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Welcome to our first Christmas issue. We’re here to help you get ready – and survive – the festive season. As wives, mums, aunts, daughters and friends, we often spend most of the next few months making sure we have everything just so for everyone else. So every week from now, I’m going to share with you treats, gifts, films, ideas, etc, that we can ask for or sit down and watch, to make our own Christmases just that bit more special. Let’s start with gifts we can ask for that won’t break the bank… ● Carmex Lip Balm Minis, 3 for just £5.99. In various flavours, I use these all year round and love them, so can never get enough! ● A high-neck Zara sweater, £29.99. ● My Way…

Former ‘It’ couple Alice Evans and Ioan Gruffudd ended things after 13 years of marriage, earlier this year – but, so far at least, their separation has been the opposite of amicable. Since parting, Alice, 53, has been very forthright on social media about what exactly went wrong – maintaining 48-year-old Welsh actor Ioan totally ‘f****d her over’. Just recently, the father of her two daughters went public with new girlfriend Bianca Wallace who, at 29, is almost 20 years his junior. Alice, for her part, has slammed the actor, saying he unblocked her on Instagram mere minutes before posting a picture with his new partner – raging that he had abandoned his family for a ‘babe half his age’, leaving her to ‘pick up the pieces’ of her life.…

‘It’s already that time of the year, when the headless chickens are in their element, busy stockpiling enough food to feed 3,000 people for a year, spending fortunes they don’t have on presents that demand a fallen rainforest to wrap and that nobody wants. I call it the nightmare before Christmas. I’ve never really been a fan because I don’t like to get involved in all that competitive Christmas over-shopping, over-eating nonsense but it’s never bothered me too much because I just used to run away from it all by booking a long holiday where it didn’t really happen. It breaks my heart that I can’t do that any more because travel has become too difficult and too many restrictions make it unenjoyable. So, for the second year running I’ll…

Throwing on my festive elf outfit, complete with hat, tights and belt, I certainly looked ready to celebrate Yuletide. It was December 2019, and I was heading to my work Christmas do. ‘You look great,’ my husband Paul grinned. I spent the day chatting to my colleagues, singing, dancing, eating and enjoying a little tipple. Everyone over-indulged at Christmas and I certainly wasn’t one to hold back. Only it wasn’t just during the festive season that I seemed to eat to excess… A few days later was 25 December and I was at my Glasgow home with Paul and my boys, Keir, now 20, and Ewan, 16. ‘Merry Christmas!’ I said, and before I knew it, I’d opened up a box of M&S chocolate-covered biscuits. My gran had bought a…

HOW IT WORKS ● ‘Mince pies, sausage rolls, Baileys, Christmas pud, roast potatoes… delicious but laden with calories, so it’s no surprise we all gain a few pounds over the festive holiday,’ says Dr Moseley. ‘Take stock before the madness starts. Think about how to make smarter choices so you won’t end up pounds heavier.’ ● Turkey, the hero of Christmas, is a lean protein rich in zinc, vitamin B and stress-reducing tryptophan, but skip the starchy stuffing that can cause sugar spikes and pass on the fatty pigs in blankets. ● Festive veg like red cabbage and naturally sweet parsnips will fill you up without being too calorific. Get creative by roasting cauliflower and crunchy celeriac and swap spuds for sweet potatoes, super tasty but far less starchy. ●…

Mincemeat & Marzipan Couronne Does anything say Winter baking more than mincemeat and marzipan? Here, the two of them escape the festive pies and cake and are reinvented together in a showstopping couronne that sits somewhere between a babka and a stollen. Serves 12 Hands-on time: 45 minutes, plus rising Baking time: 40 minutes 450g strong white bread flour75g light brown soft sugar or light muscovado sugar10g fast-action dried yeast1 tsp ground mixed spice½ tsp salt125ml whole milk125g unsalted butter, softened2 large eggs, beaten, plus extra for glazing1 tsp vanilla paste FOR THE FILLING 50g marzipan, crumbled450g mincemeat50g flaked almonds, toasted40g nibbed pistachios, roughly chopped1 tbsp pearl sugar TO DECORATE 100g icing sugar, siftedJuice of ½ lemon or ¼ orange50g glacé cherries, quartered50g nibbed pistachios1 tbsp edible silver balls YOU…

PERFECT PAIR? How incredible were Rose and Giovanni the other week with that tango, giving them the first perfect score of the series?! Their samba last Saturday was a challenge for Rose but, for me, these two are still final material. Giovanni crying, too – you know how passionate these Italians are, darlings! I should know – I speak to Bruno on the phone every week! He’s enjoying Dancing with the Stars, but he’s missing Strictly terribly. CHEEKY CHARLESTON Well darlings, after AJ and Kai’s incredible Charleston, I’m thinking AJ must have been a flapper in a past life – she reminded me of that famous American dancer, Josephine Baker, who took Paris by storm in the Twenties. AJ is on the crest of a wave now, there is no…

