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January can be depressing. Why? Well, it’s usually rainy, foggy or freezing, the bills have arrived, but the post Christmas paycheck hasn’t... So here’s a few ideas to help cheer you up, and – most importantly – save you some cash! ONE: Try this recipe (tested for you by me) and devised by our health and beauty expert, Lesley Reynolds, right. The whole thing came to £4.84 to be exact, thanks to Tesco, well, minus the Prosecco, of course. No, I’m not doing Dry January... Sauté a chopped onion, then add 4 (500g) chicken thighs, £3, pour over a jar of tomato mascarpone sauce , 69p, bring to boil, then simmer for 35-40 mins. Add a bag of prewashed baby spinach, £1.15, allow to wilt for one minute then stir…

She recently put up a social media story to The Party’s Over by Van Morrison, saying: ‘Christmas is over. Bring on 2025!’ And who can blame the popular Loose Women anchor? After separating from her husband, and her 93-year-old mum Joan having a painful fall, which meant Ruth spent much time visiting her in hospital over the holidays, it seems Ruth is more than ready for a New Year... She even jokingly hung up her red washing in the background of a post, basically saying Goodbye to All That!… Who knows, perhaps she’s getting ready for Valentine’s Day because – let’s face it – Ruth has never looked better! Posting about the hair extensions she had put in last November, the popular presenter admitted – like 60 per cent of…

Expect the unexpected when ‘The Dogfather’, Graeme Hall, returns for a new series of Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly. Here, the 58-year-old Yorkshireman who ‘emigrated’ to Northamptonshire talks training tips, tweed and torque! Hi Graeme. We love your humour. Do you think that’s what sets it apart from other dog shows? I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there. I’ve always thought that if we can get the job done and have a bit of a laugh along the way, then fine. Dogs are funny. I think part of the secret of the show is that we love watching other people’s dogs get it wrong. I spend a lot of my time as the go-between between the dog and the owner. I’m almost like a translator. It’s very much…

Each morning, my husband Mark and I wake up to a view of the sky. Our home is a 26ft-long horsebox, where we sleep above the cab under a roof-light that we installed ourselves. Sometimes, sunlight streams through. While other times, it’s rain tapping on the glass or the muffled thud of snow. It’s a moment of gratitude I feel every day – a reminder of why we gave up our conventional life for this nomadic one… In June 2016, I was 47 when I noticed my left nipple had inverted. Tests revealed I had stage 3 HER2-positive breast cancer, an aggressive type with a higher risk of spreading. ‘You can beat this,’ the consultant said to me. Devastated but determined, I started chemotherapy three weeks later. Although the treatment…

HOW IT WORKS ● Ditch the needle! Gabriela says it’s possible to reduce the inflammation caused by eating the wrong food that leads to weight gain by focusing on eating more fibre including whole grains, pulses and seeds and incorporating intermittent fasting into your routine to help speed up the way the body burns fat more easily. ● The extra pounds we tend to pile on over Christmas are often less about actual fat and more about water retention caused by inflammation. When our body is inflamed, it can disrupt key hormones like cortisol, encouraging fat storage. Eating more omega 3 rich fatty fish, vibrant leafy greens, warming turmeric and drinking calming green tea will help soothe your system making weight loss more natural. ● Eat your meals in a…

CHEESY CHORIZO ORZO This has the smoky flavour of chorizo combined with creamy, cheesy orzo and herby tomatoes, which combine to make a comforting and satisfying meal which has long been a blog favourite. The air fryer brings out the best in both the chorizo and tomatoes in this dish. You can serve it with fresh green vegetables, such as asparagus or tenderstem broccoli, on the side. Serves: 4Prep time: 10 minutesCook time: 16 minutes • 50g (1¾oz) chorizo, finely chopped• 1 onion, finely chopped• spray oil• 250g (9oz) cherry tomatoes, halved• 3 garlic cloves, crushed• 2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs• ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt• ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper• 350g (12oz) orzo• 1 litre (1¾ pints) hot chicken stock• 120g (4¼oz) reduced-fat cream cheese• chopped parsley leaves, to serve 1 Remove the crisper plate…

As she stepped out of court, crowds applauded Gisèle Pelicot. It was a show of support for her bravery, her tenacity and insistence that ‘shame must change sides.’ It followed on from people lining the streets of Avignon throughout the trial, clapping as Gisèle walked past. After the horrors she endured, the mother of three has finally received justice. Her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, was convicted of aggravated rape and sentenced to 20 years in prison – the maximum sentence he could be given. He was also found guilty of taking indecent images of his daughter and daughters-in-law. The person Gisèle had trusted most in the world had inflicted despicable abuse on her during the latter part of their 47-year-long marriage. Gisèle and Dominique met when she was just 19 and…

1 JANUARY ‘Reverse penny challenge’ I’ve always loved the ‘penny challenge’ to start the year strong. And doing it in reverse makes sense for many because people generally have more outgoings in December. Save £3.65 on 1 January and reduce by 1p daily. If you stick to it, by December, you’ll have £667.95! Adjust the starting amount if you want to save more. It’s a manageable way to turn spare change into a year-end fund. I’d also recommend putting it into a savings account, so you earn interest along the way. 2 FEBRUARY Cancel and conquer! Take stock of your spending by reviewing bank statements and write down all outgoings to better understand your finances. Cancel any unused subscriptions. If one has auto-renewed without notice, you might be entitled to…

