Table of contents for 8-2019 in Best

TOP TIP Mix and match tailored pieces to look smart and sophisticated. TOP TIP A pretty tea dress will see you through every occasion. TOP TIP A pair of well-cut jeans is a wardrobe must-have! Lengthen your legs by going for a straight leg with a high waist.…

‘I obviously can’t wait to spend some time with my wife, but it’s golf first’ MISSING GEM I do miss having Gemma around the place. Not when she’s The GC – when she’s just being Gemma. She’s actually a very warm-hearted person. I miss her giving me a big hug after a performance, teasing me or telling me the bits she loved about it. It’s definitely a lot quieter round here, without her. HAIR & MAKE-UP I do love sitting in make-up before a show. A lot of the team are old friends from Strictly, so it feels like a reunion! I got my eyebrows done for the first time last week. That’s the truth – I never even had a spray tan on Strictly. The female celebs love it,…

SUPER SUPPLEMENTS The sale of over-the-counter vitamins and supplements rose last year. This is hardly surprising, as many of us have come to realise the health benefits of boosting our body’s nutrition. A study published in the Journal Of The American College Of Nutrition noted that there has been a decline in the amounts of vitamins and minerals found in over 43 different fruits and vegetables over the past few years. This could be due to over-farming, water pollution and pesticides. Then add the shipping and storage time between harvesting and the products getting to the shops, and this can further reduce the nutritional value of these vital foods. Did you know that the apples in some supermarkets could have been picked six to 12 months before they show up…

CAROL McGIFFIN THE WAY I SEE IT… Wise words from our feisty, fearless and funny columnist ‘So, our secret is out – and, of course, many people have many questions, which I mostly answered last week here in best magazine. The most-asked one is, “Why get married in Thailand, and especially Bangkok?” Because it’s our favourite place in the world! I know a lot of people who’ve been to Bangkok but just don’t see it that way. And that’s fine. If you want order, super-clean streets, little traffic and less pollution, it’s definitely not the place for you. But all of those things are the reasons why we love it. Mostly, though, it’s the old clichéd reasons – the people, the food and the nightlife. Also, it’s the Chao Phraya…

The right skincare is a sure-fire route to a perkier face, and the instant answer actually lies in your make-up bag. Using the right formulations, colours and application know-how, you’re moments away from renewed radiance. Fake it yourself Rejuvenating facial scrub Sloughing off stubborn dead skin cells is a surefire way to get back your glow, paving the way for easy make-up application, too. When consumed, one kiwi contains more vitamin C than an orange. Applied topically, it has a brightening effect, and the seeds are gently exfoliating. Take 2tbsp granulated sugar and mix with 1tbsp olive oil. Peel and roughly chop one kiwi, and combine with the oil and sugar. Apply immediately to your face, gently massaging it in before rinsing thoroughly. Kept in an airtight container, this mixture…

TV presenter and first-time mum Christine Lampard made an emotional return to Loose Women last week, after giving birth to her first child, Patricia, last September. The Northern Irish beauty, who turned 40 earlier this month, opened up to co-hosts Nadia Sawalha, Stacey Solomon and Gloria Hunniford about becoming a parent with her husband, Derby County football manager Frank Lampard. Delighted to be back with her old crew, Christine was nevertheless trying to balance her emotions, as being back in the ITV studios clearly meant leaving her new baby at home. ‘It feels really strange,’ she admitted, tearing up. Christine isn’t the first mum to struggle with going back to work, and she won’t be the last! Recalling the moments before giving birth to Patricia – who, touchingly, is named after Frank’s…

Keeley Hawes, 43, is married to fellow actor Matthew Macfadyen. The mother-of-three also stars in ITV’s The Durrells and the BBC smash hit drama, The Bodyguard. Your character in Traitors, Priscilla, is quite scary! That wasn’t what I was aiming for. But she is a very senior civil servant and, as a woman, she gives no quarter. She knows how she has to behave in order to be taken seriously. Priscilla campaigns for the rights of married women to be allowed to work, too… Yes, and that was fascinating. I must have missed a chunk of history at school, because I didn’t know anything about that at all. Your character gets caught up with undercover agent Feef. Did you form a close bond with your co-star, Emma Appleton? We had lots…

