Table of contents for 12 - 2022 in Best

As the war raged in Ukraine last week, and families hid in bomb shelters, the voice of one seven-year-old girl melted the hearts of the world, as she began to sing Let It Go from Frozen, with all the beauty only the innocence of a child could convey. As she sang, Amelia Anisovych had been in a bunker in Kyiv for six days with little food or water. When Holly Willoughby, 41, showed the video on This Morning, she and co-host Phillip Schofield couldn’t keep their emotions in check. ‘There is such innocence, isn’t there?’ Holly breathed and her eyes filled with tears. Then she added: ‘We have seen many acts over the weekend, a military couple were pictured getting married on the Ukrainian frontlines… Love finds a way, you…

HOW IT WORKS 1 According to European Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and nutritionist expert Dr Marc Ronert: ‘It takes seven weeks to turn bad daily habits into healthy ones. Changing your diet to include super veggies and fruits, and cutting out red meat and shellfish will help to reverse signs of ageing. It could also help you to lose pounds.’ 2 Dr Marc, founder of Hush & Hush, a new potent plant-based line of Luxury Nutraceuticals, believes the way we age is driven and linked to our lifestyle choices. Simple changes like reducing sugar intake and eating smaller portions can have a big effect in a short span of time. 3 Research shows that vitamins and minerals are vanishing from foods we eat, which is why it’s vital to eat…

If you’ve ever watched Dancing on Ice and thought ‘I want to do that!’, well, we’ve got the perfect giveaway for you! Skate star and best columnist Matt Evers, fresh from his stint on the hit TV show, is offering one lucky best reader (and a plus one, who can accompany to watch) a one-hour one-to-one skating session at an ice-rink in London this year. You’ll be able to learn skate skills and pick up top tips from the man himself! We’ll also put you up in a hotel for the night near the skate rink, with dinner and breakfast included. HOW TO ENTER ONLINE: Save money by entering online at hearstmagazines.co.uk/best1222b by 1 April 2022. PHONE: Call 0901 027 2709 by midnight on 1 April 2022. Calls cost 30p…

HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH…? I lost my lovely husband in January and I think, all things considered, I’m coping well – but I drink every evening and some days, if I’m missing him too much, from lunchtime. Sometimes, I can make myself stop at half a bottle of wine, other times I easily finish it. Friends and family are saying they think it’s quite normal, considering the circumstances. He was only 48 and died of an unexpected heart attack – it’s still a huge shock and part of me hasn’t even taken it in. Joanna, Weybridge DR HILARY SAYS: I think grief can be overwhelming, and I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. This is undoubtedly a terribly difficult time for you. It is tempting at such times…

PERFECT FOR PUPS (and dogs alike!) COOL FOR CATS STAR PICKS for small pets…

THE DARK KNIGHT Sky Showcase, Tuesday, 9pm With The Batman in cinemas, revisit a DC classic, with Christian Bale and the late Heath Ledger. After Gordon, Dent and Batman begin an assault on Gotham’s organised crime, the mobs hire the Joker – a psychopathic criminal mastermind who offers to kill Batman, and bring the city to its knees. HITMAN: AGENT 47 E4, Friday, 9pm Kick off your weekend with an action-packed adventure. Agent 47, a genetically-engineered assassin, joins forces with a young woman to help her reunite with her father. However, in the process, he discovers shocking realities about his origins. With The Young Victoria star Rupert Friend. WHY HIM? Channel 4, Friday, 12.10am A hilarious chick-flick, starring James Franco. While his lover’s parents are visiting him at his mansion,…

It was 4am and I was on a night shift at my job as a veterinary care assistant when I received the text message. If this gets critical, can you take the kids? it simply said. It was from a friend in need, but this wasn’t a request to collect the children from school or from a relative. This was a heartfelt appeal to save three Ukrainian children from a warzone… Without a second thought, I immediately started looking at flights – something I’d been doing all week as the horror of what was happening in the Ukraine unfolded. Like most others, I’d been glued to the news and felt very lucky to be doing so from the safety of my Chelmsford home. I really felt for the Ukrainian population,…

‘If you fall off the boat and die, then it’s over for you. But your crewmates will have to live with the guilt for the rest of their lives,’ said the safety officer, shortly before we set off for the 2021 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge last December. His sobering words brought me down to earth with a bump. Amid the excitement in the run-up to leaving La Gomera in the Canary Islands to row 3,000 miles to Antigua, in the Caribbean, it was easy to forget the enormity of the task me and my crew of mums, The Mothership, were about to take on. What were we thinking, leaving 11 children behind us, to risk our lives negotiating the choppy waters of the Atlantic, in a small, 28ft boat? And…

