Grazia Issue 794

welcome to the issue

IF YOU’RE HOPING this new year comes as somewhat of a fresh start, you’ve come to the right place. Fearne Cotton kicks off our ‘Make 2021 count’ special on page 40, writing about the three promises she’s made herself going into January that you might want to adopt too. Elsewhere, there are plenty of ideas about how to continue socialising, even if you can only see people outdoors (clue: mulled drinks and many layers) and the hottest new stars of books, TV and film to see you through a(nother) month on the sofa. Enjoy!…

over to you...

THE TRUST DIVIDE I’m totally with Polly Vernon (How do we bridge the great vaccine divide?, 1 Dec) and will be first in the queue for my vaccination, but surely the reason others are sceptical is that in England you have a PM who has been exposed many times as a liar. In Scotland we have a female First Minister who’s been upfront about the challenges of the pandemic (and has rewarded healthcare workers financially). Consequently, the majority trust her on the safety of the vaccine. Let’s have more women running the world! Dr Mary Brown THE OTHER BIG C Emma’s piece, Things you only know if… you’re engaged to a man your mother will never meet (14 Dec) resonated with me. My mother was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer earlier this year…

star letter

HEROES, WE SALUTE YOU! I enjoyed your Chart Of Lust 2020 special (28 Dec). This year has been tough, but there are some people who we’ve loved and lived for. You rightly listed Marcus Rashford for his work in tackling child food poverty. Also David Attenborough for his tireless efforts to warn people about climate change; Captain Tom and the extraordinary amount of money he raised for the NHS. There are other heroes too – the scientists, because a Covid-19 vaccine was developed in record time; NHS staff, carers, teachers, key workers, and so on. It might be months before we can get back together with our family and friends but, when we do, what a lot of catching up we have to do! Kim…

2021: a new hope. may it bring holidays! and galleries (if you’re that way inclined)

IF 2020 WAS THE end of the world, might 2021 be the beginning of it? I ask because, lately, I’ve started allowing myself forays into what still feels like not insignificant emotional decadence: hope. There have been times in the last 10 months when hoping seemed like a mug’s game. When even fleeting instances of thinking: but what if it’s OK in the end? What if my worst-case imaginings and middle-of-the-night catastrophisings are unnecessary after all? When all that felt as relevant and pertinent, clever and sane as fairy stories for grown-ups trying to soothe themselves to sleep in the face of semi certain death and/ or economic ruin. But now? With the vaccine rolling out and longest night passed (meaning the crawl towards spring, light and a warmth-diminished virus has…

a new year, brimming with promise

NHS FRONTLINE WORKERS, an illustrated flower field, Grazia readers, Sienna Miller… in a mask. If you’d asked us a year ago to predict what 2020’s Grazia covers would look like, we would have got it astonishingly wrong. In a year in which the ‘unprecedented’ (groan) became utterly quotidian, as a magazine we had to adapt. Fast. When it came to producing this issue – our last of 2020 and first of 2021 – we wanted to create a cover that celebrated the optimism we so badly need as a life raft. We wanted to commission something special for the cover – and embroiderer and designer Cressida Jamieson was the perfect fit. Cressida’s story will resonate with many of you; she’s a working mum – to two boys, the youngest of whom was…

what’s new keeping us going now!

SUNSET SHADES Romanesco is one of my favourite vegetables to eat, so this reimagining of it in candle form is right up my street. £65, Piera Bochner at arddun stores.com VELVET CRUSH My ideal outfit for New Year’s Eve = this velvet kimono jacket and matching trouser set. JACKET, £445, AND TROUSERS, £395, BOTH USISI SISTER TWINKLE TOES These are the most louche slippers out there, and their upper and lining are made from 100% recycled polyester. £217, Sleeper OFF THE WALL I’m coveting this artwork by Kesia Estwick, who said, ‘Beauty radiates from the soul. Attractiveness is subjective but a beautiful person is beautiful to anyone who takes time to truly see them.’ Fundamental Feelings No.1, from £30 for a print, King Kesia Art GET AHEAD Berets are having a moment, thanks to Emily In Paris. This has my name on it. £55,…