-up children were…

Waving her friends goodbye as they dropped her off, Kristin Smart, 19, was excited about the night ahead. It was 24 May 1996, a long weekend, and she was heading for a party at a nearby student house. It was a hot evening, and dressed in black running shorts, a cropped T-shirt and red trainers, 6ft lin tall Kristin cut a striking figure. In her first year at California Polytechnic State University, she was the only one of her friends who'd wanted to go, so had decided to head off alone. Kristin had no purse, wallet or keys on her, so her dorm neighbour and friend Margarita Campos had given her a key to the dorm in case she returned after the entrances were locked. Kristin spent the next few…

1 Fill up on frozen and canned ‘Keep frozen vegetables and canned pulses to hand, as they're a quick way to add a serving of vegetables to your dishes,’ says Healthspan nutritionist Rob Hobson. ‘Just grab a few handfuls when you're cooking. Frozen spinach is great for smoothies, too. Some frozen fruit and veg may be more nutrient dense than fresh. They are flashthey retain a lot of their goodness.’ frozen straight after they are picked, meaning they retain a lot of their goodness’ 2 Don't forget dried fruits Dried fruits, such as raisins, prunes and dates, make for a great healthy snack. Perfect if you have a sweet tooth, and the good news is that 30g counts as one of your five a day. You can also add dried…

A change of heart What could be better to show youn love for a friend or family member than a red love heart? Well, a few things, according to Gen Z. Coming in second to the thumbs up, using this emoji is a sign that you're stuck in the past, you old romantic. What a stink Number twos are a fact of life, but that doesn't mean you need to send one to your friends. Its smiley cartoon face might make it look more like a cute scoop of chocolate ice cream, but the poop emoji isn't popular with the under 30s. It's time to filsh it once and for all! Frowned of applause It's nice to applaud our friends’ and family's achievements, but this emoji often comes across more…

Q I'd like to treat my daughter to a theatre trip in London. What's the best way to get cheaper tickets? P. Allen, Shipley A If you're flexible about what you'd like to see, you might bag a hefty saving by getting your tickets on the day at officiallondontheatre.com/tkts. Alternatively you could try Disney Ticket's Magical Mondays every Monday at noon, a number of tickets for that week's performances of participating Disney shows will be available for just £29.50 at disneytickets.co.uk/disney-day-seats-tickets. The National Theatre offers £10 Friday Rush tickets too - visit nationaltheatre.org.uk/fridayrush.…

27 Jan-2 Feb 2023 Aries 21 March-20 April You have such a keen mind and always choose the right path with vigour. This week is no exception, as your ruling planet, Mars, is in direct motion. • Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April-21 May Updating your social media and detailing what you've been doing will be liked by everyone. A chat on the phone will ensure you can help a sibling. • Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May-21 June You may have to negotiate in a relationship. Find the answer by seeing a totally new and original perspective on which to base your decisions. • Call 0905 817 0692* for more Cancer 22 June-23 July Boost your knowledge of health and nutrition during this…

Growing up inside the walls of the Vatican City, the Orlandi family was part of a tiny community. A place less than a thousand people call home. Ruled by the Pope, the Vatican is the centre of the Roman Catholic Church. One of the most sacred places on earth. So 15-year-old Emanuela Orlandi and her four siblings always felt safe. Their father, Ercole Orlandi, worked in a role overseeing private audiences with the Pope. Emanuela was talented, with a passion for music. She sang in a choir and attended the Tommaso Ludovico da Victoria School in Rome for flute lessons several times a week. Then,on 22 June 1983, everything changed. Emanuela was running late for class, so asked her brother Pietro to take her. When he refused, she stormed out…

TRUE-LIFE Settling on the settee, I watched my daughter Sharlotte, 6, prancing, jumping, kicking and generally showing off. ‘Look Mummy,’ she said, attempting a roly-poly. ‘Amazing!’ I cheered. There was no doubt our Sharlotte loved an audience. And she always had one, whether it was me, her dad Kris, then 32, or her big brother and sister, Paul, 14, and Eva, 13. My phone started ringing and my blood ran cold So funny and cheeky, no wonder we called her Monkey. Sharlotte loved to play dress-up, and pinched my lipstick or begged to have her nails painted. Now, in June 2021, her new favourite thing was gymnastics. ‘Can I have a proper leotard please, Mummy?’ she grinned, looking at me with flushed cheeks. ‘When you've been going for two months,’…

True-life PATIENT CASEBOOK Janet Evans, 76, Barrow-in-Furness Clutching my tummy, I looked around for the nearest toilet. Caught off guard by the sudden pain, I reached into my handbag for my trusty diarrhoea meds and swallowed one. Waiting for it to kick in, I let out a shaky breath. I'd been diagnosed with IBS in the 70s, and for decades I'd struggled. I'd be fine for days at a time, only to be completely struck down seemingly out the blue. Searing pain in my stomach accompanied by frequent trips to the loo. It was often so bad that it left me anxious to leave the house in case I had a sudden flare-up. And travelling long distances was out of the question. Over the years I discovered some foods that…

