Table of contents for 07-2024 in Best

Let’s be honest, as Katie Piper said on Loose Women recently (see page 10), most of us have a family member – usually elderly – we just wish would shut up and stop making inappropriate comments or sharing private information. I’m sure both Princes love their ‘Papa’ but if I was William, would I believe Harry could be trusted with knowledge of my father’s, or even Kate’s, health issues? Would I decide that being with my sick father was the right place to air my feelings on the barrage of insults and private information Harry has given to the press about the family? Probably not. I would have avoided him, too. We will soon know if Harry can be trusted to keep the details of the King’s cancer to himself…

Ever since they appeared on tell-all Netflix documentary Beckham, Victoria and David Beckham seem to have won over even their harshest critics, and have had a major resurgence. The four-part ratings hit – which became one of the most watched shows on both sides of the pond – lifted the lid on David’s life away from the cameras, including his 24-year-marriage to the Spice-Girl-turned-fashion-designer. And it was Victoria, 49, and 48-year-old David’s easy banter and playful dynamic that stole the show, as the pair proved that they’re up for taking the mick out of themselves – and, even better, each other. One memorable moment even went viral on social media, as former footballer David poked fun at his wife’s claims that she came from a ‘very working class’ background. David…

She captured our hearts on The X Factor with a sweet voice and disarming charm, but since then Stacey Solomon has become a real ‘Jill of all trades’. The 34-year-old mum has branched out from singing for Simon Cowell and gone on to carve out a career as a presenter. First, she joined the Loose Women panel, then – thanks to her love of interiors and DIY – she landed her own BBC home series, Sort Your Life Out. Now, she’s taken her love of interiors one step further, being named as Dulux paint’s brand ambassador. It’s a natural fit for the home-mad mum, who admits she is happiest at her ‘Pickle Cottage’ with hubby Joe, his son Harry, 16, her sons, Zach, 15, and Leighton, 11, from previous relationships,…

You know how it is in the early days of a relationship. You have all the time in the world for each other. You ignore your oldest friends, neglect your work and abandon your favourite TV show, all in the name of love. You clear your schedule to make time for this new and exciting person and if that person does the same for you… well, that’s how you know… That’s how it was for me and the man we will henceforth call Husband, because yes, this story opens with the blush pink dress, the gauzy veil, and a bright yellow VW Beetle with Just Married painted on the back. We had a fairytale beginning to our marriage, a golden-hued September wedding in West Cork, and one-way tickets in our…

TOP TIP! As waterproof mascaras can be stubborn when removing, prevent any lash damage by using a mascara primer first. The keratin in the primer will ensure lashes remain conditioned and strong.…

Cherry & Almond Loaf Cake Hands-on time: 15 mins Bake time: 50 mins Total: 1 hr 5 mins Makes: 8 • 180g (6½oz) butter, at room temperature• 180g (6½oz/¾ cup) caster (superfine) sugar• 3 medium eggs• 2 tsp almond extract• 155g (5½oz/generous 1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour• 1 tsp baking powder• 5 tbsp ground almonds• 3 tbsp milk• 250g (9oz) pitted fresh or frozen cherries GLAZE 125g (4½oz/generous 1 cup) icing (powdered) sugar TO SERVE 3 tbsp flaked (slivered) almonds Anything that spins off a Bakewell Tart has got to be good, right? This loaf cake brings together a terrific flavour combination of almonds and cherries and is a much easier way to recreate those beloved Bakewell flavours. The result is something perfect for afternoon tea, to cut slices off…

When Dave and Shirley took over as the new tenants at the Nags Head, everyone voted them the perfect couple: Good looking, jovial and hospitable, they really were the ideal Landlord and Landlady. That was five years ago, and they were still there, enjoying the same success. Shirley hadn’t changed at all, keeping herself in trim by exercising regularly and watching what she ate. She had her hair cut and dyed regularly and even had gel nails done every fortnight in garish colours. But looking now at Dave, she could not believe what the last five years had done to him. His stomach hung like layers of molten lava running from an active volcano. His shirt collar was held together by his tie, the thickness of his neck preventing his…

