Table of contents for 39 - 2016 in Best

Did you know? Eamonn loves shopping with Ruth. She’s said, ‘I can spend a whole day in a department store with him looking at lamps. There’s not many men you can say that about!’ We know that the lovely Ruth Langsford can stand up for herself – she can keep husband Eamonn Holmes in his place – but we wouldn’t have had her down as a brawler. Yet that’s how she came across on The Saturday Show last week when she told presenter Matt Allwright she’d punch him… if he got too close to her hair! Matt and his co-host, Gaby Roslin, had been discussing a clip from US programme The Tonight Show in which presenter Jimmy Fallon ran his hands through presidential candidate Donald Trump’s hair (whatever floats your…

Did you know? An estimated 47,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and, of these, 15,000 go on to have reconstructive surgery. She’s known for her feisty, straighttalking ways, so it’s no surprise that Carol McGiffin doesn’t hesitate when asked why her wedding to fiancé, Mark Cassidy, has still not gone ahead. ‘No time!’ she screeches. ‘You know weddings take so much planning, and you know we’re in the middle of buying a house in France – hopefully we’ll be in before Christmas. I can’t drop it all – it’s too much. So, yes, I think [the wedding] will be next summer now.’ And there is another, more poignant reason for the delay in Carol and Mark’s wedding plans. ‘I’m booked in for reconstructive surgery in November,’ confesses…

Suitable for all Eucerin DermatoClean 3 in 1 Micellar Cleansing Fluid, £9 Leaves skin clean and blemish-free. Dirty Works Micellar Water, £4 This effective beauty steal is a great place to start if you're new to micellar. Good Things Acai Berry Multi-Tasking Micellar Water, £4.99 A light fluid with a fruity aroma, takes off makeup effortlessly. Dry & dehydrated skin NIVEA Gentle Micellar Water Dry Skin, £3.99 Soothing, but a bit of elbow grease is needed to remove mascara. No7 Beautiful Skin Micellar Cleansing Water for Normal/Dry Skin, £5.99 Ideal for deep cleansing, but use plenty of moisturiser. Superdrug Vitamin E Micellar Water, £2.99 Simple to use, but won't perform miracles. A good budget buy, but there are better. Sensitive skin Boots Simply Sensitive Micellar Water, £1.99 Fragrance-free and cleanses…

Like a car, your body only works at its best when you look after it properly, and it should be routinely monitored for problems. Too many of us only see our doctor when we think something is wrong, yet prevention is far better than cure. Dr Ellie Cannon shares the seven most important NHS health checks for women in their 40s and above. BEWARE OF BREAST CANCER Two million women attend a mammogram each year in this country. Any woman registered with a UK doctor is invited to attend from the age of 47 up until 73, every three years. A mammogram is an X-ray of each breast that’s designed to pick up early cancers. The breasts are pressed between metal plates, and it’s not a comfortable procedure, but it’s…

Time to cover up Changeable weather calls for stylish cover-ups that will help you breeze through autumn in style. • For a look that will never date, you can’t go wrong with a trench mac. Try a suede (or faux suede) style over a floral dress, or smarten it up with heels and trousers. • Splash out on a faux-fur gilet now and you’ll wear it all winter. • A bold-print bomber teams equally well with jeans or over your favourite LBD this party season. • The classic biker is still hot. Update with a change of colour, such as khaki or nude. • A cape is super-cosy, and adds instant glamour. Layer over a shirt and jeans, or use it to transform a simple shift dress for a night…

HOW IT WORKS 1 The key point is portion size. In a recent trial of slimmers, people were eating just 50-60g of (cooked) pasta at a time – that’s just a handful or two of cooked pasta (around 20g dry weight). 2 Start each meal with a salad. Not only will this fill you up, but it also lowers how much sugar you produce after eating pasta, which helps fight weight gain. 3 lowly to sugar in your system. 4 Even better, cook it and cool it. This creates high quantities of resistant starch in the pasta, which fills us up but can’t be absorbed by our body. This reduces the number of calories. You can warm it again by plunging it into boiling water, then draining. 5 Experts found…

Tasty toppers Give any dish a burst of flavour with the help of Baxters’ new Deli Toppers, £1.49. The individual jars of Spicy Slaw or Red Slaw are great served as an accompaniment to lacklustre salads, or use them as a fast way to tart up homemade kebabs, fajitas or burgers. MULTI-PURPOSE PAN Gadget worth the investment The Copper Chef, £49.99, (highstreettv.com) does the job of a steamer, stock pot, wok, roasting pan and even a baking dish – genius! With a Cerami-Tech coating, too, so nothing sticks! gasp Fab for the freezer For a delicious sweet treat, stock up on M&S Frozen Cookies, £2.80 for eight. Made using the same recipe as the cookies found in M&S bakeries, each batch is frozen straight away to keep them fresh. Delicious!…

