Table of contents for 20-2021 in Best

It may seem impossible to believe that 10 years have gone by since Prince William and Kate Middleton married in such splendour at Westminster Abbey. But since that April day in 2011 they have certainly been busy – raising their adorable brood of three, who just get cuter by the day. To celebrate their anniversary, the couple released an adorable ‘home style’ video, shot in and around their country home, Anmer Hall on the Sandringham Estate in north west Norfolk, and it gave us another peek at the little princes and princess, who are growing up so very quickly. Oldest, of course, is gorgeous George, our future king, who at seven is shooting up in height. The fair-haired youngster can be a little shy in front of the cameras, but…

Q I’ve got very rosy cheeks and ‘flash’ when I have spicy foods or if I drink wine. How do I calm my skin? Natasha, Batley A DR AAMER SAYS: This may be rosacea, a chronic inflammatory skin condition. It can take many forms but usually starts as a surface rash. It can be accompanied by pimples or bumps under the skin, and mostly affects the cheek, chin, nose and forehead. Topical prescription treatments include Mirvaso, which helps reduces redness for up to 12 hours, along with anti-inflammatory prescription creams containing Metronidazole, Ivermectin or Azelaic Acid to treat spots and bumps. Ask your doctor about these and allergy testing, too. A course of PDT, photodynamic therapy, can help reduce redness. A photosensitive cream is applied over the affected area, and…

Turkey Lasagne Turkey is lighter than beef for this classic. Hands-on time: 20 mins Cooking time: about 1hr 5 mins Serves 4 1 onion, roughly chopped2 carrots, trimmed and roughly chopped2 celery sticks, trimmed and roughly chopped4tbsp olive oil500g (1lb 2oz) turkey breast mince150ml (5fl oz) red wine2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes150ml (5fl oz) strong chicken stockLarge handful fresh basil leaves, torn4tbsp plain flour600ml (1 pint) semi-skimmed milk1 bay leaf9 dried lasagne sheets125g ball mozzarella, torn into pieces 1 In a food processor, whiz the onion, carrot and celery until finely chopped. Heat 2tbsp of the oil in a large pan and fry the chopped veg for 5min or until soft. Turn up the heat, add turkey and fry for 8-10min, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden. Add wine and…

Sitting in the classroom, my sister and I grinned at each other. Dressed in the same outfit, our sandy blonde hair styled the same, when the teacher called my name, Elin answered. The silly joke made us both burst into giggles. It was always fun confusing the teachers, one of the many perks of being an identical twin – as well as having an automatic best friend, someone who understood everything about you. We were inseparable. Born in November 1976, our parents had only been able to tell us apart by a tiny birthmark on my forehead. It was unique, looking at someone and seeing your own face staring back. Whilst our personalities were different – I was adventurous, but more introverted than Elin – it wasn’t until our teens…

Do you keep putting off tasks and regularly feel you’re failing at life? You’re not alone. But you can make yourself feel better, simply by tackling the smaller things. Inspired by The Book of You, a collection of simple ‘microactions’ designed to be done daily, we’ve brought you the best of the bite-sized actions to start today. They are small steps towards big life changes. Go on… what are you waiting for? 1 Concentrate on lunch Take 30 minutes to enjoy your lunch away from your phone, email, and any other interruptions – you’ll have a more productive afternoon. 2 Organise your sock drawer This simple act can save you 10 minutes a day of searching for a sock – that’s over an hour a week. Use this bonus time…

DAY ONE The aim of the challenge is to spend a month enjoying random acts of wildness – getting closer to nature. I decided to take on the challenge to see if it really did give me a feeling of well-being. We all lead busy, sometimes stressful, lives… so the aim is to slow down and smell not the coffee – but the flowers! While my two children – Summer, nine, and Thomas, seven – love the great outdoors, they also love spending hours playing Minecraft and watching TV, so I dragged them along too. To get in the swing of wild adventures, I took the kids to Runswick Bay beach, Yorkshire. We collected shells and looked for crabs in rock pools. Thomas was not impressed when Summer wanted to…

