Table of contents for 34 - 2016 in Best

I’ve just taken off my leg warmers after dancing the weekend away at Rewind: the 80s Festival in Henley. Hands up everyone who had a perm back then, or remembers Spandau Ballet’s Gold or It’s A Mystery by Toyah? Tony Hadley and Toyah Willcox were there! I love a bit of nostalgia and we seem to be in the middle of a wonderful resurgence of it, both musically and on TV. The lovely Sherrie Hewson talks exclusively to Best this week about the latest sitcom to be brought back to life – Are You Being Served? She’s playing Mrs Slocombe, and who didn’t love her wonderful array of hair colours, or that naughty implied humour that is peculiar to us Brits? So if you can happily say, ‘I’m free!’, tune…

Do I pick up a size 18 or do something about it?’ She’s had a top-selling diet book – the Greedy Girl’s Diet – but Loose Women’s Nadia Sawalha, 51, has always been honest about the ongoing war with her weight. And now, she admits she’s been losing the battle this summer. As the Loose Women panellists debated whether or not the hot weather has you ‘reaching for the weights or the wine?’, Nadia confessed to some serious diet disasters on a recent holiday abroad. Discussing her recent Mediterranean break with TV director husband Mark Adderley, and close friend and fellow presenter Kaye Adams, 53, Nadia asked, ‘Why is it, on holiday, I can have Rosé at 10am?’ Exposing her diet on-air, the confession then got even more candid, adding, ‘Every…

Mel and Sue. Don’t you love them? They have a great on-screen dynamic, which we’ll be getting a slice of soon with the new Great British Bake Off series. No doubt Mel, 48, and Sue, 46, will be full of the usual wisecracks, amazing cakes and heart-warming chemistry. The BBC One show’s success is testament to the fact Mel, Sue and co-hosts Mary Berry and old ‘soggy bottom’ Paul Hollywood get on famously well off-camera (‘We spend a lot of time together, even when we don’t need to,’ Sue has said). But far from being mere pals in pastry, Mel and Sue’s friendship dates back to their Cambridge University days (some 27 years ago), and has seen them over a few bumps in the road. Proving just how special their bond…

Ah, fresh-faced and make-up-free. If you’re confident enough to go for it, great! But if you’re a celeb, you’ve got to be especially brave to bare all, as there’s always the danger of a pesky pap hiding nearby… KATE GARRAWAY Bless, Kate. The 49-year-old never heads out without a smile on her face, and we have to hand it to the mum-of-two – it takes guts to emerge bare-faced when you’re such a high-profile figure! And we love her being brave enough to do it – this isn’t the first pic we’ve seen of Kate in rollers. The truth is, what busy working mum isn’t going to need a helping hand in the face department when you have a job that involves a 2am start five days a week?! You…

DAVINA McCALL, 48 She’s been on our TV screens for over two decades and she still looks as gorgeous as when she first graced them, presenting ITV show God’s Gift back in 1995. Married to fellow presenter Matthew Robertson, 47, and mum to daughters Holly, 14, and Tilly, 12, and son Chester, nine, Davina puts her glowing skin and honed physique down to her ‘sugarfree diet’ and ‘weight-loss workouts’. Well, Davina, it certainly seems to be working! KYLIE MINOGUE, 48 Pint-size pop star Kylie Minogue was in her late teens when she set hearts aflutter as Charlene Robinson in Aussie soap Neighbours, and she’s barely aged since. Fast approaching 50 and now with actor Joshua Sasse who, at 28, is 20 years her junior, she is still setting pulses racing,…

OVERD RAFTS Some cur rent accounts won’t puni sh you for going overdrawn. First Direct has a £250 zero per cent overdraft and Nationwide offers a 12-month, fee-free overdraft if you need help getting back on your feet. N atWest and RBS have recently written to business customers saying that if interest rates are cut to below zero post-Brex it, they may charge to use current accounts. And this could apply to personal accounts, too. Co-op Bank has also said it won’t rule out cutting rates on its four million personal accounts if interest rates plunge. Even if t his doesn’t happen, ensure your bank account is properly suited to you… CASHBACK The Santander 123 Account has a £5 monthly fee, but the rewards are good. You get one per…

Cowell Confidential The X Factor returns this weekend and Simon is back with his old chums and a few new tricks. TONY COWELL gets the backstage gossip IT’S A LAUGH Simon’s in a positive mood! He told me, ‘You will love the first show. It’s very funny and I’m really happy with this panel. But I can’t wait for you to see Louis at the Six Chair Challenge, it’s hilarious. Everyone is genuinely getting on great, but the main thing is this year we have some exciting talent. You won’t see the new changes we have made until the Judges’ Houses stage – we then revert to the way we used to do it – but now you get to learn a whole lot more about each contestant. We’ve also…

