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27 FEB 2020 ISSUE 9

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The original real-life mag

CASH PRIZES UP FOR GRABS!

RAPIST

pounced as I cradled my tot

I’m buying my family in monthly INSTALMENTS!

BITTEN BY AN INTRUDER!

Danger lurked behind my curtains

I found the secret to happiness IT COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

PLUS!

HOW TO WEAR PLANTERS...

Bring the outdoors in!

the cord trend

Mum’s grisly end

Chopped up & stuffed in

A CHILD’S TEDDY But what had the killer done with her head?

COVER PHOTO: GETTY. PHOTOS: TEENAGE CANCER TRUST

Contents On the cover

More true stories Your favourites

Get puzzling

6 Rapist pounced as I cradled my tot 12 How to wear corduroy 24 Bitten by an intruder!

29 Planters… bring the outdoors in!

34 I’m buying my family in monthly instalments!

54 Chopped up & stuffed in a child’s teddy 59 I found the secret to happiness

10 Heartbreak and hope: the deepest grief 16 Hammer horror: a price on her head?

18 Still beautiful 20 Health: DIY Donna 27 Porky pooch 30 The moment I knew: home truths 39 Year in crimes: 1992 44 Model child 48 Bingo winner

8 8 8 10 15 23 23 23 23 30 32 32 36 36 46 47 47 47 56

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57 We won!

3

Picture perfect

Another fun-filled week in Chat land I am a huge fan of Home and Away. I have watched it since it started so I was really excited to finally visit Summer Bay. I even ate a meal at the Pier Diner, which is featured in the show.

Rachel Howlett, Biggleswade

Forget the central heating, my cat Cody seems to think that the best heater in the house is the Sky box!

Angela Garvin, Romford

My little terrier Ziggy thinks she’s the bee’s knees with her headscarf on! We think she looks really cute.

Maureen Forster, Banbury

4

I met Chip Z’Nuff from the 80s band Enuff Z’Nuff. He was playing a gig in Blackpool and I met him afterwards.

He was really lovely and a good laugh too!

Linda Keen, Sheffield

Here I am taking a selfie with my lovely granddad, David.

Gemma Anderson, Sunderland

This is my beautiful wife Mel posing on the rocks during our trip to the Peak District last autumn.

Paul Edwards, Sheffield

My son Kieran, 10, and I were delighted to meet presenter Joe Swash and even got to be on This Morning.

Tammy Leaper, Coalville

Apparently the saying ‘don’t play with your food’ doesn’t apply to dogs, according to my fox-red Labrador Rusty!

Jodie Rich, Ashford

I dressed up with my sons Abner, Lucas and Asher for a Game of Thrones party. We had so much fun!

Lindsey Smith, Shrewsbury

for any photos that we use on Picture Perfect. They must not have been sent to any other publication and you must include written permission from a child’s parent/s or guardian/s. Post to Picture Perfect, Chat, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP, or email chat_magazine@ ti-media.com

£25

My husband Chris loves aping around. He’s the one on the left. Whoops, I mean, the one on the right!

Carol Firth, Burgess Hill

Unfortunately, we can’t return photos without a SAE. And please don’t forget to include your full address and a contact number.

5

UNWELCOME VISITOR

Uninvited: Carl Robinson

EVIL the d

After a lovely family day out, someone arrived who changed everything Claire Moore, 34, Retford very morning was dating Carl Robinson. the same. Rushing A Jack the Lad, but he out the door with seemed nice enough. minutes to spare...

I found myself confiding ‘Kids, get your in him about my break-up. skates on,’ I shouted.

‘It’s been tough,’ It was February 2016, I admitted. ‘But the kids and life was hectic. are my priority.’

A few months before, Towards the end of the I’d split up with my longyear, I started drifting away term partner. from the group.

Now a single mum to With Christmas fast Reuben, 9, Frankie, 3, and Dellah, 2, I barely had a second to myself.

But when they stayed with their dad every other weekend, I was lonely.

Then, one week, a pal introduced me to Kelly.

We hit it off.

I enjoyed occasional nights out together in a big group with her mates.

I’m glad Dellah Then, in June was too young to understand 2016, one of my new friends started

‘KELLY’ IS NOT HER REAL NAME. WORDS: CHER HEASMER. PHOTOS: MSM, MIRRORPIX

E

6

approaching, my focus was on making it as special as possible.

The year before, I’d lost my mum, Tina, 60, on Christmas Day, to a heart attack.

Devastated, as much as I’d tried to be brave for the kids, I was in bits.

This year, I was determined to make up for it.

Saving hard, I bought them all quad bikes, hid them away.

Meanwhile, in November, I received a suggestive text from Carl.

I think this was meant for your girlfriend, I replied.

You’re right, sorry, he wrote.

I forgot about it.

Soon enough, it was Christmas.

When the kids unwrapped their quad bikes, they were so excited.

‘You’re the best!’

Reuben grinned.

I missed Mum, of course. But it was a happy day.

We spent Boxing Day racing around a secluded wooded area specifically for quads.

That night,

Reuben had a sleepover at my sister’s, but Frankie and Dellah were both so exhausted, they went straight to bed.

I was wiped out, too, and nodded off on the sofa.

At 7.15am, knocking at the door woke me.

I opened it to find Carl.

‘Oh, hello,’ I yawned, instinctively inviting him in.

‘What are you doing here?’

Inside, Carl had a menacing look on his face.

He mumbled something, started coming on to me…

So that text hadn’t been sent in error...

‘You have a girlfriend,’ I replied, backing away, heart pounding.

Upstairs, Dellah had started to cry.

‘I’d better go check on her,’ I said.

I hoped alerting him to the fact the kids were in the house would warn him off.

Instead, he followed me upstairs.

I picked up Dellah and held her close.

‘I think you should leave,’ I told Carl.

But he grabbed Dellah, threw her back in her cot.

Next, he shoved me to

He had a menacing look on his face

I’m staying strong for my kids

at oor the floor and tore at my pyjama bottoms.

‘Please,’ I begged, choking on tears. ‘Don’t do this.’

Forcing himself on top of me, he tried to rape me.

We were just outside Dellah’s bedroom.

As I glanced over, she was looking at us from her cot.

Please, look away, darling, I begged in my head.

She was too young to see this.

Dellah’s sobs seemed to put Carl off, and he dragged me into the landing.

In front of a mirror, he ordered me to watch while he raped me.

Frankie was asleep in the next room.

I couldn’t believe what was happening.

Twenty minutes later, Carl jumped up.

‘You’d better not tell anyone!’ he spat.

‘I won’t,’ I said, desperate for him to leave.

Eventually he did, and I locked the front door behind him.

Then I broke down.

I’d been raped in my own home. Worse, Dellah had seen me being attacked.

I was just grateful she was too young to understand.

I’d been dreading

Christmas without Mum, but I’d got through it.

Now this...

I just wanted my normal life back.

So I got the kids ready and took them out for the day.

But my mind was racing.

Was I to blame for this? Had I led him on?

Back at home, I contacted Rape Crisis.

‘None of this is your fault,’ a support worker told me.

I decided to call the police.

First, I rang my sister, who came straight over.

She was my rock when the police arrived and I made a statement.

And she arranged for

I just wanted my normal life back

family to watch the kids while she came with me to a sexual-health clinic.

There, swabs were taken for DNA evidence.

I was a wreck. Even when I was told, the next day, that Carl had been arrested and remanded.

The damage was done.

I tried to be strong but Reuben realised that something was up.

‘A nasty man hurt Mummy,’ I explained. ‘But the police are going to lock him up.’

In June 2017 Carl Robinson, then 38 and of Grove Lane, Retford, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court.

I couldn’t bear to face him, so gave evidence from

behind a screen.

Thankfully, he was found guilty of rape and attempted rape, and jailed for nine years.

No sentence will ever undo what Robinson did.

What kind of twisted monster rapes someone in front of a child?

I long to forget what happened that morning.

I’ll paint a smile on my face for the kids, though.

I’ve got to be strong for them.

If you’ve been affected by sexual violence, contact Rape Crisis for advice, help and support on 0808 802 9999 or visit rapecrisis.org.uk/ get-help/want-to-talk/

7

£500 cash!

NUMBER JIG H

ow many people have taken part in the UK version of I’m a Celebrity…? Fit these numbers into the grid. One number doesn’t fit.

This is the prize answer.

4 digits 2109 2248 2344 2727 4573 4692 5170 6484 8213 8777

90057 90360 93640

6 digits 379958 406184 594293 635906 704992 769869 977469

3 1 0

5 digits

WIN0

£25

Puzzle 1

30032 31986 50440 50831 59141 62723 69300 84957 86033

7 digits 7023641 8332031 9434476

8 digits 66111172

Your answer:

SPIRAL XWORD T

he name of which garden weed comes from the French for lion’s tooth?

The answer to each clue (apart from the first) begins with the last letter of the preceding answer. The shaded squares will spell out the one-word prize answer.

A L B A T R O S S

Your answer: 8

WIN0

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Puzzle 2

1 Large seabird (9) 2 Beach construction (4,6) 3 Coffee type (8) 4 Musical drama (5) 5 Marzipan flavouring (6) 6 Horse-like mammal (6) 7 Annually (6) 8 Colour (6) 9 Scout’s neckerchief loop (6) 10 Thrifty (10) 11 Pamphlet (7) 12 Stripy big cat (5) 13 Soft fruit (9) 14 Sign of tiredness (4) 15 Song bird (11) 16 Green gemstone (7)

THREE IN A ROW W

hat was the profession of Chesley Sullenberger, the subject of the 2016 film Sully: Miracle on the Hudson?

To find out solve the puzzle, make three nine-letter words using all of these three-letter sections and enter them in the grid. We’ve given you three letters to start. Unscramble the shaded letters to find the one-word prize answer.

E J F

CLO TED PRO

ISH CKW JEL

JEC ISE LYF

Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles

W4INx

£25 Puzzle 3

Just

Genius Your tips are the tops!

£25

A clove-r idea

For every photo tip that we print

Mix butter with garlic or herbs and freeze portions in an ice-cube tray. That way you can take out what you need when making garlic bread or other recipes.

Kirsty McLean, Hull

Wheelie good!

Sole model

I wanted something to decorate my garden fence but most things at the garden centre were expensive. Instead, I picked up some old wheel trims, cleaned them up and got creative with paint and stickers before sealing it all with clear spray varnish.

It looks fab!

Sue Medley, Methley

Cut a long foam swimming-pool float in half and put the pieces in your boots to help them stay upright and keep their shape. You can buy the foam floats in your local pound shop.

Christine Hamori, Manchester

A load of help Soak a sponge in distilled vinegar and use it to clean around the rubber door seal and rim of your washing machine. It brings it up like new and takes away any nasty smells.

Anna Draycott, Bishop’s Stortford

Let there be light!

I made this tea-light holder from an empty jam jar. After cleaning it out, I watered down PVA glue to stick some thin layers of patterned tissue paper on the outside.

It looks great and gives my room a cosy feel.

Irene Emerson, Grimsby

That’s a wrap If you have any wrapping paper sheets or rolls that are loose, then use the cardboard tube from the inside of a toilet roll to keep them tidy.

Sarah Wharton, Romford

Tips must be your own idea, and not appear in other mags. If published, we pay £25 for tips with photos.

Send tips, photos, name and full address to: Tips page, Chat, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP or email us at chat_magazine@ti-media.com. Remember, these are YOUR tips – we haven’t tried them ourselves

9

Cash!

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE A

B

C

D

1

2

HEARTBREAK AND

The d grief Somehow, I HAD to bring my precious baby home…

3

Claire Jones, 33, Blackburn

4 A

B

C

D

1

2

3

4

WIN0 £3

PHOTO: GETTY

5xPuzzle 4

Look closely at these two pics – there’s a difference in almost every square. Only one has no changes, the grid reference (eg, 1A) is your prize answer.

Your answer: 10

TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details

eeling my baby kick, I called out to my sons.

‘Quick!’ I said.

It was January 2017 and Cian, then 10, Kyle, 7, and Reece, 6, ran into the kitchen.

Taking turns, they placed their hands on my bump.

‘It feels like an alien,’ Kyle said, scrunching up his face.

My partner Barry, 37, and I hadn’t planned this baby.

With my boys and Barry’s daughter from a previous relationship, we were happy with our brood.

Now we couldn’t wait.

We agreed on the name Charlie for the new baby.

The pregnancy had been textbook. But, on 9 February 2017, when I was 29 weeks, I noticed Charlie wasn’t moving.

He was usually such a wriggler.

‘Something’s not right,’ I told Barry, worried.

Arriving at hospital soon after, we were led into a room for a scan.

But when the nurse moved the

F

ultrasound wand over my bump, the screen was blank – no heartbeat, not even a flicker.

‘I’ll get the consultant,’ she said.

I began shaking.

Soon after, the consultant confirmed my worst fears.

‘I’m so sorry,’ she said gently.

‘He can’t be gone!’ I sobbed.

I was given more tests.

‘We believe both you and the baby contracted sepsis,’ the consultant said.

I thought that the sickness pulsing through me was shock.

In fact I was seriously ill with the same thing that had killed Charlie.

Moments later, I was hooked up to machines and pumped with antibiotics.

Then, just a few hours

Our family – able to smile again

HOPE

deepest Our beautiful boy’s grave

later, contractions started.

Holding Barry’s hand, I pushed.

There was no cry as Charlie was born.

I was handed my beloved boy. His skin was pink, his big eyes open...