PICK IT UP! EAMONN: So, Boris Johnson thinks that we should confront anyone littering. He said: ‘I abhor litter and I urge anybody who sees anybody throwing away a crisp packet to tick them off and tell them to pick it up.’ Funny he should have used those words – because ‘Pick It Up’ was the catchphrase of an anti-litter Public Information Film that used to run during the ad breaks when I was a kid. Not just the ad breaks, because it ran on the BBC too. It was a bit scary as well, and part of the Keep Britain Tidy campaign. In the film, the litterbug threw his rubbish away in the middle of Trafalgar Square in London and someone shouted ‘Piiiiiickkkkk It Up!’ Not just anybody, but…

TAURUS 21 April – 21 May Whatever problem is being faced by Taureans like breakfast television veterans and real-life couple Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley, there will be more than one way to resolve it. When focusing on only one possible course of action, they could be blocking many other potential solutions so this should be avoided. LEO 24 July – 23 August You will be asked to help others by doing some voluntary work or fundraising. Your versatility, people skills and big-heartedness will attract good fortune. This will come about in a strange way around Thursday. It’s a good week for improving relationships at home and at work. Making plans for the future feels comforting. SCORPIO 24 October – 22 November You are feeling extremely lucky. A run of…

Anne Hegerty, a.k.a. The Governess, formidable star of quiz show The Chase since 2010, is on our screens hosting another hit gameshow – Britain’s Brightest Celebrity Family. Under quizzer extraordinaire Anne’s watchful eye, eight celebrity families – including best columnist Vanessa Feltz, Olympian Colin Jackson and former EastEnders star Rita Simons, battle it out to reach the final, winning £25,000 for their chosen charity. Here, Anne, 62 – who appeared in the I’m a Celebrity… jungle in 2018, alongside Emily Atack and Harry Redknapp – tells us about her new show, the inspiration behind her frankly terrifying alter ego, and more… The past year’s been undeniably tough. How have you been? I have loved lockdown! I’m someone who needs a good leaving alone. But, of course, I’m aware not everyone…

With startling honesty, TV presenter and fitness guru Davina McCall is bravely opening up about her menopause journey in a gripping new Channel 4 documentary, Sex, Myths and the Menopause, meeting other women along the way, as she busts myths surrounding the transition, and dispels the shame and fear around hormone replacement therapy. Investigating the science that adds to our understanding of the menopause and its impact on women’s health, mum-of-three Davina lifts the lid on the midlife taboo that can destroy jobs and relationships, and tackles the misinformation that is still far too prevalent… Davina, what do you hope people take away from this documentary? perimenopausal or menopausal will leave this documentary with an enormous amount of compassion for anyone going through it. I hope that women who are at…

‘When Boris Johnson presented his “roadmap” on 22 February, people mostly sighed, accepted it. They took it because they were promised, once again, that this would be the end of the lockdown nightmare. The light was finally coming through the endless tunnel. And 21 June was always going to be the cut-off-point. Some MPs say it still is. But rather too many are already hinting that it’s not going to be the great return of freedom they’d promised. Warnings of a “third wave” – scare stories about new vaccine-resistant variants of Covid, continued use of masks and social distancing, you know the routine because we’ve been here before! And the stalling on clear travel information means we can’t even think of booking holidays we probably can’t afford – thanks to…

HOW IT WORKS 1 Follow our plan (opposite), which includes three meals and three snacks daily. Don’t skip food – you’ll need your energy for walking. 2 Drink at least eight glasses of fluid a day (or more when exercising). This can include water, herbal teas, sugar-free squash, and tea and coffee with a splash of semi-skimmed milk. 3 Our plan aims for a daily walking target of 7,000-10,000 steps (about 3.5-5 miles, walk less if you’re not a regular exerciser). But this includes all steps – such as pottering around the house, as well as proper walks. 4 Aim to walk fast enough so your breathing becomes heavier, but you can still talk in short sentences. Go slower if you’re struggling. 5 Repeat the plan for up to three…

