Table of contents for 46 - 2022 in Best

Christmas may be just around the corner but Kate Garraway has walked a rather lonely path since her husband Derek Draper was struck down by Covid almost three years ago in March 2020. Since then, the road has been full of highs and lows, and poor Kate has even joked about wearing trainers, as she is always dashing through hospital corridors to visit her husband. Back in February, the presenter admitted that she was feeling ‘very lonely in a crowded space’ – adding that the couple were still ‘working their way through the process of understanding’, but were ‘finding a new way to be in love’. ‘I still hope we’ll have a happy ending,’ the Good Morning Britain host confessed. One bright point came last month, when Kate won her second…

She’s one of our most respected broadcasters – a familiar face on the BBC from Top Gear to Come Dancing, as well as TV AM. A regular presenter of the Nine O’Clock News, in 1976 she revealed an amazing pair of pins, as she danced with Morecambe and Wise on their Christmas special. Happily single since her divorce from Christopher Dare in 1989, we caught up with Angela to talk about her advocacy for the Alzheimer’s Society, plans for Christmas – and memories of Eric and Ernie… Hi, Angela. It’s wonderful that the Alzheimer’s Society Carol Concert is back on! It’s fabulous! It’s on 1 December – it really feels like the start of Christmas. For the first time in three years, we can come together, wrap up warm, sing…

What’s at the top of your Good Hair Day wish list? From va-va volume to bouncy curls, there are a few expert tips and tools to restore your crowning glory, without stepping foot in a salon – leaving you more time to party…1 1 YOUR BEST BLOW-DRY YET Never quite achieved that salon look at home? ‘Always target the roots, that’s where the body comes from,’ says hairdresser Michael Douglas. ‘You need to get this foundation right. If your roots are flat, you won’t get overall body.’ Lift up a section of hair with a round bristle brush and point the nozzle towards the scalp. The mdlondon BLOW Hairdryer, £195, is as light as a travel dryer but with all the power of a pro-dryer (on a budget, best also…

I used to believe that there was no such thing as a bad Christmas. Over-cook the turkey, under-cook the sprouts, let the family row and the kids run riot – I didn’t care. I loved Christmas! The strings of coloured lights, the smell of the tree, preparing stockings and wrapping presents. But most of all, I loved the sight of my young son Jack opening his presents with a look of pure joy. But my love of Christmas got lost when in June 2015 Jack committed suicide at the age of 29. And I suspect that’s true for any parent who has lost a beloved child. After all, Christmas is really for them. It’s always that first Christmas after their death that is the worst one of them all; memories…

TOP TIP! Try a wreath hanger, available from the Range, £7.99, for a quick easy way to hang.…

Combine magical theatre entertainment with a traditional afternoon tea for two, courtesy of Buyagift! Three lucky readers can indulge in an afternoon of one of Britain’s favourite pastimes, afternoon tea for two at Patisserie Valerie. Enjoy delicious sandwiches, sweet treats and scrumptious scones topped with clotted cream and jam whilst sipping on a lovely cup of tea. Tuck into these delicious delights before hitting the West End for a dazzling stage performance with two tickets to a show of your choice (choose from a range of magnificent performances). Let Wicked cast a spell on you with its enchanting music or discover the inspiring story of the Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll with ticket to TINA: The Tina Turner Musical and witness the magic of theatre bring life to a captivating…

I’VE GOT FLOATERS IN MY EYE For the past few weeks, I’ve been seeing floaters in my eye but when I went to to check ath the opticians, they said they couldn’t see anything wrong with it. Now I’m even more concerned, because they can’t pick anything up and, therefore, I’ve no cure. What would you suggest I do? Lorna, Lancs DR HILARY SAYS: Although they are a nuisance, floaters in the eyes are very common and usually benign. They are clumps of dead cells that float about in the fluid inside the eye, which, when they cross the central field of vision, resemble little bits of string and can interfere with reading. They are generally worse in bright light and will come and go. However, if they become noticeably…

1 Take vitamin D ‘I try to get 15 minutes in the sun from Spring to Autumn. In Winter, I go for a long daily walk and I also take vitamin D3 supplements,’ says Shabir Daya, pharmacist. ‘Most of us are deficient without knowing,’ adds nutritional therapist Libby Limon. ‘Everyone should take 1,000IU a day.’ Try Solgar Vitamin D3 1000IU, £8.79 (Holland & Barrett). 2 Use spices They’re great for the immune system,’ explains Libby, who recommends her GOLDEN LATTE RECIPE: Ingredients: 250ml drinking coconut milk, 1/8 tsp ground turmeric, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp ground ginger, pinch black pepper Method: Put the spices and coconut milk in a saucepan over a low heat. Warm through for 10 minutes, allowing spices to infuse. Pour into a mug to serve.…

