Table of contents for 14-2019 in Best

Thankfully, Bo survived and Ulrika fell in love again. This time with Lance Gerrard-Wright, a contestant on Mr Right, a show she last hosted in 2002. Daughter Martha came along a year later. But since then, apart from brief stints on Dancing On Ice, Celebrity Big Brother and finally Celebrity Masterchef in 2017, the star has all but disappeared from our screens. ‘It’s a self-imposed exile,’ she admits. Her marriage to Lance was short-lived and, Ulrika explains, ‘I felt my children needed me more as they got older. I wanted to help shape them and help them shape themselves – and while I love working, I didn’t really know where I fitted in as an older woman, with the explosion of social media and reality TV. There was a sort…

‘I don’t want to sound gloomy, but I think about dying, a lot. I like to talk about it, too, for practical and emotional reasons, because I think it’s important to accept that it is as much a part of life as breathing and taxes. I don’t think it benefits anyone to stick their fingers in their ears, in the hope it will never happen. I think it’s why I love After Life so much. It’s the Netflix series written by and starring Ricky Gervais. I wrote about it here briefly last week and, since then, I’ve watched all six episodes again. Almost everyone agrees it is brilliant, because it’s funny, sad, well written and perfectly cast. It’s also seriously thought-provoking and deals with death and grief in a way…

Pulling up the covers over my son Alex’s shoulders, he snuggled in and closed his eyes. His twin brother, Hayden, was already asleep in the cot next to him. A sudden rush of emotion washed over me as I looked at them. ‘I love you,’ I whispered. This may sound like a familiar bedtime routine to most parents but, for me, it was a first. Although my boys were three years old, this was the first time I’d said those words and actually meant them. Before that, if I’m honest, there was no emotion there. No love, no affection – just a polite interest in whether they were clean and fed. I was simply going through the motions, not mothering them properly. When I’d fallen pregnant in 2014, I’d had…

TOP TIP! Dab onto cheekbones or mix into your moisturiser to help brighten skin.…

Gloria Hunniford is a mum of three and grandmother of 10. She’s been divorced, remarried and learned to deal with the loss of her daughter and, on Rip Off Britain, she battles consumer issues. In her own words, she’s ‘lived a lot’. So, ask Gloria anything… Is my friend going off me? We used to call each other all the time, but now, whenever I ring or message my friend, I’m lucky if I hear back. The ideal situation would be to see how she is in person, but if she won’t answer me by text, how can I get through to her? She’s also single, so it’s not like I can get in touch via a partner. I suffer generally from low self-esteem but I don’t want to think this…

Not only is hunky Isaac Carew, 33, dating one of the hottest stars in British pop – Dua Lipa (they’ve been together since 2015), the Londoner is fast becoming one of our most in-demand celebrity chefs. With recent appearances on ITV’s This Morning to promote his new Dirty Dishes recipe book, he seems to have the food world – and Holly Willoughby – falling at his feet! And it’s no surprise, given the charming former model looks like a combination of a young Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Elvis Presley. So, how has the striking cook gone from being screamed at by Gordon Ramsay [he trained with the famous chef after he left school] to rivalling Gordon’s success? Nothing to do with that curled lip, of course… ‘I didn’t do well…

… new movie Dumbo It’s very sweet at its centre, fundamentally a story about family and forgiveness. I play a widower – my children have lost their mother. It deals with heavy issues, but in such a gentle way that is very accessible. … his toughest audience My youngest saw Dumbo – he thought it was all right. He’s not too impressed. It’s a tough crowd at home. But it keeps you honest. … his hell-raising Hollywood days It was fun for a while, but what saved me was just the desire to live. The birth of my first son, James, was when I got to realise I wasn’t just living for myself any more. I had a little baby who didn’t need a best friend, he needed a dad.…

10 vouchers to give away Could your home do with a new-season update? Look no further than B&M. You’ll find big brands with big savings, from soft home furnishing to clever storage solutions. We’re giving 10 best readers the chance to win a £50 voucher to spend, in store or online. All you need to do is enter our competition! HOW TO ENTER POST: Send a postcard with your name, address and contact number to: best B&M Competition, GVBSTN19167, Hearst Magazines UK, The Data Solutions Centre, Worksop S80 2RT, by 19 April 2019. PHONE: Call 0901 027 2712 by midnight on 16 April 2019. Calls cost 30p per minute, plus your telephone company’s network access charge, and will last no longer than two minutes. Calls from mobiles may cost significantly…

