Table of contents for 38 - 2022 in Best

1 BABY COCONUTS… Three Capybara pups have been born to new mum, Coconut at Chester Zoo. For adorable footage of the new babies, head to @chesterzoo on Instagram, now! 2 Who wowed the crowd? Jewel colours add a luxe touch to any dress! Cat Deeley, 45, took on the strapless trend in a Tarik Ediz design, while Amanda Holden, 51, added a touch of sparkle courtesy of her Suzanne Neville gown. Meanwhile, Dannii Minogue, 50, went for a one-shoulder wonder from L’IDÉE. 3 POWERHOUSE POOCH! Christie Brinkley posed with fashion powerhouse Iris Apfel, 101, and her dog, Chester, for this snap recently. The 68-year-old model wrote: ‘Chester has a new best friend, creative powerhouse and party girl extraordinaire, @iris.apfel. Come back soon Iris! We all love you here at Tower Hill’. Bold brights and a…

1 HOW DOES IT WORK? Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) works by giving you the option to spread payments over smaller instalments. However, 45 per cent of those who used it in the last year had missed at least one payment, according to Comparethemarket, and 48 per cent said they had incurred additional fees. Although the average BNPL transaction tends to be relatively low, there’s nothing to stop shoppers taking out multiple agreements. Campaigners have said that it allows users to build up debt with no credit checks and few protections. 2 BASICS V LUXURIES With the cost of living crisis pushing up prices, recent research by Hargreaves Lansdown (HL) found that people are now using BNPL to buy essentials rather than luxuries. ‘One in 10 have used it to…

The Great British Bake Off is back for a 13th series and judges Paul Hollywood, 56, and Prue Leith, 82, return to their famous white tent to test another batch of awesome amateurs. This time, the duo and their comedian co-hosts Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding are reinstalled on the lawn of Welford Park in Berkshire. As proceedings kick off with Cake Week, Prue and Paul talk tears, talent and the trouble with tucking into tent treats… Bake Off is back! Last year, you opened with a spoof of the 1992 Billy Ray Cyrus hit Achy Breaky Heart. Can you better that this time? Paul Oh, yeah! The opening sketch was a dream come true for me. It follows in the line of the others from Boris to Billy Ray…

We’ve teamed up with premium and ethical wellness brand VAHDAM India to offer 10 lucky readers the chance of winning an award-winning selection of teas and some elegant teaware VAHDAM India is a certified climate and plastic neutral company which is loved by global icons Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey and Ellen DeGeneres, among others. Ten winners will receive a simply stunning Bloom tea set 12 tin caddy worth £54, and a Radiance glass teapot with infuser, worth £24.99. The gift set comprises an assortment of 12 garden-fresh teas in an exquisite gift box – from English breakfast black tea to cardamom masala chai, packaged in exclusive and regal tin caddies. Take your pick and indulge in this play of flavours. The clear glass of the dishwasher-safe Radiance tea pot allows…

Novelist Lisa Hilton recently said online dating had dehumanised a generation of women. Here, our readers share their own online horror stories… Looking around the room, I couldn’t see anyone who looked vaguely like the man I was meant to be meeting. But just as I was about to take a seat to wait for him, someone caught my eye and beamed expectantly at me. ‘Oh hi,’ I stammered. ‘Sorry, I didn’t see you there.’ As I sat down, I felt a familiar disappointment. Because I had seen him. It was just, with his bald head, he looked completely different to the pictures – with a full head of hair – on his dating profile. I’d divorced my first husband back in 1997 and at first, I hadn’t had problems…

Do you know what I can’t stand? When a hotel hosts a wedding, and then completely ignores any guests who aren’t invited to that wedding. Recently, I was working away (on a secret, hush-hush TV project) and after an exhausting day of showing off, I had a bath and then attempted to get some room service. Back in the olden days, a room service menu would be left in your room, alongside other hotel info regarding health and sports facilities and maybe some stuff about places of interest you might like to visit. Post-Covid, all this paper info has disappeared, these days you are expected to scan a bar code off the in-house telly menu and presumably use an app to order. Call me old-fashioned, I still like to phone…

…but sadly, not with Emma at the helm. The Voice UK host was the third presenter of Big Brother in the UK, following on from original host Davina McCall on Channel 4 and former housemate Brian Dowling. ITV2 has yet to confirm any details about the team for its 2023 revival of the reality show, but Emma has seemingly already ruled herself out. In a recent interview, she said, ‘I think with every new era of Big Brother, there should be a new host… You know, I loved my time on the show, and I very much kind of said goodbye to it back then because we thought it was over. I don’t tend to go back. I like to move forward.’…

