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They say never work with children or animals, but it’s clear that the marvellous Dawn French didn’t get that memo, which is great news if, like me, you’re a fan of her ITV show Little Big Shots. I’ll be tuning in on Sunday night to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ at the almost unbearable levels of cuteness as talented kids from all around the world show off their skills. I can’t wait to see 11-year-old Will, who performs agility stunts with his dog, Aston, and this year we are also promised a champion hen racer (what’s not to love?!) and pint-sized comedians. What I love most about this show is that it’s just kids doing what they do best – showing off! • Please let me know your thoughts, siobhan.wykes@hearst.co.uk EXECUTIVE EDITOR…

Looking at images of famous folk appearing svelte, sun-tanned and bursting with self-confidence, it’s no wonder many of us have bought into the idea that we, too, can end up looking as fabulous as the super-honed stars who appear on the covers of DVDs, or on social media. But there are drawbacks – especially after the furore that followed when fans discovered there may have been more to Scarlett Moffatt’s story than meets the eye. SCARLETT ‘SHE LIED ABOUT HER WEIGHT LOSS’ Scarlett Moffatt faced a spectacular backlash when it was revealed that, while training for her bestselling SuperSlim Me Plan DVD, she had gone to a gruelling boot camp in Switzerland. There, she limited herself to 700 calories a day and underwent daily workouts that included running up hills…

Paul revealed recently he’s ‘terrified’ of being watched by aliens, after spotting a UFO. He confessed on his Radio 2 show, Paul O’Grady On The Wireless, that he’d seen a UFO hovering above his orchard one morning at 2am. ‘We’ve got ’em [aliens] in Kent – I’m serious – over Folkestone, Dungeness and Hythe. I’ve seen them, and I’m not the only one – I’ve got witnesses, so I’m not going out of my mind. These strange light formations in the sky and we don’t know what they are,’ said Paul. ‘The Army say it’s not them sending flares up, so we don’t know, but I’m just terrified of waking up one night and there’s this thing at the bottom of my bed like ET!’…

Vanilla cake with meringue kisses This makes a great celebration cake for a birthday or any other special occasion. Serves 12 Prep: 30 mins + cooling Cook time: 1 hour 20 mins SmartPoints: 8 per serving Calorie-controlled cooking spray175g self-raising flour½tbsp baking powder150g caster sugar150g low-fat spread3 eggs½tbsp vanilla extract MERINGUE KISSES 1 egg white60g caster sugar½tsp red gel food colouring TO FILL AND DECORATE 4tsp low-calorie raspberry jam150g strawberries, hulled and sliced75g raspberries 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Mist two 18cm sandwich tins with cooking spray and line with baking paper. 2 Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, low-fat spread, eggs and vanilla extract. Beat for 3 mins or until pale and creamy, then divide between the tins…

1 DEBT IS DANGEROUS Personal debt is on the rise in the UK and the last thing you want is for your grandkids to find themselves drowning in bills they can’t pay. Make sure that they understand the dangers of payday loans and how expensive an unplanned overdraft can be. Credit cards can be useful, but only if they’re paid off sensibly, so make sure that they understand how quickly interest can mount up. 2 RAINY-DAY FUNDS ARE IMPORTANT It’s all too easy to live in the now and not plan for potential problems ahead. If your grandchidren are working, get them to think about how they would manage if they lost their job. As a rule of thumb, everyone should have three months’ income saved to tide them over…

How’s Simon (Cowell)? Anything that makes him unhappy makes me happy! Simon is very competitive. I beat him to the golden buzzer – he really wanted the act – so he was really angry, but I got there first. What can you tell us about your buzzer act? He’s this brilliant singer, and it’s the most incredible, catchy song. I think the act has got a really good chance of winning. He’s super-funny, talented and likeable. We’ve heard there are a lot of great comics… Yes. There was one man who came on who, because of his disability, is unable to speak. You might think that would be tough for a stand-up comic, but he has a pre-programmed computer which provides the words. He had a really witty routine that…

TOP TIP The versatile day-to-night dress – lose the T-shirt and add some heels, and you’ll be ready for any occasion. TOP TIP Toughen up a girlie blouse with your favourite jeans – the perfect look for work to wow! TOP TIP White and nude are the chicest summer combination, and a pop of colour adds a stylish touch.…