TOP TIP Strappy camisole tops are hot this season. For an easy way to pull off this trend, layer underneath your white shirt and tie at the waist for a relaxed look. TOP TIP Wear your white shirt under a dress instead of wearing a jacket. Not only does it look fresh, it’s a great way to flatter upper arms. TOP TIP With spring just around the corner, switch to a pair of white jeans, instead of classic blue. Break up the all-white look with pops of bold red.…

When you host a daytime chat show, the worst that can happen is a few cross words between panellists. But we’re about to see Andrea McLean in an entirely different light. The Loose Women host, 49, will have no panel to hide behind as she takes part in gruelling reality show Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins for Stand Up To Cancer, alongside 11 fellow celebs including Jeff Brazier, Love Island’s Camilla Thurlow and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again actor Jeremy Irvine. Just like the ‘civilian’ version, soldier-turned-telly star Ant Middleton puts recruits through an intensive week-long course to see if they could hack the Special Air Service. As fellow contestant, former Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton, told us, ‘They’re trying to break you – that’s what it’s about.’ For Andrea,…

Don’t mess with our buns Here in the best office, we love Easter and all the sweet treats that come with it. Is there anything better than a toasted hot cross bun with lashings of butter – especially with a nice, warm cuppa? Well, it turns out, some people think there is – alternative hot cross buns. Ones filled with chocolate and orange, others with salted caramel… some with fudge. Why would they do that?! Who wants to mess with foodstuff that is already perfection? Surely you all agree with us? If you have one of the extra-sugary substitutes, you’re bound to feel sick afterwards, whereas if you stay safe with the traditional model, it’s the ideal mix of savoury with the slight sweetness from the sultanas. So supermarkets, we…

WE ALL WANT TO LOOK YOUTHFUL, BUT WHY HAVE SURGERY WHEN SOFTER OPTIONS CAN BE JUST AS EFFECTIVE – AND MUCH CHEAPER? DR AAMER KHAN AND SKIN CARE SPECIALIST LESLEY REYNOLDS ARGUE IT OUT IN THE PAGES OF BEST… Need a face fix? From sagging skin to adult acne, husband and-wife team Dr Aamer and Lesley discuss the best solutions for you… MY FACE HAS LOST ITS FIRMNESS. I DON’T NEED A FACELIFT – I WOULD JUST LIKE MY COMPLEXION TO LOOK TIGHTER AND MORE TONED. IS THAT POSSIBLE? Sue, Cambridge DR AAMER SAYS: Various procedures can do this and they all use a different type of energy – radio frequency, ultrasound or infrared light. Most can be used on all areas of the face and work by heating the…

I had just stepped out of the shower and sat down on my bed when I noticed it. In the mirror across the room, I could see my stomach was folded in on itself, making it look like a face, laughing at me. Aged 29, I’d been self-conscious about my size for a long time. And, while I’d avoided weighing myself for years, there was no denying that I was obese. I was only 5ft 6in, but I wore a size 26. My weight gain began when I got a job at a fast food restaurant in my home town of Limerick, Republic of Ireland, aged 15. Until then, I’d eaten healthily, but during every shift I’d enjoy a chicken fillet burger, chips slathered with curry or cheese and chicken…

British pop trio Bananarama, made up of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward, were the biggest-selling girl group of the 80s, racking up more hits than the Spice Girls. With songs like Robert De Niro’s Waiting, Cruel Summer and It Ain’t What You Do, they went on to sell over 30 million records. Now, with a new album – the first without former member Siobhan (despite the 60-year-old reuniting with her old bandmates temporarily last year), Sara, 57, and Keren, 58, talk to best about how the trio blazed a trail for female singers – and why the now-duo have no plans to hang up their mics just yet! Sara and Keren, you’re back with a new album and touring the world again – how does it feel?…

Say the name Ulrika Jonsson, and most of us instantly call to mind a stunning, fresh-faced Swede who rose to fame in the 90s – all sun-kissed skin, blonde hair and piercingly blue eyes. Ask the 51-year-old about that now and she laughs, ‘I came from Sweden! There is a real feeling of the sisterhood there that I never felt here. Sometimes, I felt antagonism. Women can be awful to other women. It was almost as if the worst label you could be given then was “ambitious”.’ Worse than the ‘4x4’ label – a mother of four children by four different fathers? ‘OK, I’m biologically a 4x4,’ she concedes. ‘But plenty of men father children and then disappear, and they are treated like loveable, if randy, old goats. Then women…

It has been claimed that Party Pieces – the mail order and online party firm run by the Duchess of Cambridge’s mum, Carole – has axed three employees, sparking fears for its future. The business had humble origins in Carole and husband Michael’s shed, born out of the mum-of-three’s own need for party supplies, and has made millions. In a chirpy message to customers on the company website, Carole said, ‘It’s always been a family business and all the children have played a part. James established our personalised photo cakes, Catherine started the first-birthday side of the business, and Pippa developed the Party Pieces blog.’ Last year, in her first media interview for 15 years, Carole, 64, said, ‘Because they all grew up with me working, Party Pieces has been…