With three gorgeous children, billions (literally) in the bank, a philanthropic foundation to help others and a portfolio of properties, cars and art… you’d think it would be a recipe for a happy union. But, after 27 years, Bill and Melinda Gates have filed for divorce, saying ‘this marriage is irretrievably broken’. Couples divorcing is always sad news, but not that unusual. But in this case, the family finances are mind-blowing. Bill is listed as the fourth richest man in the world… and there was no pre-nup! The couple have vowed to keep up the important work of their foundation, but they ‘no longer believe we can grow together as a couple’. They met in 1987 when Melinda joined Microsoft as a product manager, and during a business dinner in…

FALLOUT WITH MY TWIN I haven’t spoken to my twin sister since she attended that anti-lockdown protest in central London recently – we had a huge row about it. She had the cheek to post a snap of her and her mates in the midst of the crowd, packed like sardines and not a mask between them. We’ve always been close, but I really worry this ridiculous stance of hers about the pandemic could drive a wedge between us and ruin our relationship long-term. I work in the NHS and I just can’t reconcile myself to how reckless and selfless she’s being. How do we call a truce?! Trish, London I’d give her some personal space right now. You have seen the very worst of the pandemic. Having witnessed suffering,…

There’s a direct link between mental health and our personal finances. Fifty per cent of mental health issues come from owing money and being in debt*. During Mental Health Awareness Week (10-16 May), Rob Gardner, Director of Investment at SJP Wealth Management, shares ways to mind your mental wealth for a financially resilient future… 1 KICK UNHEALTHY HABITS Before embarking on a new health regime, it’s important to tackle the bad first, like eating junk food. It’s the same with finances. The most urgent is getting out of high-interest debt if you’re in it, such as store or credit cards. If you can pay more than the minimum monthly payments, make sure you know what interest you are paying and see if you can lower it by taking out a…

THE CRIME: A missing beauty queen found butchered and brutalised. A sole suspect. No evidence. So who did rape and kill Irene Garza? THE CASE: Irene Garza’s life was one of quiet success and promise. She was born in 1934 to Nicolas and Josefina, who owned a drycleaning business, that started small but was eventually prosperous enough for them to move to an affluent area of McAllen, a city in Texas, USA. There, Irene thrived. At the high school, made up of mostly white students, she became the first Latina twirler – or head majorette. She was crowned the 1958 Miss All South Texas Sweetheart and was the first in her family to graduate high school and go to college, where she was voted homecoming queen. She then became a…

Walking in the woods near my house one warm Autumn evening, I noticed a woman sitting on my favourite bench, staring at the small lake I often walk around. The dappled light made leopard-pattern shapes on her brown jacket as if to camouflage her, and she was sitting very still, making the scene resemble a photograph. The woman hadn’t seen me, but there was something about her that drew my eyes to hers. I felt a rush of adrenaline which almost buckled my knees. She had my face. I’d seen too many horror films as a child not to be scared, but there was also a horrible curiosity nestling beside my fear. Who was she and why was she sitting so calmly on my bench in the evening sunlight? So,…

Use the anagrams, straight, cryptic, quiz and picture clues to solve the crossword. When completed correctly, the pink squares, reading top to bottom, left to right, will reveal the answer to the following question: WIN 1 X £200, 2 X £100 OR 3 X £50 PRIZES PICTURE A is still married to his high school sweetheart who he wed in 1989 – what’s her name? (8) This is your prize answer. Enter by using the numbers at the top of the grid or at hearstmagazines.co.uk/bestcross2021 ACROSS 3 Bride’s partner (5) 6 Avoid, evade (5) 7 The Emerald ___, Ireland (4) 8 In the neighbourhood, near to where you live (5) 10 Can you find the surplus ARTEX? (5) 11 There’s no such thing as a free ___, saying (5) 12…