Davina McCall has survived many things - being abandoned and later betrayed by her mother, drug addiction and losing her half-sister, Caroline, far too young (she was just 50) to cancer. But each devastating blow has, she says, taught her to be stronger - and wiser. One of her darkest moments happened just months after she married her husband, the former Pet Rescue presenter Matthew Robertson, 16 years ago. Picking up a weekend paper, she saw her own face, accompanied by the words, ‘Mummy, I need a meeting.’ Like a knife through the heart, Davina knew instantly her French mother, Florence, was behind the article. Months earlier, Davina had brought her mum to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, hoping the shared experience would finally create an intimacy the pair had never…

When I read last week that firms such as Next, Starbucks and British Airways won’t allow employees to have visible body art, I was surprised. So David Beckham, who is covered in tattoos, wouldn’t get a job at Next then? Right... One in three 16- to 44-year-olds now has a tattoo, and their popularity is on the rise. So, to me, such strict company policies will end up ruling out a lot of job options for a fair few people! Is it just me, or is that unfair? Unless we’re talking about a spider’s web all over someone’s face, or something offensive, it certainly doesn’t bother me when I see a tattoo on someone serving me in a shop. It’s art – some are like beautiful paintings. When I was…

JOIN THE CONVERSATION Ashley Graham definitely wasn’t asking if her bum looked big in this as she showed that thighs really do matter on the catwalk earlier this month. The 27-year-old plussize model has never let her curves hold her back in her career, and has appeared in magazines like Cosmo and Elle. And, as she showcased her own range of lingerie at New York Fashion Week, we couldn’t help but notice that the stunning American had never looked better. After the show, she tweeted, ‘For any girl or woman who’s ever felt they weren’t represented in fashion/TV/media because of their size – you are now.’ Talk about female empowerment… we like! Would you like to see more fashion models who reflect real women? WHAT DO YOU THINK? Tell us…

It’s a man’s world! In Topshop, a white tee for women costs £12. The Topman version? £8. Forever young For bargain beauty products, try the baby aisle. Instead of posh adult moisturiser, try Waitrose Bottom Butter at £2.31 per 100ml. Baby wipes cost 1p each, and baby oil is 45p per 100ml. Cotton buds and cottonwool balls? Same product at a lower price! To save on clothes, bear in mind that, in most high street shops, the only differences between the adult and teen ranges are the way they’re marketed. Kids’ clothes are not liable for VAT, so they’re at least 20 per cent cheaper. You don’t have to be tiny, either – a Next outfit for a 16-year-old is the equivalent of an adult size 10-12. DO IT FOR…

BEST’S CELEBRITY INSIDER TALKS TO MATT GOSS You’re best known as part of 80s boyband Bros, but you’ve just finished a seven-year run headlining your own Las Vegas show. How did that come about? Just by luck! A producer at the Palms Casino in Vegas saw a video of me and asked to see me, and the next thing I know, I have my own show. Nine months later, Caesars Palace [another Las Vegas casino/hotel] said they wanted me. Seven years on, I’ve only just left! Has your success in America surprised you? Yes – I’ve been humbled by it. To have an audience for my show every night for over seven years was incredible, considering how many big stars play that town. I’m still just a south London boy…

Did you Know? The last film the former lovebirds starred in together was 2015’s By The Sea, about a couple whose marriage is in crisis. Oh, the irony! Or was it based on true events..? I’m dedicating this show to [Brangelina]’, announced Adele last Tuesday at her concert in New York. The Brit singer was referring to what she called ‘the elephant in the room’ – that Angelina Jolie, 41, was filing for divorce from Brad Pitt. And no sooner had the bombshell dropped, than the rumour mill surrounding the power couple’s sudden demise swung into overdrive. We may never know exactly what went wrong – but something has clearly made Ange very angry. The glam couple, who married in 2014, had been together since 2004 – famously meeting on…

Did you know? Endometriosis is extremely painful and affects two million women in the UK, most diagnosed between the ages of 25 and 40. Andrea was diagnosed aged 28. As Loose Women’s longest-serving anchorwoman, with nine years under her belt, Andrea McLean is a familiar sight at the helm of ITV’s famous all-female panel show. Which is why things just won’t feel the same for the next few weeks. Andrea, 46, will be absent for the next month, after undergoing a hysterectomy last week. The op was needed because she has suffered two decades of pain and fertility issues due to endometriosis, a condition in which tissue forms outside the womb, causing internal scarring. Despite initially fearing she might never become a mum, she had two children – Finlay, 14,…

The night Tom, my husband, died, I wrapped myself in his dressing gown, sprayed the pillow with his aftershave and slept on his side of the bed, desperate to feel close to him just one more time. Almost a year on, the smell from Tom’s clothes is fading. But the desperate longing to feel his warm arms around me is still as strong as ever. Night times are the worst. When the kids are asleep and the house is silent, my mind fills with thoughts of him. I replay the happy times, and relive his final moments, when the brain tumour he’d been diagnosed with three years earlier finally took him. Tom, only 32 when he died, wasn’t just my husband – he was my hero, too. He had spent…