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH best For a special one-off, EastEnders is transported to the Winter of 1979, as the Mitchells are hit hard by a Britain in economic turmoil. Peggy has her hands full keeping the boys and Sam and the household in line, while her marriage to Eric is showing its cracks. Here, 37-year-old actress Jaime Winstone – who has taken on the iconic role of Peggy, after starring in a Barbara Windsor biopic on TV – talks about the late Carry On star, filling big shoes, and that Seventies look… How did you feel when you were asked to take on the role of Peggy Mitchell? It was a real honour to be asked to step into Barbara’s shoes again. I really felt like my journey with Barbara hadn’t…

GMB host Ben Shephard, former pro footie player Chris Kamara and TV presenter Rochelle Humes are back fronting Ninja Warrior, the gameshow that sees competitors test their strength, speed and courage over a gruelling obstacle course. This time, there is a knockout structure to find male and female champions, where contenders not only face each other and a tough new course – but come head-to-head with the Elite Ninjas – a team of professional athletes, determined to beat them (scary!). Here, mumof- three Rochelle, 33, reveals the show’s brand-new format – and her ‘superhuman’ co-host… What’s it like to be back after three years?! We just have the absolute best time! We make the show because we love it, it’s fun and exciting – but you get those moments where you…

Out in cinemas now, Fisherman’s Friends: One and All is the sequel to the heartwarming 2019 film, Fisherman’s Friends, inspired by the true story of Cornwall’s famous group of sea shanty singers. It’s almost a year after the success of the men’s debut album, and some of them are struggling to cope with the pressures of fame and personal tragedy… Can disillusioned lead singer Jim’s (James Purefoy) spirits be lifted by his friends, performing and new love interest Aubrey (Imelda May)? Once again, the county’s beautiful, real-life scenery threatens to steal the show, from Port Isaac and its nearby beaches, to the spectacular open-air Minack Theatre built into the cliffs at Porthcurno Bay. No wonder visitors flock to Cornwall any time of year. For more info on the county, see…

1 THE MASCARA THAT FAKES A LASH LIFT Besides length, the most wanted result from a mascara has to be volume. When lash lifts cost about £60 a pop, why not look to a trusty tube instead? Formulas are working harder than ever, and the brand new L’Oréal Paris Pro XXL [Lift], £12.99, is double-ended, infused with pro-keratin for extra oomph in an instant and long-lasting strength. Initial trials showed that 79 per cent of users would switch from a professional salon lash lift to this. Impressive! 2 THE SALON GLOSS TREATMENT IN A BOTTLE Continual heat styling and battling the elements means our locks can lose their youthful lustre. Salon gloss treatments add temporary pigment to boost your colour, with conditioning formulas to help soften and nourish, adding in…

People often ask how I can bear to work with violent offenders in close quarters, sitting alone in small rooms giving them therapy. When I’m asked what I do for a living, I’m inclined to tell people I’m a florist. It saves the impromptu lecture that usually follows when I reveal that I am a psychiatrist and psychotherapist who works with killers. ‘You mean you actually talk to those monsters?’ I’m asked. As I’ve gone on in my work, I’ve realised that it’s possible to have a kind of radical empathy for people, to feel compassion for those who’ve done terrible things, while also maintaining a little distance. For me, radical empathy is getting down to the root of something. If we want to understand violence and cruelty, we want…

By 1939, Britain was at war, and the Royal Family found themselves at the centre of a coordinated propaganda campaign to boost morale at home and show resolve to our enemies abroad. Like her parents, the young Princess Elizabeth was expected to play her part. Rather than being sent away to the safety of Canada, like some other privileged children, Elizabeth and Margaret were kept close to home at Windsor Castle, while the King and Queen resolutely stayed in London during the Blitz. When the Luftwaffe bombed Buckingham Palace in September 1940, the Queen shrugged off the damage, saying, ‘Well, it makes me feel I can look the East End in the face.’ She also refused to replace the glass in some of the palace windows and had a black…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH From fearless firefighters who risk their lives to do their jobs, to those who raise thousands for charity, and people who have done something incredible that has turned someone else’s life around, there are heroes in all walks of life. We’re looking for the ordinary men and women going to extraordinary lengths to help others. So whether you know a member of the emergency services, someone who has performed a heroic act, a selfless charity fundraiser or someone who has triumphed over the odds, we want to hear about them. THE best HEROES These people, although they may not think it, are all heroes who have stood firm in the face of adversity – and we want to celebrate their great achievements. TO NOMINATE THEM If you…