One of our best-loved TV stars, Davina McCall might seem like she lives a charmed life, but she’s the first to admit that things aren’t always easy. And talking about those moments honestly, as she does, can only help others going through their own rough patches in life. The fitness guru and TV presenter can always be relied on to wear her heart on her sleeve. And, in a typically open recent interview, she said she sometimes ‘fakes a smile’, as she feels that people don’t want to see her sad. In a podcast for Fearne Cotton’s ‘Happy Place,’ Davina, currently presenting This Time Next Year on ITV, said of her bleakest times, ‘I was unhappy in my own skin.’ The 51-year-old mum-of-three said she now values her female friendships,…

1 Flashing back to 2001, a 20-year-old Kate Middleton meets Prince William at St Andrews University. She catches his eye when she struts the catwalk in a see-through dress. It’s also reported that her uncle, Gary Goldsmith, was filmed giving drugs to undercover reporters (he later denied drug-taking) and owns a party pad, dubbed Maison de Bang Bang, in Ibiza.2 2 After five years of dating the prince, discreet Kate gets labelled ‘Waity Katie’ – waiting around for William to put a ring on it. The pair split in 2007. During this time, the press ring Kate, asking about the break-up. She replies, ‘I’m terribly sorry. I’ve never commented to the press, and I don’t intend to start now.’ Kate keeps her dignity throughout. 3 In 2011, William and Kate…

Do you dream of gliding round the ice in the expert arms of a professional skater? Well, now you can! Matt Evers, our digital reporter this year for Dancing On Ice, has been part of the brilliant skating show since it first started – and he’s offering his skills for a one-to-one, one-hour skating session with a best reader (who can bring a plus one to watch!) at the lovely Queens Skate Dine Bowl in Bayswater, London, on Monday, 25 March at 3.30pm. You could be the lucky reader who wins the chance to meet Matt and pick up some top tips from the King of the Rink, as well as enjoying an overnight stay at the Hilton London Hyde Park with a friend/partner at a central London hotel, with…

‘If there’s one thing I’ve learned’ ‘Beware what you’re looking at online – just because it’s there doesn’t mean it’s normal.’ ‘And the winner is… Alisha Cowie.’ Me! I’d won… Tears streaked down my face as I was crowned Miss England. Looking out into the audience, cameras flashed and applause rang out. At 19, I’d come a long way from the nervous, anxious, bullied, anorexic girl I used to be. My problems began when I started secondary school. I’d joined the athletics team, loved cross country and was an avid netball player. But I wanted to be fitter and healthier, so I started to watch what I ate. Lots of fruit and veg, smaller helpings… Soon after, I decided to become vegetarian in a bid to lose more weight. Kids…

Terrible judge of character? A few years ago, when I first moved into the complex my family and I live in, I got close to a neighbour. I thought she was bubbly with a good heart, but within the last year, she’s changed and the worst thing is, she keeps trying to pop over! My gut instinct is she’s actually quite bitter about my happy family life (her long-term partner moved out, she has no kids and I suspect she’s quite lonely). Ideally, I’d phase her out, but is that possible, living so closely to someone? I’m beginning to hate the jealous comments and negative energy coming off her! Lindy, Norwich My very wise mum always used to say ‘Never surround yourself with negative people otherwise you become negative’. And she…

She always appears so self-contained - but, underneath that air of confidence, Vanessa Feltz seems to be fighting her own psychological battles, just like the rest of us. The radio presenter admitted recently that she is tormenting herself over her upcoming 57th birthday, and it’s nothing to do with grappling with a few new wrinkles or another grey hair. Heartbreakingly, it’s because Vanessa’s late mum, Valerie, died, aged just 57, in 1995. That the star is now approaching that same age is clearly freaking her out. ‘Try not to obsess about the fact that my mother died at the age of 57 years, five months and 13 days, and my 57th birthday is on 21 February’, Vanessa wrote in her weekly newspaper column, as one of her resolutions for 2019.…

Davina recently admitted that she often has to ‘sit on her hands’ to stop herself responding to vicious online trolls who have, on occasion, accused the presenter of being ‘too skinny’ and ‘a bad role model’ on social media. Talking to Ruth and Eamonn on ITV’s This Morning, the usually bubbly brunette explained, ‘I don’t care what other people say about that. If I believed I was a bad role model, I’d try and change it and become a good one. ‘Everybody is going to have an opinion. I try not to read [online comments] too much.’ We couldn’t agree more, Davina. Not everyone’s going to love you, but we do!…

Comfy casual Dress down with chilled-out jeans and trainers. All bright! Don’t be scared to make a style statement… TAP THE APP Download Stocard, described as the ‘wallet of the future’, and keep all your loyalty cards in one place. Mini marvel Go short for spring! Skirt the issue Team slouchy and silky fabrics.…

