We've Got You Covered Can You Hear Us Now? Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth officially end their engagement
Ten healthy lunch recipes
BearFaced beauties
We've Got You Covered 10 Things Women Need To Know About Health Reform
By CINDY PEARSON Have you noticed some changes in your health insurance lately? All of a sudden you don't need to come up with a co-pay when you pick up your birthcontrol pills or schedule a mammogram? Maybe your grandmother doesn't have to pay so much for her prescriptions, or you were able to keep your post-collegiate kid on your insurance even if she's as old as 25? Or maybe you know someone with an expensive medical condition who doesn't have to worry anymore about reaching a lifetime coverage limit? And did you get a refund check last year because your insurance provider wasn't spending at least 80 cents of your premium dollar on health care? These are just a few of the changes the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made in health-care coverage in the three years since it was signed into law. Now, having just celebrated the third anniversary of ACA, it's time to look ahead at what it will do for you as additional provisions go into effect—especially when the state health-insurance exchanges go into action this fall.
1 . Everyone Gets Insured. If you're like a lot of women, you've worried about losing your health insurance if you change jobs, get divorced, take early retirement or switch to part-time work. Maybe you've worried whether you'll ever be able to get, or afford, health insurance. If so, you're not alone: Nineteen million women are currently uninsured, and many more report that they feel trapped in a job or marriage because it's their ticket to health insurance. The Affordable Care Act is about to change all that. Oct. 1 marks the launch of virtual health marketplaces across the country, where women will be able to shop and compare the health-insurance options available in their state. The marketplaces will offer online shopping for health insurance, the same way Expedia or Travelocity offer online shopping for airplane flights. You'll be able to compare prices and look for features you like, secure in the knowledge that all of the plans offered in the health marketplace are fully vetted and legitimate. Coverage will then go into effect on Jan. 1, 2014. And no one will be denied coverage. Some of the plans might seem expensive, but lower-cost alternatives will also be offered, and if you make less than $42,000 as an individual (400 percent of the federal poverty level), you'll get tax subsidies to help you cover the cost of insurance. If you're below the poverty line, Medicaid (which was dramatically expanded by ACA) will cover you. Whatever your income or family size, there's an option for you—and the insurers can't say no. If the insurance company offers a policy and you're willing to pay, you're covered.
2. Women pay no more than men. What a concept—insurance companies have to treat women fairly! No charging women more than men for identical health-insurance plans. No selling policies that exclude maternity care. No treating cesarean birth as a preexisting condition. The ACA is making insurance better for men and children, too. Insurance companies have to spend a reasonable amount of the premium you pay on actual health care. (Remember those refund checks you get if more than 80 percent of your premium isn't spent on health care—85 percent if you're covered by a large group plan? Insurance companies had to pay out more than $1 billion last year!)
All policies have to be comprehensive (which means some of those employer-provided policies are going to get better, too.) The new requirements for "essential health benefits" move insurance a long way from "just in case of an emergency" to actually supporting good health, including mental-health services.
3. No co-pays for preventive care. This was one of the fights that made people pay attention to health reform. If health insurance is supposed to help us stay healthy, then it should cover the cost of preventive services with no extra fees. No co-pays. No deductibles. No one complained when preventive coverage started first for kids and adults in 2010. But when it was time to offer preventive coverage specifically for women's health, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and conservative politicians realized that prevention also means contraception— and they tried to stop health reform in its tracks. The Obama administration stood strong, however, and the women's coverage has started to take effect. All insurers now have to cover well-woman exams (thanks to the lobbying efforts of women senators such as Barbara Mikulski), contraception and breastfeeding (even the expensive stuff such as IUDs and breast pumps), cancer screening such as mammograms and Pap smears, domestic-violence screening and STI counseling. If you're working for Catholic Charities or a religiously affiliated hospital, however, don't bother asking your HR department about any of this: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has created a work-around so that the bishops don't have anything to do with your contraceptive coverage. According to Mayra Alvarez, director of public health policy in the Office of Health Reform at HHS, "We've really worked hard to find the best compromise between respecting religious concerns and women's access to contraceptive services. …The important compromise is that the religious employer itself is not going to be connected to the policy but the woman will continue to receive the information and the benefit directly from the insurer." In other words, every insured woman's contraceptive needs will be covered—at no extra cost to her.
