Table of contents for 36-2021 in Best

Born at the end of the Sixties, I have clear memories of being at my Grandma Wykes’ house in London’s Kentish Town in the early Seventies. Unlike Jane Moore, on page 9, the bath wasn’t outside, but the loo was. My little sister and I remember the long walk down the garden path to, well, a shed. The loo was black and white, probably ceramic and possibly worth a retro fortune these days. Back then, it was just a cold place to go in the Winter. But there was a very nice white crochet cover over the toilet roll with a doll’s head, so it looked like a bride. My Irish nan, Bridget O’Dea, had an inside loo but no heating – just the warmth from the cooker, where we…

Journalist and Loose Woman Jane Moore sparked quite the reaction when she revealed details of her upbringing recently. The usually private Jane showed off an unusual feature at her holiday accommodation – taking the opportunity to point out that it was reminiscent of her childhood home. Taking to Instagram, the 59-year-old posted a photo of herself sitting on a rusticlooking balcony wearing jeans, a white sleeveless top and trainers–a metal bath was positioned behind her and the image was captioned: ‘When I was a young kid, we didn’t have a bathroom. We had an outside loo and a tin bath we’d bring in from the shed on “bath night”…’ She went on with more than a touch of irony, ‘Luckily, I was an only child so didn’t have to share…

Kate broke a-three-month Twitter silence last week, responding to fans praising her memoir, The Power of Hope. One woman said: ‘My holiday read – can highly recommend it. So inspirational and another insight into the impact of-Covid-19. I hope Kate, Derek, Darcey and Billy are making small “steps” forward with their lives.’ Kate responded: ‘I really hope you get something from it – have a good holiday.’ Another wrote, ‘I am a Covid (ventilated) survivor and need care 24/7. You are an inspiration to others… I arranged for my husband to get away. We called on family to support me.’ Kate messaged back, saying: ‘I’m so sorry to hear that – keep taking steps forward, however small they feel. Family and friends are such a gift during these times.’…

Q I have very large visible pores on my T-zone. Is there anything I can do to make them smaller? Abigail, Norwich A As we age, the skin around pores becomes less elastic, making them appear larger. Make-up, trapped oil and dead skin cells can also block pores and make them more visible. remove anything your cleanser can’t shift. Stick to a lightweight moisturiser that easily sinks into the skin and doesn’t get trapped, like Bioderma Hydrabio Gel-Cream, £15.20. Silicone primers, like M&S Autograph Hydrating Confidence Boost Primer, £12.50, can help make them appear smaller, so foundation sticks to that smooth surface, not into pores. Retinol before bed promotes cell regeneration, and will also help to shed old skin cells in order to prevent them causing blockages. Try the Ordinary…

Strawberry and Almond Galette Hands-on time: 30min, plus chilling Cooking time: About 40min Serves 8 FOR THE PASTRY 300g plain flour, plus extra to dust150g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed50g caster sugar1 medium egg yolk, plus 1 whole eggbeaten, to glaze2tbsp flaked almonds FOR THE FRANGIPANE 75g unsalted butter, softened75g caster sugar1 medium egg yolk1tsp almond extract75g ground almondsFinely grated zest of 1 lemon40g fresh white breadcrumbs500g strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced FOR THE GLAZE 2tbsp strawberry jamIcing sugar, to dust 1 For the pastry, pulse flour and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles breadcrumbs (alternatively, rub butter into flour using your fingertips). Add sugar and 1tsp fine salt and pulse/mix to combine. Add egg yolk and 2tbsp cold water and pulse/mix with a cutlery knife until just…

Suspicion immediately fell on Christopher (pictured right). Erin had texted a friend the day before she had disappeared, telling her that she was going to the desert to meet her lover. She’d even confided that she thought he was going to propose. Friends also said Erin was pregnant – although the body was too decayed for medical examiners to confirm this when she was found. But of course, if she was expecting, was the baby Jon’s or Christopher’s? Did Erin even know? If she was going to have a baby, this could have led to the couple’s affair being exposed… Was this something Christopher wanted? Could it have led to him killing her? Police certainly thought this was a possibility and arrested him immediately. Yet Christopher denied everything. He claimed that…

