New Zealand Woman’s Weekly 1741

It’s the end of a Vera. Liz Dawn, the much-loved actress who portrayed feisty Vera Duckworth on Coronation Street for 34 years, passed away peacefully last week after a long battle with emphysema, aged 77. She shot to fame as big-mouthed, big-hearted Vera on the cobbles, playing opposite Bill Tarmey, who portrayed her cheating, gambling husband Jack, and became one of Britain’s – and the world’s – most-adored actresses. Born Sylvia Butterfield in Leeds, she was one of five children. After leaving school at 15, she married her first husband Walter Bradley when she was only 18 and had a son, Graham. The marriage crumbled after only two years and Liz found herself a broke single mum at 20. However, she met the love of her life Don Ibbotson in…

Don’t get me wrong here, I’m a big, big fan of this issue – after all, it’s very hard to top seeing one of the world’s favourite royals declaring his love for his new sweetheart! But a good slice of my brain is already in the future, admiring our very special issue that comes out next week. I feel like I’ve been talking about our 85th birthday for yonks and, to be fair , I certainly have – relishing the opportunity to go back through our archives and celebrate our rich history as much as possible. But the end of the celebration is in sight. Next week, it’s all coming together for one very special issue of the Weekly. You’ll find it at newsstands where you normally pick up your…

It was the moment royal fans had been waiting for and when it came, it was much better than anyone could have hoped for. Prince Harry and his girlfriend Meghan Markle made their first official appearance as a couple at the Invictus Games in Toronto last week, and showed the strength of their feelings for each other by holding hands. The public display of affection as they made their way to their seats at the wheelchair tennis match may have looked casual, but will have been very deliberate, say royal watchers, and sanctioned from the top. The Queen is said to approve of her grandson’s relationship with the American actress and knowing he has her support has freed up the 33-year-old to show the world just how much he loves…

The rumours that Harry is completely smitten with Meghan are true – his body language is a dead giveaway! Body language expert Dr Lillian Glass says the photos of the pair at the Invictus Games clearly demonstrate they are deeply in love. “The fact they are leaning into each other speaks volumes,” she says. “It’s really refreshing to see this type of affection in a way where you’re trying to be discreet, yet it’s leaking out. This is the real deal here.” She says being so at ease in front of the cameras is a sign of true love. “It doesn’t matter that there’s dozens of people watching, the world revolves around him and her, and that means love.” The fact Harry looked a lot less stressed than normal was…

Harry and Meghan’s hand-holding is a rare sight in a family not given to public displays of affection. William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, have hardly been seen looking like lovebirds, particularly before they married. They let their guard down at the London Olympics in 2012 (above) when they hugged while celebrating British success. At the Glasgow Commonwealth Games two years later, there was another rare moment when they briefly clasped hands while watching swimming and Kate later put her hand on William’s knee. Displays of affection between Prince Charles and Princess Diana were virtually non-existent. In their official engagement shots, they looked stiff and formal, and it wasn’t until they posed for photos while on their honeymoon in Scotland that we got the first glimpse of any…

If you’ve ever baked a tray of cookies, you’ll know how blimmin’ difficult it is to get them all to look the same – but fret no more, says celebrity cook Nigella Lawson. The alluring beauty, whose new cookbook At My Table is released next week, has slammed cooking shows such as The Great British Bake Off for skewing reality when it comes to the final product. “We live in a world where there is so much, so glossily done,” she says. “If I am given a cake, I like to see that it has been made by someone and that it’s not even. “That is what cooking is. Things can’t look like they’ve come from a factory. You know on Bake Off where they say you have to make…