From wrinkles and redness to dehydration and increased sensitivities, air pollution isn’t just damaging our health; it’s making us look years older. Here’s how to fight dirty… BOOK A DEEP-CLEANSING FACIAL Effective cleansing is absolutely vital in order to remove dirt, pollution particles and make-up, and help unblock pores. Pollution particles attach to dead skin cells and can be very hard to remove, so having a deep-cleansing professional facial once a month will help to zap the nasties. Try Hydrafacial, which combines cleansing, exfoliation, extraction, hydration, red-light therapy and antioxidant protection, all in one session. Costs from £125 (visit hydrafacial.co.uk). FIGHT BACK WITH A PEEL Pollution matter is a damaging mix of chemical and dust particles, small enough to enter skin. Pollutants trigger the immune system to produce excessive melanin…

When Madeleine McCann vanished from her family’s Portuguese holiday apartment on 3 May 2007, she was just three years old. On 12 May this year, Maddie will turn 15 – but, despite several police investigations, costing around £12 million, and thousands of alleged sightings, no trace of her has ever been found. It’s one of the greatest mysteries of our time. But, after so many years, will we ever know the truth about the little girl’s disappearance and if she is still alive? Maddie’s parents, Kate, now 50, and Gerry, 49, insist she is, and welcomed a recent £150,000 cash injection from the Home Office to allow Scotland Yard’s Operation Grange to pursue a vital ‘final’ line of inquiry for another six months. But, even if Maddie was found now,…

Mini marvel… If the Easter eggs in your house are a dim and distant memory, stock up with a box of KitKat Senses (£3.99 for 20). These mini-morsels come in three yummy flavours (hazelnut, salted caramel and double chocolate) and are individually wrapped. Grab some granola Why not enjoy a bowl of granola at breakfast time? Our favourite is the new Asda Low Sugar Multigrain Nutty Granola, ?1.97, which is a yummy mix of hazelnuts, almonds, cashews and pecans. MEAL DEAL OFFER Pasta perfection pronto! If you’re always looking for evening meals that are quick to cook and delicious, then take a trip to your nearest M&S to pick up the amazing pasta meal deal. Until 23 April, you can choose a pasta, sauce and side dish for just a…

TOP TIP Splash out on some new pots to instantly refresh your garden.…

One of TV’s most recognisable faces, Nicki Chapman found fame in the Noughties as a judge on Popstars and Pop Idol. Here, Nicki, 51, who’s married to music executive Dave Shackleton, and currently hosts daytime hit Escape To The Country, talks about her old life in the music industry – and how she reinvented herself in her 40s… You left school at 16 and worked your way up in the music business – were you always ambitious? I think so, yes. I’ve always been a hard worker. I hated school and didn’t do too well. I then travelled around Australia on my own and found my confidence. I came back to Britain and applied for three jobs in the music business and was offered all three. You didn’t need qualifications…

‘I wanted to punish Matthew in some way, and keep him up’ Davina McCall has opened up about the pressure having three kids put on her marriage. The TV presenter, 50, who is mum to Holly, 16, Tilly, 14, and 11-year-old Chester, split from her husband, Matthew Robertson, after 17 years of marriage last November, despite years of counselling to try to save their relationship. Davina’s marital woes seemed to start with the birth of their daughter, Holly, and escalated by the time Tilly and Chester came along. By then, former Pet Rescue host Matthew had started sleeping in the spare room. Speaking recently, Davina admitted, ‘With Holly, I wanted to punish Matthew in some way, and keep him up. So we slept in the same bed and, when it…

The deliciously down-to-earth Paul O’Grady is back on our screens with a new, heartwarming series Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs In India. The 62-year-old Liverpudlian, who shares his sprawling Kent farm with husband Andre Portasio, 37, and a host of animals, including pigs, sheep, dogs and owls, talks to us about meditation, Mars Bars and being a wild grandad to his two grandchildren, Abel, 11, and Halo, seven. You had a near-death experience in India – what happened? I was rolling around in the gutter with puppies that had been bitten by rats. The bites had maggots in them. I must have touched my mouth with my hand and, at 5am, I started vomiting. I was still being sick at 10pm so they called a doctor. I was…