How do Cain and Charity end up kissing? They get a false lead on the Belle AWOL situation, and Charity gets into trouble looking for her. She meets up with a sinister character called Dean, Holly’s ex’s drug dealer. But it all gets too much so she locks herself in the bathroom and calls Cain to rescue her. Cain then gives Charity a lift home and they have a heartto-heart in the garage. There’s a kind of tender, passionate, moment, and they go for it! Did she plan it at all? Yes, it’s of a slightly devious nature, I think, because she loves taunting Moira. She knows they can’t be together, but they are each other’s first love. There’s a chemistry and a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’. Has any…

EAMONN & RUTH’S DOG FIGHT 1 THIS MORNING STARS EAMONN HOLMES AND RUTH LANGSFORD TESTED THEIR POOCH’S LOYALTY ON LIVE TV THIS WEEK. They wanted to see who their adopted dog Maggie would rather live with if the pair ever split up, by seeing which of the hosts she’d run to. But Maggie’s nose didn’t lead her to a decisive conclusion and, after sniffing Eamonn, she quickly bounced over to Ruth. Ruth, 56, joked, ‘That’s why we could never split because she couldn’t decide.’ 2 You can’t beat a good weepy, and our hearts are flying higher than an eagle at the thought that Beaches, one of our favourite flicks, is being remade for the US small screen – and it’s sure to be over here soon. The remake of…

‘A paranoia sits inside me when it comes to romance’ IT’S ALL OVER NOW... It’s not been a vintage summer for royal romance. Earlier this month came the shock news that 28-yearold Princess Beatrice (eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson) had ended her 10-year romance with investment banker Dave Clark, 32. The couple had been expected to wed after a long and high-profile romance. But with no proposal in the offing, despite the fact that Beatrice followed her man to New York when he took a top job with taxi app company Uber, the pair have decided to call it a day. And, last week, rumours that Bea’s younger sister, Eugenie, 26, was set to become engaged to 29-yearold nightclub owner Jack Brooksbank (after six years together) were…

THIS WEEK... Are Michelle and Mark in trouble? I don’t wear my wedding ring either... With Loose Woman Coleen Nolan Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright are constantly fighting off rumours that their marriage is in trouble. The latest one started last week when Michelle was spotted in Manchester without her wedding ring – again. The actress, 29, insists she was filming Tina and Bobby (the story of England footballing legend Bobby Moore and his wife) and can’t wear her own wedding ring in any scenes, so the safest place to leave it was at home. I believe her, and it annoys me that everyone is speculating – in fact, some seem to be actively hoping – that this marriage will fail. Maybe it will. Hopefully, it won’t. But, for the…

Would you have a baby at 70, like one Indian mum did recently? Most of us probably wouldn’t. But for the first time in almost 60 years, women over 40 are having more babies than those under 20. So what are the pros and cons of having babies in your 20s, 30s and 40s? best investigates... ‘MY PREGNANCY, AT 26, WASN’T PLANNED, BUT I COULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE EXCITED’ A ngela McAuley, 46, from Abbots Langley, Herts, had her daughter, Amber, 19, in her 20s. ‘At the time, I was working at a theatre in the box office, and as a dresser in the evenings. I was living in a shared house and wasn’t earning much. I suppose if I’d thought about starting a family, I’d have felt it wasn’t…

FAST FOOD JUNKIE ‘I struggled to keep up with my children’ Iknow exactly when I started putting on weight. I was just seven years old and, up until that point, I’d always been really picky with food. I’d only eat dry toast with no butter, or plain rice. Needless to say, I was really slim. Then one day, I was crossing a road with some friends and was knocked over by a car. I suffered a fractured skull, and had to spend five days in hospital. From that instance, something changed. My former fussiness vanished, and I started snacking on crisps, chocolate, bread and butter – anything I could get my hands on. My portion sizes increased, I developed a new love of fizzy drinks, and I started eating two…