1 The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice CHANNEL 4, FRIDAY, 8PM NEW SERIES Host Jo Brand is joined by celeb fans Harry Hill, Melvin Odoom and Roisin Conaty, to discuss the new batch of bakers and to tuck into the events of Cake Week. Tom Allen is back to judge the bakes brought along by the brave studio audience, and Jo rifles through photos of the wonderful and woeful bakes created by viewers at home. Plus, unseen footage from the tent and an exclusive interview with the first baker to leave. 2 All Creatures Great And Small CHANNEL 5, THURSDAY, 9PM NEW SERIES Three months have passed, and it is now spring 1939, with big changes happening at Skeldale. Tristan is now a qualified vet, while James enters…

Rochelle is a proud mum to Alaia-Mai, nine, Valentina, five, and Blake, one – who she shares with JLS’s Marvin Humes–and the star recently opened up about an incident that had her close to tears on a flight. ‘Before I had children, I was kind of in that camp,’ she admitted, referring to those who would probably like to see adult-only flights. ‘However, it didn’t really bother me, I’d have my headphones in, I’d watch a film, get my head down. If I heard it, it’s someone else’s problem, right?’ But since having a little one, my two girls are very good fliers but my son not so much. I had a flight where a guy said, “Aren’t you going to shut him up?”. I was that close to bursting into…

WIN 1 X £ 200, 2 X £100 OR 3 X £50 PRIZES ACROSS 4 Radiating light; clever (6) 7 Inner (8) 8 Sum charged (3) 9 Circular storage medium (4) 10 Six-legged arthropod (6) 11 Worried and nervous (7) 12 Chum (5) 15 Liquid essential for life (5) 17 Specify by name (7) 20 Happen again (6) 21 Legendary story (4) 22 Colourant (3) 23 Vivid (of a colour) (8) 24 Inside of (6) DOWN 1 E.g. from New Delhi (6) 2 Explain using words (8) 3 Smallest amount (7) 4 Implement used for cleaning (5) 5 Talented (6) 6 A score (6) 13 Last (8) 14 Atmospheric phenomenon (7) 15 Glass opening in a wall (6) 16 Imminent danger (6) 18 Set of clothes (6) 19 Number of…

A screen icon, Diane Keaton is still going strong at 76. The eccentric actress, who won an Oscar for her role in Woody Allen’s 1977 romantic comedy, Annie Hall, currently stars in comedy flick, Mack & Rita. Here, the outspoken mum-of-two, who has never married but has two adopted children (daughter Dexter, 27, and son Duke, 22), opens up about playing a woman who goes from 30 to 70 overnight, why she loves kissing scenes, her sense of style and how she wholeheartedly agrees with the idea that age is just a number… What did you love about Mack & Rita? The idea of being a woman of a certain age, which I am, who just goes out there and goes for it as opposed to being like, ‘If I have…

It’s the sight that her devoted subjects have long dreaded - the flag hanging at half mast at Buckingham Palace - the confirmation of the desperately sad news that Her Majesty the Queen had died - at the age of 96. Even before the news broke - the crowds had started to gather at her Majesty’s London home - waiting for the announcement that we were all dreading. North of the Border, at a suitably rainy Balmoral, people gathered to begin mourning - and pay their respects to a woman who gave us tireless service. She passed away peacefully at the Scottish retreat where she was always at her happiest……

JOIN THE CONVERSATION Are you doing most of the household chores? It’s no secret that in homes across the country, chores like putting the washing out and doing the cooking are still allocated disproportionately. Whether it’s leaving the toilet seat up or hoovering the lounge, 39 per cent of couples have revealed most of their arguments arise from cleaning. The research, commissioned by Method, found conflicts over household chores leads to a relationship breakdown for over 59 per cent of people. However, research by Grocer revealed 30 per cent of millennials say they like cleaning and even turn to social media for inspiration from influencers like Mrs Hinch. Do you wish your other half helped more? Or do you prefer to do it yourself? Tell us what you think… WHAT…