Between last breaths my wife Ruth told me how another man led her to me. A wife can only admit such a thing when her husband is weak from counting pills and changing bedsheets. And a husband can only pat his wife’s hand and say he always knew. Now I’m here, in the cabin she occupied when we met. There’s a crab towel on the pillow. Ruth always folded towels into animal shapes and left them on our guest bed for friends. I’ve never undone the last two she made. Ruth never thought she’d marry. At thirty-nine she accepted spinsterhood and booked a cruise. Brazen for a single woman, it was met with reproach. ‘Won’t you be lonely?’ friends said. ‘Won’t you get lost?’ In a simple cabin on the…

Shona McGarty joined the cast of EastEnders as a teenager, playing the role of troubled Whitney Dean. Here, the star talks about how she copes with feisty Whitney’s often dramatic storylines, her joy at being nominated for Best Serial Drama Performance at this year’s National Television Awards, and how she still struggles with anxiety. Shona, 29, currently single, lives with her two beloved pooches, Coco and Cene. Shona, you joined EastEnders as a teenager in 2008. Do you remember you first day on-set? I do, yes. I remember trying on Whitney’s costume and loving it, putting on her big hoop earrings. But the shoes they gave me didn’t fit. Adam Woodyatt, who played Ian Beale, came over and helped me get the right size. I was totally starstruck. On that…

Who knew? We were all convinced the second restrictions lifted we’d be furiously making up for lost time. We thought the moment the world opened up again, we’d be grabbing life with both hands. We’d imagined ourselves dressed in all our finery, teetering along in our heels, hair immaculately balayaged, nails freshly painted, eyebrows feathered, downing a vat of cocktails in the compelling company of all the friends we’d so sorely missed. We believed the only thing holding us back would be lack of cash. If we could just manage to stretch our finances we’d be first on that plane, snapping up lip liner at the Duty Free, slapping our towels down to reserve those sunbeds and whooping it up until dawn in the sweatiest nightclub we could find. Surprise!…

HOW IT WORKS If you want to slim healthily, piling your plate with fruit and vegetables is the way to do it. They’re low in calories and full of filling fibre, which makes a diet easier to stick to. But, if you want to get the most health benefits alongside your weight loss, it’s time to shake up your ratio of fruit and veg – and make veggies your diet stars. A new study from the US’s Harvard Medical School has discovered that people who eat more vegetables than fruit every day live longer – particularly if they eat lots of leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale, orange veg like carrots and vitamin C-packed red peppers and berries. The optimum ratio, if you’re eating five a day, is three…

This Morning host Ruth Langsford, 61, has spoken openly about the utter heartbreak she felt, when her only child – Jack, 19, left for university. In a searingly honest interview, the Loose Women star explained, ‘There were so many tears when Jack left. I was bereft. I had friends who’d done this ahead of me, who said, “Prepare yourself for your child leaving because it’s really awful”. ‘I knew I’d be upset, but I thought it would be fine as I have a busy life. As it turned out, I was devastated. It was like someone tugging at my womb and it was quite a primeval feeling.’ Ruth went on to recall the devastating day she, and hubby Eamonn Holmes, drove her ‘baby boy’ to university for the first time. ‘The…

SOMETHING JUST DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT My husband is on his mobile more than ever these days and… something doesn’t feel right. He’s put a password on it for the first time in our 23-year marriage and I swear he always angles it away from me when we’re in the same room, so when he’s on it there’s no way I can glance at the screen. There are no other signs of him cheating as such, but my female intuition is telling me I need to get into that phone. Would you do the same? Jenny, Manchester I would be sorely tempted. Changes in behaviour, especially after so many years, are naturally suspicious. Instead of turning into a sleuth and trying to hijack your husband’s phone without him realising why not…

TOP TIP! If you have a wire back book, remove the wire before recycling the rest.…

I had wanted to join the Army ever since I was a little boy. I didn’t mind school and got decent grades, but I much preferred being outdoors, running around, being active. I never sat still. It seemed like the perfect career for me. As soon as I was 16, I signed up – and I loved it. The camaraderie, getting A-levels through basic training, learning to drive a tank… My first tour was to Afghanistan, in May 2006, and although we had a year of training first, nothing could have prepared me for what was to come. For starters, there was the heat. Most days, it was over 50 degrees outside – and we were inside a tank or erecting walls to surround Camp Bastion in the desert. Often,…

WOULD YOU? NOT EVERYONE IS A DONNIE RUTH:They say superheroes don’t always wear capes – and in Donnie Wiseman’s case, that was so true. Donnie, 48, is a construction worker from Kaysville, Utah, who was on a zoo tour with his family to celebrate a niece’s fifth birthday. All was going well, until a keeper attempted to feed one of the alligators. So eager was this huge reptile for food, that it decided to have its snack and the keeper’s arm as well. The horrific event was being filmed by Donnie’s wife, Theresa. Amazingly, she continued to film as her husband jumped into the enclosure to save the reptile handler. A wrestling match ensued, but the keeper got away, leaving poor Donnie straddling the huge predator. Remember, he didn’t have…