4. Midwives and birth centers are covered. It's about time! We've known for a long time that the midwife model can be superior in many ways to an overly medicalized, ob-gyn-based approach to childbirth. But unlike many other countries that integrate midwives into their health-care systems, U.S. midwives and their supporters have had to fight for inclusion. The Affordable Care Act did away with a misguided policy that prohibited Medicaid coverage of birth centers staffed by certified nurse midwives (CNMs). It also requires Medicaid to start paying CNMs the same amount M.D.s receive for vaginal deliveries. The new rules don't apply to every private insurance policy, but these are big steps in the right direction. Forty percent of all births are paid for by Medicaid, and health reform is making midwives an option for many more pregnant women.
5. You have to enroll We wish health-care coverage started the day you were born and lasted a lifetime, but we're not there yet. Until then, if you need coverage and don't already have it either as an individual or from your employer, you need to enroll. You might not even get an official notice telling you about your state's health marketplace. But count on it—starting Oct. 1 you can go to the online marketplace and sign up for health insurance. Your new coverage can then begin on Jan. 1, 2014. Intimidated by online shopping? There will also be call centers staffed with people who can help you figure out what's right for you. And in many states there will be a network of inperson assisters to help people who don't have access to the Internet or prefer to communicate in a language other than English or Spanish.
6. Everyone should enroll - even the young and healthy. You may feel like it's not worth the bother of going online to enroll in the health marketplace. And if you're on a tight budget, even a subsidized insurance plan might not seem like a good use of your money. If you don't sign up, you'll pay only a $95 penalty at tax time. That might seem like a good deal compared to paying $200 a month for health insurance—but it's absolutely not. Insurance is vitally important to your well-being and that of your family. Under the ACA, the no-co-pay contraception alone can save a woman who needs it as much as $1,200 a year, which includes doctor visits. Even if you can handle
the cost of occasional colds and checkups without insurance coverage, bad things happen unexpectedly. And that's what insurance is for. If you're already covered, start talking to others about the importance of enrolling. As the Office of Health Reform's Alvarez reminds us, "Women are often the decision makers when it comes to health care in a family. Women are usually who we depend on when we have health-care questions. We go to our mom; we go to our sister." So use your power! Make sure your friends and relatives know that health insurance is important. Young men are the most likely to believe that they don't need health insurance, but we need lots of young healthy people to sign up to make the new system work.
7. LGBT families aren't left out. No state health marketplace can discriminate against consumers on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. In fact, same-sex couples can search for plans that offer coverage for both domestic partners and same-sex spouses through the health-plan finder tool at www.healthcare.gov. Advocates are continuing efforts to ensure that all health plans understand the health-care needs of transmen and transwomen. Also, some states are making it easier for lesbian and gay parents who are legally married to get family coverage through health marketplaces, even though they can't yet file federal tax returns.
8. Read the fine print and be a smart shopper. Even though the Affordable Care Act is doing a lot to protect consumers, we still have to be smart shoppers when it comes to our health insurance. You can count on any plan you buy through the health marketplace to cover essential benefits, but you may have to do some research on your own to make sure that the plan has enough of the kind of providers that are important to you. Are there enough ob-gyns? Does the plan include nurse practitioners? You'll have to read the fine print to know if your new health insurance puts tight limits on seeing clinicians who are outside the plan's network. Being a smart shopper is especially important if you need a plan with excellent access to family planning and abortion. By law, all insurance plans sold through the exchange have to cover contraceptive counseling and services. But where do you get those services now, and will those providers be able to bill your new insurance company? Some insurance plans are sponsored by Catholic health-care systems: Watch out for them! State regulators are supposed to make Catholic insurance plans comply with the law, but coverage might not be smooth at the beginning. And some insurance companies don't like paying for care received at familyplanning clinics, because they're used to dealing with individual physicians. Advocates are trying to address this by asking states to require insurance companies to work with any willing provider, especially those providing essential community services. If you love going to your local women's clinic, give them a call and ask which plans they're already working with.
9. So what about abortion? The answer depends on the state you live in. As of April 2013, 20 states have prohibited companies selling insurance in the health marketplace from covering abortion care. Eight states prohibit private-insurance coverage of abortion altogether. But if it's not prohibited by state law, many insurance companies cover abortion care. Again, read the fine print, and if you don't see the answer, don't be afraid to ask. Access to safe abortion helps women maintain their good health and take care of the children they already have. All of us should try to buy plans that include coverage for abortion care, even if we think we'll never need it.