‘I can’t worry about offending people!’ REVIEW Life On The Road It won’t be ever yone’s cup of tea but if, like us, you were a fan of this man in The Office, David Brent’s return won’t disappoint. RATING:**** Life On The Road is in cinemas now Best caught up with Ricky Gervais, star of Life On The Road, a new film about his alter-ego David Brent Jenna Coleman, 30, had an air of royalty about her as she arrived at London’s Kensington Palace last week to chat about her new role in the eight-part drama about 18-year-old Queen Victoria, and her life-long love affair with Prince Albert… Hi, Jenna. Victoria looks set to be the new Downton Abbey, following the lives of those both upstairs and downstairs. How did you…

‘It’s a story of sex, lies and betrayal!’ She’s starred in some of our favourite shows, from the heartwarming The Vicar of Dibley to the nostalgic Lark Rise To Candleford – but Dawn French has never been cast at the centre of a passionate love triangle... But all that’s set to change with her new role in Sky 1’s hotly anticipated new drama Delicious. The four-part series, airing later this year, tells the story of talented cook Gina, who is cheated on by her hotelier husband Leo (played by Game of Thrones’ Iain Glen). Finding herself replaced in her husband’s affections by the glamorous Sam (Silent Witness actress Emilia Fox), it’s Gina who has the last laugh when randy Leo returns to her for a fling. But will the two women’s…

S often the classic s hap e with a lace print design. Mac, £85, John Rocha at Debenhams Top, £25, M&S Trousers, £38, Next Shoes, £38, Next Bag, £36, Next Earrings, £6, Next Relaxed silho uettes are hot on the high street. Team with casual separates to take you stylishly through the weekend. Mac, £79, M&S Shirt, £25, M&S Jeans, £26, M&Co Bag, £24, Next Mac, £65, JD Williams Dress, £38, Next A soft pink is perfect for high summer, and also works well with grey and navy as the weather gets cooler. Mac, £65, River Island Dress, £70, Next Shoes, £17.99, Deichmann Bag, £79, John Rocha at Debenhams Earrings, £8, Mood by Jon Richard at Debenhams…

‘I now have what I’ve always dreamed of’ ‘A secret relationship in Latin America’ Like any mum, I love watching my three boys, Max, 11, Theo, four, and Beau, two, playing with their granddad, seeking out a family resemblance between them. But, in my case, it’s extra special, because – despite being 39 – I only met my dad, Victor, for the first time, just over a month ago. Up until that point, I had no idea if he was even alive. But now I have what I’ve always dreamed of – a dad of my own and a big family to share my love. I was born in Manchester, and my mum Veronica and I moved to Wales when I was seven. Growing up, it was always just the…

THE HAPPIEST DAY SPECI AL MOMENTS ‘I could feel the beat of my dad’s heart. It was so strong’ Gliding down the aisle on the arm of the tall, distinguished whitehaired man, bride Jeni Stepien smiled up at him, beaming with happiness. Although the man giving her away was not her father, Michael, Arthur Thomas (known as Tom) was the perfect choice to take the role on her wedding day. Because, although Michael is no longer with us, his heart beats inside Tom after he had a life-saving transplant. So, a decade after his untimely death, at least part of Michael Stepien was there on the happiest day of his daughter’s life. ‘To be able to have a part of my dad at my wedding was a dream come true,’…

The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice Bake Off’s back at 9pm on Wednesday, but we love Jo Brand’s spin-off show almost as much! Jo and her panel of celebrities look back at all the shenanigans and goings-on in the first show. She shines a hilarious spotlight on the best, the worst and the ‘must try harder next time’ bakes – plus there’s a chat with the first person in the baker’s dozen to leave the famous tent. The Real Housewives Of Auckland Hayu is a whole channel devoted to reality TV – what’s not to love? – and this new series gives an exclusive look into the glamorous galas, scintillating scandals and enormous egos of this group of luxury-loving ladies. Watch as they navigate the social scene of…

WIN £5 50 Both these sets of clues lead to the same answers, revealing in the shaded squares a BBC Two series with Jerome Flynn (6,6) STRAIGHT CLUES ACROSS 7 Business agreement (8) 9 Film names (6) 10 Crockery carrying item (4) 11 Degree of public acceptance (10) 12 Hand weapon (5) 14 Vast sea (5) 15 Examine (4) 16 Tend, look after (4) 17 A way in (5) 18 Poetry (5) 23 Origins (10) 24 Membership fees (4) 25 Yell of terror (6) 26 Good looking (8) DOWN 1 Grief (6) 2 Don’t leave (4) 3 Torches, etc. (5) 4 Spirit-making device (5) 5 Good looking, appealing (10) 6 Away from the East (8) 8 Faucets (4) 13 Held in check (10) 15 Inclination (8) 19 Emits water vapour,…