Looking for the perfect Winter outfits? Get ready for cosy evenings and crisp walks by taking advantage of the exclusive best reader discount, 20 per cent off when you spend £25 or more online or in-store with Bonmarché! Shop the brand-new Andrea Loves edit, a curated collection from TV presenter Andrea McLean. With a selection of styles to suit all shapes and sizes, you are guaranteed to find something you will love! One lucky reader will also be in with the chance of winning a £250 gift voucher to spend at Bonmarché, just in time for revamping your wardrobe this Winter. To enter, see right. This voucher entitles you to 20% off when you spend £25 or more in-store or online. ONLINE: Enter code 20BEST at the checkout at bonmarche.co.uk…

GO SLOW? EAMONN: When I was writing my autobiography, I originally thought of calling it Man In A Hurry, because that’s me – I never have time to do slow things. I’m bad, for instance, at reading books… I want to get to the end quickly. Now I hear there is a whole lifestyle called ‘slow living’. Most of us buy into two camps, being busy because busy usually means successful, or happy with not being busy, which sometimes can draw disdain. So if you want to slow down, it seems there now is a legitimate argument against the philosophy of busyness. I know busyness fills my calendar and leaves me with few options to do spur-of-the-moment things. It’s got me thinking about people who have no alternative but to live…

Nick Knowles has been a mainstay of British TV for almost 40 years (37, to be precise!). In that time, he’s been behind the renovation of hundreds of houses on the emotional show DIY SOS , as well as presenting BBC One’s Who Dares Wins , and a 2018 stint in the I’m A Celeb … jungle. His new six-part show, Heritage Rescue , coming soon to Quest, sees Londonborn Nick, 59, take on some very different rescue projects, at stately homes and castles in need of repair. Here, the father-of-four (his youngest child is seven-year-old Eddie, with ex-wife Jessica Rose Moor) talks about his show, getting teary on TV, and why his little boy reminds him of the ‘magic’ of Christmas… Nick, tell us all about Heritage Rescue… Well, we’re lucky to have some of the most extraordinarily…

CHRISTMAS CANOE PADDLE Beaulieu, New Forest, 11, 12 & 18-23 Dec Instead of a bumpy sleigh ride, how about a Christmas Canoe Paddle to meet Santa instead? All children on New Forest Activities’ 90-minute trip on the pretty river Beaulieu will receive a gift from Santa, and there’ll be hot chocolate on hand to warm you up. £34 adults, £25 children (ages 18 months to 16), newforestactivities.co.uk; thenewforest.co.uk for accommodation. TAKE THE TRAIN Perrygrove Railway, Forest of Dean 4, 5, 11, 12, 21 & 22 Dec The railway near Coleford, Gloucestershire, is offering 90-minute VIP packages for up to eight people for £310 in a private carriage, which includes 25 minutes to chat with Santa, gifts and a cream tea, email info@perrygrove.co.uk. For other trips, visit perrygrove.co.uk; visitdeanwye.co.uk for accommodation.…

As bright lights twinkled outside, jolly songs played on the radio and others were feeling full of festive cheer, I was having a tough time. It was the end of 2016 and I hadn’t been happy in my marriage for a long time. From the outside, our life looked great, but we hadn’t slept in the same bed for years. We couldn’t go on as we were, and I finally knew I had to leave. So, on 19 December, Mum picked me up and took me to her Yorkshire home. I left my whole life behind. She’d booked flights to France for Christmas and I insisted she didn’t cancel, but I didn’t realise how alone and lonely I’d feel. I’d no friends in Yorkshire and no belongings, so I couldn’t…

Seeing the Christmas tree decorated in twinkling lights, beautiful baubles hanging from the branches, an angel on the top and piles of presents underneath brought a tear to my eye. It was my daughter Rebecca to a tee – beautiful and shining so brightly. Only this Christmas tree wasn’t where it should be, in Rebecca’s first home, which she’d been so excited to buy with her partner, Jordan Hayes. Instead, it was in the grounds of our local hospice, opposite the room where Rebecca lost her fight with cancer in October 2020, aged just 26. But this special Christmas tree is where all Rebecca’s loved ones come to celebrate my courageous, beautiful girl. It’s where we share stories about her, where we leave her gifts and where we make sure…

BEST FRIEND TOLD ME SHE’S IN LOVE WITH ME! Vanessa, I’m in such a sticky situation. My best friend of more than 20 years has told me she thinks she’s in love with me – and I didn’t even know she was into women! She’s been bisexual for some time now, but it seems I was the last to know. She says she didn’t want to tell me initially because she was worried it would impact our relationship, but now she feels she can’t hide it any longer. I love her to bits – as a friend – but, of course, this changes things. I don’t want to hurt her, but I am far from ‘in love’ with her. What would you do? Suzy, Brighton Yikes! What a shock! However,…