THE STRICTLY CURSE If love blossoms it’s a blessing, look at Pasha and Rachel! If Strictly splits you up, it means there was already a crack in the building. Take Louise Redknapp – she and Jamie are solid - it’s just not going to happen. SHE’S A ‘REAL WOMAN’ There’s so much buzz around Daisy Lowe, she’s beautiful, with such a spark. She’s a real woman, very curvaceous. She reminds me of Monica Bellucci or Sophia Loren, but besides all that beauty she seems funny and down-toearth. As the live shows pick up pace, it’s time to swoon over the dancing beauties… Special requests It’s totally reasonable for a celebrity not to wear a dress she feels uncomfortable in. And why should you use fake tan if you don’t like…

Undercover arms Wide kimono-style sleeves create a slimming effect. In and trim A fitted waist accentuates hourglass curves. TOP TIP This season is ruled by blooms. So remember, the bolder and brighter, the better! Top secret tie Opt for a subtle side tie that will balance out your figure, especially if you are pear-shaped. Walk tall A fitted shirt with wide leg trousers is a great look to take leggy ladies from day to night.…

She lived for just six short years, yet her face is famous around the world. Nearly two decades ago, child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey was found dead in the basement of her family home in Boulder, Colorado. The pictures of her, heavily made-up and in provocative outfits, now appear sinister, with the knowledge that the little girl was doomed never to reach adulthood. As soon as it hit the headlines, the case sparked worldwide interest and, as it remained unsolved, has spawned hundreds of theories and accusations. So it’s not surprising that in the run-up to the 20th anniversary, there have been no less than four TV shows made – and one has controversially named Burke, JonBenét’s brother, who was nine at the time, as the killer. It was 5.52am…

‘If there’s one thing I’ve learnt’ Exercise is never going to be easy – it’s hard work and takes some dedication – but find something you love doing and go for it! Fifty, fat and frumpy – that’s what I was. There was no getting away from it. I hated my 23st 10lb, size 30, blobby body, and covered it up with baggy tops and stretchy trousers. If I could avoid having my photo taken, I would, and I never, ever dared to look at myself in mirrors. My husband of 32 years, Nick, 54, loved me whatever weight I was. As did my kids, Matthew, 28, and Helen, 24. But I was deeply unhappy with my size. The problem was, I’d been big for so long, I really didn’t…

Roasted fruit salad Intensely flavoured and– colourful, this hot fruit medley makes a lovely autumn pudding. SERVES 4 PREP 10 mins COOK 20 mins Per serving Cals 100, fat 0g, sat fat 0g, carbs 22g 4 plums, halved 2 pears, halved 3 sticks of rhubarb, sliced diagonally 3 figs, halved 2 oranges, quartered Handful of fresh cranberries (optional) Pinch of sugar (optional) Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg Handful of pomegranate seeds (optional) YOU WILL NEED A lightly greased roasting tin 1 Preheat oven to 190ºC /170ºC fan/gas 5. Add plums, pears, rhubarb, figs and oranges to a roasting tin, spreading them out as much as you can. Scatter over cranberries, if using. 2 Add sugar, if using, and nutmeg. Shake the tin to coat, then put in the oven and…

TRAVEL SNAPSHOT With over 2,000 years of history on offer, it’s not surprising that over seven million tourists flocked to Italy’s capital last year. Peak season for tourism is between June and August, but with temperatures reaching over 30°C then – and outdoor sightseeing the number-one appeal – it’s better to visit in spring or autumn, when it’s cooler for a stroll around the city. Getting around is easy enough and can be done by various means of transport, including by boat and even by Segway! You’ll need at least a few nights in the city to tick off the major must-do’s – Rome wasn’t built in a day, as the saying goes! INSIDER’S GUIDE Thanks to a generous €1.5 million donation from fashion house Bulgari, Rome’s Spanish Steps, made…

Win EVERY WEEK Both these sets of clues lead to the same answers, revealing in the shaded squares an upcoming mystery thriller starring Tom Hanks (7). WIN 1 X £200, 2 X £100 OR 3 X £50 PR IZES STRAIGHT CLUES ACROSS 7 Garden cooked meal (8) 9 Admiring (6) 10 Trust (4) 11 Yale or Cambridge, e.g. (10) 12 A narrow piece of land (5) 14 Fashionable trait (5) 15 Price (4) 16 Observe, notice (4) 17 Carmen, e.g. (5) 18 Slight damage to glass (5) 23 Percentage payment on results (10) 24 Got older (4) 25 Citrus fruit (6) 26 Paper file (8) DOWN 1 Most secure (6) 2 Follow orders (4) 3 Clean with a brush (5) 4 From another planet (5) 5 Empire State Building, e.g. (10)…