‘You have to go, Mum!’ Ellen exclaimed looking over Evelyn’s shoulder at the email on her screen. Evelyn turned her head and raised her eyebrows. ‘Well, you don’t have to go, but you should.’ Evelyn’s stare reverted to the words on her laptop. ‘It’s such a surprise. I haven’t heard from Kathy in years. Why now?’ Ellen dropped to the seat next to her mum, ‘Looks like she’s just trying to arrange a reunion, get you guys back together again!’ Evelyn had been more than delighted when she’d received the message from Kathy. They had been best friends at college, part of the gang, but with everyone heading off to different uni’s promising to keep in touch, things soon petered out. She and Kathy had kept in touch for a…

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 numbers at the top of the grid or at hearstmagazines.co.uk/bestcross0225 ACROSS 1 7 8 9 10 11 13 15 17 21 22 23 24 25 DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 12 14 16 18 19 20 Which city is the capital of Romania? The answer will appear in the shaded squares. Phone and online entries open 7 January 2025 until midnight on 24 January 2025. You must be over 18 and have the bill payer’s permission. †Calls cost 65p per min plus your telephone company’s network access charge, and should last no longer than 2 mins. Service provided…

‘I know I said I’d sail through 2025 on a wave of positivity but I’ve been thinking a lot about death recently – please don’t stop reading, just hear me out! The thing is, now that I’ve resolved to eliminate procrastination from my life, I’m working through the list of things I’ve been meaning to do for years. One of them is what I call a death plan. Which is a really positive thing, right? I mean, of course we don’t know when we’re going to die and so many people seem to be dying lately, or being diagnosed with fatal illnesses that I’ll bet most are in no way prepared for it, mentally or practically. So, my death plan will be a file of info on where everything is,…

Walking down the corridor, taunts filled the air. I put my head down and tried to make myself invisible, blinking back tears as classmates shouted insults at me. My face burned as they said: ‘You walk like a constipated chicken’. I tried to ignore the jeering and cruel laughter, but it was hard. My childhood was tough. I was born with a rare skin disorder that caused my skin to blister and affected the way I walked. Every step felt like I had stones under my skin. Even something as simple as opening a bottle could cause several layers of skin to come off my hands. I was mocked by children at school and growing up, I felt like a freak. After leaving school I hid it better but as…

As his famous 1972 album Never a Dull Moment proves, rock star Rod Stewart has had a far from boring eight decades. On 10 January, he turns 80! With a one-of-a-kind vocal flair, and a fashion sense that will go down in history, Rod has certainly made his mark! He will be celebrating his birthday no doubt with wife Penny Lancaster – (and his eight children!). We hope you’re partying in style! Happy birthday, Sir Rod Stewart... WHERE IT ALL BEGAN Born in London’s Highgate in 1945 to Robert and Elsie Stewart, Rod was the youngest of five. His first taste of working life started as a paper delivery boy but his passion for music led him to form a band, The Raiders, in 1961 with schoolfriends. The group auditioned…

We’ve all heard it a hundred times or more: look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves. And you know what? It’s so true. Often, we talk about penny-pinching and people being tight, but looking after the pennies doesn’t have to involve being stingy or unkind. That’s why it’s called ‘looking after’ – it’s about taking care of your money, showing it a bit of love and attention. Believe me, I’m not about depriving myself or doing without. I love the nice things in life. But I firmly believe that real wealth is when you can afford all the things, not buy them on credit or get yourself into debt to have a lifestyle you can’t pay for. And, like anything worth waiting for, that kind of…

I FANCY THE HANDYMAN! Vanessa, I keep pretending that things are broken at home – just so that I can call my handyman over. I think he looks like a mix of Tom Hardy and Brad Pitt! I’m pretty sure that he is single, though he’s got children – so, I’m not 100 per cent, but there is a definite vibe between us every time he comes over. Should I rip the Band-Aid off and just ask him out? Ann, Surrey Wow! Your handyman sounds gorgeous! Of course you should bite the bullet and ask him out. What’s the worst that can happen? If he says no, at least you tried. If he says he’s taken, it’s nothing personal and you don’t have to feel rejected. And he might say…

CAPRICORN 22 December – 20 January Chat planet Mercury shifts into your sign, so you’ll be a whizz at negotiating, making this the perfect time to talk through any problems and sort out long-running quarrels. Romantically, there’s a choice to be made but take your time over this – it’s definitely not a decision that you should rush into. AQUARIUS 21 January – 19 February It’s quite an emotional time for you, as thoughts and memories from the past seem to be taking up a lot of head space. We all need time to reflect but don’t let this turn into dwelling. Shift some of your focus to the future and think more about where you want to be, rather than when you have come from. PISCES 20 February –…