Turn over for stories of extraordinary heroes……

Freya hadn’t felt it when they viewed the property, but as she stepped across the threshold there was definitely something. A bad something, that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She placed a protective hand on her baby bump; the baby wriggled and flipped, a worried little fish. She turned to her husband, Simon. ‘Do you sense that? It’s like someone just walked over my grave.’ Simon wasn’t listening. He was hefting boxes from the truck to the house, unable to just let the removals men get on with it. ‘Sense what, darling?’ ‘Nothing,’ she said, realising it wouldn’t be a good time to mention it. This was supposed to be a new beginning for them, after all, a clean slate. She didn’t want to…

MISSING MY MOTHER AT HER’S I was staying at my mother’s flat recently. For those who don’t know, my 92-year-old mum has been in a nursing home since last year, suffering with dementia. As yet, we have not had to sell her property and the family use it when we visit, my sister leaving a trail of pink Post-It notes all over the place, reminding us to turn things off and use our mobiles rather than the landline! It’s a strange experience being in June’s flat without June, so much of her is present in this little two-bedroomed apartment. The wardrobes still contain all her best clothes and posh coats, the chest of drawers is full of fancy jumpers that cannot be machine-washed in the nursing home and I ended up…

Winter is coming, but fear not – our favourite jungle reality series is almost here, to keep us entertained as those dark nights roll in. Just which game celebrities will be rolling up their sleeves, though, and preparing to get up close and personal with their fellow campmates, hosts Ant and Dec and a load of creepy critters?! Well, the rumour mill says stars from shows such as Corrie and Bake Off could be joining the line-up for the ITV show, which will yet again take place in Gwrych Castle near Abergele, North Wales, rather than Australia, due to the Covid pandemic. Among them is Corrie’s Lucy Fallon, whose character Bethany Platt left the cobbles last March for a new life in London. The 25-year-old, who has already appeared in…

YOU WANT: PLUMPER LIPS TWEAKMENT: CINDERELLA LIPS Like other areas of the face, lips lose volume as we get older, thanks to the breakdown of collagen and elastin over time. The Cinderella lip treatment gives temporary plumpness. A dental block is given and then saline – water containing salt – is injected into the lip line, giving lips a natural fullness lasting up to four days. It will also give you the chance to see if plumper lips are for you. From £100. YOU WANT: TO ZAP THOSE CHRISTMAS ZITS TWEAKMENT: THE CORTISONE SHOT To help clear up unsightly blemishes before a big event, a cosmetic doctor can inject spots with a solution containing cortisone to help reduce inflammation and redness at the source of the problem. Bear in mind,…

Famous for her blonde good looks and those razor-sharp cheekbones, Samantha Womack (then Janus) first found fame in sitcom Babes in the Wood. She then went on to spend eight years in Albert Square as Ronnie Mitchell, who met a watery end in a swimming pool, alongside on-screen sister Roxy (Rita Simons). Sam, 48, has two children with her actor ex-husband Mark Womack and is now dating Oliver Farnworth, who she met in 2019 when they starred in a production of The Girl on the Train. Now a respected theatre actress, her latest role is The White Witch in CS Lewis’ timeless classic, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. ‘I can’t wait to seduce, plot and terrify Narnia into a permanent Winter,’ she says. We caught up with her…

TOP TIP! Group LED candles together to create a simply stunning display…

DOES THE FLU JAB PROTECT AGAINST THE COMMON COLD? Every year, I always seem to come down with terrible colds and, without fail, they result in me being laid up – usually with a painful sore throat. This year, I have had a flu jab through my company, and I was wondering – might this protect me from the common cold as well? Marcia, Chichester DR HILARY SAYS: However healthy your lifestyle, most people can expect to experience three or four common colds each year. They are more common in the Winter months because, when it’s cold, people tend to flock together indoors where viruses are more easily transmitted. This Winter is likely to be worse than usual because our immunity will have waned and made us more susceptible to…

A brand new series of John & Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen is coming to ITV this Winter, packed with tempting recipes and chef’s tips for one of the most exciting seasons of the year when it comes to food. The top culinary couple, MasterChef ’s John Torode, 56, and ex- EastEnders star Lisa Faulkner, 49, who have been together for seven years (and married for two), are back with their expertise and flair for creating delicious, original and easy-to-cook dishes. It’s difficult not to be inspired by their mouth-watering and imaginative recipes, especially when they make cooking look so easy! The pair – who share five children between them – talk Christmas plans, disagreements, and what the New Year may bring… How does it feel to be working together again for Weekend Kitchen? L: I love working with John,…

SCORPIO 24 October – 22 November Titanic star Leonardo DiCaprio, The Notebook heartthrob Ryan Gosling and other Scorpios should say yes to any opportunity, suggestion, or proposal they’ve never tried before. There’s never been a better time to venture into the unknown. AQUARIUS 21 January – 19 February Adding personal touches to your home and workplace will appeal to your creative side. Experiment with bold colours and unconventional art ideas. You'll find out how much family and friends appreciate you. A surprise offer or bonus will prove how highly regarded you are among workmates or how loved you are by family. TAURUS 21 April – 21 May Taking a trip is just what you need to add a little change and variety into your life. Check the internet for last-minute…