10. There's help in figuring this all out. The federal government has an all-purpose site with useful information about the Affordable Care Act and what's happening when:www.healthcare.gov. And for helpful fact sheets about what women get from health reform and how things will work once the health marketplaces are up and running, visit www.CountdowntoCoverage.org. To find out how much a new insurance policy is likely to cost, try the insurance subsidy calculator designed by the Kaiser Family Foundation at www.healthreform.kff.org.
CINDY PEARSON is executive director of the National Women's Health Network and a cofounder of Raising Women's Voices for the Health Care We Need. Reprinted from the Spring 2013 issue of Ms. To have this issue delivered straight to your door, Apple, or Android device, join the Ms. Community. Comments on this piece? We want to hear them! Send to letterstotheeditor@msmagazine.com. To have your letter considered for publication, please include your city and state.
Can You Hear Us Now? Anti-choice abortion and birth-control legislation catalyzes national uproar By MARY TUMA On July 18, the Republican Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, signed into law a bill that could shutter all but a handful of abortion clinics in the state. But in the weeks before that, pro-choice advocates put up a tooth-and-nail fight that inspired the nation and made state Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Ft. Worth) a household name. ―Shame, shame, shame!‖ cried pro-choice advocates perched above the Texas Senate floor on June 25, as Senate Republicans tried to end Davis’ now-legendary nearly-13-hour filibuster against an earlier version of the anti-abortion bill. The impassioned cheers from the crowd drowned out the vote that night, and when Perry called a second special session to revive the dead bill, reproductive-rights advocates, dressed in matching burnt orange, flooded the Capitol not just by the hundreds but the thousands. ―Gov. Perry and other state leaders have…chosen narrow partisan special interests over mothers, daughters, sisters and every Texan who puts the health of their family…ahead of politics,‖ said Davis. In the end, the groundswell of activism could not stop the Republican-dominated state Legislature from passing the draconian legislation—which bans abortions after 20 weeks with exceptions only if a woman’s life is endangered, but not for health, rape or incest; requires abortions to be performed in ambulatory surgical centers; forces abortion clinics to have unnecessary transfer agreements with local hospitals no more than 30 miles away (hospitals must take patients even without such agreements); and requires doctors to be present when abortion pills are administered to patients (eliminating remote telemed options). The costly and unnecessary surgicenter requirements, if enforced, would be a major cause of clinic closures, which could render access to safe abortions out of reach for many Texas women. Some experts predict that all but five of the state’s 42 abortion clinics could close. Some 60 family-planning clinics that don’t perform abortions have already closed due to drastic state cuts in funding. Interestingly, Gov. Perry’s older sister, Milla Perry Jones, is a board member of the Texas Ambulatory Surgical Center Society. And even though the legislators who pushed through the new law would have you believe they’re trying to make women safer, they’re not: The Department of State Health Services has noted that abortion clinics are already regulated more frequently (once a year versus every three to six years) than surgi-centers. Texas is far from the only state that has attacked women’s reproductive rights this year. North Carolina Republican legislators launched a sneak strike on abortion rights just before the July 4 holiday, slipping in a surgi-center requirement, a transfer agreement requirement and a limit on abortion health-care coverage into an unrelated antisharia law bill. When the legislators realized that Gov. Pat McCrory wouldn’t sign it, they switched tactics and attached abortion restrictions to a motorcycle-safety bill—which the Republican McCrory signed despite his 2012 campaign pledge not to sign any new bills to restrict abortion. If North Carolina legislators thought they could avoid Texas-sized protests, they were wrong. Growing ―Moral Mondays‖ demonstrations led by civil rights advocates have been held weekly since April, involving thousands protesting proposed restrictions on voting rights and draconian budget cuts impacting low-income people. The lively protests have been joined by women’s groups objecting to cuts in women’s health programs and proposed abortion restrictions. Ohio, too, passed legislation that harms women—not just by limiting abortion access, but all sorts of health services. Three bills promoted and signed on June 30 by conservative Republican Gov. John Kasich–who, in his inaugural speech, declared, ―I am a servant of the Lord‖—cut familyplanning funds from Planned Parenthood, redirect Temporary Assistance for Needy Families money to unregulated crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) and prevent rapecrisis centers from counseling women made pregnant by rape about abortion. The new laws also force women seeking abortions to undergo invasive ultrasounds to detect a fetal heartbeat and require hospital transfer agreements—although, in a perfect catch-22, Ohio public hospitals are barred from entering into such agreements.
