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As we added the final touches to this week’s magazine, news filtered through that half a million of you have signed a petition calling for all children in the UK to be given a meningitis vaccine on the NHS, following the death of two-year-old Faye Burdett. And no wonder. Those horrifying pictures of Faye losing her 11-day battle with meningitis B shocked the world and sparked a national debate. Although the vaccine is now available for babies, those born before May 2015 aren’t eligible. And even if you could afford the hundreds it would cost to go private, the vaccine is in low supply and waiting lists are long. Faye’s mum, Jenny, explains her courageous decision to make their terrible ordeal public, saying, ‘We campaign for change in her memory.’…

Four years ago, the name Denise Welch conjured up the image of an actress and Loose Women presenter whose life was in turmoil – drinking, flashing her breasts, having an affair and admitting on live TV that her 24-year marriage to actor Tim Healy was over. ‘I know what it’s like to live a life that looks like it’s perfect when it’s not,’ she admitted. ‘There were times when I looked like I was living a dream and I was in a deep depression.’ Today, she’s a very different person. Happily remarried, no longer drinking, Denise has used her past to write her first novel, If They Could See Me Now. It’s not autobiographical, but Denise admits she has written what she knows... ‘I know men. I know what it’s…

On a spring evening last year, young mum Jennifer Groesbeck was driving home from visiting her parents, her 18-monthold daughter, Lily, strapped in the baby seat behind her, when her car veered off the road and plunged into a freezing river. The force of the impact flipped the car onto its roof, crushing Jennifer, 25, and leaving her with catastrophic head injuries. Incredibly, Lily was virtually unscathed, but was left suspended above freezing water, which was gushing in through the windows. It wasn’t until the following morning, 14 hours after the horrific accident, that a fisherman spotted the wreckage and called the police. Officers Bryan De Witt and Tyler Beddoes arrived at the scene, a bridge known locally as Spanish Fork in Utah, and saw the submerged car, which, chillingly,…

THIS WEEK... PAIN… AND PLEASURE TALKING POINT DYING FOR JUSTICE Ruth: Making the decision to put my dad, Dennis, into a care home was the hardest thing my family ever had to do. When you finally accept that you can no longer care for your loved one, your main priority is to find a home where they’ll be safe and well looked after. You eventually have to put your trust in a care home and its staff. If people break that trust and abuse a person in their care, they deserve to be punished. Consider the case of 86-year-old dementia sufferer Ivy Atkin, who was described as ‘skeletal’ when she was found by Inspectors in a urinesoaked bed with a large, rotting sore on her back. She was taken to…

CATHERINE Z ETA-JONES DRESS A LRD (little red dress) is almost as classic as the LBD. Copy Catherine by breaking up the colour with a skinny black belt, which will help flatter an hourglass figure. COAT As we head into spring, replace your heavy winter coat with a lighter mac as a super chic way to cover up. WORDS: LARA NUGENT & MILLIE GOOCH PICTURES: PIXELEYES, VANTAGENEWS.COM 26 FASHION Catherine BAG Adding a pop of colour with accessories is an instant way to brighten up a plain outfit. SHOES Catherine’s shoes are from Prada and the perfect heel height to be both comfortable and sophisticated. DINNER DATE A lightweight trench is a great evening option. It looks smart worn over a tailored dress, but can also work with jeans and a…

Dark & white chocolate cherry brownies Makes: 12 pieces INGREDIENTS 350g dark chocolate (55-60 per cent cocoa solids) 250g unsalted butter 3 large eggs 250g dark soft brown sugar 110g plain flour 1tsp baking powder 150g fresh cherries, stoned and halved 150g white chocolate, roughly chopped 1-2tbsp cocoa powder, for dusting 1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas 3. Grease and line a 30cm x 23cm roasting tin. Put the dark chocolate and butter into a saucepan and heat until melted, stirring so that it doesn’t get too hot, then remove from the heat and cool. Crack the eggs into a kitchen mixer or a large bowl, then add the sugar and whisk until thickened and paler in colour. Beat in the cooled chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the flour, baking…

