Table of contents for 29-2023 in Best

There is something lovely about pink. So, when Barbiemania swept through London last week, I loved it. Our offices are in Leicester Square, so the view of the Pink Carpet – not red – was amazing and I spoke to fans in the ‘Barbie-queue’ (I know, stick to the day job when it comes to jokes!) and they’d been camping out from 3am! Still, why not? It was set to be a beautiful day and the sun was shining from early on. Our very own Kelly Warnell – let’s call her Breaking News Barbie – was there and looked so fantastic, they boxed her (above)… In fact, we got so into the Barbiemania we have our Barbie’s World mini-mag just for you on page 49. On page 10, we have…

Right now, viewers are loving green-fingered Charlie Dimmock fronting popular daytime show Garden Rescue on BBC One. Charlie first burst onto our screens on Ground Force as a fabulous flame-haired presenter back in 1997, hitting the headlines for going braless (although now her explanation that it was more comfortable makes total sense) and later, tragically, in 2004, for losing her mother and step-father in the tragic Boxing Day tsunami in Thailand. These days, she is said to live a quiet existence away from the cameras in the New Forest. Yet, according to broadcaster Esther Rantzen (who revealed recently the sad news that she is battling stage 4 lung cancer), Charlie was far from comfortable in the spotlight. Charlie, 56, became friends with the former That’s Life! presenter more than 25 years ago…

Ever since Phillip Schofield sensationally stepped down from This Morning, speculation has raged on many levels, including whether his former TV wife, Fern Britton, could return to the famous sofa. Fern, 66, hosted the ITV show alongside Phillip Scholfield, 61, for seven years between 2002 and 2009, before quitting amid reports that the once close friends had fallen out. But with Phillip finally stepping away from ITV, Fern’s fans have been calling for the presenter’s grand comeback. In fact, there were so many calls, her name entered the mix with the bookies, alongside hot favourites Alison Hammond and Rylan Clark, so Fern broke her silence on the possibility. ‘I don’t think I’d be able to turn the clock back – it wouldn’t work that way,’ she revealed in the latest…

HOW IT WORKS 1 Experts from a Chicago university have proved that intermittent fasting is the most efficient way to lose weight, with food intake cut by up to 25 per cent without any obvious calorie counting. It also helps control insulin sensitivity reducing sugar spikes that can lead to cravings and help prevent diabetes long term. 2 ‘Losing weight is individual to you,’ says UK-based nutritionist Milena Kaler, who focuses on the root of weight gain, including digestive and hormonal problems as well as emotional reason we aren’t reaching our weight-loss goals, but has found that intermittent fasting works for just about everyone! 3 the plan is based on eating your meals in an eight-hour window, then fasting for 16 consecutive hours, including sleep. When you fast is up…

Stacey shared a sweet Father’s Day post recently about her ‘blended family’ with Joe. The Loose Women star shares three children with Joe – Rex, four, Rose, one, and four-month-old Belle. Stacey is also mum to sons Zachary, 15, and Leighton, 12, from previous relationships while Joe is also dad to 16-year-old Harry. Taking to Instagram, the mum-of-five revealed that being in a blended family can be ‘complicated’, but she absolutely loves it. ‘Joe, I know it’s not easy & blended families are complicated, to say the least… but you make it all seem effortless.’…

Standing in the supermarket a woman looked at me and smiled sheepishly. ‘You couldn’t reach those for me, could you?’ she asked, pointing to some baked beans. At 5ft 10in, it wasn’t a stretch for me to reach the top shelf and I’m always more than happy to help others. It doesn’t take much for us all to make things easier on each other and help out where we can. Helping people is in my nature and I believe it’s something we all have within us. That’s why I used to do a lot of baking and delivered sweet treats to community centres and elderly neighbours – to anyone that might need a bit of support. Goodness knows, we all needed a helping hand at one time or another…Being kind…

Hearing a knock at the front door, I felt a rush of excitement as I yanked it open to greet the postman. He handed me a parcel and I thanked him before rushing inside to tear open the package. And when I saw the long blonde hair, the bright, trendy outfit and Barbie’s trademark smile, I was thrilled. It was February 2021 and I’d ordered myself the Benetton Barbie doll from eBay. She’d been one of the ones I’d had growing up and I was so pleased to see her again. I left her in the box but displayed her in our living room and I smiled every time I walked past her. ‘I’m so pleased you ordered one,’ my husband Colin, now 58 said, and our son, Zach, 14,…

