Good to share

Good to SHARE We love to hear what you’ve been up to, so do get in touch! From you to us

Where I

read mine I took my copy on holiday to Bora Bora in French Polynesia. The perfect view, with the perfect way to relax on the beach! Paula Smith, Darwin, Australia ✣ We’d love to see where you read your copy of Woman’s Weekly. The more exotic the location, the better!

Look what I made! I made these teapot covers for family and friends this Christmas. I have just turned 90 and I continue to look forward to reading Woman’s Weekly every week. Mrs B. Halton, Ireland

IT’S GOOD TO TALK I recently lost my husband and I really don’t know how I would have coped without my wonderful network of friends and family. However, so many people say ‘I don’t know what to say’, but I don’t mind –anyone who has taken the trouble to see me, ring me or even text me have all been a great comfort. Never be afraid to check on someone who has lost a loved one, even if it’s only a text saying ‘just checking in’, because it warms the broken heart. Tina Andrews, Norwich Letter of the week

Paws for thought

Our son works away from home and we are glad to know his dog Honey is there with him. As you can see she is a real sweetie! Christine Taylor, Lancashire ✣ Got a pet pic that makes you smile? We can give it a good home

Get in touch WE LOVE LETTERS Woman’s Weekly, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP. P.S. It really helps when you put your details in capitals. We do not return photos (apart from You Wore It Well) so please do not send originals.

EMAIL US womansweeklypostbag @ti-media.com Tell us your full name, address and daytime phone number, please

FANCY A CHAT? Log on to facebook.com/ womansweekly We can’t wait to hear from you!

This week

What you’re WEARING

JULIA TOWNSEND, 56 Tell us about your look I found this smart coat at River Island. My trousers are from H&M, my ankle boots are Dune and my bag is Mulberry –it was a Christmas present to myself last year. My gloves are M&S and my scarf is Mint Velvet, one of my favourite brands. And the best bit of your body? My small waist. I’m just learning to accentuate it!

KAYLEIGH BOWER, 31 Tell us about your look I spotted this check coat on a mannequin at Sainsbury’s. I took a photo of myself wearing it, showed it to my friends, and they all said I should buy it. It’s quite brave for me as I normally live in black or plain white. Underneath I’m in my usual Topshop black jeans and T-shirt, with boots from Primark. My black rucksack is also from Topshop. And the best bit of your body? My legs.

KIMBERLEY WATSON, 60 Tell us about your look I love to mix things up! My coat is by Jeremy Scott at TK Maxx, and my trousers are by Paul Smith – my friend found them for just £10. My floaty top is from M&S, I think my scarf was from Primark, and I found my shoes in a local store for £10. My bag is TK Maxx as well, and my necklace is vintage Butler & Wilson. And the best bit of your body? My long silver hair!

LAURIE DAVIDSON, 43 Tell us about your look I love floaty skirts and dresses. This pleated skirt is from ASOS and my jumper is H&M. My lilac coat is also from ASOS – I usually go for bold or dark colours but recently got into winter pastels. My boots are from Zara and my bag is M&S. And the best bit of your body? My brain and my heart.

You Wore It Well

Jose Hatch, 1960 This is me and my husband Laurie on our wedding day. I designed my dress and my mother made it. I bought the satin fabric from a department store in Regent’s Street, London. Sadly, my husband died 11 months later.

✢ We’d love to see how great you looked in any era up to and including the 1980s. Please send a good-quality photo with your name, address and daytime phone number clearly written on the back, to: Fashion Dept, Woman’s Weekly, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP. Photos will be returned.

‘Why my current

role makes Cold Feet actress Fay Ripley opens up on why Jenny’s storyline really matters to her ME CRY’

The

interview

In the 23 years Fay Ripley has starred in Cold Feet, her character Jenny Gifford has been through many trials and tribulations. But Fay reveals that playing Jenny this time around has been her biggest challenge to date.

In the upcoming series, Jenny has just finished her treatment for breast cancer, and Fay, 53, explains how she felt a duty to tell the story accurately – especially as her stepmother has the disease in real life. Struggling to hold back the tears, Fay says, ‘She’s in recovery and if I even talk about it, I’ll cry, because she’s so incredibly sweet about it. ‘She’s fine, she’s good, but

she rings me after every episode as it’s so hard for her to watch.’

Fay continues, ‘The added responsibility of not wanting to get it wrong means you definitely try a bit harder. Let’s say it’s a party scene, and you’re drunk and you’re having an affair – you can’t get it that wrong. But suddenly, if you’re playing someone with breast cancer and you’ve talked to thousands of people about their journey, whether it’s on social media or on the street, or with your friends and family, it really matters.’ Fay tells us that her onscreen son, Adam, is exactly the same age as her daughter, Parker, 17. This is because Fay was eight-and-a-halfmonths pregnant when they filmed the first series, so they made her a mum in the show. In this series, there is a scene where Adam wishes Jenny was dead, which Faye found very tough to film and she fought to get

Fay with her on-screen husband Pete (John Thomson) it ‘softened’ from the original script. Fay explains, ‘I’m a mum and I have a kid, and I know my child says, “I hate you”, and I know my child says, “I wish for a new family”, but I don’t think, when your mum has cancer, you’d say the very thing you’re most scared of.’ And Fay believes it’s these elements of caring and duty that has made Cold Feet so successful — and is perhaps the reason it’s still on our screens after 23 years. Talking about her co-stars, Fay explains, ‘We’ve all been on the journey together, and it may mean we care too much in a way — if there is such a thing. We don’t just turn up, it’s not just a job any more.’ But the success of Cold Feet also has a downside for Fay — when it comes to fans asking her for photos. ‘Most of the time, people are very nice,’ she says. ‘My only criticism is if you can see I have no make-up on, please don’t take a picture. I’m just embarrassed. It’s all on a manageable level though, no one’s pretending I’m Madonna!’ But there are two people who aren’t fans of seeing her on the telly — her children, Parker, 17, and Sonny, 13. And with their dad, Daniel Lapaine, starring in The Durrells , it gets even harder. ‘My eldest freaks out when she watches me on the TV because of the lovemaking! ‘She doesn’t like to see her dad doing it either,’ Fay laughs, before adding, ‘I have to say, my husband gets a lot more action than I do! He’s never out of the bedroom!’ It’s the ‘lovemaking being very good’ that Fay jokes is the reason her character Jenny, and John Thomson’s character ‘My husband gets a lot more action than I do!’