Consumed by love and grief, it was impossible to believe that I couldn’t take him home.

I stayed with him for four days, memorising his perfect features. Then, it was time to say goodbye.

Two weeks later, we laid Charlie to rest.

My youngest Reece read a poem he’d written for his baby brother.

We watched as Charlie’s tiny coffin was lowered into the ground. My beautiful baby boy was gone.

After the funeral, I was completely lost.

Charlie’s cot stood in my bedroom, the clothes we’d bought him in a drawer.

I woke up at night,

thinking I could hear Charlie crying for me.

I couldn’t bear the thought of him buried in the cold ground.

One afternoon, when Barry was at work, the urge for one more cuddle was too strong.

Grabbing a spade from the garden, I placed it against the back wall.

I was going to the graveyard to get my baby back.

Then, Barry came home.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked, concerned.

‘I’m going to get Charlie,’ I said to Barry, showing him the spade.

He threw his arms around me and held me tight.

‘You can’t do that,’ he said through tears.

Clinging to him in tears, I realised then how mad my idea was.

‘Let him rest,’ Barry said

to me softly, holding me.

Soon after, I started bereavement counselling.

I nervously told my counsellor of my plan to dig up Charlie.

‘Many mums of lost babies try to do the same,’ she told me.

Her words reassured me that I wasn’t mad, I was simply grieving.

Trying to keep busy, I focused on the boys.

Then, in June 2017, I started feeling sick.

I decided that I should do a pregnancy test. Seeing the second line on the test, my heart pounded wildly.

I’d lost Charlie just four months earlier.

It felt so soon...

‘But maybe this is his gift?’ I said to Barry.

Slowly, I allowed myself to feel excited.

Then, at a 16-week scan, we learned that we were having a girl. We picked

I couldn’t bear the thought of him in the cold ground

out pink blankets and little sleepsuits.

On 13 February 2018, our daughter Isabella Grace was born, weighing 5lb.

Just a year earlier, we’d been at the same hospital with our baby boy.

Now, after all the heartbreak, we had hope.

Isabella has just turned 2, and she’s the boss of the house.

She’ll never replace our beautiful Charlie, nor should she. But she was the blessing our family needed.

Now we visit Charlie’s grave, take flowers and teddies and honour our beautiful boy.

But, when we leave the cemetery, I don’t feel like I’m leaving him behind.

Charlie is always with us.

He lives on in our thoughts, in our hearts and in the little sister he sent to give us back our smiles.

If you need support after losing a baby, visit tommys.org

11

WORDS: SASKIA MURPHY, ANN CUSACK. PHOTOS: FOCUS FEATURES

Isabella – my blessing

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ACROSS 11 Road (6) 12 In disguise (9) 13 Space (4) 14 Conifer (4,4) 15 Type of dance music (5) 16 Cuban capital (6) 17 Adult (5-2) 18 Don’t give up! (5,3,3) 20 Female fox (5) 22 Endurance (9) 24 Common viper (5) 28 War and Peace author (7) 29 Savings (4,3) 32 Go round (6) 34 Became aware of (8) 36 Brawny, fit (8) 37 Tooth covering (6) 39 Fashionable (7) 40 Leaping (7) 45 Catches one’s breath (5) 47 Exciting quest (9) 48 Pictures used to see bones (1-4) 51 Temporary or conditional (11) 53 Greet (7) 55 Idea (6) 56 Bereaved wife (5) 58 Foolish talk (8) 59 On a grand scale (4) 60 Cabinets for clothes (9) 61 Small round dish (6)

WIN1

£1,00 Puzzle 5 1

2

THE BIGGIE 3

4

11

7

8

9

17

18

21

10

13

15

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19

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37 38 39

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Down 1 Twine (6) 2 People who build and sell property (10) 3 Glaring (7) 4 City on the Mersey (9) 5 Figure skater (3,6) 6 Grows old (4) 7 Vitality, liveliness (6) 8 Impetuous person (7) 9 Supplied (8) 10 Living room (6) 19 Small bottle (4) 21 Press clothes (4) 23 Songbirds (8) 25 1970s US rock band (6) 26 Fine pottery (9) 27 Long thin green vegetable (9) 30 Banish (5) 31 Looked for (8) 33 Needing to be scratched (5) 35 From … with Love, Bond film (6)

6

12

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20

5

56

53

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38 One of the seven deadly sins (4) 41 Resolute (10) 42 May be broad or baked? (4) 43 In a period of decline (2,1,3,3) 44 Ship’s lookout post (5,4) 46 Region (8) 49 Very small fish (7) 50 Disease (7) 51 Punctual (6) 52 Directed towards the inside (6) 54 Simpler (6) 57 Mend with stitches (4)

54

58

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£1,000 winner Issue 45 7 November 2019 It was a lovely surprise to open the letter from Chat magazine to find I had won £1,000.

Dawn Wilson, Blaydon-on-Tyne PHOTO: GETTY

A

longside chocolate souffle, what has Blake Lively claimed is her favourite food?

To find out, solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the two-word prize answer.

Your answer:

TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles

15

HAMMER HORROR

A price on h hea Was money the motive for this woman’s brutal murder? hen a friend called at Dr Teresa Sievers’ home in June 2015, he was horrified to find the bloodied and battered body of the 46-year-old motherof-two on the kitchen floor.

Mark Sievers, her husband of over 20 years, and their daughters, aged 8 and 11, were devastated, as was the community of Bonita Springs, Florida.

Photos released from the scene showed blood splashed on the fridge, a bloodstained hammer on the floor.

W

Helping others

Teresa Sievers Battered to death 16

Tributes to the caring, hard-working doctor flooded in. Along with running a well-being centre with Mark, Teresa volunteered at a shelter for teen mums and human trafficking victims.

But a month after her death, as friends and family gathered in Missouri for her funeral, family friend

Carrie Kain, 46, noticed something odd. Mark didn’t seem as upset by his wife’s death as she’d expected.

In fact, she found his behaviour so cold, she contacted Crime Stoppers – a charity for passing on information anonymously – to give a statement to the police.

She said Sievers was very ‘matter-of-fact’ about his wife’s killing and spent the day before her funeral at the beach, inviting people back afterwards for a pool party.

She said Sievers told her Teresa had been hit 17 times with the hammer, had been attacked from behind.

How did he know that?

And when she tried to comfort Sievers, saying maybe his wife didn’t see the attack coming and didn’t suffer, his reply was chilling.

‘The bad thing about being attacked from behind is she couldn’t fight back, and therefore there would be no

THE JUDGE!

DNA,’ he said to Carrie.

Curtis Wayne Wright, 47 – Mark Sievers’ long-time school friend and a mutual friend of Carrie’s – also acted strangely at the funeral, running from the church.

In August 2015, Wright was arrested in connection with Teresa’s death. He was charged with second-degree murder, as was his friend Jimmy Ray Rodgers, 25 – believed to have been his accomplice.

In the following days, Rodgers’ girlfriend was interviewed by the police.

She said he’d confessed, and revealed his nickname: ‘Jimmy the hammer’.

And, eight months after Teresa’s death, Wright also confessed to the killing.

Marriage problems Wright claimed Mark Sievers had approached him a month before Teresa’s death. He’d allegedly told Wright they were having marriage problems and that Teresa had a lucrative life-insurance policy he was keen to cash in on. He wanted his wife dead.

Sievers was arrested and the couple’s

Suspects: husband Mark Sievers…

daughters went to live with Teresa’s mum while the police gathered evidence.

The three suspects turned against each other. Wright agreed a plea deal for 25 years in prison, in exchange for his evidence against Rodgers and Sievers.

Rodgers was convicted of second-degree murder and imprisoned for life.

And finally, in February 2016, Mark Sievers appeared before Lee County Court. If found guilty of the first-degree murder of his wife, the consequence could be the death penalty.

But it took until October 2019 for the trial to begin.

Prosecutors alleged that Sievers conspired to have his wife killed for her life-insurance money.

More than 700 notes were found on Sievers’ phone, documenting the ups and downs of his marriage.

She does not feel we are going to make it, he wrote some weeks before Teresa’s body was found.

But then, just days before Teresa’s death, the tone had changed: Teresa and I are in a good place, he wrote.

As part of his deal, Wright testified at Sievers’ trial.

‘He told me Teresa was leaving him and taking the kids and he couldn’t let her do that,’ Wright told the court.

He claimed Sievers said the only option was for her to die, and asked Wright

…his friend Curtis Wayne Wright

to help him.

But the defence lawyer said Wright’s evidence wasn’t trustworthy.

‘He’s a five-time convicted felon with a traumatic brain injury, which causes anger and memory issues.’

The lawyer said Mark Sievers had nothing to do with Teresa’s death.

Final evidence The prosecutor asked the jury, ‘Why would Mr Wright act on his own with Jimmy Rodgers to do this?’

Yet, in evidence that seemed to throw more doubt on Sievers’ guilt, Monica Lyons, a financial expert who had helped Teresa secure her lifeinsurance policy, said Teresa was actually under-insured.

‘She needed more life insurance,’ Lyons said.

She also claimed most of the money was put into a secure trust fund for the couple’s daughters – of which Mark Sievers would have been aware.

So had Sievers’ old school friend Wright, along with Rodgers, killed Teresa in cold blood?

Or was Mark Sievers the one orchestrating the murder, desperate to get hold of his wife’s cash?

WORDS: FRANCES LEATE. PHOTOS: PA IMAGES

her ad?

YOU’RE

…and Jimmy Ray Rodgers

Guilty or not?

Turn to find out 17

MOVING ON

Sievers in court

Still b

Nothing will stop me from chasing my dreams

WHAT’S

THE VERDICT?

Crystal Marshall, 21, Birmingham

GUILTY n December 2019, Mark Sievers was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, and in January, he was sentenced to death.

Sievers and his family maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings.

After sentencing, Sievers said, ‘Although a jury found me guilty, I’m innocent of all charges...’

He added, ‘Teresa is my soulmate. I will miss her and cherish our memories until we are reunited in

PHOTOS: PA IMAGES

I

heaven. Until then, I will fight this wrongful conviction until I am proven innocent and set free to rejoin my family.’

But Teresa’s sister Ann Lisa said, ‘He will never be able to hurt anyone in my family or anyone that comes into his path that is not convenient for his life.

‘I never doubted for one second that he was guilty.’

Earlier this month, a judge denied lawyers’ motion for a new trial for Sievers and he headed back to jail.

Teresa’s family and friends hear the verdict

hecking my reflection in the mirror, I adjusted my top and assessed my face.

My hair looked great, make-up on point. I was ready to leave the house and head to drama college.

Age 17, I always made sure I looked the part, that my hair and make-up were immaculate.

I loved standing out from the crowd, opted for the brightest clothes.

An aspiring actor, I was born to be on the stage. Passionate about comedy, I dreamt of moving to London to star in West End shows or films.

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had a stutter.

But during Drama classes, it got much better and I could talk clearly for hours.

Life was going in the right direction.

On Mother’s Day 2016, my sister Charlotte, then 29, gave me a funny look.

‘Your nose looks a bit puffy,’ she said.

I’d noticed, and could feel a pea-shaped bump on my gums, too. Put it down to a filling I’d had a week before.

I wasn’t worried.

Only, over the next few days, the swelling got worse.

Painful, too.

After a visit to the dentist,

C

Today: I’ve found my inner strength

I was sent straight to hospital.

‘I’m sure it’s just a precaution,’ my mum Pauline, 55, reassured me.

Doctors offered me a biopsy. But as the weeks passed while I waited for the results, the swelling went from the size of a pea to a pear.

It took over the whole of the right side of my face. Horrified, I called in sick to college.

Couldn’t bear to see myself in the mirror.

‘It’s horrendous,’

I want to show you can be whoever you want to be

How could I go on stage..?

I’d ever wanted.

The staff and volunteers I cried at the Trust kept me to my going, made me smile mum and when I felt low. my sister.

When I left the hospital, How can I be an I wore a wig and parted my actor when my face hair to the side so it covered looks like this? my bulbous face.

I could barely eat from But I could only hide so the pain, let alone smile. much. Sensing strangers Finally, in April, a week gaze at my face, I’d never after my 18th birthday, the felt so ugly. results of the biopsy came.

Slowly, the tumour ‘You have osteosarcoma, a shrunk to the size of a small rare kind of bone cancer, in orange. In July 2017, I was your top jaw,’ the doctor said. ready for surgery to remove I collapsed into my mum’s the remaining cancer. arms, sobs filling the room.

During two gruelling I’d never seen Mum 16-hour operations, cry before, yet now tears doctors removed my right streamed down her face, too. nostril, most of my top jaw In July 2016, I started six and teeth, as well as my rounds of chemotherapy at right cheek. the Teenage Cancer Trust They used bone, skin and unit at Birmingham’s muscle from my back to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. patch me up.

Losing my hair felt like Looking in the mirror a another crushing blow. week after my op, I burst And giving up college into tears. ‘Will I ever look broke my heart. like me again?’ I sobbed.

Being an actor was all I was all swollen and

The Teenage Cancer Trust’s #StillMe campaign highlights the impact that changes to appearance caused by cancer and treatment can have on a young person’s body confidence.

For more information, visit teenagecancertrust. org/stillme

19

WORDS: ANNA MATHESON, KIM WILLIS. PHOTOS: PHOENIX FEATURES LTD, TEENAGE CANCER TRUST

beautiful

bruised, stitches snaking across my cheek.

‘You’ll always be Crystal,’ Mum soothed.

A week after the operation, a little boy saw me in the hospital corridor and started crying.