Oh, how Helen wished she had listened to her oh-so-sensible daughter. ‘You’re going away with that Jackie?’ Daisy had gasped with obvious disapproval. ‘It’s not a good idea!’ ‘Why not?’ Helen had demanded to know. She’d only popped in to Daisy’s one evening after work to say she was heading off on a cheap-as-chips, late Summer camping holiday to Cornwall with Jackie – her new party animal pal and a fellow divorcee. ‘Well…’ Daisy had begun. ‘You’re always in hangover hell after a night out with her? A whole week of caning it with her? Mum, are you sure?’ Helen had told Daisy to stop interfering, to stop being like Saffy from Ab Fab – all the while trying to ignore the nagging little voice in her head that was…

CANCER 22 June – 23 July You may decide to go solo in some area of your life right now. Your now in touch with your true sense of identity, so routines could fly out the window. After taking practical advice, the financial pressures finally lift, reinforcing your confidence. LIBRA 24 September – 23 October You want to shine like a beacon and hope to see real results for all the work you have put in over the past weeks. The key theme here is kindness from friends and group activities which often relate to enterprises that connect around music. CAPRICORN 22 December – 20 January Look to make adjustments and reevaluate boundaries in relationships. Your are reminded of your needs, fears and vulnerabilities as you seek a deeper connection.…

PITCH PERFECT 3 Friday, 9pm, E4 Get ready to sing and dance along as the Bellas reunite for one last shot of stardom. After breaking up when they won the World Championship, they’re determined to be crowned victorious for a second time around. Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson lead the cast. GRAVITY Thursday, BBC One, 10.40pm On an outer space mission, engineer Ryan Stone and astronaut Matt Kowalski are hit by high-speed space debris! As the situation gets dire, Stone rises to the occasion. Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, it’s out of this world! SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING Friday, 10.40pm, BBC One In the 2017 instalment of the franchise, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) attempts to strike the perfect balance between high school student and superhero Spider-Man. But it’s not long before…

Conversations with an ex are awkward at the best of times – so imagine how TV presenter Alex Jones felt when she had to interview her former partner, Steve Jones, recently – on the sofa of BBC’s The One Show! Fellow Welsh native Steve, who presented Channel 4’s coverage of Formula One, was on the show to discuss the racing and to promote his first novel Call Me (a Penguin book, about a man who finds an old mobile phone and ends up speaking to his 12-year-old self). But fans could not ignore the elephant in the room – that the pair were a former couple with, well, let’s just say, a somewhat colourful history. Alex and Steve were together from 1999 to 2002, when they worked together on Channel…

WIN 1 X £200, 2 X £100 OR 3 X £50 PRIZES ACROSS 1 Law enforcers (6) 4 Direction of this clue (6) 9 Occidental (7) 10 Using great physical force (7) 11 Pick out; choose (5) 12 State indirectly (5) 14 Relating to a city (5) 15 Military walk (5) 17 Take place; happen (5) 18 Emotional stability (7) 20 System of interconnected things (7) 21 Without difficulty (6) 22 Place of confinement (6) DOWN 1 Very fine substance (6) 2 Person who hears (8) 3 Thorax (5) 5 Long-lasting and recurrent (7) 6 A single time (4) 7 Gently (6) 8 Participation (11) 13 Of great value (8) 14 Water passage (7) 15 Able to move (6) 16 Not working (6) 17 External (5) 19 Not as much (4) Which James Bond…

TRAVEL SNAPSHOT If you’re a fan of the UK’s loveliest landscapes, the Isle of Man is for you. It’s almost as if the best bits of Britain have been condensed into this one spot that blends Cornwall’s coastline with Scotland’s wildness, Devon’s timeless countryside and the Lake District’s heather-clad heights. Add in boat trips, bike rides, chocolate-box villages, seashore strolls and marvellous marine life and you’ve got all the makings of an unforgettable Summer staycation. INSIDER’S GUIDE Tourism boomed on the Isle of Man in the Victorian era, when holidaymakers arrived by the boatload for seaside breaks in Douglas, the capital, whose two-mile-long promenade stretches beside a gentle bay. The advent of the railways in 1873 also opened up the west coast resorts of Peel, Port Erin and Port St…

Carol Kirkwood is one of our best-loved TV personalities. Millions of viewers tune in for the calming Scot’s weather reports on BBC Breakfast. Lately, the 61-year-old – who is engaged to fitness fanatic, Steve Randall – has channelled her creativity into writing and was inspired to pen her first book by her passion for travel and her love of Hollywood glamour. Her debut novel, Under a Greek Moon and its follow-up, The Hotel on the Riviera, both reached the Sunday Times bestseller list. Now, she’s back with a third – Secrets of The Villa Amore, set in sun-kissed Italy… Hi Carol, how are you? I’m great, thank you! I’m happy. I’m in a really good place. Your new book sounds like a lovely Summer read. What’s it about? It’s about…