Simple Smoked Salmon Tart If you’re more of a carnivore than a fish-lover, then swirl Parma ham in the place of the salmon. Hands-on time: 20min Cooking time: About 25min Serves 6 375g pack ready-rolledshortcrust pastry400g light cream cheese, we used Philadelphia light2tbsp freshly chopped chives, plus extra chopped chives to garnish2 lemons250g smoked salmon, in long slices2 spring onions, finely sliced 1 Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/mark 6. Unroll the pastry on to a large baking sheet (discard any packaging) and cook in the oven for 18-20min until golden brown. Carefully take out of oven and leave the pastry to cool completely on the tray (making sure that it’s not stuck). 2 Make the topping by mixing the cream cheese in a large bowl to loosen, then stir…

Making it to the front door after an early morning run with our Labrador, I felt a huge sense of achievement. We’d been to the nearby Brecon Beacons, and we’d do a short walk later. Over the years, I’d learned that if I didn’t exercise first thing, I may lose my motivation. Running was an important part of my daily routine – and a way of keeping my weight in check. I’d been at target for 21 years and was proud that I’d maintained a healthy lifestyle in that time. All it had really taken was a little determination, support and forming new habits… We’d always eaten healthily while I was growing up. My dad had suffered a heart attack in his 30s and it’d changed the way Mum cooked…

Zoflora, the UK’s number 1 disinfectant, is bursting into Spring with the launch of its first new fragrance of 2022. Introducing… Raspberry and Juniper Berry, a sweet and fruity blend of red berries and rhubarb, combined with notes of hibiscus flower and creamy vanilla, it’s a must-have for any cleaning cupboard. To celebrate the launch, we’re giving five lucky readers the chance to win a Zoflora cleaning bundle, filled with products from its ever-growing range. Winners will receive a range of Multipurpose Disinfectant Cleaners and Disinfectant Mists, alongside a selection of Zoflora’s Concentrated Multipurpose Disinfectants, including the new Raspberry and Juniper Berry Concentrated Multipurpose Disinfectant. Zoflora has been killing germs beautifully for 100 years with its range of perfumer-developed concentrated disinfectants. All Zoflora products kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria,…

Three years ago, if you’d told me that not only would I get into gardening but I’d have an allotment plot and a couple of prizes under my belt, I would have laughed at you. Fast-forward to 2022, though, and growing fruit and vegetables is now a huge part of my life. I’ve always enjoyed being outdoors and the idea of being able to eat my own produce but, gardening intimidated me. Surely I’d just fail to grow anything?! Then my family (that’s me, my husband Chris and son Noah, five, who all muck in at the plot) moved in 2019 from a flat to a house with a garden, which also happened to be a 15-minute walk from a privately owned allotment site. We joined the waiting list, not…

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…

When she’d starting volunteering at the charity shop, Cara had expected her fellow workers to be, well, old biddies. Most of them were a bit long in the tooth, but they were better company than she’d expected. They had hair-raising gossip and filthy jokes, not to mention a keen eye for a designer handbag. Plus, there was a sweet girl called Jackie, who was doing the odd shift to overcome her agoraphobia, and a nice guy called Iqbal, who was volunteering to improve his spoken English. Above all, working at War on Poverty gave Cara something to do while the kids were at school and stopped her brooding on the divorce. It had been nearly a year now and Cara had taken to calling herself ‘Ms’. She blushed every time…

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! Thortful.com have an endless supply of cards to make Mum feel extra special this Mother’s Day (the 27th) – but if you want her feeling Absolutely Fabulous, check out this Joanna Lumley gem for £3.39. VINTAGE VIBES… This Audrey Hepburn card is perfect for the lady who loves a little glamour. If Mum loves Audrey (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?) this notonthehighstreet.com card will be perfect for her at £4.25. PRETTY POP-UP Make your mum’s day with this pop-up display of flowers. It features a colourful bouquet that she can keep forever to remind her of you! It’s definitely a card that will stand out on the mantelpiece. £6, from paperchase.com…

Swedish star Ulrika Jonsson, 54 – clearly not afraid when it comes to needles – has added to her already impressive collection of body ink with a gorgeous new flower tattoo. Taking to her Instagram stories, she showed off the bright peony tattoo on her arm coloured in a bright pink – filled in by Berkshire-based tattoo artist Lou Rose. Ulrika has at least 13 different designs all over her body – and has been happily adding to them in the past few years, proudly documenting the body art on social media. Her tats tend to have a meaning, too. The red devil on her derrière, for instance, was a mischievous nod to when she was found to be cheating on her first husband, John Turnbull. In a 2020 interview,…