I was heartbroken, and worried about how my nieces might react to my new face.

Another week later, I left the hospital.

Over time, the stitches healed, my hair grew back and the lump became the size of a grape.

But I didn’t have the confidence to go back to college.

Then, in November 2018, when I visited a Teenage Cancer Trust event and met others like me going through cancer, I reached a turning point.

I learnt to see my new face as a sign of how strong I’d been.

Then I got some work experience as a stage manager. Fell in love with theatre again.

Now, I’ll still need another operation to flatten the bump and fix my nose and lip.

I once fretted I wasn’t pretty enough, obsessed over my make-up.

But now I understand what true beauty is.

And I still have the same dreams, am applying for theatre schools.

I want to show that anyone can be whoever they want to be, can do whatever they dream of.

Though people continue to stare and make comments, I know now I’m still beautiful.

Health The advice you need

DIY Donna My stay-at-home treatment has transformed my life Donna Smith, 49, Reading rowing up, I had the sweetest tooth.

Snacked on cake, hid penny sweets in my bedroom.

But that all changed when I was 10.

I’d been up and down to use the loo, or constantly drinking, and I’d lost weight, too.

Concerned, my mum took me to hospital for tests.

‘She has type 1 diabetes,’ a doctor confirmed to my parents in December 1980.

It meant my sugar levels had to be closely monitored and I needed daily insulin injections.

The worst part was giving up my sugary treats.

I just thought being denied a can of Coca Cola was unfair.

But I soon learned to deal with my condition properly.

It was only when I fell pregnant at 21, my life changed.

At four months, I miscarried.

And 18 months later, I lost my second child.

Doctors were quick to determine why.

‘Your kidneys are failing,’ they said.

The kidneys are

WORDS: EMMA ROSSITER

G

20

responsible for filtering blood and removing toxins from your body.

In my case, having too much glucose in my blood stopped my kidneys from doing their job.

In the months that followed, we just had to hope my kidney function would return to normal.

Six months on, with everything seemingly functioning properly, I fell pregnant again.

This time, though, I started dialysis. It would take over the kidneys’ job and keep my baby safe.

Zach was born in January 1995 and, despite being premature, he quickly I’m back in control

Dialysis in my spare room!

True-life

appointments, I could fit it around my schedule.

It was a no-brainer!

I received an HHD machine that December.

And ever since, life has been so much easier.

I give myself dialysis daily, but I do it on my terms.

Before I pop to the shops, after dinner when I watch my soaps...

I can do it whenever!

And now I feel like I’m back in control of my life.

I would encourage anyone who needs dialysis to explore HHD. It’s not for everyone. But with help from the hospital, family and friends, it just might be the best thing for you.

I know it’s saved my life, in more ways than one.

PATIENT

began to thrive.

I came off dialysis – until 1997, when my kidneys began to struggle. So I had a kidney transplant.

Only, seven years later, my kidneys began to fail again.

And this time, there was no donor available.

For the next 10 years, I relied on endless hospital visits for dialysis.

I had to leave work, move me and Zach into my parents’ home.

Though I knew the dialysis was saving my life, I didn’t feel like I was living.

But in 2013, a doctor mentioned something which made my ears prick up.

‘Have you heard of home haemodialysis?’ he asked.

He explained HHD is a form of dialysis that can be done at home.

With no more hospital

CASEBOOK

I can do it after dinner, when I watch my soaps!

More info?

For more on HHD, see nxstage.co.uk/patients/

Health Tiredness is rife – but news you can buck the trend Rude health 23% of women find back hair unattractive, according to Destination Skin. By contrast, beards are rated as super-sexy, with 34% of women surveyed saying they found them attractive.

That 2.43pm feeling...

PHOTOS (POSED BY MODELS): GETTY. *NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH

E Everyone loves a bit of ‘freezer tapas’ – chips and chicken nuggets are prime examples. But a new vegan range is challenging that.

The Vegetarian Butcher has released Little Peckers, vegan chicken-style nuggets made from protein-packed soy.

Grab them at Waitrose and Tesco, £3.29.

WE PAY

CASH

xercise is top of a list of activities we find ourselves avoiding, according to new research – and we’re ordering takeaways instead of cooking.

This news regarding our attitude to moving and eating healthily comes from iron

supplement Spatone, who spoke to 2,200 adults and found that we’re relying on sugary snacks, coffee and naps to give us a bit of an energy boost.

The study also found that the average Brit moans about being tired three times a day and feels

their lowest energy levels at 2.43pm, when the afternoon slump kicks in, while their highest energy levels are felt at 10.28am.

Instead of reaching for the cakes and coffee, why not try a brisk walk or some fruit salad?

Are worries about money damaging your wellbeing?

47years

W

e all know the big things that can impact our health – from what we eat, to how much we exercise, and smoking, to name a few.

But has it occurred to you that worrying about money could have a negative effect on your wellbeing? A survey found 28% of us have turned our back on sex due to money worries and almost one in 10 Brits have ended a relationship because of fears over funds.

The study, by cash saving app Chip, found that work, relationships and health

Don’t stress, get help

followed money in the list of things that make us most stressed. If you’re worried about money, try Citizens Advice (citizensadvice.org.uk).

A new survey on international happiness says 47 (47.2 to be precise!) is the age we’re unhappiest.* Beat the midlife gloom with an active, challenging hobby, such as joining a choir or a Performing Arts class!

We’ll pay cash, or mention a charity of your choice, if we print your health story. Write to Your Health, Chat, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP or phone 020 3148 6150. You can send your story or email the Doc at chathealth@ti-media.com. Always consult your pharmacist or GP before using any over-the-counter or prescription remedies, and read the packet carefully.

Turn over for more health 21

ASK

Dr Martin

Dr Martin Edwards is a family GP whose advice you can trust

Q

My clitoris is shrinking and seems less sensitive – could it be because I haven’t had sex for three years?

Danni, north London

A

Your clitoris varies in size, depending mainly on two things – blood supply and hormones.

Just like a man’s penis, your clitoris swells by filling with blood when you’re sexually aroused. It does seem that regularly stimulating your clitoris through sex or masturbation can encourage the blood supply and help prevent shrinkage.

Hormone changes resulting in a lack of the sex hormones oestrogen or testosterone can also lead to longer-term shrinkage, usually after your menopause or following a change of contraceptive pill.

If shrinkage is a problem, regular stimulation through sex or masturbation, besides regular cardio exercise, can help boost blood supply. Your doctor might suggest hormone creams if necessary.

What have I caught from the hot tub?

Q

I shared my friend’s hot tub last week and I’ve come out in red, itchy zits!

Will they go, and should I tell my mate?

Paula, Salford

A

Sounds like hot-tub folliculitis, an infection with the bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which thrives in warm water.

The rash is usually worse in areas covered by your swimming costume, where the bug is trapped against your skin, and you might also feel unwell, with a sore throat, headache and a slight fever.

Usually it all clears up within

a few days without treatment, but or so, you may need antibiotics. an antiseptic lotion might help. If It’s worth telling your friend you’re unwell and feverish or the as proper cleaning can help spots haven’t gone within a week reduce the risk.

Could my bottom be telling me something?

Q

My poo has started to look long and narrow, like a pencil. is it true it could be a sign of cancer?

Mildred, Galashiels

A

Doctors used to think these so-called ribbon stools or pencil stools were a warning sign of cancer of your anus or colon due to the cancer

forming a lump which squeezed and flattened your poo. Nowadays, it seems that’s probably quite a rare cause, but if you’re noticing more than the occasional pencil stool, check with your GP. Symptoms such as blood, cramps, a constant feeling of needing to poo, or any change in your usual bowel pattern are more serious and should be checked.

Eating has become difficult PHOTOS (POSED BY MODELS): GETTY

Q

Food has started to stick on the way down when I swallow, but drinking is fine. Is it some kind of blockage?

Femi, Harlow

acid leaking into your gullet.

Some medical conditions can tighten your gullet, or prevent the rhythmical muscle contractions that normally push food along it.

A stroke, head injury or diseases Difficulty swallowing, or such as multiple sclerosis can dysphagia, has lots of damage your swallowing reflex. possible causes, including Your doctor might suggest some serious ones, and you blood tests and an endoscopy, should see your doctor. where you swallow a flexible Narrowing of your gullet can be telescope to see what’s going on. due to cancer – or, less seriously, Sometimes it’s possible to clear from scarring due to stomach a blockage during this procedure.

A 22

Want Dr Martin Edwards’ advice? Write to chat_magazine@ti-media.com. Sorry, he can’t reply personally

ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR PHARMACIST OR GP BEFORE USING ANY OVER-THE-COUNTER OR PRESCRIPTION REMEDIES, AND READ THE PACKET CAREFULLY

Use it or lose it?!

£375 cash!

OVER TO YOU

1

3

ACROSS 1 Crushed potato 2 Region 3 A row or level 4 Of sound mind DOWN 1 Rugs 2 Song from opera 3 Was witnessed 4 Has long ears

4

2

an you set a puzzle in this format? Send it, with a photo of yourself, to the address on p3. There’s £20 for every one we use!

3 This week’s puzzle was 4 compiled by Karen Mcguire, Cleethorpes Puzzle 6

C

2

W5INx

£25

Your answer:

IN THE GRID W

CHAIN WORDS A

merican Charles Osborne is the longest recorded sufferer of what, usually temporary, ailment (between 1922 and 1990)? Get from Start to Finish, making words by joining two boxes together as you go, eg: GRAP + PLE, PLE +… you decide! When you reach Finish, two unused boxes join together to Puzzle 7 give the prize answer.

WIN0 £10

Start

PHOTOS: ALAMY, GETTY

GRAP

PLE

AD

HIC

TEN

MIT

BY

DER

CUPS

PASS

HER

ON

ING

OT

SET Finis

Your answer:

h

hich late rock guitarist has been cleared of blame for releasing a pair of parakeets in London’s Carnaby Street in the 1960s, leading to a thriving UK population? Hidden in this grid, reading forwards, backwards, up, down or diagonally, are 10 items beginning with J, one for each of the subjects below. The remaining letters will spell out the two-word prize answer.

J A M A I C A J

J I E J E R J A

J O A D E D A C

I Z C P A Y N K

Z A M K R J U D

Green gemstone Black and grey bird Indonesian island First month People judging a court case Horse rider Bob Marley’s country Item of clothing

M U V U E R A A

J H J A N Y R W

SKINNY ONE W

WIN

hich singer is rumoured to have Puzzle 9 appeared as a stormtrooper in The Rise of Skywalker?

To find out, solve the puzzle… Add a letter anywhere in each of the boxed-off words to fit the clue, eg, Coastline = SORE + H = SHORE. Write the added letter in the space provided. Read down the added letters to spell out the two-word prize answer.

O D U J J I Y X

Style of music associated with Miles Davis Combat sport

£50

SORE

Coastline

SPRY

Scatter

DOVE

Went by car

BEAK

Smash

DAIS

Flower

HARE

Portion

SACK

FAME

Pile Raising agent Fire

CHAT

Swindle

EAST

BAIL

Herb

WIN0 £10

Puzzle 8

Your answer: TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit lifedeathprizes.com/win

Your answer:

lipping a piece this spider had a nasty bite. of card beneath As long as they stay in the a glass, I gave garden... I reasoned. my younger Only, in July 2019, I was daughter Carley a cleaning when I walked reassuring smile. across the living room and ‘Don’t worry, darling, felt a sharp pain just above Incy Wincy won’t hurt my left ankle. you,’ I soothed.

‘Ouch!’ I said, rolling up Neither Carley, 8, nor her the cuff of my skinny jeans. big sister Caitlin, 12, were Suddenly, I saw eight fans of creepy-crawlies. black legs scuttling beneath If they found a spider the folds of denim. in our house, they always I cried out in panic as the shouted for me. kids stared up at me from ‘Mummy! Spider!’ the sofa in horror. they’d scream.

Before I could grab it, the I wasn’t bothered, used spider crawled further up a glass and a piece of card to my leg, biting me again on chuck them into the garden. my calf and knee.

My eldest, Jamie, 14, Yelping in pain, wasn’t squeamish, either.

I frantically brushed it off One day, in March 2019, with my hand.

I was weeding in the garden It landed on the carpet when I spotted two spiders and scrambled behind among the flowers.

They were funny-looking, with big, bulbous bodies.

‘That looks like a skull and crossbones,’ said Jamie, pointing to the pattern on the spiders’ backs.

Something about those markings rang a bell with me.

Did I see a warning about that type of spider?

Not wanting to frighten the kids, I waited until they’d gone to bed before researching online.

Noble false widow, the website said.

I’m less spiderIncreasingly common friendly these days in the UK and Ireland,

‘CARLEY’, ‘CAITLIN’ AND ‘JAMIE’ ARE NOT THEIR REAL NAMES. WORDS: JADE BEECROFT, FRANCES LEATE. PHOTOS: ALAMY

S

24

come back,’ he said.

Within two days, the redness had spread, so the living-room curtains. the doctor gave me some It was huge, the size of stronger medication. a £2 coin!

But a week passed and Hobbling to the kitchen, my leg was swollen and red I grabbed a jar and managed from ankle to thigh. to catch the spider in it.

Huge pus-filled blisters ‘It’s one of those false erupted from the skin. widows,’ I frowned, spotting Mum had to pick the kids the distinctive up from school, bobble on its help me around back with the the house. skull and And the girls crossbones. were on edge, ‘Let’s call it too, terrified of Vampirina,’ the biting beast grinned Jamie. that lurked in It was the the living room. girls’ favourite I bought them Disney show. mosquito nets for their beds.