‘Liz Hurley is the absolute master of PR. You’ve got to hand it her, every time she puts on a bikini, I’ll bet her range of swimwear flies out of the shops. Is it because she looks so good in them? Probably. But the furore or excitement wouldn’t be the same if she wasn’t so, er, old. Thing is, she’s not old – she’s not even 60 yet! Good for her, she deserves it because she, by her own admission, puts a lot of work into looking that fabulous, dieting to get to her ‘modelling weight’ for shoots. Plus, she has great lighting and excellent photographers. But how important is it to look that good at 58? For one journalist in a very widely read paper, it’s so important that…

Fern shocked some fans recently when she revealed that her brother is an actor currently on a big show on the box. Taking to Twitter to congratulate him on his latest role, as Marcus in Hijack. ‘I’m off to bed to catch ep3,’ she typed. ‘The Apple TV drama starring my brother Jasper Britton with some bloke called Idris Elba. Night night x.’ And it didn’t take long for fans to react – one said, ‘My goodness… didn’t join the dots’. Another added, ‘He’s playing a blinder with that bloke Idris – talent runs through the family.’ It clearly does.…

Lentil Niçoise Salad We’ve given the classic Tuna Niçoise a vegetarian makeover by swapping tuna for protein-rich Puy lentils. So much flavour comes from the sprightly dressing, piquant olives and soft-boiled eggs; this filling salad will make meat-free Mondays something to look forward to. Ready in 20 minutes. Serves 4 • 4 medium eggs, at room temperature• 200g green beans• 2 x 250g pouches ready-cooked puy lentils• 100g pitted black olives, chopped• 150g mixed radishes, sliced FOR THE DRESSING • 1 shallot, finely chopped• 1tsp Dijon mustard• 5tbsp extra virgin olive oil• 1 ½ tbsp white wine vinegar• Small bunch fresh herbs, finely chopped (we used basil, chives, parsley) 1 Add the eggs to a small pan of salted simmering water, cook for 8min. Meanwhile, whisk dressing ingredients together with…

HOW DO I TELL MUM WE’RE LEAVING… My family and I are finally following our dreams and moving to Spain for a better life. But I’m an only child and my elderly mum is on her own since my lovely dad died, four years ago. How do I tell her I’m leaving? We’re only round the corner and I know she relies on us for company – and she is so, so close to our daughter, 23. We are convinced we’ve made the right call but I don’t want to break her heart. I can’t even sleep thinking about the conversation we’re going to have… Fiona, Inverness Focus on the positives. When your mum comes to stay with you in Spain, where will she stay? With you? In a nearby…

MALIBU BARBIE Fancy living the Barbie dream? Then take the holiday of a lifetime with a tailor-made trip to help you live and breathe Barbie’s world! Stay three nights at the iconic Trixie Motel in Palm Springs, which was famously transformed by Trixie Mattel and her partner David Silver. This perfectly pink wonderland is home to seven themed rooms and is just steps away from the city’s best restaurants and attractions. Next up is another famous location, the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles. This iconic hotel hosted another famous blonde, Marilyn Monroe, as well as other stars of stage and screen. The itinerary also includes stops at Barbie-inspired locations such as skating along Venice Beach and soaking up the sun in Malibu. And no trip would be complete without…

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 –…

TOP TIP! Avoid putting sand covered towels straight into the washing machine as the grains can block the filter and pipes! Instead, dry and shake outdoors to get rid of as much sand as possible before washing.…

Like her Ab Fab alter ego, Dame Joanna Lumley is a big fan of the air kiss, often greeting people at parties with a light smacker for both cheeks. But the veteran actress and campaigner has revealed an unusual reason for her habit – she suffers from a rare condition known as ‘face blindness’ that leaves her unable to recognise even people she knows well. ‘I’ve got this weird thing with faces. I’ve got a face blindness. It’s called prosopagnosia,’ she said. ‘I can’t tell people from faces. So, unless I know who they are, I don’t know who they are.’ Joanna, 77, was discussing the condition on the Tracks of my Years podcast, hosted by Vernon Kay. ‘This is why I kiss everybody. I kissed you today. A, because I wanted…

Dame Maureen Lipman is certainly not one to mince her words. The acclaimed actress, who has done it all, screen to stage, has become just as famous for her outspoken views and witty remarks as she has her glittering career. But the 77-year-old’s impressive CV speaks for itself – including everything from a string of adverts for BT where she played Beattie to roles in comedies such as Re:Joyce. And in recent years she’s gained even more popularity after landing the fabulous role of battleaxe Evelyn Plummer in Coronation Street and sitting on the Celebrity Gogglebox sofa. Here, during a conversation with Gyles Brandreth at London’s Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, West London, she spoke about her life and career, reliving the good old days of theatre and getting drunk…