Presenter Stacey Solomon has been gushing about tying the knot soon with her fiancé, ex-EastEnders star Joe Swash – and when she walks down the aisle, it’ll be a stunning wooded archway in the grounds of the couple’s lavish new home. Joe – who is dad to their adorable little boy, Rex, one, and stepdad to Stacey’s sons from a previous relationship, Zachary, 13, and Leighton, nine –proposed on Christmas Eve, and Stacey’s been sharing her plans on social media ever since. The 31-year-old recently confirmed that she would now become husband and wife in the garden of their picture-postcard new home, Pickle Cottage, this Summer. The former X Factor star has been sharing regular renovation updates to the idyllic £1.2m Essex property, which has its own swimming pool, on…

1 MAXIMISE MOISTURE To make your body cream work harder, apply it after your bath or shower on warm, damp skin, to help lock in moisture. Warm and emulsify the cream in your hands first so you don’t use too much. Apply with both hands using long, upward sweeping strokes to your arms, legs and body – and don’t forget your décolleté. best loves Palmer’s Hemp Oil Calming Relief Body Lotion, £8.49. Fake it yourself! The secret to smooth skin If your leg shaving has slowly crept to the top of your beauty ‘to-do’ list, then read on before you grab your razor. While shaving foams are perfectly good, there are many other alternatives that help support your razor in hair removal. One product you’ll probably already have in your…

Do you have a story you’d like to share with our amazing army of best readers? We’re looking for real-life stories from women just like you and your friends – and will pay up to £200 for all those that make it into these pages. Stories can be funny, sad, emotional, inspirational – just like some of the examples on this page. The only rule: they must be true. Have you been on a diet that changed your life? Have you battled against tough times and come out fighting? Have you found love or happiness against the odds? If you – or a friend – have a story to share, whatever the subject, do drop us a line, with your contact details, a photo and a brief outline of your…

I’M IN AGONY WITH AN EAR BONE INFECTION Dr Hilary, I am in agony with what I thought for days was a cyst behind my ear which might resolve itself. But after a visit to my GP he confirmed a bad infection in the bone behind the ear, called mastoiditis? I’m on antibiotics and taking painkillers but I can barely sleep at night. Is there anything else I can do to ease the pain? Corrina, Newcastle DR HILARY SAYS: The mastoid bone is the hard, prominent bone behind the ear. It contains honeycomb-like airspaces within it which, when infected, can produce redness, tenderness and pain. There may also be discharge from the ear, as well as fever, headache and reduced hearing. It often follows a middle ear infection. Antibiotics are…

Established in 1759, Lotus is recognised as the oldest British footwear brand. Their SS21 collection contains a huge range of footwear for a comfy, stylish Summer, from trainers and loafers to wedges and sandals. Their styles promise brilliant quality and fit, with extra support for added comfort all day long. To shop the collection, visit lotusshoes.co.uk. One lucky reader can win 12 pairs of shoes to add to their wardrobe. To enter, see below. HOW TO ENTER ONLINE: Save money by entering online at hearstmagazines.co.uk/best2021 by 28 May 2021. PHONE: Call 0901 027 2731 by midnight on 28 May 2021. Calls cost 30p per minute, plus your telephone company’s network access charge, and will last no longer than two minutes. Charges for mobiles may be higher. Phone line closes at…

It’s been an eventful few years, onscreen and off, for Coronation Street actress Sally Carman. Since joining in 2017, Sally has fallen in love and become engaged to co-star Joe Duttine (cab boss Tim Metcalfe), while there’s been plenty of on-screen drama after her arrival on the cobbles as former drug addict Abi Franklin. None more so than last week, when shocked viewers witnessed the tragic killing of Abi’s son, Seb, the day before she was due to marry. Sally, 40, who lives in Manchester, talks to us about weddings, learning the tango and why she finds it easy to cry. You were due to get married on-screen and off this year – what a strange coincidence! I know! I thought it was quite nice. When you speak to people who…