Dr. Martin Ruddock, an abortion provider of 34 years, was forced to shutter his Toledo clinic—which also offered basic reproductive health and family-planning services to some 1,200 women—because of the arbitrary rules. ―The state is regulating [us] to death with TRAP [Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers] laws that are totally ridiculous and no one will be able to comply with…and have nothing to do with quality of care that women receive. …[W]e’re going to end up with…a lot of unwanted, unplanned pregnancies, lots of premature births and [extraordinary] health-care costs.‖ Abortion opponents have found success in states with Republican governors and legislatures dominated by Republican majorities—especially since 2010, when elections ushered in a virulent breed of Tea Party-aligned lawmakers. Today, more than half of the states have TRAP laws. Twelve states now have passed bans on abortions late in a woman’s second trimester—which are seemingly at constitutional odds with Roe v. Wade. Using one of the newer anti-abortion tactics, nine states have passed laws that say a doctor must be in the room when a woman takes abortion pills. But clinics and abortion-rights groups such as the ACLU, the Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood are fighting back in the courts. The 20-week abortion ban was challenged in Arizona and Idaho, and found unconstitutional by federal district courts; Arizona’s decision was upheld by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In Georgia, a state court has blocked a 20-week ban, and a ban on abortions after 12 weeks has been temporarily blocked in Arkansas. A federal judge in North Dakota placed a preliminary injunction on a postsix- weeks abortion ban, while a state judge permanently enjoined a law restricting medication abortions. The requirement that doctors at abortion clinics obtain local hospital admitting privileges has been temporarily stopped in Wisconsin, Mississippi and Alabama. In Kansas, the state-mandated transition to ambulatory surgical centers is temporarily blocked. And while Virginia’s surgicenter requirement won’t take effect until January 2014, the state’s busiest abortion clinic—NOVA Women’s Healthcare—has just closed because it couldn’t meet the new regulations; Falls Church Healthcare Center has just filed a challenge to the regulations in state court. In Oklahoma, the state Supreme Court found the legislative-imposed restrictions on medical abortion unconstitutional, but the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the state’s appeal. In June the Supreme Court asked for clarification on the law in question, and will proceed with the case pending a response. Texas, too, hopes that the full effect of the new anti-abortion law won’t ever reach the ground. Describing the Texas legislation as ―one of the most extreme bills‖ to date, the litigation director for the Center for Reproductive Rights, Julie Rikelman, is optimistic about its demise: ―Based on what we’ve seen from the courts thus far…I think there is a very good chance all of these laws would be blocked if challenged.‖ Others are not so sure. ―It’s clear to me that there are five votes on the Supreme Court to uphold most stateimposed restrictions on abortion,‖ said Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the UC Irvine Law School. ―And although I doubt the court would go so far as to overturn Roe v. Wade, the question is where they will draw the line.‖ While the onslaught of anti-choice legislation nationwide is unprecedented, so, too, is the pushback. Davis’ remarkable display of determination— a move that many speculate will propel her to a gubernatorial bid—has bolstered an already unshakable grassroots movement. As the senator put it—and while she was speaking about Texas, her words apply to the whole nation: ―The fight for the future…is just beginning.‖ MARY TUMA is a staff writer for the San Antonio Current. Reprinted from the Summer 2013 issue of Ms. To have this issue delivered straight to your door, Apple, or Android device, join the Ms. Community. Comments on this piece? We want to hear them! Send to letterstotheeditor@msmagazine.com. To have your letter considered for publication, please include your city and state.