Picking up the phone, I rang my mum and dad to deliver the news no daughter or son expected to tell their parents. At the age of 54, I’d been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. Mum and Dad, both in their eighties, were shocked. ‘Isn’t that an old person’s disease?’ my dad Edwin asked. My mum Patricia asked how long I had left. My diagnosis clearly felt as unreal to them as it did to me… A year earlier, I’d started to notice myself becoming more forgetful. I ran my own personalised teddy bear company and when clients phoned me, I couldn’t remember what they’d said and kept making mistakes. It was embarrassing. Then one day, I woke up and couldn’t see. My vision came back but then later, I…

WHAT IS COQ10? Also known as Coenzyme Q10, it’s a potent antioxidant made by naturally the human body. It plays a crucial role in energy production within our cells and is jointly responsible for the basic functions of the skin – such as regeneration, growth and repair. As we get older, our levels drop and while this vitamon is found in some food sources – such as fish, peanuts, and broccoli – it’s difficult to get enough through diet alone. However, research shows topical application of CoQ10 can help boost the levels found in our skin cells, so it’s worth using products in our regular beauty routines. IS IT A NEW INGREDIENT? No. CoQ10 has been around in skincare since the late Eighties. Nivea has just celebrated 25yearsofusingQ10in its best-selling…

Over the years, Joe Swash’s warm cheeky chappy personality has endeared him to many, during his time on EastEnders, then in spirited appearances on reality shows like I’m a Celebrity. Now, Joe is delving into something distinctly more personal – the untold stories of Britain’s teens in care. This emotional one-off BBC documentary sees Joe explore the stories of teens in care over the age of 16 – the largest growing cohort in both child protection and care. Joe’s own mum, Kiffy, has been a foster carer for over 15 years, including to Daniel, now 18, who Joe says fondly, ‘will always be family’. The father-off-our is very passionate about what his mum does – so much so, that he and wife, Loose Woman Stacey Solomon, are even considering fostering themselves,…

SHE’S USING SUNBEDS! My daughter, 28, is using a stand-up sunbed once a week and has done for quite a few years. Both me and my husband are typically pale-skinned, freckly Irish natives, so as a second-generation Irishwoman you can imagine how fair her skin is! I’m so worried about the risks she’s running – and she’s ramped it up now, as she’s about to go to Greece on holiday. It’s 2023, I think she needs a short, sharp shock. What can I tell her, doctor? Michaela, Watford DR HILARY SAYS: I would tell her that there are 17,000 cases of melanoma skin cancer diagnosed every year in the UK and around 2,500 people die from it. I would tell her that 100 of these deaths are attributable to people…

We have just finished our run of Older and Wider Live matinee shows at the Leicester Square Theatre in London, and well, we have had an absolute ball. For those who don’t do podcasts, or more specifically, don’t listen to Older and Wider, let me explain it. It’s a weekly podcast, which basically features me and my mate Judith Holder, nattering away for around 45 minutes, with regular topics that include nana news, hypochondriacs’ corner, food sensation of the week, and a cultural round-up (mostly books and telly). The live show is slightly different. It’s higher voltage, there’s more showing off; Judith wears the jumpsuit she made on her very own sewing machine, and I may or may not show the lace trim on my long line anti-chafe knickers! There is no…

FELINE CHEEKY When it comes to toys, Snowy isn’t one for sharing - this mouse belongs behind closed paws! PET OF THE WEEK Name: Snowy Breed: English shorthair Owner: Peter and Elsie-Rose, Devon BEDTIME BEHAVIOUR Why have a special bed to yourself when fresh laundry will do just fine? SNACK SAVIOUR After a busy day of commandeering toys and boxes, meal time rules for this kitty. TREASURE HUNT Always one to sniff out a new find, Snowy isn’t interested in the contents - just give her the box! ALL TANGLED UP When it comes to ensuring her staff are working well, Snowy’s down to the wire. KNOCK, KNOCK With a strong determination only a cat can possess, we assume there are treats in this cupboard… NO PHOTOS! It’s a camera shy…

STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE BUTTONS, HOUSE OF CHOCOLATE, £2.50 Deliciously strawberry – in taste, and in colour – these sweet treats look almost too pretty to eat… but it certainly won’t stop us! ROWNTREE’S BERRY HEARTS SWEETS SHARING BAG, £1.50, SAINSBURY’S Ken isn’t the only man with hearts in his eyes… these fruity flavoured jelly hearts contain real fruit juice and come in three delicious flavours. We love them! MAGNUM DOUBLE RASPBERRY ICE CREAM STICKS, £4, ASDA Keep extra cool this summer with these velvety smooth Magnum ice creams. We love the tartness of the raspberry paired with a chocolatey shell. Five stars from us.…