The horror of Lockerbie is burnt on the minds of most people over 50. A town, then a world, looked on in disbelief as pieces of a broken burnt plane and the bodies of those on board lay scattered across a sleepy Scottish town. For days, even weeks, afterwards, relatives of the 259 passengers waited to reclaim the bodies. In total, 270 people died on the night of 21 December, 1988. The gut-wrenching five-part drama focuses on Dr Jim Swire (played by Colin Firth) who lost his daughter Flora, and his ongoing fight to discover why there is still so much secrecy around the explosion. ‘One thing we can do is ask the Government… to release all documentation,’ the former GP suggested. ‘Why isn’t it in the public interest to…

TOP TIP Add some green shoots to your wardrobe with olive and khaki tones. PRICE AND STOCK AVAILABILTY MAY CHANGE DUE TO JANUARY SALES…

‘Let me top you up,’ my friend Vicky said, reaching for the bottle of wine. It was just after Christmas in 2020, and I’d travelled to Lincoln, 200 miles from my home in Seaford, to stay with Vicky and her partner, Jamie. I’d met Vicky 16 years ago at a trade exhibition and we’d become friends after both splitting with our exes at the same time and doing a challenging 400km charity bike ride through Tanzania. Vicky, who’d hardly done any training, needed coaxing up the hills with the promise of Mars Bars and whenever the wine came out, we had a good giggle over it. She’d met Jamie around the same time, while I’d remained single. I didn’t mind being on my own – except during lockdown when I’d…

TOP TIP! Cardigans can look fab or frumpy. Take a snap of yourself in it before you buy one to figure out the best shape for you. PRICES AND STOCK AVAILABILITY MAY VARY DUE TO JANUARY SALES…

It’s a universal common condition that nobody asked for – one day, you’re admiring your luscious locks, the next you’re squinting at the mirror, wondering, ‘was my forehead always this big?’ In fact, around 40 per cent of women have signs of hair loss by the age of 50*. Advances in tech have handed us some effective non-invasive options that work with your body to wake up those sleepy follicles and bring your hair back to life, offering hope to millions seeking to restore their hair and confidence. January is a tough month for most of us. The festive season leaves a financial hangover, with budgets stretched and credit card bills arriving. Despite this, investing in yourself – particularly your hair and scalp – can be one of the best…

TOP TIP! Keep yourself cosy with even more suggestions on what to wear in best’s FREE weekly newsletter. Sign up at facebook.com/bestmagazine…

STOCK AVAILABILITY AND PRICES MAY VARY DUE TO THE JANUARY SALES TOP TIP! Is your house looking empty now that the decorations are down? Liven up those dull areas with flowers and pretty frames!…

When people ask me, ‘do you have any hobbies?’ in an expectant sort of way, I know I’m going to have to let them down gently. I could lie and say ‘I’m really into potholing at weekends’ but what if they then asked to see a photo of me in a wetsuit with a miner’s light on my head as evidence? I’d be exposed as a fibber! In fact, I’ve always felt a bit lacking that I don’t do regular archery, quilting or stamp collecting as a meaningful area of activity that could make me sound extra interesting. But more recently I discovered that actually I have been nurturing a rather marvellous hobby for years – I just didn’t realise it was one! And what is this ‘mindfully, healthy, release…

1 Rethink your drink ‘Try a month off alcohol every year to reset your tolerance,’ advises Dr Paul Kooner, consultant hepatologist at Spire Healthcare. The more often we drink, the more our tolerance increases, so we need to drink more to get the same effect. But ‘resetting the button’ means we can revert to enjoying a glass or two without needing more. It’s worth taking days off, too. Avoiding booze midweek gives the liver a mini-break, pauses the habit, reduces your weekly unit intake and tests your dependency. 2 Exercise vigorously University of Essex researchers found that ‘vigorous’ exercise is most effective at reducing the risk of fatty liver disease. Think a bootcamp class of targeted cardio, a tennis match, or a 60-minute workout. Consult with your GP first if…

Patience Evans is a young woman with autism working in criminal records in the ‘City of York’ police, but she also has a passion for problem solving, and a good memory – making her invaluable to her cop colleagues… Here, the 21-year-old star of the new crime drama, Ella Maisy Purvis, talks about her own autism and the importance of casting neurodivergent characters (those whose brains work in different ways to many) in roles that show you a different perspective on life... Hi Patience, can you tell us about your first audition – and how you got the part? I did a self-tape and then an in-person audition. At the in-person, I was thinking that I could still go to university [if I don’t get the role] and I wouldn’t…

Father and son English Setters Hugo and Dibley retired from the showring, and now, after going through an assessment process, they volunteer with Therapy Dogs Nationwide. The charity enables owners to take their dogs into establishments to provide comfort, distraction and stimulation. They live with their owner Alison in Norfolk. BOOT BUDDIES English Setters, particularly Hugo and Dibley, are known for their friendly and gentle demeanour, which makes them ideal therapy dogs. TIP-TOP DOG A gentle nature is essential. The assessment process (which the owners have to go through too) ensures the dog has a calm temperament, is well trained and responsive to commands. They should be calm in busy environments and not overly sensitive to loud noises. SHOWSTOPPER Both father and son were in the showring for years, winning…