Is it true that another ambition of Shona’s is to don her dancing shoes and compete on Strictly Come Dancing, we ask? ‘Yes! I’ve always wanted to do it and I was asked a few years ago to go on the show. But my anxiety got the better of me and I thought I would be too nervous to do a live show. But now might be a good time for me to conquer my anxiety – just go for it and deal with it when I get there! I love dancing, I love the costumes and it’s such an iconic show.’ Watch this space…!…

‘Hollywood stars like Jake Gyllenhaal, Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell have all come clean about not being particularly, er, clean – by admitting they don’t bathe or shower every day. They’re not the only ones. A survey here in the UK recently found that as many as 50 per cent of those questioned didn’t either – and a huge 2 per cent actually admitted to only using wet wipes! It also looked at other distasteful bathroom habits people readily admit to for some reason, like peeing in the shower – 71 per cent do! Even if I did that, I wouldn’t admit it! But back to showering. I love a day off from the shower, mainly because I don’t enjoy it – only people with giant walk-ins and 3,000 power…

Choosing your base has always been a challenge, from picking the wrong shade to being left with tidal marks. Here’s how to shop for your foundation with confidence… 1 WORK OUT YOUR UNDERTONES You probably know your tone (light, olive, dark and anywhere in between), now work out your undertones (warm, cool, neutral). If gold jewellery looks best against your skin, you have a warm undertone. Silver suit you better? It’s cool. If both look good, you’re likely neutral. Next, check the product label. Many brands organise their shades using numbers for light and dark (from 100 to 500 as shades get deeper, for example), and letters for undertones (W, C, and N for warm, cool and neutral). Try: Revolution Conceal & Hydrate Foundation, £9,boasts 50 shades and gives serious…

Pork Schnitzel with Winter Coleslaw Sage and garlic packs a punch in this schnitzel recipe, and the tangy sweet slaw complements the pork wonderfully. Serves 4 Hands-on time: 15min Cooking time: About 15min Per serving: 622cals, 32g protein, 32g fat(5g saturates), 49g carbs(21g total sugars), 7g fibre 4 pork loin steaks, thin-cut, fat trimmed50g plain flour2 medium eggs, beaten100g fresh white breadcrumbs2tsp garlic granules3tbsp finely chopped sage75ml sunflower oil1 lemon, cut into wedges FOR THE COLESLAW 50ml cider vinegar or white wine vinegar50g honey50g yellow American mustard50g mayonnaise½ red cabbage, cored and finely sliced2 carrots, coarsely grated1 small fennel bulb, cored and finely chopped1 apple (skin on), coarsely grated 1 Put one steak on to a board and cover with clingfilm. Gently flatten to 0.5cm thickness by hitting with a…

SON’S BALD SPOTS ARE SO DISTRESSING My 25-year-old son has a high-pressured job in banking and is so stressed it has started to cause alopecia. Is there any treatment to get the hair to grow back, or are these small bald spots here for good? I just feel so awful for him – 25 is way too young to start losing his hair or even be worrying about it, and he’s even more stressed because of it! It’s all a vicious cycle, sadly. Cliona, Bedford DR HILARY SAYS: Your son’s symptoms are typical of a condition known as alopecia areata. Here, the hair on the scalp falls out in localised patches, which are very noticeable. Clumps of hair might be found in the shower too. It is due to an…

VIRGO 24 August – 23 September Virgos like Radio 1 presenter Fearne Cotton and Hollywood hunk Luther star Idris Elba will always respect other people’s beliefs and opinions, even when they sound absurd. Their acceptance and patience are what makes them a good mentor and role model. People trust them – and they should. SAGITTARIUS 23 November – 21 December Recently you have been contemplating a change. A heart to heart talk with your amour will strengthen your resolve. If you’re single, someone will make it obvious they fancy you. The best thing they can do to grab your interest is to be themselves. You will steer clear of potential partners who look as if they have something to hide. PISCES 20 February – 20 March Pisces is a sensitive…

