Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2015 i Chat Specials

Hi! I’m Fran, your new editor, and I’m delighted to bring you an action-packed issue, with stories sure to make you cry, gasp and laugh out loud! Poor Adele (p8) took a troubled teen into her home, only to be rewarded by the lodger romping in a graveyard with her fella! Our quota of cuties includes Lynn’s bandaged baby (p25), and a performing pooch (p14). Helen’s chilling encounter with a jealous ex (p48), who threatened to burn her alive, may well put you off men for life! On a happier note, we have cash prize puzzles, top tips, weight loss, health tips and lots more! And don’t miss Chat Very Best Of Special, on sale 8 October!…

Gazing up at me with his big brown eyes, the gorgeous little ball of fluff jumped into my lap, and fell fast asleep… ‘I’ll take him!’ I grinned, cuddling my brand new white and tan Shih Tzu. He was paw-fect. ‘Oh, he’s a right cuddler, that one,’ confirmed the breeder. ‘He’s a lapdog – just what you wanted Kirsty!’ added my mum Jan. He wasn’t the cutest pup. His face was even more squashed up than your average newborn Shih Tzu – but I instantly fell for his personality. At just nine weeks, as his brothers and sisters jumped up and down, yapping and tugging at my shoelaces, he was like Sleeping Beauty, snoozing in my arms. Calling him Cooper – a popular doggy name in America, where I’d lived…

You have to swap the shower curtain for a glass door You refuse to buy a doll for your child because it looks like Chucky Your fella was being sick and for a moment you thought you were both in The Exorcist Your friend with twin girls suggests they come and stay, but you refuse - you've seen The Shining ! You consider breaking up with your man when he suggests ‘Damien' for a boy's name – it's a really bad omen! You refuse to visit the duck pond - in case there's a moment from The Birds On Friday the 13th you book the day off work and refuse to leave the house! You think of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre…

Mostly As: Cooking apple Your friendships take time and energy but, because you love the end result, it’s worth it. You and your friends take comfort in each other and love spending as many hours together as possible. You’re a warm, friendly bunch and you’re attracted to friends’ with hidden depths. Mostly Bs: Rotten apples It’s time to question exactly what you’re getting out of this friendship. Are your friends really that nice or are they actually rotten to the core? If it’s the latter, why not spend time with pals who will look out for you rather than make you feel so bad about yourself? Mostly Cs: Granny Smith Your friends are comforting and you love that they are there to turn to when you need them. But it’s…

Slumped on the sofa, I switched on the TV. ‘The Undateables is on!’ I said excitedly to my mum Kath. It was our favourite. Each week we’d put our feet up and watch. The show followed adults with disabilities and learning difficulties as they tried to find love. It was January 2013, and tonight was the start of the second series. Suddenly a guy called Steve came on the screen. ‘I have Crouzon syndrome,’ he said. He explained it was genetic disorder that meant the bones in his skull and face didn’t grow properly. Then he talked about his tough childhood. Tragically, his sister and brother had died from the same condition, and he’d been badly bullied at school. ‘But I still believe in love,’ he said, determinedly. My heart…

You can’t beat the fresh air, being at one with nature… So, in August last year, me and my hubby Steven, 42, took our kids Oliver, 10, Kate, 8, and Lily, 2, camping in the Lake District. We were setting off for a week to Baysbrown Farm campsite and it’d be a real family affair, with my parents Joyce, 70, and Colin, 72, plus brother Ian, 42, in a lodge a mile away. As we arrived in brilliant sunshine, the kids excitedly helped pitch our eight-person tent, complete with a living area and two bedrooms at either end. Typical for a camping holiday, two days later the rain arrived! And by bedtime on Sunday 10 August, the wind was howling. Oliver and Kate bedded down in one end of the…

Slipping into the cool water, I finally started to enjoy my holiday. Only then I noticed a woman staring at me from the other side of the pool. ‘Look, she’s wearing her pyjamas!’ she whispered to her friend. My cheeks flushed bright red. Ignore it, I told myself. I was on holiday this June in Florida with my sister Angela, 63, and her daughter, Johan. As usual, I had to go swimming in the evening, in full-body protective swimwear. If I’d gone for a dip in the day, my face would swell up and my blood would feel like it was boiling. Then I’d spend days in agony, unable to bear anything touching my tingling skin. I suffer from erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP). It’s a rare genetic disorder which means I…

Isn’t it funny how one moment can change your life forever? For me, it was something so small. So simple. It all started when I picked up a bin bag…. It was May 2010, and I’d been helping clean up after my daughters and their classmates had enjoyed a school picnic. It had been a beautiful day. After everyone had gorged on crisps and sarnies, we adults had kicked back in the sun while the kids ran riot. ‘Catch me if you can,’ Livvy Grace, 8, had giggled, tearing past after her sister, Eleanor, 6. By the time the sun was setting over Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, they’d worn themselves out. ‘Dad, can we go soon?’ Eleanor asked, slumped against a bench. ‘In a minute, sweetie, let me just clear this…