Only, they weren’t ‘Vampirina won’t bother laughing. Their faces were you,’ I promised. pale with fear.

Besides, she or he was in And by now, I was in the jar on my mantelpiece. agony, my left leg painful I wanted to keep her in and burning. case I needed her.

‘It feels like someone Eight days after being has poured boiling water bitten, I’d had enough. over it,’ I told my mum Even my toes were Maria, 69. swollen, I was struggling to The next day, I went to get my jeans on. the doctor.

I asked Mum to come He gave me antibiotics and take care of the kids and antihistamines and while my sister Karen, 38, used a ballpoint pen to drove me to University draw a line around each Hospital Waterford. red mark on my skin.

And this time, I took ‘If the swelling goes Vampirina with me. beyond these lines, ‘It won’t stop hurting,’ I told the A&E doctor in desperation as I rolled up my jeans.

‘I’ve never seen anything like this,’ he admitted, inspecting one of the blisters.

He said the bites had caused an infection Eek! and that I needed to The nest stay in hospital. of babies ‘We need to get you

Eight black legs scuttled beneath my skinny jeans!

MARE

Meet Vampirina!

The pain and redness got worse...

hooked up to a drip before it turns into blood poisoning or sepsis,’ the doctor warned.

‘Am I going to lose my leg?’

I gulped.

‘Hopefully not,’ he said.

Terrifying.

Every day, Mum and the kids came to visit and the nurses changed my dressings, trying not to look disgusted as yellow pus oozed out of my flesh.

After I’d spent a couple of days as an inpatient, my

phone beeped with a text.

Look at this! Mum wrote.

Then a photo pinged up of a nest with about 50 baby spiders curled inside.

I found them behind the living room curtains, it was probably the mummy spider that bit you, she wrote.

I felt sick.

My house was infested with false widows!

The kids went to stay with Mum, who arranged for a professional to come

and fumigate the house.

But even then, I was wary.

‘No more summer skirts,’ I told the kids.

‘Can’t we just move, Mummy?’ Caitlin begged,

her eyes wide with worry.

‘They’ve gone now,’ I said.

After six days, the swelling on my leg went down and I was discharged.

‘Finally, I can get my life back to normal,’ I told Mum. Only, at the end of August, my leg swelled again.

‘The infection has come back,’ my doctor confirmed, admitting me to hospital for another week.

It was horrendous.

Scientists from Galway University took Vampirina away to carry out research into the bacteria false widow spiders can carry.

It’s hoped they can stop people having these kinds of extreme reactions.

Now, I still have the red marks on my leg, but it’s no longer painful.

If I ever see a spider now, I don’t bother with the glass-and-card routine.

These days, after what I’ve been through, spiders get the bottom of my shoe.

WHEN TO SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION Spider bites, although rare in the UK and Ireland, can leave small puncture marks on the skin, which can be painful and cause redness and swelling. In rare cases, bites can become infected and cause a severe allergic reaction. Get medical help immediately if you have any worrying symptoms after being bitten.

25

YOU LITTLE BEAUTY

LOOK GREAT TODAY

Your questions answered plus our pick of products

3 OF THE BEST GENTLE HAIR BUYS Beauty Editor Fiona McKim shares her new favourites Herbal Essences bio:renew Bamboo & Potent Aloe Sulphate Free Shampoo & Conditioner, £6 each Sulphates can strip hair of natural moisture and fade colour, so it’s great to see a purse-friendly brand embracing a cleaner formulation.

This smells delicious too.

Q

I love camper van holidays, but struggle to find space for my products. Help!

Sandra Nicoll, 62, Edinburgh

A

Beauty products can be bulky, especially skincare, but the latest ampoules can be crammed into the tiniest space in your beauty bag.

L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Filler Hyaluronic Acid, £19.99, is a week’s worth of intensive hydration in individual vials,

LETTEeR

of th ! week while Beauty Pie Superactive Capsules Essential Ceramides, £7.55, (members price) are 60 tiny pods that moisturise, protect and plump.

For make-up, pick multipurpose creams like Boutique Eye & Cheek

TRIED AND TESTED

COMPILED BY: FIONA MCKIM. MAIN PHOTO: GETTY

Melora Manuka Honey Face Moisturiser, £8 Manuka isn’t just for stirring into tea. The super-honey’s high antioxidant levels help your skin battle environmental damage, making this cream a winner for the last days of winter.

BEST BUY! 26

Jelly, £4, which could also be dabbed on lips, plus a do-it-all base like The Body Shop Fresh Nude Tinted Beauty Balm, £14, which offers light coverage, hydration and SPF30. Happy holidays!

Palmer’s Natural Fusions Chia Seed & Argan Oil Hair Mask, £2.99 A rich and creamy mask that would suit any hair that needs a hydration hit. Leave it on for at least 15 minutes.

Smith England Gloss Shine Expert Oil, £8 This rosehip oil serum feels nicely slippery, and smooths down frizz and split ends with ease. If your hair’s fine, use it sparingly; a little goes a long way.

Pixi Collagen Tonic, £10 Toners can be an unnecessary step, but this new formula packs in cell-energising peptides and hydrating coconut water, so is worth the extra 10 seconds.

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Candyfloss, £3.99 Give a nod to the pastel nail trend with this glossy polish. One coat gives a sheer nude wash or layer for bolder colour.

Heathcote & Ivory Pinks & Pear Blossom Rollerball Perfume Gel, £4.50 Enjoy an early whiff of spring with this portable perfume. Its bright and breezy notes include floral blossom, bergamot and green leaves.

TOP TIP

After applying s face and neck kincare to your , ru on the tops o b the excess fy so the active our hands ingredients don’t go to waste.

Got a beauty question? Send your problems to chat_magazine@ti-media.com

itting in the middle of a crowd of wagging tails, I tried to decide which was the perfect dog for me.

I was 18 and, ever since I was a kid, all I’d wanted was a Border collie.

I loved their sharp minds and affectionate nature.

It was October 2014 and I was at a Border collie rescue centre in Hampshire.

The owner had been caring for five or six dogs and now they were looking for a forever home.

‘I’m spoilt for choice,’ I said happily.

Then I saw Myst.

She was the only pup to happily bound over to my little brothers, then aged 7 and 4.

But she wasn’t bothered about me at all!

‘It takes her time to warm to some people,’ the rescuer explained to me.

Seeing her lick my brothers’ faces and snuggle up next to them, I had a warm, fuzzy feeling.

She’s the one!

Getting home that night, I begged my dad Matt, 39, and stepmum Kelly, 31, to go and see Myst.

‘You’ll love

WORDS: EMMA ROSSITER, KIM READER. PHOTOS: KENNEDY NEWS AND MEDIA

S

her,’ I promised.

Over the next few visits, we got to know Myst better.

Then we introduced her to my cat Crookshanks. Surprisingly, the pair of them hit it off!

And after a short walk, my dad’s dog Pagan warmed to Myst, too.

It seemed she was part of the family already.

In November 2014, we finally brought her home.

And Myst and I became inseparable, doing everything together.

She came with me to my weekend job at a doggy day-care centre and we’d spend hours out and about.

Every evening, after college, I devoted my time to training her, and teaching her tricks.

‘Come on, Myst!’ I’d shout, holding out my arms.

She’d dart towards me –

Myst loved being active with me, so what was wrong?

and with a leap, she’d land cradled in my arms.

My clever girl!

But after a while, catching Myst wasn’t as easy as it had been at first.

She’d jump into my arms and I’d stumble back. Soon, I found I could barely hold her weight at all.

‘You’re getting podgy, Miss!’

I said to Myst one day in October 2015, as I set her down.

But I just didn’t know why she was getting so heavy.

She was really active, always following me around like a shadow. And I was careful with her portions, didn’t indulge her with treats.

Yet, in the year since we’d got her from the rescue centre, she’d ballooned. And that wasn’t all that worried me.

Breathing heavily during and after every walk, Myst could barely keep up with Aged 2, not me and Pagan. just puppy fat…

Then she started

moulting, or she’d sit and yank the fur out herself.

Underneath would be a nasty-looking rash.

‘What’s up with you, pup?’

I asked, nuzzling her.

When she started being sick every dinner time, vomiting bile, I took her to the vet.

The first vet said she was healthy and not to worry. But I wanted a second opinion.

‘Myst is severely overweight,’ the next vet said bluntly.

He showed me the scales.

She weighed a whopping 57lb – that’s over 4st.

It’s the weight of a child of 8. The average Border collie is just 32lb – under 2½st!

‘It could be a problem with her thyroid,’ my vet mused.

But worst of all, he had a sobering warning for me.

‘If she doesn’t slim down, she’ll die...’

‘You’re getting podgy, Miss!’ I said to her

You should SEE HER NOW 27

NO LONGER RUFF Myst: happy and healthy now

Continued from previous page

Hot dog! errified of losing my best friend, I asked the vet what I could do.

‘We can give her medication or you can try a raw-food diet,’ he suggested.

I didn’t want Myst on any more medication – too much can affect a pup’s liver.

So I wanted to explore the raw-food diet.

It sounded strange, a world away from the moist mixture and biscuits we usually fed Myst.

Joining groups on Facebook and reading information online, I learnt as much as I could about

T

She ain’t heavy, she’s my Border!

28

different diets for dogs.

Some of it I already knew.

For example, you can’t give a dog cooked bones as they splinter, but raw ones are fine. Yet some information was completely new to me.

I could give Myst things like offal, brains and liver, as well as chicken and bacon.

‘You could eat like a queen!’ I laughed to Myst.

But, for now, I filled up her bowl with raw veg and fresh fruit.

She’d tuck into runner beans, peas and carrots or strawberries and bananas.

Sometimes I mixed it up with cottage cheese and Greek yogurt.

Believe me, I was sceptical at first.

But I would do anything to help my Myst get better.

So, between us, Kelly and I started

prepping meals from scratch for Myst.

And the transformation was immediate.

Within three days, Myst stopped being sick.

A month into her diet, she’d stopped tugging at her fur and the rashes had vanished.

We carried on giving her nothing but raw food.

All the dog food she used to have was banned.

And she’d happily wolf down whatever was in her bowl.

By February 2017, she’d lost 22lb, hitting the scales at a trim and healthy 35lb.

‘I’m so proud of you, pooch!’ I told her.

And Myst was like an entirely different dog.

Racing off again, beating me up the hills or tearing about the woods, exploring.

I hadn’t seen her like that in such a long time.

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but Myst certainly rediscovered all of her old tricks!

‘Come on, then!’ I shouted

once again, holding out my arms to her.

We hadn’t done this in so long, not since I’d struggled to hold her up.

But, as she leapt towards me, I was ready.

And, this time around, she was as light as a feather.

No longer a lump.

Myst was as carefree as when we first got her. And she has been ever since.

We’ve kept her on a raw-food diet and we still don’t know what made her weight balloon.

Some dogs react differently to food, no matter how active they are.

And while it might not work for every dog, it’s been the best thing for her.

Last year, I moved to Wales, and we’ve had more adventures since.

Wandering in the woods and trekking across fields.

Most of the time, it’s me who struggles to keep up with her. She’s happy and healthy.

Myst was as sick as a dog – but look at her now!

She’d tuck into runner beans, peas or bananas!

WE LOVE HOME

BEST

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Giraffe planter, £16.50, Oliver Bonas

Copper plant pot stand, £12, Sainsbury’s

Wood stand planter, £14, Dunelm

Tin plant pot, £1, Primark

COOL

FEATURE: ESME CLEMO

CHIC Callie ceramic planter, £15, JD Williams

Ceramic textured pot, £4.50, Primark

Leaf pattern plant pot, £7, Dunelm

29

THE MOMENT I KNEW

Home

LITTLE ONE W

hat is comedian Rob Brydon’s real surname? Solve the crossword, then read down the yellow squares.

The yellow shaded squares will spell out the prize answer.

1

2

For so long, I had no idea what was troubling me

3

Madeleine Slack, 46, Chesterfield

P

4 5

ACROSS 1 Significant, considerable (5) 4 Promise, pledge (3) 5 Thing that a bird lays (3) DOWN 1 Relocate, decamp (4) 2 Gem, precious stone (5) 3 Encircles (5)

WIN

£50 Puzzle 10

Your answer:

TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes. com/puzzles

30

ulling up outside the church, I took a deep breath before unbuckling my seat belt.

‘Let’s get you inside,’ I smiled to my eldest son Joe, then 4.

It was our usual Sunday routine – I’d drop him at Sunday school and sit in the pews.

Only, this Sunday– in January 2001 – was different.

I had a lump in my throat, tears threatening to fall.

As I sat down, I found myself sobbing during the sermon.

The truth was, I’d been feeling miserable for some time.

Had spent months living with an overwhelming sadness inside.

I couldn’t work out why.

From the outside, looking in, I had a perfect life.

I lived in a beautiful home with a wonderful family.

Roger, 42, and I were happily married.

And our three boys – Joe and twins Sam and Tom, 1 – were our world.

‘What’s the matter, love?’

Roger had asked me.

But I couldn’t explain it to him or even to myself.

And here I was, crying my eyes out in church, without the faintest idea why.

At the end of the service, I felt a soft hand touch my shoulder.

Crouching next to me was

As a girl, I buried my secret...but now I’m helping others

e truths me when I was young,’ I said, before breaking down in tears.

My biggest secret, my darkest shame, was out in the world.

Flashes of what Dad had done to me came back.

How he’d touched and groped.