ITV presenter Alison Hammond broke down in uncontrollable tears on This Morning, as she admitted how obesity has had a devastating effect on her confidence. ‘You know you don’t look great,’ she began, with tears rolling down her cheeks. ‘People help anorexics but they don’t help people who are overweight – that’s why they turn to surgery. They don’t know what to do…’ ‘It’s so hard. People just don’t realise.’ The usually bubbly TV personality, 47, insisted people ‘can’t help’ obesity, which she described as a ‘disease’ and spoke movingly about feeling as if others ‘look down’ on her. The star – who has previously confessed to weighing more than 20st at her heaviest, added: ‘When you’re big, people think you’re lazy. I’ve had obesity all my life. What it…

Talented, driven and someone for whom family is at the heart of everything, Beverley Knight is a one-woman force of nature. One of the panellists on singing show Starstruck, she’s also dazzling audiences in the West End in The Drifters Girl. Here Bev, 48, opens up about the fun she’s been having with Olly Murs and co, her kick-ass stage role and getting her strong spirit from her mum… How was working with Olly Murs and the rest of the Starstruck panel? Amazing. We all got on so well. The banter between Sheridan Smith and Olly was unreal… Jason Manford’s a joke a second and I loved chatting music with Adam Lambert. We built up the best rapport. It was lovely not to be in a show about trashing people’s…

JOIN THE CONVERSATION What’s your top Ramsay Street moment? That’s it, ladies… after a 37-year run and various attempts to save it, Neighbours will definitely be axed. As we say goodbye to decades of drama, love, turmoil and heartbreak, it’s got us talking about our ‘best bits’. Our Showbiz Editor, Shelley Spadoni’s most dramatic moment was when Susan Kennedy slipped on a cereal bowl, giving her amnesia – plus, she thought she was 16 again! However, for Deputy Features Editor, Louise Bulgin, it was all about Scott and Charlene’s wedding. It aired in the UK in 1988 and Charlene (played by Kylie Minogue) sashayed down the aisle in a big poofy dress to Angry Anderson’s Suddenly. ‘It was an iconic moment and I had that song on vinyl,’ she says.…

Q I‘ve seen microneedling patches on the skincare counters. Are they safe and how do they work? Gloria, Bootle A Inspired by medical technology, these are a bit like plasters with tiny needles. They are designed to treat fine lines and hydrate skin using hyaluronic acid and other active ingredients. The tiny plastic needles should, for home use, be less than 0.55mm in length. When applied, they create hundreds of micro-channels through the top layer of the skin. Results promise a significant reduction in lines and wrinkles without pain or downtime. Most microneedling patches on the market target the eyes, as this area is the most prone to moisture loss and crêpiness but in fact they can help any areas with deep creases, from crows’ feet to frown lines. You…

THAT’S (HOTEL) LIFE Hello down there, Eclair here – waving to you from the 20th floor of a high-rise hotel in Manchester! Yes, for the next two-and-ahalf weeks, I’m living at an entirely different address and completely on my own. Don’t worry, the old man hasn’t thrown me out, not yet. I’ve got a telly job up North and hence I’m washing my undies in the bath, because I refuse to pay silly hotel laundry prices for socks and pants. Hotel life has its pros and cons. There’s an ice machine down the hall, which I thoroughly approve of, as it delivers crushed ice by the bucket, ideal for chilling drinks and any cold compresses I might need. Plus, there’s a pool. Sadly, the opening hours are weirdly random, so…

LUXURY BUY Arena Mother’s Day Lilacs, £47, arenaflowers.com (vase included) Beautifully protected in sustainable boxes, this was Spring in a bouquet, featuring roses, narcissi and more for a pleasing mix. Our most expensive choice, but well worth splashing out as the flowers were still going strong an impressive two weeks later. Bloom Marmalade Orange Lily Bouquet, £35 for 10, bybloom.co.uk Stunning, long-stemmed Aziatic lilies tied by ribbon, we love the simplicity of just one flower type. The warm orange and yellow shades gave serious visual appeal, too. The accompanying packaging, while recyclable, is a lot, but designed to help protect the delicate stems. A luxury choice. M&S Rose & Lily Bouquet, £35 (marksandspencer.com) Pretty pale peach and white blooms create a beautiful contrast against the dark eucalyptus. These classic colours…