September-16-13
Top Female Afghan Police Officer Murdered Afghan Lieutenant Negar, the most senior female police officer in Afghanistan, died early Monday morning, one day after being shot by unidentified gunmen. Negar, who only goes by one name like many Afghans, was shot in the neck outside her home in the province of Helmand on Sunday. She is the third top policewoman to be murdered in recent months. Her predecessor, Islam Bibi, was killed in July. Female police officers are under threat from both the Taliban and drug traders. "They have given us warning that one of us will be killed every three months and we will be killed one by one," Afghan policewoman Malala said to The Associated Press. According to BBC News, women make up just under 1 percent of Afghanistan's police force, with about 1,600 females serving and about 200 more in training. Media Resources: ABC News 9/15/2013; Al Jazeera, 9/16/2013; BBC News 9/16/2013
Biscuit and traybake recipes inspired by the Great British Bake Off The eight remaining contestants on the Great British Bake Off are facing the challenge of biscuits and traybakes on Tuesday evening's show. Co-judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood will put the hopeful bakers through their paces in the signature challenge of the quarter-final which will see them showing off their bakewells, banoffees and brownies. In the technical test, they have to handle the delicate task of producing classic French tuiles.
CLICK ON PHOTO FOR RECIPES The showstopper task will require creativity, patience and a steady hand as they build mindboggling biscuit towers with the hope of impressing the judges to make it through to next week's show. Try one of HELLO! Online's delicious biscuit and traybake recipes - which include cute daffodil pops and guilt-free brownies - at home.
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth officially end their engagement 16 SEPTEMBER 2013Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth's engagement is officially over.
Spokespeople for both Miley and Liam confirmed the news to PEOPLE magazine that the couple have split after months of speculation. Miley, 20, and 23-year-old Liam met on the set of The Last Song in 2010 and got engaged in May last year.
Earlier this year, the stars decided to postpone their nuptials. After deciding to delay the wedding, Miley was spotted alternately wearing and not wearing her 3.5-carat Neil Lane engagement ring. They were last seen together in August for the LA premiere of actor Liam's latest film Paranoia. The rumour mill went into overdrive over the weekend after Wrecking Ball singer Miley unfollowed
her Hunger Games star fiancĂŠ on Twitter. Australian actor Liam, who only joined Twitter in June, is still following his ex-fiancĂŠe on the microblogging website. Three months ago, Miley was forced to deny rumours that she was involved with Canadian singer Justin Bieber and Liam has recently come under fire following reports that he has been seeing actress January Jones. "I'm engaged! I'm engaged. That is impossible," said Miley in a morning interview on Washington DC radio programme The Kane Show.
Sheer magic from Fashion Week darling Erdem During his highly-anticipated show at London Fashion Week, designer Erdem tapped into a clear SS14 trend – transparent clothing. Many of the British fashion houses, including Burberry, Christopher Kane and J.W. Anderson had sent an array of sheer garments down the runway and Erdem's gauzy panel layering cemented the trend. The collection was also lent a distinctly Parisian feel through the colour palette, which was almost entirely in monochrome. Speaking backstage, Erdem revealed that he had a schoolgirl in mind when designing the Spring/Summer 2014 collection. "I had an idea of a girl who has to pretend to be a boy to go to school, she dressed up in his clothes but then falls in love and everything becomes more romantic and sensual," he said. These schoolgirl references came through in nods to uniforms – beaded crests and cropped cricket sweaters. First lady of fashion Samantha Cameron was front row to cast a discerning eye over Erdem's new offerings, alongside Alexa Chung, Pixie Geldof, Daisy Lowe and Poppy Delevingne.
During his highly-anticipated show at London Fashion Week, designer Erdem tapped into a clear SS14 trend – transparent clothing
First lady of fashion Samantha Cameron was front row to cast a discerning eye over Erdem's new offerings, alongside Alexa Chung, Pixie Geldof, Daisy Lowe and Poppy Delevingne
Gauzy layering featured heavily in the darkly romantic collection
The collection was lent a distinctly Parisian feel through the colour palette, which was almost entirely in monochrome
Piano and cello music added drama to the stunning show
Ten healthy lunch recipes With the kids going back to school and the bigger ones among us back at work, HELLO! Online has the key to making this term's lunchtimes healthy and tasty, with ten lunch recipes for school and work. Boost your five a day and keep your energy up in the afternoon with our tasty lunch options, and for the smaller learners, children's food guru Annabel Karmel MBE is close at hand with the perfect backto-school lunchboxes...