Marching into the living room, my toddler Harper held something tucked under her arm. I burst out laughing. She was carrying her toilet-training seat! So proud of graduating out of nappies, she wanted to take it everywhere. I'd bought the seat a week earlier, for the upstairs loo. The toilet training was going well for my 2-year-old livewire. Three days dry! ‘Bio girl now,’ I said. Harper beamed. She barely put down the seat for the rest of the afternoon in October 2022. At 5pm, I went into the kitchen to start on the tea. I had a full house with Harper and my other kids Shannon, 16, Junior, 4, and Chelsea-Rae, 1. Suddenly Harper's voice rang out. ‘Mammy, I'm stuck!’ I went into the living room. And there was…

Paws and tails tumbled over each other as I looked over the pen. Originally intent on choosing a black Labrador, my eyes shifted to another little pup who'd pushed its way forwards. A little fat pudding. His dark eyes locked with mine and I melted. I picked up his yellow, furry, wriggling body and gave him a cuddle. The pup was 11 weeks old. Took him home in January 2014 and called him Harvey. He announced himself to the birds in the garden by hurtling after them. Soon found out that he liked a Sunday dinner. And when I went to work, he'd sneak into the larder and pinch whatever took his fancy. One year I bought 12 chocolate snow dogs, left them in a gift bag. But when I…

Glancing at the car dashboard, I wondered when I'd reach the next service station. I wasn't sure I could make it much further. It was 2015, and working for a charity helping deaf children, I spent hours driving from town to town. With so much time on the road, I often had to stop to fill up. But it wasn't petrol I needed. It was a snack! Then I spotted a sign. Services next exit… Pulling over, I wound down my window. ‘A large latte and a chocolate brownie, please,’ I smiled to the lady at the takeaway window. I tucked in and, feeling satisfied, hit the road again. What was a morning drive without a coffee and a cake? I'd always been a snacker. As a mum of tour…

NO-FUSS FOOD Top tip Double the berry sauce recipe and enjoy with yogurt and granola for a weekday breakfast. Berrylicious pancakes Cut down on the calories with our lower-fat pancakes - made with oats and natural yogurt, they are as healthy as they are delicious. For the berry sauce: For the pancakes: 1 For the berry sauce, put the berries in a pan with 2tbsp water; slowly bring to a simmer. Mix the cornflour with 1tbsp water, add to the berries with the sweetener and stir over a medium heat until the juices thicken, then set aside. 2 For the pancakes, put the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, oats and sweetener into a bowl. Whisk…

TRUE-LIFE Plunging off the slide into the ball pit, my kids piled on top of me. ‘Me next!’ smiled my eldest, Alayah. It was July 2016 and I was at an indoor play park with my daughter Alayah, then 23 months, and son Ayden, 5 months. While me and the kids played, I caught a glimpse of my boyfriend Allen, then 24. As usual, he was glued to his phone. He never joined in. When we'd first got together on my 18th birthday in January 2013, he had treated me like a princess. Every morning, he'd turn up with my favourite coffee, walk me to school. And a year later, I'd fallen pregnant. ‘We can do this as a team,’ I'd reassured him over the phone - neither of us…

Q My skin looks so dull and pale. What can I do? Are facial tanners worth using, or shall I wait until the summer? Daisy Hopkins, Gloucester A Facial tanners can definitely be used all year round - they're a great way to cheat healthy, radiant skin. Tanned skin doesn't have to be a full-blown bronze - a subtle bit of tan can give your complexion a lift. Autograph Self Tan Luxe Facial Oil, £9.50, M&S, will gradually build up a natural-looking glow. Apply in the evenings, massaging into the skin, and don't forget to wash your hands - nobody wants orange palms! If the thought of a fake-tanning fail is too much to bear, then go for something commitment-free. Boutique Illuminating Drops Champagne, £4, Sainsbury's, are brilliant, and a…

Dear Kirsty, I can still remember sitting in my midwife's office, feeling overwhelmed with worry. It was February 2020, two weeks after giving birth to my first daughter Chloe. But even though I was so grateful to have my healthy baby girl on my knee, life wasn't easy. Money was tight, and being a single mum, the weight of responsibility felt heavy. ‘I just don't know where to turn,’ I confessed to the midwife, my eyes filling with tears. ‘Don't worry, she reassured me. Said I should contact Action for Children, they'd be able to help. They offered support for children and families, including help with childcare, mental-health programmes and parenting advice. It took me a couple of days to build up the courage, but eventually I gave them a…