FEELING TRAPPED I started dating someone new last year – but ever since, his health seems to be declining more and more. I know it sounds awful, but if it weren’t for him having so many scares in the last few months, there’s no way I’d have stuck around as long as I have. He’s had two strokes and a heart attack since we met. I now feel I can’t leave him – especially right now – but my life was stressful enough without all of this. What would you do in my situation? Sandra, Macclesfield I can see why in good conscience you don’t feel you can dump this guy when he has had such bad luck health-wise. So, don’t end things brutally. Explain you aren’t really in a…

START SLOWLY It may be tempting to plant everything in one go but you’ll soon be overwhelmed and could end up with a glut of produce. Only grow what you want to eat. You don’t need to potentially grow food you will simply have to give away! SUNNY DAYS Now that we have a little more daylight, you can start sowing seeds that either require a long period of sunshine (e.g. chillies, which are slow growers), or ones that can handle slightly lower temperatures. SOW INDOORS Using a propagator (see the ‘success kit’ below), with a heated mat (look on Amazon), the following grow well inside, by a windowsill or any sunny patch: chillies, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers. Lettuce is good in sunlight, but doesn’t need extra heat or it will…

FLY A KITE… OR READ A BOOK! EAMONN: World Book Day, which took place recently, has been going for 25 years, in which time so many parents have been tasked with surprisingly not reading books to their kids but dressing them as book characters for a day at school. This creates a lot of excitement and also an interest in a book, characters within that book and a whole sense of fun, which should be associated with reading. Traditional reading is hard in this day and age, as children are more likely to lift up a tablet as a magical portal to the world that they now inhabit than an actual physical book. It’s not so much that they’re reading books on their mobile devices, they are having experiences –…

ARIES 21 March – 20 April Harry Potter and Darkest Hour actor, Gary Oldman, This Morning presenter and ex-The Saturdays singer Rochelle Humes, and other Arians can triumph over great odds. All they have to do is believe in themselves and persevere and good things will come their way. Celebrations of all kinds are likely and should certainly be enjoyed. TAURUS 21 April – 21 May Your mood is positive and assertive. People are starting to know you and praise will come your way for your talents. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself taking on a temporary position of leadership. You will cope admirably even if, at times, you would rather be behind the scenes. The weekend will be more relaxing. GEMINI 22 May – 21 June You aren’t…

KING RICHARD ON DVD & BLU-RAY King Richard follows the journey of Richard Williams, a determined father instrumental in raising two of the most extraordinarily gifted athletes of all time, Venus & Serena Williams, who have changed the face of tennis forever. Starring an impressive Will Smith as Richard, this is a must-watch. £9.99 from HMV. THE GOOD KARMA HOSPITAL BOXSET Time for a spoonful of TV medicine courtesy of The Good Karma Hospital, set on the stunning shores of Kerala, South India. Following its recent run on ITV, series four arrives on DVD (Acorn Media International, alongside The Good Karma Hospital Complete Series 1-4 DVD Box Set on 4 April 2022) – relive it in all its glory! WEST SIDE STORY West Side Story sets the love story of…

WIN 1 X £200, 2 X £100 OR 3 X £50 PRIZES ACROSS 1 Limitation (11) 9 At no time (5) 10 Mend (3) 11 Seals (anag) (5) 12 Tennis stroke (5) 13 Person who buys goods (8) 16 Complete (8) 18 Taut (5) 21 Conjuring trick (5) number (3) 23 Puff on a cigarette (5) 24 Absorbing; intriguing (11) DOWN 2 Official language of Britain (7) 3 Mental strain (7) 4 Ask a person to come (6) 5 Conditions (5) 6 Proposal; suggestion (5) 7 Affiliation (11) 8 Knowledgeable and accomplished (11) 14 Remark (7) 15 Operating doctor (7) 17 Develop into (6) 19 Colour of grass (5) 20 Sense experience (5) Who presents the TV show Countdown? The answer will appear in the shaded squares. ANSWERS MEGA CROSSWORD…

TRAVEL SNAPSHOT Want to feel like you’re the lead character in a Jane Austen book? Then head to Burleigh, Stroud, in the Cotswolds, where a beautifully quaint old England still very much exists. It’s no wonder this part of Britain is such a hit with tourists from around the world. Whether you’re there to admire the old-fashioned stone-brick buildings and experience the cosy country pubs – or indulge in a spot of afternoon tea in a cute country café – this place is an England that we all hold highly in our hearts, that we pray will remain forever untouched from modernisation. INSIDER’S GUIDE For a taste of the Cotswold culture, it’s advised to have a car with you for an easy way to get exploring. From Burleigh Court Hotel,…

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