HOW IT WORKS 1 Bloating, stomach pain and cramps were daily symptoms for mum-of-twins Sara Chadwick, until she found that swapping out foods not absorbed properly in the small intestine had a positive effect. Sara wrote Tummy Revolution 21: Gut Health Made Simple, in which she advocates a low-FODMAP* diet – lower in the carb and gluten-based foods that can cause painful digestive problems, including IBS. Cutting out foods such as milk, garlic, apples, honey and yoghurt, plus short-chain carbs and processed meats, can ease the bloat. 2 The digestive tract is lined with trillions of gut flora that help with digestion. When they’re depleted, the stomach becomes super-sensitive to certain foods, making them hard to digest and causing bloating. 3 Swapping high-FODMAP foods for alternatives like lactose-free milk, oats,…

TOP TIP Update a traditional blue-and-white palette with shades of grey and white wood.…

In what he has called ‘the most difficult interview ever’, James Jordan, with his wife, Ola, has opened up about their desperation to start a family. And the two former Strictly Come Dancing professionals are now pinning their hopes on IVF to help realise their dream of starting a family. James, 40, and Ola, 36, confessed that they’d been trying to conceive for the past two years without success. ‘It was a shock,’ Ola said, even admitting that she thought, by now, she might be telling this story ‘in the past tense, with a bouncing baby in my arms’. ‘I would love to be a mum with all my heart, and I just thought it would happen naturally. James is also desperate to have babies… That’s the one gift I…

…working with husband Jeff Hordley, who plays Cain Dingle in the soap Our storylines rarely collide – I think that would drive me a bit nuts. [Zoe plays Rhona Goskirk.] Jeff and I talk about this all the time, but there are moments when we can’t stand each other. You have to work through the difficult times. …her passion for Italy I love Italians. I love their food, their culture and how they’re all about family. We go there pretty much every year, and we’ve even talked about buying somewhere. We went to Capri when I was pregnant with our daughter, and I was amazed at how such a tiny island had so much class, and so many designer shops! …being recognised As a woman over 40, I find people…

The found fame as feisty Angie Watts, the boozy landlady of The Queen Vic in 1985, when EastEnders first appeared on our screens. Since leaving the soap three years later, Anita Dobson has gone on to enjoy huge success. On TV, she’s featured in shows like Hotel Babylon and Red Dwarf, and appeared in West End musicals Wicked and Chicago. In 2011, in honour of her dear mum, Ann, who died from dementia in 2006, she even danced her heart out on Strictly Come Dancing. Now, the 69-year-old is treading the boards again as the emotionally battered Miss Hannigan in Annie. Anita, are you having fun playing Miss Hannigan in Annie The Musical? Another boozy bad girl! Oh, yes. I do play a lot of bad girls, don’t I? But I have a theory that to be able to play a really good…

WIN 1 X £200, 2 X £100 OR 3 X £50 PRIZES Use the anagrams, straight, cryptic, quiz and picture clues to solve the crossword. When completed correctly, the pink squares, reading top to bottom, left to right, will reveal the answer to the question below: Actor Tom Bennett, playing Del Boy in the newly opened Only Fools And Horses musical, will, in May, be starring in a biopic of Elton John. What is it called? (9) This is your prize answer. TO ENTER CALL 0900 100 0921 (UK 65ppm)† /1550 787026 (ROI 97cpm) † CODE: PUBSTN19083 ACROSS 3 What word connects a hot tangy sauce to a Latin American dance? (5) 6 Looks like you’ve finally met your ___, expression (5) 7 PICTUREA This is Jo who? (5) 8…

TRAVEL SNAPSHOT Skiers have more choice of resorts worldwide than ever, but what if you’re a beginner? SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental, one of 80 resorts in the Austrian Tirol, is among the world’s largest and most modern, with 90 cable cars and lifts, 284km of pistes (ski runs), state-of-the-art snow-making and grooming equipment, and 81 alpine huts housing restaurants and bars. From November to March, it’s like one massive, well-run snowy playground with nine villages, including Ellmau, three fun parks, an igloo village and illuminated toboggan runs, as well as the ski slopes. It also has 22 ski schools and some easy novice pistes, for learners… INSIDER’S GUIDE Beginners should base themselves in the splendid new Tirol Lodge in Ellmau. The ski equipment hire shop is just a couple of minutes’…