Comedian Jason Manford – who is one of the evening’s hosts for the first time – says he got some presenting tips from co-host Chris Ramsey: ‘Obviously, I’ve hosted live shows before and I work live every night on tour. Chris rang me and said, “It’s a long night, wear comfy shoes!”. He also said the accumulator at the end of the night, when you find out the money you’ve made, is one of the most exciting things in all of television. I’m involved in lots of different children’s charities throughout the country and certainly in the North West. I know that these charities are helped by BBC Children in Need, and I know how much it does for them. I’ve seen first-hand who this money can help and so…

TRAVEL SNAPSHOT London – the city of dreams. What does your heart desire? To shop at Fortnum’s? To visit Buckingham Palace? To see a theatre show? To sail down the river and see the Cutty Sark at Greenwich? Or to learn to dance like a celeb on Strictly? Going from hopeless to hopeful in just one lesson… Well, all the above are achievable. Yes, all the above. And a dance lesson at the Dilly Hotel really could be where, like me, you finally find you pull on your dancing shoes and you dance like a celeb with potential! INSIDER’S GUIDE Maybe you are already a fantastic dancer – or maybe you think you have no natural rhythm. Well, according to Craig Revel Horwood, I’m the latter case. Learning to dance…

Stunning actress and former model Linda Lusardi is gearing up for a rather busy Christmas, as she performs panto with her singer daughter, Lucy. The 64-year-old (yes, really!) – who is married to former Brookside star Sam Kane, with whom she also shares son Jack – talks festive plans, why next year is the perfect time to hit the Strictly dancefloor, and how she really feels as a woman in her 60s… Hi, Linda. Tell us about panto – you’re performing with your daughter Lucy this year, aren’t you? Yes, in Cinderella in Blackburn – Lucy is Cinders and I’m the Fairy Godmother. It makes a nice change! I’m usually the baddie. I won’t be getting booed this year! We have school shows the first couple of weeks, which is…

‘Every day my eyes disappear to the top of my head and stay there for a good few seconds as I hear of another example of a single complainant ruining things for others. As it did last week with a pub in Surrey. The Star Inn had been hosting “Ladies’ Night” on Mondays for the past 12 years. Men were welcome to come but women received a 50 per cent discount on food. The landlord, Simon Skinner, said it was one of the most popular of all his themed nights. Of course it was, everybody wins. The pub is full of women enjoying the cheap food and the men turn up to enjoy the pub being full of women for a change! But then a man, not from the area,…

When I asked my husband the secret to a long marriage, he said, ‘You tell me – and I’ll agree.’ I laughed – and I think that’s probably why we’re still married. It’s a very ‘Roger’ (in Conversations) comment. I wrote Conversations from a Long Marriage (a series starring Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam on BBC Radio 4) because I was extremely fed up with the way older women were portrayed on television and radio – as depressed, controlling, interfering, bitchy ex-wives, or dozy grandmothers, clueless about technology and patronised by the whole family. Where were the women in their 60s and 70s who met their husbands during the Summer of Love – and were still in love with life, music and each other? Roger and Joanna in the series…

It’s a tale as old as time – the clash between the mother of the groom and a new daughter-in-law – and rumours have circulated that all is not well between Victoria Beckham and Nicola Peltz Beckham, the bride of the designer’s eldest son, Brooklyn. However, Nicola has spoken out on the rumoured clash, giving an interview in which she said ‘no family is perfect’. And she went out of her way to dismiss rumours in The Sunday Times– saying: ‘It’s not a feud! I keep seeing everywhere that word. I don’t know why they say feud. I mean, maybe they picked up on something? And now they’re labelling it “feud”?’ The issues between Posh, 48, and actress Nicola, 27, are said to have come to a head when designer…

HORRIFICALLY GOOD! I do love dress up, darlings, so I had such fun being Morticia Addams the other weekend. Especially as Shirley Ballas was my husband Gomez. She’s like 5ft 2 and I’m 6ft 7. She was in flats and I in heels, it was so funny. I had two hours in that corset – I made them cinch it in as much as possible, then I couldn’t unleash it! GIVE ME A 10! For me, there have been no real standout 10 dances yet. A lot of contestants are in that 7/8 zone. I’m itching to get that 10 paddle out, darlings! I’m excited to see who this weekend decides to be really brave, throw caution to the wind and give us something spectacular. I know it’s coming –…