1 ALAN’S ANTIQUES DAYTIME FAVOURITE ALAN IS BACK with a new high-end antiques games show and says the value of some items will make your eyes water! ‘I’m not slating Cash in The Attic or Bargain Hunt, but some of our antiques attracted six-figure sums!’ says Alan. He famously quit his show to ‘get a quieter life’, but has he managed it? ‘I think so! I don’t work Fridays and weekends, and I try to take a week off every month. I’ll never stop working, because I can always write when I’m too crumbly for the screen!’ You’re certainly not yet, Alan! Masterpiece with Alan Titchmarsh is on ITV, weekdays at 3pm 2 TWIGGY’S BIG FASHIONABLE BIRTHDAY! AFTER HER DISCOVERY IN 1966, original supermodel and fashion icon Twiggy is celebrating…

If we were sitting at the top table at the most glamorous film event of the year, we’d feel pretty special – but not as special as if we were gifted a jaw-dropping goody bag, like that to be given to Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Director nominees. You see, we’re not talking a few fancy chocolates and some posh make-up. No, the contents of each lavish party bag, for each of this year’s nominees, are worth a staggering £130,000! Although the goody bags are not officially associated with the organisers of the Oscars (the Academy doesn’t give them out any more), this year’s unique treats – assembled by marketing firm Distinctive Assets – include a twoweek walking trip in Japan, worth £31,000; a firstclass 10-day trip to Israel;…

Age 61 JOHN TRAVOLTA He was boyishly handsome in Grease and Saturday Night Fever. But, in the past few years, the 61-year-old hasn’t just looked older, we think he looks… unnatural. Maybe the pressure from Hollywood to stay young forever got to him. In our opinion, since appearing at the 2014 Oscars – looking like a walking waxwork – he’s seemed bloated and artificial, but he’s always denied going under the knife. Regardless of whether he has done anything to his face or not, the jury’s not out on John’s acting. He’s playing a blinder in The People V OJ Simpson: American Crime Story on BBC2, as OJ’s attention-grabbing defense lawyer, Robert Shapiro. Age 69 SYLVESTER STALLONE Sylvester’s no advocate of ageing, saying last month, ‘The best thing about getting…

CARLY HOBBS has always loved make-up and, after a career on glossy magazines, booking other artists for shoots, she wanted in on the action. Training at London College of Fashion and the Cassie Lomas Make-Up Academy, she now works with top models and is a regular at London Fashion Week. She beautifies celebrities, like the Hollyoaks girls and George Lamb, and is a regular on top magazine photo shoots. Colour correction sounds complicated but, Carly says, ‘It’s super simple, a few tricks will knock out any pesky skin situations.’ Carly shares her skills on aceing complexion perfection Your aim is getting a smooth base with a polished finish. Colour corrected skin should look like your face, but a little bit fresher. It’s about picking the right shade to fix the…

THIS WEEK... Two-year-old Faye Burdett (pictured right) died on Valentine’s Day because she wasn’t given the jab that could have protected her from Meningitis B. When I saw the pictures of that little girl on Facebook – covered in tubes, wires and that horrific purple rash – then read that her unbelievably brave mum and dad had made the heartbreaking decision not to let doctors perform ‘multiple amputations’ with only a slim possibility of her survival – talk about sob… As a new gran to a little girl, it broke my heart. And it’s not an isolated incident. Ex-England rugby player Matt Dawson has a two-year-old son, Sami. Matt, 43, has just gone through ‘two weeks of hell’ watching his little lad fighting a strain of the disease at Great…

Ray Quinn Ray is best-known for wowing the crowds on season three of The X Factor – he lost out to Leona Lewis – before skating his way to the final of Dancing On Ice, which he won. But the 27-year-old started out on the Liverpudlian soap as schoolboy-turned-killer Anthony Murray. The actorturned-singer has transformed himself from child star to tattooed muscleman – and he’s almost unrecognisable! It’s been a staggering 13 years since Brookside last aired, but the show’s creator, Phil Redmond, has teased fans that the soap could return to our screens. ‘It could come back in some form,’ says Phil. He went on to say that while it might not be aired on terrestrial TV, there’s definite online potential. ‘I think doing it online would be the…