He’s made a name for himself as a larger-than-life comedian, from sold-out stand-up shows to his popular Saturday night BBC hit, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show. And now the TV funny man has revealed his wife Kitty prefers it when he’s a little on the larger side, too. Michael McIntyre, 47, recently explained that five years ago he flew out to a super-posh weight-loss clinic in Austria in a bid to become more ‘chiselled’, fed up with being described as ‘chubby’. Staying at the £4,000-a-week clinic – which he quipped was a ‘week of pain’ – included him taking part in tests to say what foods he should be eating, which led to an impressive shedding of two stone. Michael, who revealed the experts told him he shouldn’t eat apples, said,…

NERVOUS ABOUT MY MAMMOGRAM I recently turned 50 and was invited to have my first mammogram. I know I need to go but am worried about what it entails – or worse, what they might find. How can I put my mind at rest before I go? Elaine, Middlesex DR HILARY SAYS: Mammograms are a very useful addition to regular self-examination to look for any abnormalities in the breast tissue, including breast lumps. They are designed to help protect women from a late diagnosis of breast cancer, which goes hand-in-hand with late treatment and less than optimal outcomes. Mammograms can identify abnormal areas in the breast tissue even when you can’t feel them yourself. It’s important to remember the vast majority of screening tests results are normal, which in itself…

AQUARIUS 21 January – 19 February This week is the last for a year during which the Sun will be in your sign, so make it count by expressing yourself. This is more than communicating, or throwing shapes on the dancefloor. Have a good, hard think about how much of your life involves pleasing others. Now is the beginning of the rest of your life – so live it! PISCES 20 February – 20 March Have you got used to living with low-level anxiety and self-criticism? There has to be a better way. You have a chance now to look into your subconscious, to root out old conditioning and reach a better understanding of yourself. You might even consider therapy. Self -knowledge leads to power, and positive change. ARIES 21…

WIN 1 X £200, 2 X £100 OR 3 X £50 PRIZES The answer will appear in the shaded boxes and this is your prize answer. Enter by using the number at the top of the grid or at hearstmagazines.co.uk/bestcross0724 ACROSS 4 7 8 9 10 11 12 15 17 20 21 22 23 24 DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 13 14 15 16 18 19 In which James Bond film did Pierce Brosnan make his debut as 007? The answer will appear in the shaded squares. Phone and online entries open 13 February 2024 until midnight on 1 March 2024. Over 18s only. †Calls cost 65p per min plus your telephone company’s network access charge, and should last no longer than 2 mins. Service provided by Spoke…

TOP TIP! This delightful pink neutral works well with accessories in different tones and shades of pretty pink.…

1 CHAMOMILE In cleansing, chamomile is flexing its reputation for healing wounds and reducing inflammation. ‘There are lab studies that suggest chamomile could have anti-inflammatory effects,’ says Dr Melanie-Jayne Howes, who specialises in phytochemistry at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. We love it in The Body Shop Camomile Jelly One-Step Cleanser, £12, featuring a lightweight but nourishing texture that melts onto skin, and is hardworking enough to remove make-up, too. 2 MINT Mood and memory, it seems, are benefited by a little mint, according to Dr Howes. And Dr Thivi Maruthappu, consultant dermatologist and nutritionist, agrees: ‘It’s very much a refreshing and calming herb.’ Using peppermint essential oil in a diffuser is a sure-fire way to let the scent linger, but for a quick-morning fix, keep a bottle of Original…

GETTING STARTED 1 Ciao bella, if you love pasta then this is the perfect plan for you. Aside from polishing off plates of penne and savouring spaghetti, our Italian friends are known for following a Mediterranean diet consisting mainly of foods such as fish, beans, wholegrains, fruit, vegetables and olive oil. 2 Researchers have also linked a Med diet with living longer and having a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and dementia. So we’ve come up with a diet inspired by Italy that could help with longevity as well as weight loss. HOW IT WORKS ● Choose one breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks daily from the menu opposite.● Aim to drink at least two litres of fluids including water (plus coffee, if preferred) each day.●…

‘Think sensibly about how love can grow’ Dame Emma Thompson on Greg Wise Married: 20 years When actor Greg Wise starred in the 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, his ‘witchy’ friend told him he would meet ‘his future partner’. But after his co-star Emma Thompson’s marriage to Kenneth Branagh ended that same year, Kate Winslet turned Cupid. ‘Kate pointed out we were right for each other,’ Greg, 57, recalled. ‘It was all meant to be, just as my friend predicted.’ Emma, 64, and Greg went on to have daughter – Gaia, 23 – and wed in 2003. They’ve since adopted a son, Tindyebwa Agaba Wise, 36, a Rwandan orphan. Asked why she thinks this marriage works, Emma said, ‘It’s philosophically helpful to remember that romantic love is…