W7 BEAUTY BLAST ADVENT CALENDAR £19.95 (w7makeup.co.uk) Find full-size and travel edition make-up, beauty and even hair accessories from this brilliant value brand to take you through December. HOLLAND & BARRETT 25 DAYS OF CONSCIOUS BEAUTY ADVENT CALENDAR £55 (Sign up to the waiting list at hollandandbarrett.com/shop/advent-calendars/beauty) With 14 full-size products, find brands including Weleda, Ethique, Q+A, plus own brand products. In total, the items are worth over £180. ELLE BEAUTY ADVENT CALENDAR £175 (hearstmagazines.co.uk/elle-ac-best) A big investment, but a worthy one when you consider you’ll be saving over £580 in products! You’ll find brands including Aveda, Nails Inc and Bobbi Brown, with highlights including nine full-sized products, and a candle, too! PRETTY LITTLE THING BEAUTY ADVENT CALENDAR £45 (prettylittlething.com) Count up the value of all the products and it’s…

DAUGHTER BEING BLACKMAILED My 19-year-old daughter split up with her boyfriend last month – but now it’s turned very sour and if she won’t meet him, he’s threatening to post a naked picture she’d sent him to all his friends, which include some of her university pals, too. I am absolutely disgusted at his behaviour, and my daughter is in a total state. I wish she’d never sent a naked bloody picture to him in the first place, but that’s neither here nor there, now. What can I do to help? Kelly, Lanchester If this man sends an intimate picture of your daughter to others without her consent he is breaking the law. This offence could earn him up to seven years in jail. He is effectively blackmailing her into…

Indulge in a relaxing getaway with this overnight spa stay for two at Bannatyne Charlton House in rural Somerset, courtesy of Buyagift. Perfect for a romantic break or relaxing with a friend, this four-star experience will leave you refreshed and ready for anything! On arrival, you’ll be shown to your individually designed room, with either original beam ceilings or stunning garden views and free Wi-Fi. Enjoy a 25-minute Swedish back, neck and shoulder massage, a seasonal scrub or Elemis facial. You’ll each have access to the Moroccan-themed spa facilities, including a hydrotherapy pool, experience showers, crystal steam room, Finnish sauna, ice fountain and Laconium. You can also use the fantastic gym and join in with the regular fitness classes, subject to schedule. In the evening, you’ll sit down to a…

After a three-year break due to the pandemic, Emma Willis, returns to life as a Maternity Care Assistant at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Essex, for a third series of Delivering Babies. The 46-year-old star’s work sees her living out her childhood dream, following in the footsteps of mum Cathy (who also worked as an MCA). Alongside colleagues old and new, the mum-of-three will work up to 40 hours a week, assisting in high-risk caesareans, vaginal births and working on the antenatal and postnatal wards to care for new mums and their babies. Here, Emma, who is married to Busted’s Matt Willis, tells us more… It’s great to have Delivering Babies back. How did you feel, stepping back into the Princess Alexandra Hospital? It felt incredible to step back on to…

EASTENDERS Alfie begs Kat to reconsider marrying Phil, but a furious Kat puts him in his place. Phil arrives and squares up to Alfie, but Kat assures Phil she’ll meet him at the altar. Once Phil has left, Alfie tries his luck with Kat but she forces him to go. Meanwhile, Billy panics to learn what Freddie has done but he eventually returns with a hat for Janet. EMMERDALE Priya worries Liam’s in denial about the reality of the situation and asks Jai for help in managing Liam’s expectations for Leyla’s rehabilitation. Later, as Jai coaches Liam on how best to deal with Leyla’s rehabilitation, Liam’s hit with the hard truth of dealing with an addict. Meanwhile, a guilty Mackenzie beats himself up over his one night stand and he…

SEARCH ME! Can you find the bones in the grid? They will be placed only once and may be either horizontal, vertical or diagonal and go either forwards or backwards. There is one word listed that isn’t in the grid – can you work out which one it is? CALCANEUS CLAVICLE COCCYX FEMUR FIBULA HUMERUS INCUS MALLEUS MANDIBLE MAXILLA PATELLA RADIUS SACRUM SCAPULA STAPES STERNUM TALUS TIBIA TRAPEZIUM ULNA SUDOK-GO! Fill the grid using the numbers from 1 to 9 only. Each number must appear once in every column, row and 3x3 square. Now, off you sudok-go! WORD WHEEL Find as many words of three or more letters in the wheel as you can. Each word must use the central letter and a selection from the outer wheel – no…