I’d see Dad on occasion but we weren’t close.

Even now, I was terrified of not being believed.

That evening, after the boys had gone to bed, I finally confessed to Roger, too.

Saying nothing, he just swept me into a hug.

Throughout my next counselling sessions, we gradually talked about the abuse I’d suffered.

Realised how much it’d affected my life growing up.

‘I’d been so withdrawn,’ I told the counsellor.

Later, I’d rebelled at school.

Buried the darkness so deep, I was even hiding it from myself.

All the while, it was corroding me.

Well, now it was time to talk.

I decided, in April 2002, that it was time to tell one of my brothers.

‘I’m so sorry,’ he said.

He helped me tell the rest of my family, gradually.

Mum and my three brothers knew nothing about what had happened to me

Mostly, I was terrified of not being believed

I became so withdrawn

in our family home. It was heartbreaking for them.

Soon after, my brother confronted our dad.

He confessed everything.

Said the abuse had started when I was 7 years old, stopped when I was 10 or 11.

As my brother told me what he’d discovered, I felt physically sick.

I’d been just a child, not much older than my son.

Then, two weeks later,

Roger listened to my story

Dad took his own life.

His death left me with mixed emotions, but mostly I was shocked.

It took a long time – but with support from my counsellor and family, I eventually felt like I was healing.

And now I wanted to help others.

Training as a counsellor in 2009, I soon opened my own practice.

I’ve written a book and launched an online platform called Ssassi, for survivors of sexual abuse.

I can’t change what happened to me, but I can use it to help others.

Talking saved my life, and it could save yours, too.

Standing Strong in Vulnerability by Madeleine Slack is available on Amazon.

Visit facebook.com/ ssassisuperheroines for her online platform.

31

WORDS: EMMA ROSSITER, LUCY BRYANT. PHOTOS: SWNS

a kind-faced woman.

‘I’m a counsellor,’ she whispered. ‘If you want to talk, you can.’

After passing me her details and a tissue, she walked away.

On the drive home, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

I’d never considered counselling before.

But I desperately wanted to feel better.

Later that week, I had my first session.

‘I’ve been feeling really low,’ I explained.

Over the next few weeks, we focused on several different topics.

The birth of my boys, my marriage, my rebellious streak as a teen.

But I never spoke about my childhood in detail.

Until, at the end of one session, in February 2001, I remembered something.

Memories hit me, recollections I’d tried to bury.

Amidst my memories of school days, bullies and the odd happy memory was something darker than I could ever have imagined.

I’d buried this memory for a good reason – I was ashamed, scared.

At the next session, I knew I’d have to face the truth.

‘I have to tell you something,’ I said.

But the words were stuck in my throat.

I stammered over the start several more times.

And eventually…

‘My dad sexually abused

£200 cash!

FILL ME IN

N I W £100

Spanish painter

Tresses

Puzzle 11

Nasty

H A I R

Upper limbs

Steam bath

Aboutface (1-4)

Object

Lattice

Overseas

Perfect score!

Placed

Male sheep

Noise

Utilising

Forbid

George __, writer

Pitch

French island Finishes Jam Intensify meeting container

In truth

Enquired

Look at

Bordered

Segments

to wed Spike of wheat

Burden

Retain

Pensioner (1,1,1)

W

hich US state is known as the Gopher State?

Solve the puzzle by following the arrows and writing in your answers. Then read down the letters in the shaded squares to find the prize answer.

Crew

Writing fluid

Anxious

Sect

Entrance

Touch lightly

Your answer: Agents

CIRCLE TIME B

PHOTO: GETTY

y what name derived from a town in southern France is the Dutch royal house commonly known?

Fit the words into the grid, then read down the letters in the shaded circles.

Your answer: 32

3 letters AIR ASS EAR ELM MAR OIL ROC SHE TAB

TOY 4 letters ARMY AURA EARL HOAX LAMB ULNA WORK

5 letters ACORN ARENA VISOR 6 letters ADVERT ALTERS ANNEXE EASILY

LAWYER SUBTLE 8 letters KILOGRAM

IN W £100 Puzzle 12

TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles

ASK

Aunty Nelly tells it how it is

Time to cut the apron strings?

I just can’t afford to live with him

Q

Our daughter, 19, recently started a new job, but she won’t go unless I take her.

She says she doesn’t feel comfortable on public transport, so I’m having to get up at 6am to make sure she’s up, washed, dressed, eaten and ready to start work at 7.30am.

My husband refuses to take her, so it’s all on my shoulders.

I’m exhausted, but if I don’t take her, she won’t go, and will lose her job. How can I make my daughter more responsible without an argument?

Lindsey, 45

Q A

You don’t have to argue about this.

Your daughter is 19, and you need to cut the apron strings.

If she’s not comfortable on

public transport, she needs to learn to drive and save for a car.

Maybe offer to ferry her every other day while she does this.

I’m scared to see my GP

how I feel without it getting back to my in-laws?

Vicki, 34

Q

A

My baby is five months old, my husband is wonderful, and we live in a lovely home, with no money worries.

From the outside, I have the perfect life – but inside, I’m anything but happy.

I’ve got postnatal depression, but can’t go to the doctor because they’re good friends with my husband’s parents.

How can I talk to my GP about

Sweetheart, your GP is supposed to practise patient confidentiality at all times.

And if they don’t, they risk losing their job.

I’m sure if your in-laws knew, they’d support you, but if you’re not comfortable, how about speaking to your health visitor, or a different GP? The sooner it’s sorted, the better for you. Good luck!

I’m so in love with my boyfriend of six months, and he keeps talking about us moving in together. My worry is being able to afford to move in to his home and help cover the bills.

I’m 28, he’s 33 and has a really good job. I work more hours, but don’t earn anywhere near as much as he does.

Do you think he’ll expect me to find another job in order to put 50 per cent toward the bills? Should I start looking now?

Chloe, 28

A

Love, all these questions for me... You should be asking him!

It’s lovely you’re in a happy relationship, but communication is key, especially if you’re planning to live together.

Talk to him, find out what he’s thinking. Will you rent together? Does he expect you to chip in with bills?

I know it’s a difficult conversation, but how will you know, otherwise?

She always comes knocking

Q

A new couple moved in across the street and I told them to knock if they ever needed anything. But the woman is now always on my doorstep!

She doesn’t actually want anything, but chats non-stop, follows me in, stays for an hour.

In one way, I’m flattered she wants a friendship, but in another way, I wish I’d never introduced myself. I don’t get any time to myself after work, before my husband’s

home. I’ve even considered staying out, but that’s ridiculous.

How do I solve this problem?

Zoe, 23

A

Deal with this immediately, flower. Avoiding your own home is not the answer!

I know that after work you want to take off your bra, tie up your hair and collapse on the sofa.

Try telling her you’re busy in the week, and ask if she fancies meeting for coffee at the weekend.

Want Aunty Nelly’s advice? Send your problems to chat_magazine@ti-media.com

33

FACEBOOK.COM/ANTONELLAUNCENSORED. INSTAGRAM.COM/ANTONELLAUNCENSORED. NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED. AUNTY NELLY PHOTO: PHILIPPA GRACE PHOTOGRAPHY. PHOTOS (POSED BY MODELS): GETTY

Our Antonella

FLASHING THE PLASTIC

Our sma fortune Harry and Rose, worth every penny

OK, I’d heard that having children was expensive, but this was really something else...

Emma Robinson, 35, Hessle, East Yorkshire

taring intently at the hands on my watch, I took a deep breath.

It was time.

Looking down at the pregnancy test in front of me, I was ready for that familiar rush of disappointment.

Negative.

Yet again.

Every single month of 2009 had been this same, depressing routine.

And it was crushing for me and my hubby Al, then 33.

We’d met on a night out in 2008 and fell in love so quickly.

Talking about our future, we both wanted marriage and kids.

A perfect life mapped out.

We ticked off the wedding 18 months later.

And we started trying for a baby straight away.

See, being one of five myself, I longed for days spent running around after my own brood.

And so did Al. ‘Mini you and me!’ he beamed.

I knew he’d be an amazing dad.

At 25, I thought it would be easy for me to

WORDS: FIONA KINLOCH, LAWRENCE MATHESON. PHOTOS: EMMA ROBINSON/MEN MEDIA

S

34

get pregnant.

But here I was with my umpteenth negative test.

‘We should go and see the doctor,’ Al suggested.

I knew he was right, we couldn’t deny we were both worried.

But the answers were by no means instant.

The doctor sent us for blood tests and hormone-level assessments.

Appointment after appointment and still no diagnosis.

It was a stressful time for us.

Seeing other mums with their newborn babies made me ache with envy.

‘Why me?’

I sobbed to Al. ‘Why can’t it just be as easy as it is for other women?’

Almost a year after our first medical

consultation, we finally received the diagnosis.

‘You have pelvic inflammatory disease,’ the doctor said. ‘Your fallopian tubes are too badly damaged to conceive.’

I bit my lip, forced back my tears.

The worst had happened.

I was infertile.

As the doctor

highlighted IVF as an option for us, I’d never felt so sad.

My fallopian tubes would be removed.

Otherwise, IVF wouldn’t work.

As I left the doctor’s office with a bunch of leaflets in my hand, I burst into tears.

My womanhood had been snatched away from me.

But I’d do anything to be a mother.

I had the operation in November 2010, before Al and I began to look into IVF. We were devastated to learn we didn’t qualify for NHS funding because Al already had a child from a previous relationship.

Each cycle would cost us £3,000 of our own cash.

‘How are we going to afford it?’

I stressed to Al. I worked Our little family full-time is now complete as an

Our smiles say it all!

all es occupational therapist, and Al as a teacher.

Both so young and at the beginning of our careers, we didn’t have that sort of money to splash out.

‘We’ll do whatever it takes,’ Al said.

So, researching online, we both took out a credit card.

And in January 2011, we paid for IVF. It was emotionally and physically gruelling, not to mention the financial pressures.

I had three injections a day to stimulate my ovaries to produce eggs for harvesting.

At the clinic three times a week, I was given endless blood tests.

Still working full-time, I was exhausted.

But I prayed it would be worth it.

In February 2011, it was time to do a pregnancy test.

But it was like a horrific deja vu.

‘Another negative,’ I cried to Al. Paying out another £3,000 for another cycle, and then another in the summer, our bills were mounting.

And, yet again, the test showed we still

wouldn’t be parents.

Beyond gutted, Al and I were starting to lose hope.

We began to think maybe we’d never have a baby of our own, after all.

But, determined to keep going, we turned a blind eye to our debts and bought yet another cycle on credit.

Al took on more teaching shifts, but it went nowhere near to covering our spiralling costs.

After a short break, we changed clinics and started all over again.

Took out a loan to pay off the credit-card debt we’d racked up.

In October 2012, it was time for another test.

By then, we’d borrowed £13,000 in loans and credit cards.

‘And we’ve nothing to

show for it,’ I cried.

After a blood test at the clinic and an excruciating four-hour wait, the nurse called us in.

I prepared myself for the worst.

‘You’re pregnant, Emma,’ the nurse beamed at me.

It felt like a dream.

Finally, the news we’d yearned to hear for so long.

After that, every week of my pregnancy was a milestone.

I was so scared that something would go wrong, that we’d be right back to square one.

But, after nine blissful months, beautiful Harry was born in August 2013, weighing 7lb 13oz.

Holding him in my arms, I beamed up at Al. ‘I can’t believe he’s

Just like her miracle brother, Rose was perfect

here,’ I said, shaking my head in disbelief.

Harry was a miracle of science – and he was all ours.

We’d spent thousands of pounds securing his arrival.

But he was worth every penny.

Just after Harry’s first birthday, my maternal instinct kicked in again.

‘Let’s try for another,’ I suggested to Al. Money didn’t matter in that moment.

We restarted IVF using some of the frozen eggs from our last cycle.

And by September 2015, I was pregnant again.

We felt so lucky.

Rose was born in June 2016.

And just like her brother, she was perfect.

Our little family is now complete.

So far, we’ve paid off £25,000 of our debts.

With another £3,000 left, we’re paying off around £100 each month.

But it’s without a doubt the best money we’ve ever spent.

Harry and Rose cost us a small fortune, but our kids are truly priceless.

35

£600 cash!

N I W W £500

CODE CRACKER

hat has Prince William revealed is Prince George’s latest obsession?

To find out, solve the puzzle...

Fill in the grid. Each letter of the Puzzle 13 alphabet has been replaced by a number from 1 to 26. When you’ve completed the grid, the shaded squares will spell out the one-word prize answer. We’ve given you five letters to start you off.

Your answer:

WORD JUMBLE T

he Titles of Nobility Amendment to the US Constitution – although never actually passed – has been used unsuccessfully to argue that someone working as what has lost their right to citizenship? Unscramble each group of letters to discover six occupations. Now fit them across the grid and you’ll spell out the answer to the question.

1 TAR OIL 2 CHIC NAME 3. MIDI FEW 4. VERY SOUR 5. EL DREW 6. MR FEAR

IN W £100

11 2 3 4 5 6

PHOTO: GETTY

Puzzle 14

Your answer: 36

TO ENTER Turn to page 56 for details or visit comps.lifedeathprizes.com/puzzles

f o e r a h s a n Wi . . .

0 0 5 £

x 0 1 d n a e z ri p in a m 0 There’s a £25 ! n o w e b to s e z ri p p u rs £25 runne

made you buy this issue of Chat?

7What

Dear Reader

e want your help! To make sure your fave magazine is packed with the bits you love, we’d like you to fill in the questionnaire below.