Shine on! A statement skirt in satin or a bold print looks great teamed with a simple top and trainers. Make it midi! The mid-calf length doesn’t have to be challenging. Wear with wedges for a leg-lengthening look. Mini marvels Shop for a slight A-line and team it with funky flats for a relaxed way to pull off this trend. Pleats please A long pleated skirt can take you from day to night in a jiffy.…

It was a crime that happened in broad daylight, on a busy street, in plain sight. Yet, 20 years later, nobody knows who killed Jill Dando. Despite it being an apparently simple crime, it has turned into one of the most puzzling, long-running investigations in UK history, and one that still baffles police now. Jill Dando was one of the most recognisable faces on British television in the 90s. Originally from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, she was a journalist and newsreader, before becoming a presenter on Crimewatch in 1995. Just two years later, she was awarded the BBC Personality of the Year. The 37-year-old was also engaged to gynaecologist Alan Farthing. Life couldn’t be better. Yet, at 11.30am on 26 April 1999, she was shot dead on the doorstep of her Fulham…

Washing, typing, texting – our hands are in constant use, but often our care for them stops at handwash and maybe some cream. The skin on the backs of hands is some of the thinnest on the body and particularly susceptible to ageing, from dryness to wrinkles and age spots. So, make just a few tweaks to your daily routine and your hands will see the benefit. Fake it yourself Refreshing hand scrub Using an exfoliator on your hands will help do away with those rough, dry patches that linger over winter and, when you apply your cream afterwards, it’ll sink in better. In season this month, rhubarb is high in antioxidants and vitamin C, which will help brighten skin. Take 1-2 stalks of ripe rhubarb, boil for 10 mins,…

Extract from The Dirty Dishes by Isaac Carew Out now, Bluebird, £20 Herby prawn burger with lime mayo Did I mention that I love burgers? You rarely see prawn burgers on menus, but they make a great alternative to the classics. You simply mince the raw prawns by hand, then add the herbs. You’ve got loads of flavours in there, plus the richness of the prawns – then the lime comes through and smacks you in the face. This is another fresh and zingy one: think Mexico meets Japan meets a good old American-style burger. serves 2 2 spring onions, finely sliced½ bunch of coriander, leaves, chopped240g raw king prawns Sea salt Olive oil100g mayonnaise zest of 1 lime and juice of ½ lime2 brioche buns100g rocket1 red chilli, deseeded and…

We’re accustomed to Carol Vorderman’s hourglass figure and voluptuous curves, but when she stepped out in London recently, wearing tight-fitting leggings and a bright orange top, she could have stopped traffic. In the jaw-dropping pictures, the former Countdown star’s award-winning bottom – and chest – look even more prominent than usual. At 58, the TV presenter has a stunning physique, but fans have bombarded her on social media with questions about her dramatic new curves, with one asking, ‘Where have those boobs come from? Bum doesn’t look natural any more!’ Others were more cutting, with comments like, ‘How much more silicone can you put into one body?’ and, ‘What the hell does she look like? Ridiculous comedy boobs and fake ass… Thought it was only the young that went for…

Vicky McClure, 35, found fame as Lol Jenkins in Shane Meadows’s film This Is England and its spin-off TV dramas before going on to star in The Replacement. She is engaged to Welsh producer Jonny Owen and lives in Nottingham. How does it feel to come back after a two-year break? We’ve been on Line Of Duty for seven or eight years now, so it feels like coming home. We have such a laugh together. Writer Jed Mercurio doesn’t seem to mind killing off his characters. Do you ever worry that it’s your time to go? Yes! We all panic. I’d be lying if I said that in certain scripts I didn’t read my own part first… but with Line Of Duty, you want to look at what everybody’s doing –…

TRAVEL SNAPSHOT Starting and ending in Dubai with visits to Manama in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates’s capital of Abu Dhabi, and Muscat and Khasab in Oman, your home will be P&O’s Oceana. It’s a fantastic way to visit this stunning region. Your senses will reel as you roam from the mountains and souks of Oman to the private island of Sir Bani Yas. In Dubai, you’ll get your retail fix in some of the most spectacular malls in the world. At the Dubai Mall, there’s even a massive aquarium. Tour a fish market in Bahrain, watch the sun rise over the Arabian desert and belly-dance as it sets again. If you’ve always wanted an Arabian adventure, then this is the way to do it. INSIDER’S GUIDE Dubai is a…