1 The Morning Show? It’s honest and messy… it’s life Ever wondered about the people who wake us up on telly? Jennifer Aniston is returning to Apple TV’s The Morning Show. Here, she talks about her character, Alex Levy, and the much-anticipated season two… Hollywood superstar Jennifer Aniston, 52, has already picked up a Screen Actors Guild Award for her latest role in The Morning Show – exploring the high-stakes world of morning news and the lives of the people behind the scenes of television. ‘When you first meet Alex, she’s been doing this job for a very long time. She is at the top of her game,’ says Jen. She lives in a world where she gives all her brightness to morning television but, as the show falls apart, Alex realises she…

THE CASE: When Erin Corwin moved to California from Oak Ridge in Tennessee, in September 2013, she must have been excited to be starting a new chapter in her life. She was moving in with her new husband, Jon, a Marine who was posted there. The two had met as children when he was just 10 years old, and they became closer five years later when they reconnected on Facebook. They’d started dating at 16, but as Jon carried out his training, their romance remained long-distance. Yet that didn’t stop them getting married in Las Vegas in November 2012, four months after Jon proposed, before he was deployed to Japan. By the following year, the pair had decided they had been apart for long enough. Jon had then been moved…

Do you have a story you’d like to share with our amazing army of best readers? We’re looking for real-life stories from women just like you and your friends – and will pay up to £250 for all those that make it into these pages. Stories can be funny, sad, emotional, inspirational – just like some of the examples on this page. The only rule: they must be true. Have you been on a diet that changed your life? Have you battled against tough times and come out fighting? Have you found love or happiness against the odds? If you – or a friend – have a story to share, whatever the subject, do drop us a line, with your contact details, a photo and a brief outline of your story –…

I got lazy about most things during lockdown. I even got lazy about wearing jewellery and stopped bothering. It seemed a bit pointless to festoon myself every morning, just to take it all off again at night, rather like dressing and undressing a Christmas tree every day. In any case, I’ve never been good at wearing a lot of stuff that clanks. I’m rather envious of those women you see on Instagram who wear a lot of jewellery even when they’re lying on the beach – those long-limbed, tanned types who effortlessly sling umpteen chains around their necks, ankles and wrists. Women who have toes worthy of wearing rings! I’m a short woman who wears glasses, so I must be very careful not to ‘over-decorate’. For example, I’ve given up…

NANCY DREW ITVHub Fancy a spot of detective work? In this gripping flick, Nancy Drew (Emma Robertson), a teenage detective, accompanies her father to Los Angeles on a business trip. There, she discovers the murder of a film star – and decides to investigate the killing. THOR: THE DARK WORLD BBC One, 10.35pm, Friday Hunky Chris Hemsworth is magnetic as Thor, who sets out on a journey to defeat Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves, when he returns to Asgard to retrieve a dangerous weapon to destroy the Nine Realms. Action, and eye candy. SUICIDE SQUAD ITV2, 9pm, Friday Superhero lovers, this one’s for you! The government sends the most dangerous supervillains in the world – including Harley Quinn and Deadshot – on a risky mission to save the…

WIN 1 X £200, 2 X £100 OR 3 X £50 PRIZES ACROSS 1 Shrewd (11) 9 Not in (3) 10 Aqualung (5) 11 Dominant theme (5) 12 Weary (5) 13 Intellectual (8) 16 Segment of the spinal column (8) 18 Opposite of best (5) 20 Variety show (5) 21 Spore-producing organisms (5) 22 Place where one sees animals (3) 23 Painting genre (8,3) DOWN 2 Up and about (5) 3 Enclosed (5) 4 French museum (6) 5 Walked heavily and firmly (7) 6 Bring up (7) 7 Ongoing disagreement (11) 8 Skin cleansing process (11) 14 Saying (7) 15 Advantage gained from something (7) 17 Country in central Africa (6) 18 Part of the human body (5) 19 Sharp blade (5) Agnes Grey was the debut novel of which…

TRAVEL SNAPSHOT Cambridge is the east of England’s most scenic city. You’ll swoon over every alleyway, courtyard, church, red brick college, willow-lined riverbank and handsome punter. You can see and feel the history at every turn, from an off-shoot of Sir Isaac Newton’s apple tree outside Trinity College, to King’s College Chapel’s spires dominating the skyline. The River Cam meanders through its heart, a punt along which is a must to experience the city from a whole different perspective. Kids will feel like they’ve stepped into a chapter of Harry Potter as they enter bookshops that wouldn’t look out of place in Diagon Alley and, as for food and drink, all we can say is pack something with an elasticated waist because this city is punching above its weight when…