TWO’S COMPANY There are two types of hippo – the common hippo, and the pygmy, which is a smaller version and is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List. Both are native to Africa, usually found by rivers and lakes. Baby hippos are known as calves, and mothers are notoriously protective of them… OPEN WIDE! The game Hungry Hippos never felt so apt – these creatures have a typical mouth size of one metre, one of the biggest for a land animal. Their tusk-like front teeth, at up to 50cm long, are designed to attack and, unsurprisingly, make it hard for them to chew food. But why chew when you can crush? Their mouth strength is said to rival a crocodile’s! SIZE MATTERS…

Endlessly I scanned through the monotonous sea of online dating profiles, my soul sinking further and further with every swipe left. Was it really this difficult to find a decent, loving man these days? One who treated me like a normal human and knew how to hold an intelligent conversation? The current profile displayed – one belonging to yet another overly groomed but unsmiling 20-something – answered my question for me. Groaning, I tossed my phone aside and put my head into my hands. Crushingly, this was the world of dating now. Gone were the days of meeting someone in a coffee shop or bookstore, catching their eye from across the room. The vapidity of it all incensed me, and it did all sorts of horrible things to my self-esteem…

Claudia Winkleman may be the lady of the manor of this Highlands abode, but it doesn’t mean we can’t copy her (or the producers) expensive taste for less! ENTER IF YOU DARE Is this not the most beautiful castle? We’ll just leave this here... SET THE BAR If you’re lucky enough to have a home bar, the leopard ornaments are a great touch! Have a look at George ASDA’s Bronze Leopard Shaped Table Lamp for £35 to get the look. READING CORNER Let's face it, most of us won't have a library as extravagent as this, but it doesn't mean we can't give our reading areas a little vintage touch! If you need a Chesterfield armchair in your life, check out Wayfair.co.uk. COSY VIBES There’s nothing more cosy than sitting…

She’s know for making us giggle and now Loose Women panellist Sunetra Sarker – famous for her roles in Casualty, Brookside, No Angels and, more recently, Ackley Bridge – is going back to her comedy roots with a brand new show. The 50-year-old mum, who is married to second husband Scott Carey (he runs their company selling anti-bacterial products), is part of the cast of ITV’s latest comedy G’wed, streaming on ITVX. Set in a school, it follows the lives of working class Liverpool teenagers, including tearaway pupil Reece, who is handed one more chance from the Head when he’s asked to take southerner Christopher under his wing. Here, the star – who is mum to Noah, 23, from her marriage to ex-husband Nick Corfield – chats about the show, loving…

B reathtaking is written by Line of Duty’s Jed Mercurio, writer and actor Prasanna Puwanarajah and Rachel Clarke – who are all medical doctors. A harrowing drama set during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, inspired by Doctor Rachel Clarke’s memoir – it is hard-hitting and emotionally challenging. Joanne Froggatt, 43, explains why she felt compelled to take part. Why did you want to be involved in Breathtaking? The scripts just blew me away. I actually cried just reading them. I’ve played roles that have tackled sensitive subject matters before, but this is a lived experience for the entire world. Tell us about your character, Dr Abbey Henderson? She is an NHS consultant in acute medicine. Abbey is very caring with a husband and two children at home. And she…

TRAVEL SNAPSHOT Oz (its official name’s Oz-en-Oisans) lies in the shadow of Alpes d’Huez Grand Domaine, part of France’s south-eastern Isère region. Built around 50 years ago, it’s a petite resort an hour’s transfer by road from Grenoble (or two from Lyon). If you’re a sucker for traditional Alpine architecture, you’ll find Oz charming, with its scattering of sloped-roof buildings, cute ESF ski school and handful of shops and restaurants. This isn’t the place for dancing on the tables aprés ski, but it’s a dream for families and beginners, with a starter slope just a one-minute stroll from the resort centre. INSIDER’S GUIDE There’s plenty to do besides skiing. Snowga (yoga in the snow!) takes place at 10am every Tuesday during the Winter season – think downward dog in full…