My eldest loves Robin Hood, so we booked a trip to the East Midlands to find out more about the famous outlaw. How to get there? It’s really easy to get to Nottingham, with trains going there from all over the place! But with our accommodation and some of the attractions in the countryside, we decided to take our car so we could make our way around the trail of the man in tights really easily! What’s the accommodation like? We based ourselves at the Sherwood Hideaway, a group of idyllic wooden family lodges nestled deep within Sherwood Forest itself. The setting was blissfully peaceful, a 40-minute drive from Nottingham and just a short cycle ride from the huge oak said by some to have acted as Robin’s secret HQ.…

FILM/TV 1 What is the title of the new sequel to the 2014 film The Maze Runner? a Maze Runner: The Burn Testsb Maze Runner: The Scorch Trialsc Maze Runner: The SingeAuditionsd Maze Runner: The Char Tryouts 2 Which actress plays singer Juliette Barnes in the US TV drama Nashville? a Alyson Hanniganb Zooey Deschanelc Elizabeth Olsend Hayden Panettiere 3 British actor Tom Holland has been cast as which superhero in the 2016 film Captain America: Civil War? a Spider-Manb Batmanc Supermand Ant Man 4 Which actor featured in a 2015 documentary series entitled No Limits? a Martin Freemanb Damian Lewisc Idris Elbad Chiwetel Ejiofor 5 Which new film stars Tom Hardy as both of the…

Aries 21 Mar - 20 April Relationships are going to need some care this month. People can seem unreliable and whatever you're told may not be exactly what someone means. With Jupiter forging important contacts all month exaggeration should be avoided at all costs so be sure to under-promise and over-deliver. Single? Someone from work could have more than just a fascination with you, as the 13th's New Moon can show, Aries. • Call 09058 171760 for your year ahead forecast. Taurus 21 April - 21 May  Your creative talents are going to blossom. In fact, you can feel more exuberant than you have for a long time. Your social life can be active, but with Mercury twisting backwards until the 9th, double-check arrangements. Your ruler Venus is challenged in…

To do... It's not often the capital will close off one of its busiest streets to host a party, but it will when two American football teams descend on Wembley. To mark the occasion, Regent Street will be traffic-free on Saturday, 24 October, and feature cheerleaders, drum-line performances and all-American food! • Visit www.nfluk.com To buy... It’s Chocolate Week between 12-18 October, so celebrate with this colossal (chocolate) pizza. • Double Delight Chocolate Pizza, £10.99, www.gourmet chocolatepizza.co.uk To watch... It's fair to say all is not what it seems in this crazy car commercial! • www.youtube.com/ watch?v=s1ZkgUA84hA…

Sitting down with a cuppa, I offered my best friend Liz* a biscuit. In her early 60s, Liz wasn’t just a mate, she was like a second mum. Living down the road from each other, we met up most days to enjoy a good chinwag. I’d tell her about my daughter McKenzie and my partner Shaun, 40. And she’d fill me in on all her family dramas. ‘My grandson Arron is moving in with me,’ she said. ‘He’s been in a bit of trouble at home.’ ‘We’ll get him on the straight and narrow,’ I grinned. A few days later, in June 2013, I walked to Liz’s while McKenzie was at school. When I got there, a young man opened the door. ‘You must be Arron,’ I said. ‘Is your…

Munching on a spring roll, I noticed my fella looking pale. ‘You look like you’ve seen a ghost, love,’ I chirped. Suddenly David, 26, got down on one knee, holding up a beautiful gold band. ‘Adele, you are the woman of my dreams,’ he said. ‘Be my wife?’ ‘Yes,’ I grinned, my heart pounding. With that, everyone in the all you can eat Chinese buffet, where we’d been enjoying a slap-up dinner, burst into spontaneous applause! Dead romantic. Together for two years, after meeting through mutual friends, I’d only expected us to have a fling, as David Dutton was 13 years my junior. Soon, though, my feelings for my hot toy boy deepened and, after a few weeks, he moved in with my daughter Opal and me. So, on 7…

On 23 November 1987, Isla and Bud Brink made a grisly discovery. They found their son Rick, 28, dead in the driver’s seat of his Chevy Blazer. He’d been shot twice in the head. His truck was still parked outside his new home in the peaceful, rural town of Park Township, Michigan, US. More horror was waiting inside the house. Rick’s wife Gail, 22, had also been murdered, shot three times in the face as she slept. They’d been dead two days. Both their families were distraught and the community reeled with shock. Rick and Gail Brink had been married less than 18 months. They were happy. They were popular, had no enemies, no criminal convictions. Why would anyone want to hurt them? ‘They were the nicest couple in the…