Spiced roasted shallot salad with Bulgur wheat, aubergine, raisins & a chilli and tomato dressing
Serves 4 Preparation time: 10-15 minutes Cooking time: 50 minutes Ingredients 12 shallots, peeled 3 tbsp rapeseed oil 1 large aubergine cut into 5cm chunks 200g Bulgur wheat rinsed in cold water 3 tbsp raisins 500ml water ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground coriander A good pinch of ground ginger Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 red chilli, seeded and finely diced 1 large vine tomato seeded and finely chopped A handful of flat leaf parsley chopped A handful of coriander chopped 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped Juice and zest of 1 lemon For the tomato dressing
2 vine tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced ½ red chilli, seeded and finely diced 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped 2 cm of peeled and grated fresh ginger 1 tbsp caster sugar Juice of 2 lemons 10 tbsp rapeseed oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Method 1. Preheat oven to 200°c gas mark 6 400°f 2. Place the shallots in roasting tin and drizzle with 1 tbsp of the rape seed oil season well. Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. 3. Then add the aubergine to the shallots and drizzle with 2 tbsp of oil and return to the oven stirring occasionally and roast for a further 15 minutes or until the aubergine and shallots are tender. 4. Meanwhile prepare the Bulgur wheat, place it with and raisins in a saucepan, add the water, cumin, coriander, and ginger season with sea salt and black pepper. Bring to the boil, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook very gently for 10 minutes or until the water has absorbed. 5. Remove from the heat and place in a mixing bowl, cool slightly and add all of the remaining ingredients. Take the shallot and aubergine out of the oven and add when cooled slightly to the salad. 6. For the dressing place all the ingredients except for the oil in to a food processor and blitz to form a smooth puree, then add the oil slowly to the puree till blended 7. Serve with the salad.
Tabbouleh salad
Serves 4 to 6 Ingredients 1/4 cup brown bulgur wheat Juice of 1 lemon 3 tablespoons olive oil Seeds from 1 medium pomegranate 60g of flat leaf parsley, washed and dried 30g of mint, washed and dried 4 Large ripe vine tomatoes 1 Medium red onion finely chopped 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (available in good supermarkets and health food stores) Pinch of salt Ground white pepper Pinch of sumac (available in good supermarkets and health food stores) Method 1. Place the bulgur wheat in a large bowl and prepare some boiling water. Pour the water – just off the boil, into the bowl so the bulgur is just covered. Set aside to soak for approximately 10 minutes, until the water has been absorbed and the bulgur has softened. 2. While the bulgur is soaking, juice the lemon and chop the parsley, mint and onions. Slice the tomatoes and chop them into medium size cubes. De-seed the pomegranate. 3. The bulgur wheat will have soaked up all the water. Once prepared add the tomatoes, onions, mint and parsley. 4. In a separate bowl add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt, pepper, molasses and sumac and mix well. Whisk in the olive oil.
5. Pour the dressing over the tomato mix, toss everything together, taste, and adjust seasonings as needed. 6. To serve, garnish the Tabbouleh with the pomegranate seeds a few whole mint sprigs. Serve at room temperature with warm pita bread, falafel and hummous for a Middle Eastern treat.
Recipe created by Gerard Murphy, Consultant Chef atjustfalafel.com
BearFaced beauties: Sheridan Smith and Alex Jones lead celebrities ditching makeup for Children in Need 17 SEPTEMBER 2013As stars of the small screen, they have to spend a great deal of time in the make-
up artist's chair, but now famous faces including Alex Jones and Sheridan Smith have decided to ditch their foundation and mascara for a very good cause. The two ladies have joined Arlene Philips, Jo Wood and Kimberley Walsh and signed up for the Children in Need BearFaced campaign.
CLICK ON PHOTOS FOR GALLERY They all posed for a make-up-free photoshoot with famed photographer Rankin to help highlight the worthwhile appeal. The initiative encourages women to be a natural beauty on Friday 8 November, by going without make-up and wearing a cute paw print face transfer instead. The paw print transfers are available in post offices throughout the UK. "There are so many children and young people across the UK who need our help, so how could I say no to the BBC Children in Need BearFaced campaign," said Welsh TV star Alex, 36. "Join me and hundreds of other women going Bearfaced on 8 November."
Former Strictly judge Arlene said, "Come on ladies, join me in going BearFaced on Friday 8th November to help raise lots of money for BBC Children in Need. Jo Wood added, "I'm so excited to be taking part in BBC Children in Need's BearFaced campaign this year! I hope that women across the UK will leave the make-up at home for the day to help change the lives of children who really do need our help."
Last year's BearFaced campaign featured stars including Heidi Klum, Lulu, Louise Redknapp, Abbey Clancy, Julia Bradbury and Caroline Flack.