Thank you! The Editor.

W

A. BUYING MAGAZINES

Women’s weeklies (ie Woman, Bella etc) Celebrity magazines (ie Closer, OK!) Soap magazines Fashion magazines (ie Grazia)

3

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2How Pick Me Up !

Chat Take a Break That’s Life Real People Love It!

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Your favourite real-life magazine One of your favourites Not usually one of your first choices

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Pick Me Up! Chat Take a Break That’s Life Real People Love It!

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6Why

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13AtChat£1.05in terms

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9Ifinyoutermshaveof value Very good 1

Chat Monthly (£2.25) Chat It’s Fate (£2.20) Pick Me Up! Monthly (£2.10)

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B. CHAT MAGAZINE long do you usually spend reading your copy of Chat?

10How Less than 1 hour 1 - 1½ hours 1½ - 2 hours 2 - 3 hours Over 3 hours

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Regularly Occasionally Heard of, Not heard of not bought 1

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interested are you in reading about 14How the following types of real life in Chat?

often have you bought each of these monthly magazines published by Pick Me Up! and Chat?

8How

5

How many real-life magazines do you buy in a typical week?

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Rapist pounced as I cradled my tot O How to wear the cord trend O Bitten by an intruder!

O Planters… bring the outdoors in O Buying my family in monthly instalments O Chopped up and stuffed in a child’s teddy O I found the secret to happiness O Cash prizes up for grabs

Every week 2-3 times Once a Less often Never a month month 1

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O

Regularly Occasionally Never 2

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An item listed on the cover:

often do you buy the following types of women’s magazine for yourself?

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I always buy Chat I flicked through it and it looked interesting Good for moneysaving ideas and offers Reasonable price vs other real-life magazines

PS You can take part online by going to goodtoknow.co.uk/chatsurvey

What changes have you noticed? ..........................................................................................

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Moving Tragic Sensational Thought-provoking Campaigning Topical/newsy Heart-warming Uplifting Inspiring Funny Unexpected/ surprising Graphic Shocking

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Tick as many as apply 15Which Cheeky Down-to-earth Easy read Entertaining Friendly Fun/Humorous Good value Gripping Heart-warming In tune with my life Inspiring Intelligent Involving Light-hearted Modern Respectful Sensitive Supportive Thought provoking Too graphic Too sensational Too shocking Upbeat

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37

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GE A P S U IO V E R P M O R F D E <<<CONTINU

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16How Very important

Beauty Competitions Consumer/ money-saving Cookery/food Crime Diet/weight loss Fashion General life advice/ self-help Health and wellbeing Homes/interiors Humour/ makes me smile Puzzles Offers Pets Problems/dilemmas Reader letters Reader photos Stories about real people The supernatural Tips Travel TV

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do you rate each of the following aspects of Chat?

18How Amount of real life stories Quality of real life stories Availability/ease of finding Paper quality Variety of puzzles Quality of puzzles Quality of prizes

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C. ABOUT YOU

22

Are you:

Female Q 1

you feel the of Chat is: 19Docontent A bit young for you Right for someone around your age A bit too old for you

much did you enjoy this issue of Chat?

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23Please write in your age last birthday ................years 24And now tell us what age you feel! ....................years

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do you particularly enjoy doing in your spare time?

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Reading Socialising Cooking Baking Craft Gardening Home improvements Walking Gym/exercise class Other types of exercise Singing/dancing TV Cinema Theatre Concerts/music events Crosswords/puzzles Shopping Spa days/beauty treatments Volunteering Travel

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write in your postcode: 29Please Please place your completed questionnaire in an envelope, affix the correct postage and return to us by 8 March to:

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CRIME DEATH ON THE COMMON

O

n 15 July 1992, Rachel Nickell, 23, was walking on Wimbledon Common when she was stabbed over 40 times, fatally, in front of her two-year-old son.

Napper Initially, a dog walker was charged with murder, but he was acquitted in 1994.

Then in 2008, Robert Napper, 42, a convicted killer and paranoid schizophrenic, pleaded guilty to Rachel’s manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He was told he’d be held at Broadmoor Hospital indefinitely.

Victim: Katie

YOUNGEST FEMALE KILLER

WORDS: ANNA MATHESON. PHOTOS: GETTY, MIRRORPIX, PA IMAGES

S

haron Carr became Britain’s Carr youngest female killer when, aged 12, she murdered hairdresser Katie Rackliff, 18, in June 1992. Katie was stabbed 27 times in a random attack in Camberley, Surrey.

Carr went on to wound a student exactly two years on, but was only convicted of Katie’s murder after police found a diary in which Carr confessed to the killing. She was sentenced to life in 1997.

1992

YEAR IN CRIMES

R

IT WAS THE YEAR THAT...

Artwork with bite

Artist Damien Hirst’s infamous shark in formaldehyde was exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery, London, in March.

TEEN TORTURED

I

ANARCHY IN THE UK iots around Britain resulted in hundreds of arrests in the summer of 1992.

Fires were started, petrol bombs thrown, shop windows smashed and police attacked during uprisings in Bristol, Blackburn, Burnley, Coventry, Huddersfield, Salford and Stockton-on-Tees.

There were also smaller scale clashes in Luton and London.

Victim Rachel and (right) police at the crime scene

Riot police in Coventry

n December 1992, 16-year-old Suzanne Capper was held captive, brutally tortured, then set on fire and left for dead.

Suzanne was taken to hospital, where she managed to name her attackers before dying four days later.

Six people, aged 17 to 29, were convicted of being involved, with charges varying from false imprisonment, conspiracy to commit GBH, and murder.

August saw tabloid papers publish photos of Sarah, the Duchess of York, in France with a Texan businessman, where he appeared to be sucking Fergie: hit by scandal her toes.

Young Suzanne

Get away!

On 12 May, plans were announced for a fifth terminal at Heathrow Airport. Today, Terminal 5 is the busiest at Heathrow. In 2018, it handled 32.8 million passengers.

39

NO-FUSS FOOD Top tip Add a splash of Calvados or rum to the caramel for an extra kick

Flippin’

fantastic If you’re looking for the perfect recipe for Pancake Day, then these will surely stack up!

Caramel apple pancakes This delicious combination of warm caramel sauce and sweet apples is an absolute classic and hard to resist SERVES 4 PREP TIME 10 MINS COOK TIME 10 MINS

O ½tsp baking powder O 3 eggs, lightly beaten O 150ml Gold Top milk

O 2 apples, quartered,

cored and sliced For the sauce O 75g unsalted butter O 75g caster sugar O 150ml Gold Top milk For the pancakes O 150g plain flour

O 60g unsalted butter

1

Heat a generous knob of the butter in a frying pan and fry the apples for a few mins until tender, set aside.

Put the remaining 60g butter in another pan with the sugar

2

and gently warm to melt. Stir in the milk. Simmer for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened slightly.

To make the pancakes, put the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Add the eggs, milk and 3tbsp water and whisk until smooth and combined.

Heat a knob of butter in a large non-stick pan. Ladle

3

4

the mixture into the pan and spread to make rounds about 7cm in diameter, cook gently for 2 mins, until the base is cooked and the tops look firm. Turn them over and cook for 2-3 more mins on the other side, until golden and cooked through.

To serve, stack pancakes and top with the apples, and a drizzle of the toffee sauce.

5

Top tip These pancakes work well with a sweet and savoury combination. If you want to add a little more sweetness, drizzle with maple syrup

All-day breakfast pancakes What’s better than a full English breakfast? A full English breakfast with pancakes, perhaps…

For the pancakes O 90g plain flour O 1½tsp baking powder O Pinch of salt O 1 egg O 100ml skimmed milk O Spray oil For the topping O 2 bacon medallions O 100g chestnut mushrooms, sliced O 175g cherry tomatoes, halved O 1-2tbsp shredded basil O 2 eggs O Salt, ground black pepper

1

Tip flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Mix 1 egg with the milk. Whisk into

flour to form a smooth batter.

Heat a non-stick frying pan and spray with oil.

Ladle the mixture into the pan and spread to make rounds about 7cm in diameter. Cook for 1-2 mins, flip and cook for 1-2 mins more, until golden on both sides. Remove from the pan.

Cook the remaining mixture.

Spray oil in pan and cook bacon for 1-2 mins on both sides. Push to one side of pan.

Add mushrooms and cook for 1-2 mins. Cook the tomatoes until they start to soften. Stir in the basil and seasoning.

Poach the other 2 eggs.

Divide pancakes between two plates and top with bacon.

Add the tomato and mushroom mixture and top with eggs.

2

3

4

Breton-style pancakes Filled with ham and oozing with melted cheese, these pancakes would make a fantastic Pancake Day lunch SERVES 4 (makes 8 pancakes) PREP TIME 10 MINS COOK TIME 25 MINS O 3 large eggs O 150g buckwheat flour O 250ml creamy milk O ½tsp each salt and

Top tip If you can’t find the classic buckwheat flour, you can use half wholemeal and half white plain flour

black pepper O 80g salted butter, cut into 8 cubes For the filling O 8 slices cooked or cured ham O 150g Gruyère cheese, grated O Small bunch fresh herbs such as chervil, chives or flat-leaf parsley

1

Combine the eggs, flour, milk, 150ml water and seasonings in a bowl or large jug, whisk until smooth and leave to stand.

Heat a 23cm diameter frying pan to very hot.

2

Add 1 cube of butter, tipping the pan to grease evenly.

Pour in just enough pancake batter to cover the base evenly, tilting the pan to spread it thinly.

Cook over a high heat for 1 min or until bubbles appear then carefully turn the pancake over and cook for another min. Turn out onto a plate and cover with foil to keep it warm.

Repeat for all 8 pancakes.

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Set a slice of ham on one half of each pancake and scatter with cheese. Fold the pancakes in half or into quarters, and arrange on a heatproof serving dish. Cover in foil and place in the oven for 8-10 mins until the cheese is melted and oozing. Serve 2 pancakes per person, garnished with herbs.

3

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COMPILED BY: KEIRON GEORGE

SERVES 2 PREP TIME 5 MINS COOK TIME 10 MINS

’ This week s TV Our top telly picks – you’ll kick yourself if you miss them

Last Tango in Halifax

DON’T MISS

BBC1 The comedy drama makes its long-awaited return and pensioners Alan (Derek Jacobi) and Celia (Anne Reid) are now seven years into their marriage, but the pair aren’t seeing eye to eye, thanks to Alan applying for a job in a supermarket. Then Alan hears news about his brother Ted which causes more problems. Meanwhile, a nasty situation awaits Gillian (Nicola Walker) on her farm and Caroline (Sarah Lancashire) seems happy with life as a single mum, but is she?

Alan and Celia find married life has its ups and downs

Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway

What family secrets will be uncovered?

DON’T MISS

ITV It’s been two years since the last series which saw Dec host the show on his lonesome, but the boys are back to host a new run with the usual mix of star guests, surprises and hidden camera antics. Stephen Mulhern will also return to help crank up the fun factor.

WORDS: MICHAEL DARLING

Flesh and Blood ITV In this gripping drama shown across four nights, Francesca Annis stars as Vivien, recently widowed, who causes consternation in her family when she falls for retired surgeon Mark (Stephen Rea). As her grown-up children Jake (Russell Tovey), Natalie

42

(Lydia Leonard) and Helen (Claudie Blakley) try to find out more about him, it leads to family secrets and betrayals being exposed and someone being violently attacked.

Imelda Staunton also stars as the nosy neighbour Mary.

Popular pals Ant and Dec are back

The doctor will see you

The Unshockable Dr Ronx BBC3 ONLINE Dr Ronx Ikharia is on a mission to get young Brits to open up about medical issues they’re scared to talk about. She’s taking her pop-up clinic everywhere, from fried chicken shops to boxing gyms to diagnose problems, give solutions and offer frank advice.

20-26 February

Your STARS Aries

Libra

21 March-20 April

24 Sep-23 Oct

There’s scope for progress this week, as the wheels turn in favour of a new job offer or career move. Enjoy your high levels of energy and step up the pace now.

A can-do attitude will get you far this week, Libra, as taking on new tasks will bring you success. Family ties will grow stronger bringing you contentment.

O Call 0905 817 0690* for more

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Taurus

Scorpio

21 April-21 May

24 Oct-22 Nov

Good times are coming as you benefit from time spent with family and friends. Monetary matters are favourable and you may be able to afford a treat.

Someone will take you into their confidence, and you’ll feel chuffed to have been chosen to share in their secret. Be proactive as you take on new work challenges.

O Call 0905 817 0691* for more

O Call 0905 817 0697* for more

Gemini

Sagittarius

22 May-21 June

23 Nov-21 Dec

A good week for dreams and schemes all coming together. You’ll find yourself climbing the ladder of success at work, impressing those who really matter.

This is not a week to be rushed or pushed into making an important decision. Instead, take your time and you’ll make the right choices on your own.

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Cancer

Capricorn

22 June-23 July

22 Dec-20 Jan

Acting on an urge to get things done will be a blessing in the days ahead as you start putting things in order. A partner will be pleased with your decision.

You can talk anyone into anything now, and with great results, too. Teamwork is key and others will see your work ethics are strong, leading to the boss noticing.

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Leo

Aquarius

24 July-23 Aug

21 Jan-19 Feb

Joining a class or learning something different will be fulfilling. Looking to create something amazing will be on your mind and your talents are set to shine.

A great week to join forces with others and lend a hand to someone who really needs you. Your help will be rewarded and you’ll be put on a pedestal in love matters.