It was one of those perfect, golden October days and I was standing on a piece of Leicestershire land my 82-year-old dad had worked his whole life. As I cast my eye over a decade-old hedge, I glanced over to my dad, Jim. ‘It’s beautiful as ever here,’ I sighed, pulling him in for a hug. As a family, we’d always gravitated there to reconnect with each other and nature, building dens as children, and now taking our own children and grandkids there to play. It had also become my family’s sanctuary during the stresses and worries of the pandemic. That particular Saturday in October 2021, we were helping my brother-in-law, Jason, with his latest project: A no-dig vegetable patch. Jason’s savvy planet-first ways set me thinking. For years, I’d…

Three weeks to Christmas and it was finally here – the hot-ticket show of the moment, aptly titled ‘a festive extravaganza!’ As the lights dimmed and the orchestra tuned up, something made Maddy glance to her left. Luke had slipped into a seat three rows behind her. Even at this distance, she could see the tension in his jawline. Instinctively, she slid lower in her seat, which was silly. He knew perfectly well she was here too. It was only three days since he’d invited her to see a play up in London; tickets like gold dust then, too, all very highbrow and serious – and bum-numbingly dull. She’d been reduced to counting the number of sequins on the jacket of the woman in front, feeling a tad ungrateful and…

That’s me more or less done with gigging for this year, I’ve just got one more West End show on the 21 November (at the height of the World Cup frenzy) at the Duchess Theatre, and then I can lay down the mic, until… well, watch this space. I’ve been touring the show Sixty! since last September, not constantly, there has been time off for various telly commitments, holidays and that neck operation, which I’m always banging on about. But this is the first time since lockdown that I’m looking at a potential stretch of real downtime. OK, so I’m meant to be writing a new novel, but let’s just park that for a bit, because, right now, I’m quite excited about having some ‘me’ time. In my head, I…

Best known for playing Chandler Bing on hit US sitcom Friends, actor Matthew Perry says he spent ‘probably $9million trying to get sober’ after a substance abuse battle almost killed him. Though he played the witty, confident on-screen character with ease – Chandler, also came with his insecurities, that Matthew knew too well. The 53-year-old revealed he has been in rehab 15 times since he was 26, trying to win his fight with his addiction to drinking and prescription drugs in his book, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, where he lifts the lid on his career, addictions and relationships. ‘I’ve probably spent $9million or something trying to get sober,’ he said in an interview. ‘I would fake back injuries. I would fake migraine headaches. I had eight doctors…

THE CALM CHRISTMAS PODCAST, APPLE The Calm Christmas Podcast is a cosy listen during the darkest season of the year. Bestselling wellbeing author Beth Kempton shares soothing wintry words from her favourite writers and tips for a stress-free holiday season. CHRISTMAS PAST, APPLE Equal parts nerdy deep dive and warmhearted celebration, Christmas Past delivers holiday cheer with a storytelling style inspired by public radio. Available wherever you find podcasts. CHRISTMAS MOVIES ACTUALLY, PLAYER FM You don’t have to love Christmas to enjoy this podcast. Film critic Collin Souter and sidekick Kerry Finegan delve into every type of festive film they can find – even those that you might not think of as traditional. The great, the bad and the unusual, all year round.…

Never mind the infamous ‘Strictly curse’ – pro dancers Kai Widdrington and Nadiya Bychkova have shown finding love on the dance floor doesn’t always have to come with controversy. After meeting for the first time on the set of the dance show, romance blossomed for Ukrainian Nadiya and newcomer Kai. Since, then mum-of-one Nadiya, 33, and Kai, 27, have gone from strength to strength. Now they’ve taken a further big step in their relationship and welcomed a new addition – an English bulldog called Snoopy. While their personal life is giving them plenty to smile about, the couple were sad to say goodbye to this year’s competition, after being voted out alongside partners Matt Goss and Kaye Adams. We caught up with the dancing duo fresh from their departures to chat…

Video is one way to let your friends know your latest decision! And that is exactly how presenter Charlene White told her Loose Women mates - Christine Lampard, Janet Street-Porter, Linda Robson and Brenda Edwards. ‘Hi guys, if you’re watching this – it means there’s been a massive announcement! I’m part of I’m A Celebrity… this year and I’m literally about to jump in a taxi to Heathrow Airport to get on a 24-hour flight to Australia, where the adventure will begin… I’m really nervous!’ Best Heroes award-winner Brenda Edwards raised an eyebrow. ‘I think she’s crazy!’ she said, laughing. ‘It’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! – you wouldn’t get me in there! Charlene is very determined and likes things to go her way – just don’t…

TOP TIP Cold shoulder styles are universally flattering and give a glam look to any party dress…

TOP TIP! Get your socks super snuggly by popping them on a warm radiator for five minutes beforehand…