We’ve all heard of things that go bump in the night. But what about things that shriek? It was early 2014, and I was dozing in bed when an ear-splitting scream roused me. It was like something from a horror movie. ‘Hold on, mummy’s coming,’ I called, as my 2-year-old daughter Aoibheann’s cries ripped through the house. Pulling back my duvet, I rushed to her bedroom. There, my poor mite was sat upright in bed, sobbing her heart out. ‘Shh, it’ll be okay,’ I cooed, scooping her up into my arms. It had all started back in January. Aoibheann had fractured her ankle shuffling around and needed a cast. While her leg was healing, a small patch of dry skin appeared. At first, I thought nothing of it, put it…

Big and beautiful. That was me, as I struck my best sexy pose. Flash! As the photographer snapped away, I imagined my size-24 peach dress making me look like a voluptuous Marilyn Monroe. Well, maybe that was pushing it! But, despite being 18 stone, I must have been looking hot, or he wouldn’t have wanted to take my picture…. It was one night last May and I was out clubbing, having a great time with some of my girlfriends. The impromptu photo shoot was the icing on the cake. I felt like a million dollars… Then, the next day, I checked on Facebook to see what my mates were up to. There, staring out at me, was a massive girl, in a terrible photo from the nightclub. My friend had…

Mates often share things – a lippy, clothes or recipes. Well, my mate and I shared something a bit more amazing! It started on 8 March 2012, when I’d just given birth to my son Henry. Later that day, my hubby Tom, 28, left us in Scarborough Hospital to get some sleep. In the bed beside me was a fellow new mum. ‘I’m Claire,’ she introduced herself. ‘Is he your first?’ she asked, cooing over Henry. ‘Yes. It’s scary!’ I admitted. ‘You’ll get the hang of it!’ she reassured me. Claire’s baby boy Ben had arrived that morning, and she also had an older son Jake, then 3. Next day, Claire was a godsend, showing me how to tackle breastfeeding. We were both recovering from Caesarean sections, and we passed…

If you loved Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves , you might want to visit this grand Northumberland castle – as it appeared in the hit movie! That’s not the castle’s only on screen link though, as it’s been in two Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey too. There are loads of activities for the kids to get involved with, like getting dressed up in medieval clothes and broomstick training. Get there before 1 November though, as after that the castle closes for the season (open selected dates in December).…

On 16 July 2005, Talia Williams, aged 5, arrived at hospital with horrific injuries. Medics could do nothing and the little girl was pronounced dead. Nine years on, her dad stood trial for murder, and a sickening catalogue of abuse was revealed. The reason? Talia needed ‘discipline’ during potty training… By the tender age of 5, Talia Williams had already had a tough life. Born prematurely, she had special needs, which included a lack of bladder and bowel control. In 2004, a judge granted custody to Talia’s dad. Sent to live with Naeem Williams, then 25, and his new wife Delilah in Honolulu, it should’ve been a fresh start. Sadly, the little girl’s nightmare had just begun. Soldier Naeem and Delilah used physical punishment to ‘discipline’ poor Talia. Instead of…

Spread the news I know it’s a love it or hate it ingredient, but there is no doubt over how I feel about Marmite. I have it on pretty much everything. One of my favourite dishes is jam and Marmite on toast – together. I discovered it by accident one day. I didn’t realise my husband had made Marmite on toast for me, I thought it was just a bit burnt, so I slathered on a load of jam, took a bite and realised my ‘mistake’. However, it was so amazing I now have it all the time. In my house it’s called ‘mummy’s toast’. When I’m not having bread for breakfast, I love to pop a dollop of Marmite in my porridge alongside banana and sultanas for a lovely…

When you own a pub, you get to know the regulars. And it's true when they say it takes all sorts. As well as the builders and local business owners that popped into mine and my hubby Pete's bar, The White Swan, we also had Chris - a real-life rocket scientist! Me and Pete, 45, had only owned the pub since January, wanted to do something to put it on the map. Chatting to Chris one day, I had a wacky idea. ‘Can we send a pint of London Pride up to space?' I asked. Amazingly, he said yes! it to the 200g helium balloon, and then it was up, up and away! We followed the pint on a telly - it had a tracking device - as it travelled…

Some-fin scary Der-duh, der-duh! Seeing a fin pop up out of the water while you're going for a dip in the sea is probably up there with most peoples' biggest fears. That and a tarantula crawling over your face! For one poor lady, diving off the western coast of Australia in November 2010, it wasn't spiders she had to worry about – it was a shark taking a bite out of her hip. She would have died if it wasn't for the heroics of a mysterious snorkeler who, spotting the shark, grabbed it by the tail and hauled it off her! We're o-fish - ally impressed. Bleedin’ heck! We all know we should give blood more often (it's worth getting involved just for the tea and biscuits afterwards!), but one…