O Call 0905 817 0694* for more

O Call 0905 817 0700* for more

Virgo

Pisces

24 Aug-23 Sep

20 Feb-20 March

You’re set to benefit from talks with those in authority, where you will channel good fortunes into your long-term plans. Listening to advice given is a must.

It’s a great week to make strides with a pet project or something you have been wanting to explore.

Having some me time will benefit your energy levels.

O Call 0905 817 0695* for more

O Call 0905 817 0701* for more

*STARLINES UPDATED EVERY THURSDAY. CALLS COST 80P PER MIN PLUS YOUR TELEPHONE COMPANY’S NETWORK ACCESS CHARGE AND LAST AROUND 4 MINS. FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. USERS MUST BE OVER 18. YOU MUST HAVE THE BILL PAYER’S PERMISSION. SP: SPOKE 0333 202 3390.

Chat astrologer Sally Morgan reads your week ahead

STRIKE A POSE!

Model child My little star has 10,000 followers and counting!

Danielle Childs, 39, Liverpool rouching down in the garden, I looked through the camera lens.

‘Strike a pose!’

I called to my willing subject.

Clicking away, I captured the perfect shot of my fashionista daughter.

Hand on hip, a perfect pout, wearing huge sunglasses, she looked sensational.

But Nuala wasn’t in her 20s or her teens.

In fact, she was just 9.

When the mini-shoot was over, she rushed to see the pictures that I’d snapped.

‘This one’s my favourite!

Let’s put it on my blog!’ she squealed, pointing one out.

Within minutes, I’d posted it on her Instagram page for her 10,000 followers.

Not before a quick edit, though. I lightened it as it was too dark, but didn’t change too much else. I kept it as natural as possible.

We watched as the comments and likes added up.

Ever since she

C

was a baby, Nuala loved being in front of the camera.

Truth be told, she was a natural beauty.

I know, I’m her mum – of course I’d say that!

But she never needed to be coaxed into a smile, or entertained so she’d look in the right direction.

Somehow, she just knew.

Just like most parents, I took thousands of photos of my firstborn.

And I may be biased, but every snap of her was picture perfect.

Over the next few years, Nuala was just like any other kid.

She loved playing outside with her friends, and helping me to bake cakes.

Believe it or not, she was a shy little thing, and would always go quiet when she met someone new.

But, in front of the camera, she came alive.

‘Cheese!’ she shrieked, striking a pose.

She was so photogenic, every single time.

By the time she was 6, she’d choose her own clothes.

Soon, she had a wardrobe brimming with cute outfits.

‘Mum, what about this?’

She was shy...but in front of the camera, she came alive

Striping it lucky!

Nuala’s a natural

44

Going for gold…

her hair styled in a classy topknot. she’d ask me, never worried Posting pictures almost about experimenting with every day, we built up her funky ensembles. followers. Nuala was thrilled.

Tutu skirts, sparkly shoes, She worked hard at school trendy jackets... during the week.

But her favourite thing But at the weekend, was always sportswear – she donned a high-fashion leggings, T-shirts, brightly outfit and we’d head off to coloured, trendy trainers. a pretty location.

Then, in August 2018, We’d go to local parks, I had an idea. outside a quirky building, I’d never had an in a new shop or cafe.

Instagram account of Then I’d snap away on my own, but I loved the my phone. thought of showing off I’d take shots of her Nuala to the world. flicking her hair from one ‘Shall we start a fashion side to the other, putting blog?’ I asked her. her hand on her hip, tilting ‘Yes!’ she grinned, just her head, looking straight as excited as me. at the camera.

We ran the idea by my She was such a natural. husband, Nuala’s dad As her Instagram Steven, 39. following ‘Please, Daddy!’ Nuala begged him.

‘As long as Mummy runs the account and is in charge,’ he told her.

We called it Fashion Blog by Nuala – and posted her first photo.

A black-and-white one, of her wearing big, black I’m there to sunglasses and with support my girl

grew, brands and boutiques started to send freebies.

Her wardrobe had never looked so good!

Nuala even received freebies from famous brands, including a T-shirt and poncho from German company Loroso.

Occasionally, I put a little make-up on Nuala, maybe eyeliner or blusher. But she’s never caked in it, and rarely asks for it.

And, with flawless skin like hers, she certainly doesn’t need it.

In August 2019, we were contacted by the organisers of London Fashion Week.

‘We’d like Nuala to walk the catwalk for kids’ clothes designers Lulu et Gigi Couture and Marie Belle Couture,’ they told us.

‘What do you think?’

I asked my girl.

‘I’m going to be a real model!’ Nuala said, her eyes widening.

In September, I was a bag of nerves as I sat in

We jetted off to America for New York Fashion Week!

45

WORDS: MISHAAL KHAN, LUCY NOTARANTONIO. PHOTOS: INSTAGRAM @FASHION_BLOG_BY_NUALA

…and yet another incredible gown!

the front row at London Fashion Week. But my 9-year-old supermodel daughter oozed confidence.

Looking like a seasoned pro, she shimmied down the catwalk in one beautiful dress after another.

‘You were incredible!’

I told her afterwards.

Nuala has two agents – one for modelling, the other for film and TV work – and she’s excited to see where that may go.

Her Instagram following continues to grow, but I always make sure she’s safe online – that’s why I manage the account.

Thankfully, no one has been nasty to her.

When we first launched her Instagram page, I worried about the mums gossiping at the school gate.

But everyone around us has been so supportive.

They want our Nuala to follow her dreams.

I know there will be strangers who criticise my parenting. I bet they’re accusing me of being a bad mum, or saying I’m letting Nuala grow up too fast.

But if you wait for approval from strangers, you’ll never do anything!

Nuala hasn’t decided what she wants to be when she grows up.

If she tells me she wants to keep going, have a career as a model, of course I’ll back her.

It’s harmless and she’s good at it. But, most of all, it makes her happy.

Yet if she decides she wants to be a teacher, a doctor, or a beautician, I’ll support her then, too. Her happiness is all that matters.

Earlier this month, Nuala and I jetted off to America, where she appeared at New York Fashion Week for Lulu et Gigi. It was incredible!

It might be high-end trends, rather than princess dresses, she’s wearing, but Nuala’s just a little girl who loves dressing up.

What’s wrong with that?

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he answers to all but one of these quiz questions can be found hidden in this wordsearch grid, reading forwards, backwards, up, down or diagonally. To help you, we’ll tell you that the answers are in alphabetical order in each section.

However, one answer can’t be found in the grid. This is your prize answer.

THE SILVER SCREEN – JULIUS According to the title of the US sitcom starring Terry Crews as Julius Rock, who does everybody hate? (5) Which silver screen legend played Mark Antony in the 1953 film of Julius Caesar, and Terry Malloy in 1954’s On the Waterfront? (6,6) In which 1988 film comedy, also starring Danny DeVito, did Arnold Schwarzenegger play the naive Julius Benedict? (5)

1

2 3

I V Z D G N E V E S B

Z E E T V M L J M P N

U G S O R U S I M E J

C Y X R O M A N O X O

T P P U X U M C M E H

WHERE IN THE WORLD? CAESAR Julius Caesar’s son Caesarion, was ruler of which country? (5) Which Channel Island’s name has been thought by some to be a corruption of Caesarea, the Roman name for the island? (6) In which resort city would you find Caesars Palace, The Strip, and the Little Church of the West wedding chapel?

(3,5)

4 5

6

3. Which film is this from?

Your answer:

J T A N T L W F R V N

T T W I N S I C X S N

J T L Y Z Y S N S A Y

V I I A Y D E S V G C

W C Y P W X I S U E A

S O W B D R J R L V S

W L S T H A E R T S H

Q L O C W A R X U A U

I I Z J R H S B R L O

7

11

8

12

S N T S I A E D E H D

H S T W A A Y A S Y Y

FRIENDS What type Who guestof holiday starred as do Gregory a formerly Peck and overweight Audrey classmate of Hepburn take Rachel’s in a in a 1953 Thanksgiving romantic episode of the comedy film of 1. Who does hit comedy that name? (5) everybody hate?

Ancient Friends? (4,4) Rome was What is the full first famously built on how name of Frodo Baggins’ many hills? (5) best friend, Mr Gamgee, in Tolkien’s The Lord of the COUNTRYMEN Rings? (7) What type of creatures What is the surname sing the song That’s of the siblings who What Friends Are For in directed the 2007 film No Disney’s 1967 animation The Country for Old Men? (4) Jungle Book? (8) In the ‘Friends, Romans, ROMANS countrymen...’ speech What is the surname from Shakespeare’s play of the Apollo 11 Julius Caesar, what does command module pilot Mark Antony ask his Michael, who was born in audience to lend him? (4) Which country singer Rome in 1930? (7) had a 1969 hit with A Boy Named Sue? (6,4)

9

13

14

10

15

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hat type of professional might use a curette, a half hollenbach or a wedelstaedt chisel? Solve the puzzle by following the arrows and writing in your answers. Then read down the letters in the shaded squares to find the prize answer.

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SUDOKU To solve the puzzle, each 3 x 3 box, each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9. Solve the puzzle and the numbers in the highlighted squares are the prize answer.

PHOTO: GETTY

WIN

£60 Puzzle 17

Your answer:

WORDSEARCH

WIN

£50 Puzzle 18

W

here was actress Emma Watson born? The answer is the one missing from the grid.

ATHENS BAGHDAD BRASILIA CAIRO DUBLIN

W P R A G U E M F

B A G H D A D O O

R V R J E U T S O

A I M S B T L C A

LONDON MOSCOW OSLO OTTAWA PARIS

S E E L A O A O T

I N I W N W H W H

L N A D F R O M E

I A O C A I R O N

A N I T O K Y O S

PRAGUE ROME TOKYO VIENNA WARSAW

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HOLIDAY TIME

6 secret isla Gozo

2 Formentera’s white beaches

Formentera

Although only separated from Malta by a mere three-mile stretch of water, the tiny island of Gozo is more rural and tranquil, and exudes a relaxed pace of life.

Baroque churches and old stone farmhouses dot the countryside, while the spectacular coastline boasts arguably the best beach in the archipelago: Ramla Bay. The island also offers plenty of historical sites, including Ġgantija, a prehistoric temple.

Relax on the island of Gozo

WORDS: HELENA CARTWRIGHT. PHOTOS: GETTY

1

A short boat trip from Ibiza is the chilled out island of Formentera, where Pink Floyd holidayed and Bob Dylan set up home in an old windmill and, fortunately, it’s retained that essence of cool ever since.

Most people visit this flat island to enjoy some of the longest, whitest and least crowded beaches in Spain and all are easily reached from Es Pujols, the only real resort.

Make sure to visit Sant Francesc Xavier, the tiny capital.

50

La Gomera

3

Picturesque La Gomera

It may not have the A-list name recognition of Tenerife and Gran Canaria, but what La Gomera lacks in celebrity it makes up for in beauty.

The second-smallest of the seven Canary Islands, La Gomera’s rugged charm comes from its unspoilt coast and wildly beautiful national parks.

Reachable by ferry from Tenerife, fast services take around 40 minutes.

nds

Discover these lesser-known but utterly gorgeous sister islands of your favourite destinations

Nevis

Porto Santo

4

5

Gentle and charming, Nevis is the Caribbean’s most historicfeeling island. Measuring just six miles by eight, it lies across the Narrows from sister island St Kitts in the north-eastern Caribbean, and its diminutive scale and single, central peak (other islands roar and soar from the sea like volcanic titans) make it heartstoppingly attractive. The pace of life almost stalls as you arrive.

You can’t miss Nevis Peak

Madeira’s little sister, Porto Santo, floats 30 miles north-east of its bigger sibling. Just seven miles by four, the island’s main draw is its six-mile long beach spanning the entire southern coast. Relatively unknown to Brits, Porto Santo’s emergence on the world stage is gathering pace.

The pretty Kioni harbour

Discover Porto Santo

Ithaca

6

A 45-minute boat trip from Kefalonia brings you to Ithaca, where a lack of mainstream tourism and a mythological past make the island well worth exploring.

The reward for choosing Ithaca as your holiday destination is a peaceful, traditional Greek island boasting a mountainous landscape, a clutch of pretty villages and sparsely populated beaches.

The main coastal villages of Frikes, Kioni and Vathy are on the east side.

51

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on REVITIVE Medic Bundle Includes FREE soft fleece blanket with sleeves (worth £30).

• FREE Foot & Leg Cream • FREE Body Pads • FREE UK Delivery to mainland UK* with your purchase of REVITIVE DX Circulation Booster®.

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PERFECT 10s FOR REVITIVE ON DIABETES

NEUROPATHIC PAIN

I would recommend anyone with lower leg problems like I have, due to type 2 Diabetes, to give it a try.”

It’s made a big difference. I feel I can stay on my feet much longer, and my legs don’t hurt as much. I still do a bit of netball Philip, Blackpool. 10/10 umpiring, and even play a match now and then...my legs and feet HEAVY LEGS & PUFFINESS My feet and legs feel less puffy and some don’t feel anywhere near as bad as before REVITIVE.” days I feel symptom free.”

Babette, Hook, Hants. 10/10

Sheree, Telford. 10/10

UNSUITABLE IF YOU ARE: Fitted with a heart pacemaker or AICD; being treated for, or have the symptoms of, an Existing Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT); pregnant.