‘Who doesn’t love a Royal Wedding? They’re great for the country, cheer us all up, allow us to be patriotic for a day, and are a great excuse to get drunk because all the pubs stay open late. I always make a proper day of it, and for William and Kate’s I even dressed up as the Queen! But, for some reason, I’m not getting too excited about Harry and Meghan’s nuptials – and they’re less than five weeks away. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m jealous (I’ve always had a thing for Harry!) or that I feel guilty having still not named the day when my partner Mark and I will walk down the aisle. The constant stream of updates on Meghan’s dress, the guest list, the bridesmaids,…

Watching my three-year-old daughter, Ruby-River, take to the stage, my heart swelled with pride. Dressed in a pink frilly dress studded with crystals, her hairpiece adorned with a huge pink bow, my darling smiled and pouted for the audience. As she started her dance routine, the applause was thunderous. ‘Go Ruby-River!’ I screamed at the top of my lungs. Although she’s only three, Ruby-River is no stranger to beauty pageants. In fact, she’s been doing them since she was a year old. In 2015, I saw an ad on Facebook for children to take part in beauty pageants in Liverpool, not far from our home in Tyldesley, Greater Manchester. Already addicted to US pageant show Toddlers & Tiaras, I thought it would be fun to give them a go. As…

Cajun chicken blue cheese baguette Whenever I hear the word Cajun, it sends me back to Louisiana and stomping around New Orleans in the early hours. Music, dancing and food are entwined with the Cajun and New Orleans spirit. Enjoy this quick bite of that Cajun spirit… PER SERVING CALS 948 FAT 26.05g SERVES 4 4 small white baguettes Butter for spreading150g Cambozola cheese4 tomatoes, sliced4 small chicken breasts (approx. 150g per breast)2tbsp olive oil1tsp ground cumin1tsp mild chilli powder1tsp smoked paprika Seasoning (ground black pepper and salt) Pinch of dried oregano Crisps, to serve 1 Prep all the ingredients: cut the batons lengthways and butter them, slice the Cambozola into eight equal slices and cut the tomatoes into thick slices (about three or four slices per tomato) and reserve.…

How was the ‘boot camp’ experience? We did Bella Boot Camp a month before we started filming, and it’s really fun – like getting the gang back together. Everyone is like, ‘Hi!’ and, ‘What a really nice handbag you have!’ Is it intimidating when you’re given a pile of songs to learn? It was scarier in the first movie, but we have got a lot more used to it, and are a lot quicker at picking up most routines. Some of them are 10-part harmonies, where every track is different for each of the 10 girls. But, somehow, we manage to put it all together. How much fun was it to film those action scenes? Suddenly, Fat Amy becomes an action hero, which I relished because I’m a big fan of…

‘I just don’t look like myself any more’ Recent pictures of former EastEnders star Danniella Westbrook have raised concerns about the troubled actress’s wellbeing. Looking ravaged with a lopsided appearance, Danniella, who was arrested last week over allegations of ‘malicious communications and witness intimidation’, seems older than her 44 years. In recovery from cocaine addiction, the actress revealed she’s suffering from the bone-weakening condition osteoporosis, which is eroding her face from the inside out, following a botched dental procedure. Some days, she explained, one side of her face is ‘sunken’. Other days, her cheek swells up, as her bones are ‘disintegrating’. ‘I just don’t look like myself any more,’ she said sadly, adding, ‘Obviously, I am going to age a lot faster anyway because of the drugs, but I don’t…

Win EVERY WEEK WIN 1 X £200, 2 X £ 100 OR 3 X £50 PRIZES STRAIGHT CLUES ACROSS 1 Garden barriers (6) 5 Opposite of positive (8) 9 Least expensive (8) 10 Third-party company (6) 11 Black sticky stuff (3) 12 Give a word picture of (8) 14 Cab! (4) 15 European country (5) 17 Hit a ball high in the air (5) 18 Title for a nobleman (4) 19 Offers marriage (8) 23 Chunky drinking vessel (3) 25 Ship’s flue (6) 26 Machine worker (8) 27 Schooled (8) 28 Globe, ball (6) DOWN 2 Resound (4) 3 Sea’s edge (9) 4 Promise, avow (5) 5 Jotted down (5) 6 Components of cars (5) 7 Belonging to them (5) 8 All the words one knows (10) 13 Secondary scenery…