Arm and Hammer Advance White, £2.59, Superdrug This product, which contains baking soda, claims to leave teeth three shades whiter. After a month we were smiling at the difference. Aquafresh High Definition Illuminating Mint, £3.49, Boots This left our mouth feeling really clean and fresh. Someone even complemented our gnashers, too! Colgate Max Expert White, £5.99, Lloyds Pharmacy A little pricier than other brands, but this paste says it will give whiter teeth in just five days. We were sold at the results! Sensodyne True White, £7.99, Boots This is great for sensitive teeth. It also claims to prevent new stains forming.…

Not all bad... The UK's Clive Greenaway managed to get through 18 magic tricks in a minute – while blindfolded. Making him a Guinness World Record Holder! Italian, Alessandro Politi holds the world record for the most magic tricks performed under water in three minutes. He got through 13 in 180 seconds! What a smashing weekend! The Fourth of July weekend for most Americans is a time for celebrating – but this wasn't the case for one man from Arizona, after a practical joke left him in a rather sticky situation. Two friends locked the 23-year-old out of his house in the early hours and, determined to get back in, he tried wriggling down the chimney, Santa Claus-style. He ended up getting lodged halfway down though. Luckily, a local fire…

We’ve solved it CSI fans are in for a treat this month as the Metropolitan Crime Museum shares secret case files and objects at the Museum of London. It’s going to be a bit grisly though – the artefacts are related to real-life crimes and include a briefcase holding a poison-filled syringe that the notorious Kray brothers were apparently going to use to murder a witness! • Adults, from £10; concessions, from £8. Visit www.museum oflondon.org.uk A dead good run You’ll be running for your life (kind of) during a zombie run in Barnsley! Hosted by Zombie Run UK, the idea is you pop your trainers on and prepare for a 5K amble – chased by a load of zombies (don’t worry, they’re just actors). You’ll have three ‘life tags’…

Fall back plan Q I fell off a ladder last year. I was stiff for a few weeks but didn't seek treatment. Now, I'm starting to have bad lower back pain. Could it be linked? Marianne, Aberystwyth A Back pain’s really common; 80% of us will suffer with it at any one time, so it could just be a coincidence. However, you may have also injured your back during the fall. The most likely scenario is it’s had an impact on your spine which has caused stiffness in your back that you may not have been aware of. Go see a physiotherapist to get it checked out. It’s not too late to have treatment to your back, which should help with the pain. Baby blues Q I'm three months pregnant…

Heaving my luggage into the overhead locker, I settled into the plane seat. I’d had a glorious two weeks in the Gambia, but reality was coming thudding back. As I thought about my endless list of things to do when I got back home, I felt a figure looming over me. ‘Is this seat taken?’ the man winked. ‘Ha ha,’ I giggled, as he sat down beside me. And, for the rest of the six-hour flight, Vincent Bowen and I gabbed away. The conversation flowed. Hmmm… there was something about him. So, when he asked for my number as we touched down, I was over the moon. The next day, in June 2011, I woke to my phone ringing. ‘Hello,’ I said, bleary-eyed. ‘Guess who?’ the voice on the other…

Everyone knows dogs are loyal: investigating when there’s a noise, cheering you up when you’re down. My springer spaniel, Mollypops is certainly good at both of those. I got her six years ago, when she was a tiny pup. She lived with me and my mum Margaret, but a few years later, Mum passed away from oesophageal cancer, aged 72. It was just me and Mollypops then – and I was glad I had her. Having her there meant life had to carry on. Well, with her noisy, 6am wake-up calls, I had no choice! She stuck with me throughout – truly a woman’s best friend! We love chilling out together, which is what we were doing one day in March 2014. I was at the kitchen table, looking at…

There’s nothing better than having a moment to yourself at the end of a jam-packed day. And, for me, one of the things I like to do is to play a few games on Chat Mag Bingo. I will usually buy some tickets, and enjoy a few games. And, best of all, join my bingo friends in the chat rooms for a good old catch up. I love a good natter. It probably comes from having four sisters! In fact, there are a lot of women in our family… I’ve two daughters, five close female cousins, my sisters and our lovely Mum, Patricia. Two of my sisters live abroad, but we make sure we get together when we can. And it’s always a giggle! Recently, we’d booked ourselves a spa…

Talia's biological mother Tarshia Williams last saw Talia in 2004, when Naeem Williams was granted custody of their daughter. Speaking outside court after sentencing, Talia's mum said: ‘She can go rest now, after all the pain she went through. ‘I'm going to go to her grave and release about nine balloons. ‘I'll say, “Yes, Talia, justice finally got served.” ‘She would've been a beautiful lady growing up. ‘Her life got cut short, but I'm happy that justice finally got served.'…