Always read the label. Use only as directed. If you are uncertain about the cause of your symptoms or your symptoms persist, please consult your Doctor. †TRIAL: With Revitive, calculations showed blood volume 4 times higher than baseline / at rest in healthy people (Varatharajan et al, 2014, The effect of footplate neuromuscular electrical stimulation on venous and arterial hemodynamics, Phlebology, July 4 20 participants.) *Free standard P&P worth £7.99 in England and Wales. Some areas of Scotland, Northern Ireland and other remote postcodes will incur a surcharge cost of £19.99. Next day or express deliveries will cost more, please ask our customer service team for a quote **If returned within 60 days, full refund of purchase price, minus collection fee of £7.99 (some areas of Scotland, Northern Ireland and other remote postcodes will incur a surcharge cost of £19.99). Must be returned in original UNDAMAGED packaging otherwise further charges may apply. 1 trial per customer only & trial starts from dispatch date. ††If you suffer a long term illness or disability, you may be able to claim back the VAT. All quotes used are real however, to protect the identity of our customers, models have been used for the pictures.

Copyright © 2019 Actegy Ltd. All rights reserved. REVITIVE and CIRCULATION BOOSTER are trademarks or registered trademarks of Actegy Ltd. Registered in England no. 4819502. Registered office Actegy Ltd, Reflex, Cain Road, Bracknell, RG12 1HL, UK. AW: 15379369 09.18

I believe using REVITIVE every day could help me stay active for longer!

“

Tired, Heavy Legs?

Puffy Ankles?

REVITIVE can weave its magic while you sit back in your armchair and watch TV thanks to its easy operation, and is the culmination of a century of research.

EASY TO USE – hydrate yourself & apply FREE moisturiser to feet, increase intensity until your calf muscles contract, sit back, relax & let REVITIVE do the rest.

EFFECTIVE – REVITIVE creates Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) which sends gentle electrical pulses up through the feet which contracts the calf muscles to get your leg muscles pumping & may help provide relief from the feeling of tired legs and puffy feet and ankles, while you relax.

CLINICAL TRIALS – Imperial College London’s vascular surgery department at Charing Cross Hospital London has conducted extensive clinical studies and advocate its use.

DRUG-FREE – REVITIVE is a class IIa medical device offering a drug-free solution, plus entitling you to claim back the VAT†† if you suffer from a long-term illness - call for further details.

Call today! 0800 014 6046 Lines open Mon-Fri 8am-5:30pm & Sat 9am-4pm

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EALEISED FSR ON

P ER VING ENGRADED! INCLU

PAY NOTHING NOW

Celebrate the precious bond between a mother and her loved ones Sparkling with all the colour, joy and value of a beloved family, the ‘Forever In A Mother’s Heart’ Personalised Birthstone Bracelet lets a mother honour each one of her children, or any other dear family member or friend with not only their individual birthstones, but their names as well!

Exquisitely designed and finely handcrafted, our personalised birthstone bracelet features two charms for each loved one. The heart charm gleams with sterling silver plating and features the person’s name with a Swarovski® crystal birthstone in a 24-carat gold-plated heart setting.

Each personalised heart is paired with a roundel charm sparkling with additional crystal birthstones. As many as six people can be celebrated. Two more charms – an open heart with clear Swarovski® crystals; and a ‘Love’ Each child is charm plated with 24-carat gold and enhanced with a represented Swarovski® crystal add more beauty and value. Together by an engraved the charms on the sterling silver-plated 7.5 inch bracelet birthstone radiantly express the precious joys of a family. heart and roundel

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YES! Please reserve the ‘FOREVER IN A MOTHER’S HEART PERSONALISED BIRTHSTONE for me as described in this advert. I need PAY NOTHING NOW!

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hen Sara Zghoul, 28, confided in her mum Chrysanne that she wanted a fresh start, it was the moment her family had been waiting for.

With her olive skin and long, brunette hair, Sara was beautiful. She’d worked as a model and a voice-over actor, but her biggest achievement was becoming a mum.

She was devoted to her 8-year-old son.

But in recent years, her life in Oregon, USA, had taken a wrong turn. Mixing with a bad crowd, she’d become addicted to crystal meth and heroin.

Now, in January 2018, she’d told her mum she was ready to make big changes.

The close-knit JordanianAmerican family couldn’t have been happier. They were willing to do all they could to support her through her escape from addiction.

So, later that day, Chrysanne took Sara to Providence St Vincent Medical Center to seek immediate help, only to find it was fully booked.

They agreed Sara should check into a nearby hotel and go back to the hospital the next day for treatment.

Little did either of them

W

54

know that, when they said goodbye that night, it would be the last time they’d ever see each other.

Alone in the hotel room, Sara became desperate for drugs. Despite her determination to get clean, she craved one last hit.

She called convicted drug dealer Jeremiah Johnston.

Johnston arrived at the hotel, picked up Sara and drove her to his mother’s house in Aloha, just half a mile from her own home.

But, when he confronted Sara about an unpaid debt and she refused to pay him, he flew into a terrible rage.

He tied Sara to a chair with duct tape, and when she escaped, he threw her down the stairs.

Sara hit

her head against a wall and the injury made her vomit.

When she asked Johnston to let her shower, he agreed.

But his sudden turn of sympathy didn’t last.

While she was in the bathroom, he grabbed a knife from the kitchen.

Then he dragged Sara down to the basement, tied her hands and pounced on her.

Climbing on top of her, he viciously slit her throat.

Johnson watched callously as the life drained from the vulnerable mother.

Sickeningly, he then went for a nap, as if nothing had

In recent years, Sara had taken a wrong turn

A terrible discovery in the boot of the BMW...

ever happened.

During Sara’s gruesome murder, her mum texted her to check she was OK. Taking Sara’s phone, Johnston sent Chrysanne a message, pretending to be her daughter.

He wrote that she’d changed her mind about rehab, planned to go away for a while.

Don’t worry, he texted Chrysanne.

Afterwards, Johnston cut up Sara’s body, stuffing it into bin bags which he then hid in a child’s oversized teddy bear he’d bought from a local shop. He bundled the bear into the boot of his BMW and drove off.

But days later, Johnston slipped up, boasting to a friend of what he’d done. He confessed to Jeremy Mooney, 36, that he’d ‘killed a drug addict and no one would miss her’.

He even asked for advice on how to dispose of Sara’s mutilated body.

But Jeremy was alarmed and quickly alerted the police, telling them where they could find the car with

Drug dealer Johnston

murder of his betrayer Jeremy Mooney. His attempts were reported to prison guards and foiled.

Jeremiah Johnston’s trial began at Washington County Court last December.

He pleaded guilty to firstdegree murder, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree abuse of a corpse and conspiracy to commit firstdegree murder of a witness.

The details that emerged

of Sara’s grisly death were so disturbing that her dad Aref walked out of the packed courtroom.

But he was there, along with Chrysanne and Sara’s three sisters and brother, to hear Johnston sentenced to life in prison.

Afterwards, Sara’s sister Eman Noble tearfully addressed the court on behalf of her grieving family.

‘Sara loved her family

She loved her family dearly, most of all her son

very dearly... But mostly she loved her son.

‘Her 8-year-old son who will spend the rest of his life without his mom by his side,’ she said.

To this day, Johnston refuses to disclose the whereabouts of Sara’s severed head.

Sara’s death shocked the local community and devastated her loving family. They believed the young mum was on the verge of changing her life for the better.

Thanks to evil Johnston, she never got the chance.

WORDS: FRANCES LEATE. PHOTOS: AP/SHUTTERSTOCK, WASHINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Sara’s remains.

Johnston, getting wind of the fact that the police were looking for him, went into hiding in a nearby ravine.

It wasn’t long before the police discovered the BMW with the teddy bear containing Sara’s remains.

But her head was missing from the gruesome discovery.

Hours later, the police tracked down Johnston.

Desperate to avoid being punished for his crime, Johnston tried to slash his own throat and wrists before the police restrained him and took him into custody.

In prison, awaiting trial, Johnston tried to get fellow inmates to arrange the

55

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In next week’s

Murdered trying to save her mummy PLUS ALL YOUR FAVE PUZZLES!

I’m turning to stone FAB FAKEAWAYS!

GO GREEN!

On sale 27 Feb

MONEY MATTERS

CASH

SMART

We help you make savvy choices so Get a ‘money buddy’ your hard-earned goes that bit further In the same way exercising with a friend can spur you

ways 2 to... get your money back

3

1The basics

Each situation is different so you should always try to contact the company to ask what’s happening and ask for the item or a refund. If the company has gone out of business, you should apply to the administrators dealing with the company and register your claim, explaining exactly how much money you are owed and what it’s for. However, unfortunately there is no

guarantee of getting all or any of your money back.

How can I protect myself?

It’s all about how you pay; if you buy goods or services on your credit card you have more protection if things go wrong than if you paid by cash or cheque. Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act you can make a claim against your credit card provider if there’s a problem with something you’ve bought. So, if a company goes bust without delivering an item to you, you’re covered providing the goods or service cost £100 to £30,000. You only have to pay a deposit on your credit card to be covered.

3Other avenues

If you spent less than £100 on a credit card or paid by debit card you can try using the Chargeback system via your bank. Unlike Section 75, it isn’t legal protection, card companies offer it at their own discretion, but it’s a good option

WORDS: REBECCA GAMBLE. PHOTOS: GETTY

Have you heard?

NatWest is trialling ‘biometric payment fobs’ with 250 customers, which let them make contactless payments up to £100. To pay, customers hold the fob against a shop’s card reader and press their thumb against the fob’s fingerprint reader; a light will show the fingerprint has been successfully matched and the transaction will go through. NatWest says if fobs are lost, it isn’t possible for others to use them, but they can be blocked using the mobile app.

58

on to get fitter, finding a pal to talk to about money can help too. So, whether it’s swapping budgeting tips or keeping each other updated with the progress you’re making towards your savings goals, having a ‘money buddy’ could help you stay on track. Just make sure you pick someone who manages their finances well.

ENTERTAINMENT OFFER

SAVING

Families can pick up a Legoland Premium Annual Pass in the sale for just £89 per person, making a saving of £30pp (usually £119 per person) and enjoy year-long entry to the theme park. The Legoland Annual Pass sale is available online until 23 March 2020 at legoland.co.uk/ annualpass.

OF THE WEEK

if you have had no luck getting your goods or money back from the retailer. You typically have 120 days from the date of the initial transaction or from when you expected to receive the goods or service to claim, however in some cases the timeframe is longer. To start your claim, contact your bank card provider and ask to dispute the transaction.

For more information, visit citizensadvice.org.uk.

Did you know?

A survey by Which?

Money found one in five people who check their credit report find an error, such as an incorrect address, a false record of missed payments, or even a credit product fraudulently taken out in their name.

TOP TIP

throoms Extractor fans in ba ergy n and kitchens burn e if left on longer than necessary, so switch off and save.

FINDING LOVE

A letter to...

Ladies with their lives on hold ike me, I’m sure you’ll remember your first.

No, not kiss. Diet!

I was age 14 and a size 16.

And that wasn’t the last time I vowed to slim and then quit.

As I got older, and bigger, I hid away from the world.

‘Next summer, I’ll definitely come,’ I said to pals when I refused yet another girlie holiday.

You’ve guessed it...

I didn’t want to lay next to my skinny mates, feeling like a beached whale.

As for dressing up in skimpy dresses and heels for a night out dancing?

Not a blooming chance!

You know as well as I do the tent-sized frock I’d be forced to wear.

Every time I turned down another offer with friends, I told myself that soon things would be different.

One day, I’d shed half my body weight and be a size 10, just like them.

The fun could wait till then.

Only, the fad diets and extreme exercise regimes never worked.

In fact, I just got bigger.

By the time I got together with Nikki, then 25, in the summer of

L

My big day – and I was a happy bride!

2012, I weighed 23st and wore a size 24.

So in love, after four months together, I got down on one knee.

Nikki said yes and we planned to marry the following year.

‘I won’t be a fat bride, though,’ I said.

‘I love you the way you are,’ Nikki frowned.

Still, I vowed to shed 12st – half my body weight – and threw myself into boot camps and diets.

I even lived on powdered soup for three days – hell!

But nothing worked, and I postponed our wedding.

And then I kept pushing

Finally feeling confident, with Nikki by my side

back the big day.

Poor Nikki was getting frustrated.

‘Let’s just do it,’ she said in 2014.

Only, the stigma of being a fat bride still haunted me.

‘Everyone will be judging,’ I sobbed.

‘They won’t!’

Nikki soothed.

She talked me into setting the date for July 2015.

And the night before the big day, I wrapped my stomach and face in cling film in the hope of temporarily shrinking my flab.

When I woke up the next day, it was all there.

But something else had changed.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I smiled.

My whole life, I’d waited for the magical day when I’d finally be slim.

Only, maybe it was just never going to happen.

‘This is who I am,’ I said to myself.

Walking down

the aisle towards Nikki, with my family and friends grinning up at me, I realised it wasn’t my size that mattered.

What mattered was that I was happy.

Now, I don’t hide away.

I’m in my cossie by the pool, and dancing away in whatever clothes I fancy.

So, to all the curvy ladies like me, please don’t put off your dreams until you have a ‘dream body’.

Maybe it’ll happen, maybe it won’t.

But one thing’s for sure, the magic formula for happiness isn’t eating powdered soup and hating yourself.

Love and respect your body, jiggly belly and bingo wings included.

Life is too short not to get out there and live it.

Love and respect your body, jiggly belly included

Love, Rai x Rai Powell Hart, 33, Fleetwood, Blackpool

59

WORDS: FRANCES LEATE

Hello fellow curvy girls!