A requirement of being part of the Loose Women panel is to be outspoken on countless subjects, from politics to your personal life. And Nadia Sawalha – one of the ITV lunchtime show’s longest standing panellists – has certainly risen to the challenge. Nadia, 59, recently proved this again when she lifted the lid on a tough period in her marriage to husband of 21 years, Mark Adderley – including how they’d gone to marriage counselling over the fear that they’d become too codependent. As the panel discussed whether time apart is the key to a happy relationship, Nadia confessed that she and Mark love being joined at the hip – but that they were worried when they first picked up on it. ‘We’re both codependent, we love it, we’ve…

TOP TIP Looking for something to dress up and down? Then this print dress ticks all the boxes. The waist detail makes it incredibly flattering too.…

‘Loose Women in chaos! read the headlines after news broke of two panellists apparently “going on strike”. It makes me sad. The story this time is Jane Moore and Janet Street-Porter are both in dispute with ITV over contracts and it’s apparently the same issue that I had with them last year. The problem is partly down to HMRC, who appear to be hell-bent on obliterating the self-employed so they change the rules constantly and put the frighteners on companies so they force freelancers onto the payroll. Which would be fine, in fact I was ready to go along with it until I realised that although I’d pay the same tax and NI as the employed, I wouldn’t get the benefits – sick pay, holiday pay, pension contributions, etc. Not…

HI-TECH TREATMENTS EXOSOME THERAPY What are exosomes and what do they do? Well, simply put, they enhance the communication between your cells which, in turn, releases growth factors. These stimulate hair follicles to accelerate hair growth. Combining exosomes with micro needling and applied to the scalp, they switch on cell rejuvenation to trigger repair and renewal, tackling hair loss, while boosting healthy hair growth and density. Depending on hair health, a course of up to five treatments may be needed, 1-2 weeks apart. From £580 per treatment. PRP (PLATELET-RICH PLASMA THERAPY) Blood is taken from the arm and then spun in a centrifuge that separates the platelets from the red blood cells. The platelets are then injected into the scalp, which releases growth factors stimulating hair follicles to regenerate. This…

Holding baby Aisha in my arms, I was utterly overwhelmed with love. ‘All of my dreams have come true,’ I thought, as I kissed her beautiful face. I knew there were more candles on my birthday cake than most newborn mums, that I was battling the hot flashes of menopause and had given up the fight with my grey hair. But I’d overcome decades of infertility and the judgement of friends and strangers. At 51, my family was complete. I’d always wanted to be a mum. My vision of adult life always included a baby. So, at 28, I was devastated to discover I had premature ovarian failure. ‘What does my future hold now?’ I thought, sobbing into my then-partner’s arms. I tried to hide my devastation from friends, who…

Carol was upset and angry, of that there was no doubt. She had spent all day having to listen to her work colleagues discuss their Valentine’s plans, smiling through her annoyance that Richard seemed to have forgotten what day it was. Not only that, but he had texted her to say he would be late home. When they first met, he was quite romantic, but 10 years of marriage and two children later, she just felt taken for granted. She sometimes wondered whether she should have stayed with the charming Mark, who had made her feel so special. As she was leaving work, her handsome boss, Tony, had flirted with her, suggesting that they should meet for a drink that evening. When she reminded him that they were both married,…

1 SHOP AROUND If you’ve held an account with the same bank for a while, it’s worth considering whether the features of other accounts would suit your current needs better. To check out current accounts, price comparison sites such as money.co.uk, MoneySuperMarket or the bank account comparison tool on the Government’s MoneyHelper website can help weigh up the options. 2 CONSIDER A HIGH-INTEREST ACCOUNT If your current account is always significantly in credit, an account that pays you a higher-than-normal rate of interest on the balance might appeal. It’s worth bearing in mind, however, that if the rate of interest your money is earning doesn’t come close to the rate of inflation, your money will be losing value in real terms over time, so this type of account is no…

SHE’S DRINKING TOO MUCH… Hi Vanessa, I’m getting really worried about my daughter. She’s recently separated from her son’s dad and has been hitting the booze big time. She won’t listen to me when I tell her to stop – she just thinks I’m being an ‘annoying mum’. But it’s getting really quite serious. She couldn’t pick her boy up from school last week as she’d fallen asleep on the sofa and the school had rung her ex instead to get him. I’ve even had my grandson stay with me some weekends, just so I know he’s being properly looked after while she sorts herself out and tries to get through her heartache. She’s not an alcoholic, but I am worried she could eventually be. Kat, Manchester Your daughter is…