For years, midi-length hair was deemed unadventurous. Lately, though, celebs have been embracing it in all its forms. And it’s clear that having a few inches chopped off doesn’t mean you’re stuck in a one-look routine. ‘Shorter lengths can easily be dressed up or down,’ says Katie Allan, Creative Manager at Charles Worthington. ‘They’ll look chic either poker-straight, for a blunt look, or waved, with a bit of texture and movement.’ Rae Palmer, Revlon ambassador, adds, ‘It’s great for those who want to experiment with something shorter without going all the way.’ But what’s the key to a successful midi cut? ‘Make sure your hairdresser understands your lifestyle and how much time you’re prepared to spend on your routine,’ says Luke Benson, stylist at D&J Ambrose. Find your perfect variation…

It looks like Erica’s feelings for corner shop king Dev have been changing over the past few months… Well, Erica wasn’t looking for a relationship when she first arrived in Coronation Street. She’d been through quite a bad experience with her ex-husband in Spain, and then she got involved with Nick and lost a baby. At first, she only saw Dev as a friend. He’s got a kind heart and they have fun, but now everyone around her is hinting it would be a good thing for them to get together. What does she get out of their friendship? As well as a job and somewhere to live, Erica can be herself with Dev. They have a laugh, crack jokes and just enjoy each other’s company. Good friendships can be…

OUT NOW TRIPLE 9 A crew of bent cops are being blackmailed by the Russian Mafia, via mob wife Irina Vlasov (cue Kate Winslet), to carr y out a nearimpossible heist. They have to set up a fake 999 – police code for ‘officer down’. It’s a thrilling roller-coaster ride full of double-crossing, revenge and lots of violence (severed heads, that’s all we’re saying). The stellar cast also includes Woody Harrelson and Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul. RATING : Hi, Kate. Your character, Irina, is quite something. We’ve never seen you play such a ruthless woman before… I was excited to do something so different. It didn’t feel comfortable in any way, shape or form. I had to keep telling myself, ‘This is not real, Kate, it’s just a story.’ Your…

All £10 Perfect 10 (pounds) NUMBER 1 MUM BOUQUET, £10, MORRISONS Show her how much she means to you with this display of chrysanthemums, carnations, germini and lilies, all hand-picked and lovingly tied. MUM’S SPRING BOUQUET, £10, THE CO-OPERATIVE If pinks and pastel shades aren’t quite her thing, you won’t get better than this gorgeous seasonal alternative. Made up of eye-catching blue iris, tulips, hyacinth, sol d’or narcissi and other blooms, this colourful bunch is superb value. MOTHER’S DAY BOUQUET, £10, ALDI They’re not called crysanthe-mums for nothing! Choose from three pretty crysanth mixes that’ll really make her smile – and should also last brilliantly. Under £25 Simple & sophisticated WAITROSE SCENTED HYACINTH AQUA BOUQUET, £15 Want flowers that smell as good as they look? Go for gorgeous hyacinths, roses…

‘Whatever age or size I’ve been, I’ve rather liked myself ’ Touring her new show, Thirty Million Minutes, comedian Dawn French has publicly documented her difficulties acclimatising to the Aussie time zone. She told her many Twitter followers that she’d ‘turned to biscuits’ to battle jet lag. But, with her sleeping patterns seemingly back to normal, it would appear that the 58-year-old, formerly known as ‘roly-poly’ Dawn, is still indulging in comfort food while hotel-hopping. It’s not the ideal set-up for a woman who struggles to maintain her weight. Australian chat show The Project provided her with her all-time favourite snack, the humble Cornish pasty, during an interview. More recently, Dawn sat down to Australia’s version of a classic Brit dish. ‘This is apparently what you do when in Newcastle,…

Age 55 COLIN FIRTH He first became our top posh totty when he strode across the lawn in wet breeches as Mr Darcy in 1995’s Pride and Prejudice. Since then, gasp, he’s aged – yet he’s retained his striking looks and suave style. His secret? Monthly facials, we’ve heard, but he also seems happy in his own skin – be it wrinkly or otherwise! Age 63 LIAM NEESON His weathered looks are part of Liam Neeson’s charm, and it’s absolutely great to see such a huge celebrity happily look his age (he’s 63) – and still look delicious (the recent rumours – all unfounded – that everyone from Susan Sarandon to Kristen Stewart might have been his new ‘lady friend’ proved that he’s still hot property!). Age 55 HUGH GRANT…