HOW IT WORKS Follow our plan for up to one month, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and one snack daily. You can also have a prosecco treat every other day. Substitute for a normal snack if preferred. Drink at least eight glasses of fluid per day including water, sugar-free squash, and tea and coffee with a splash of skimmed milk. Your daily milk allowance is 300ml skimmed milk. Milk with cereal doesn’t come out of your allowance. Prosecco treats Christmas cocktail Fill a small wine glass halfway with prosecco. Then add a small splash of pomegranate juice and sprig of mint. Clementine and prosecco jellies Soak 2 gelatine sheets in a bowl of cold water for 3 mins. Squeeze the juice of 3 clementines into a small pan. Heat until it…

Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry If you prefer a curry with heat, add a finely chopped red chilli (or some dried chilli flakes) along with the other spices. Serves 4 Prep time: 25 mins; cook time: 15 mins • 500g cauliflower florets• 1tbsp vegetable oil• 1 large onion, finely sliced• 2 garlic cloves, crushed• 1tbsp garam masala• 1tsp ground cumin• 400ml tin full-fat coconut milk• 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed• 2 handfuls spinach• 2tbsp mango chutney• Large handful fresh coriander, finely chopped• 25g flaked almonds, toasted 1 Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the cauliflower florets for 5 mins or until tender. Drain well and set aside. 2 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a separate large pan and gently cook the onion for 10 mins…

To a mind scarred by battle in World War One, there can have been no more healing task. Surrounded by bright red poppies, they made a symbol to commemorate comrades who never returned from the great war. Today, production worker Steve Pleasants, 57, knows how working at The Poppy Factory can still help those who have returned from battle. Although, these days, they make poppy wreaths instead of individual poppies. After spending six years serving with the RAF in Belize and Ascension Island, Steve suffered a breakdown. When he recovered, it was suggested that he volunteer with The Poppy Factory, which eventually led to a full-time job making wreaths. ‘Coming out from military life into civvy street is really hard for anyone.,’ he explains. ‘When I wasn’t working, a lot…

I DON’T WANT TO SEE THE IN-LAWS How do I tell my hubby of 17 years that I’m done with seeing his parents over Christmas? We’ve spent the past 10 with his family, as they only live down the road and my family are from Scotland, which is fair enough. This year, we are actually spending Christmas Day in Edinburgh, but his family are wanting to come, too! I know it’s harsh, but for one year I want to be with my family and without the in-laws. Do you see where I’m coming from? Beverley, Nottingham Oh, don’t be a spoilsport! Your in-laws have entertained you all these years. If they want to travel to Scotland at their own expense and your parents are happy to have them, why should…

SCORPIO 24 October – 22 November Joining forces with people who share their love of the Earth will make Scorpios, such as King Charles III and former Corrie actress Lucy Fallon, feel more focused and productive. Work with those people towards a shared goal, supporting and learning from each other and the results will be rewarding. AQUARIUS 21 January – 19 February If a partner or housemate is spending too much on items they can’t afford, it might be time to suggest they watch their spending. Keeping your bank accounts separate will give you more control over your own hard-earned money. A new career opportunity will make you optimistic for the future. TAURUS 21 April – 21 May New arrangements and agreements of a joint nature will be made. It…

A SUGAR AND SPICE CHRISTMAS Channel 5, Tuesday, 2.15pm Rising young architect Suzy returns to her hometown in Maine for Christmas and finds herself competing in the local gingerbread bake-off, alongside an old high school classmate, Billy, while also trying to win a big promotion at work. CHRISTMAS FOR KEEPS Channel 5, Wednesday, 2.15pm During Christmastime, some childhood friends return home after 10 years to take part in a celebration of life for their beloved high school teacher. LOVE AT THE CHRISTMAS CONTEST Channel 5, Thursday, 2.15pm Angie enters a tree-decorating contest to honour the memory of her mother. What Angie doesn’t realise is that her high school sweetheart, David, and his daughter, Gabby, have entered the contest as well.…

Nadiya is already a proud mum to her young daughter Mila, six, from a previous relationship. But now the popular dancer has added to her brood with Kai, introducing their adorable pet pooch, Snoopy. Announcing their new addition, Kai and Nadiya posted a cute snap on their social media accounts and wrote, ‘We have managed to keep it quiet for a week now whilst our latest addition has settled in… but everyone please welcome Snoopy.’ The couple continued to describe him as ‘the most beautiful English bulldog puppy they could ever have wished for’, and said that they’d created an Instagram account for him under the name @snoopybull23 so their fans could keep up with his antics. They added, ‘He truly is a dream.’ Sweet!…

‘Because I’ve been in rehearsals for White Christmas I haven’t had the time to watch every weekend so I tend to catch up on social media,’ says Jay. ‘I love Hamza (Yassin) – especially when he did those amazing Salsa lifts. He’s so strong. Then I went back to look at all his previous dances and he really is quietly doing some very steady performances. He is the one to watch as far as I’m concerned. My money is on him to win this year.’…