She’s known for acting a tad grand in real life, and now ‘no one calls me Liz’ Hurley is starring as an actual queen – cunning Queen Helena, to be exact, the sexy and scandalous consort of England – in series two of E!’s hit drama The Royals. While she recently turned 50, the famous beauty (and mum to son Damian, 13) looks more than a decade younger than her years, so she’s perfect as the leading lady. Here, she talks about royalty, both on and off screen… ‘My character seduces everyone!’ Elizabeth, have there been any reactions from the Royal Family to The Royals? Very sadly, no! But do you think anyone from The Firm watches the show – in secret, of course? You know what? My feeling is…

‘You’ll never see me on the red carpet’ James, congrats on 20 years in the business! Crikey, 20 years of live TV and I still love it. I’ve learned everything I know on the job, there’s no school for TV chefs. You’ve become a heart-throb, too… I’m not a heart-throb! Paul Hollywood does all that now, I’m getting too old for it. When I get up to film Saturday Kitchen, I have a can of Red Bull, two eye-drops, stick a shirt on and I’m away. Tell us about your new book More Home Comforts, then. It’s honest cooking. I hate trends, I’ve always stuck with what I enjoy. We go to the bottom of the garden, and say, ‘What are we going to make?’ You’re not pretending to be…

NEW WORKPLACE PENSIONS Whilst the statutory State Pension is a good start, in order to guarantee a comfortable retirement income, you could join a company scheme or set up a private pension. Cash paid into a pension will not be taxed, and you can take advantage of the free money out there (like tax relief and employer contributions). You can start small, then increase your pension payments as you grow older. The Government is currently launching Workplace Pensions. Part of your salary (four per cent, as of 2018) will be saved in a pension, and your employer will also contribute (three per cent), as will the Government (one per cent). You’ll be auto-enrolled in this scheme when your company becomes eligible, but can opt out if you want to save…

David was a typical corporate husband, working away a lot. I didn’t mind too much, as his £70,000 salary meant I could stay at home and raise our sons, Adam, now 23, and twins Alex and Ryan, 20. It was how we’d planned it. I was 25 when I met David, then a trainee accountant. He was a shy Friends of the Earth volunteer with a passion for saving the whale and recycling. When we got married, two years later in 1983, we saved up and bought a beautiful house in Sheffield before having children – we wanted to make sure we had security first. When I fell pregnant with Adam, I became a stay-athome mum, and the twins came along not long after. So, while David became a financial…

She’s back as the unconventional Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope to solve her 24th case with usual dollops of caustic wit and gentle charm. Here, Brenda talks exclusively to Best about the sixth series of the popular drama... Hi, Brenda, you look so glam – the opposite of Vera (she favours a green mac and shapeless fishing hats!). Why, thank you. But you know, the fact Vera’s so ordinary means she’s no competition. Sitting at home you’re not watching her thinking, ‘Oh, I want those cupid lips, or her incredible dress sense.’ There’s a comfort to that, you’re just enjoying the ride. Can filming up in Northumberland get chilly? Oh, it certainly can, even in summer. Fortunately for Vera, she’s always got all those layers on, she’s very built up, bless…

A Breton-style top is a timeless classic and can update your weekend wardrobe year after year. If you want to balance out big hips, choose a slash neck style as it follows the curve of your collarbone to make your shoulders appear wider. LOVELY LOAFERS Look cool and comfortable this spring FULL AND FEMININE Circle skirts can be challenging, but using a mixture of large and small stripes can actually work to your advantage, as it can help to make your waist appear smaller. Stick to fitted tops that don’t swamp to let the statement print do all the talking! Skirt, £79, Monsoon TOP WITH A TWIST Fluted sleeves give a horizontal stripe a fresh look for spring and are a great way to slim your arms. Make sure it…