Innholdsfortegnelse for Best Of 4 2018 i Chat Specials

All of us are capable of achieving extraordinary things, and we love reminding all you lovely readers of that. Kristian (pg47) was at the theatre about to watch a show, but before the curtains went up, he saved someone’s life! Denise (pg34) had spent her whole life hiding what she thought was an embarrassing secret. After struggling at school – she’d never learnt to read. But now bedtime stories with her grandchildren are the highlight of her day. There’s been utter heartbreak for Maria (pg32) who loved being pregnant at the same time as her sister, but tragically only one baby came home from the hospital. The importance of having support through a difficult time is something Laura knows a great deal about (pg10). During her battle with bowel cancer,…

Laura Smith, 26, Liverpool Newly engaged Laura was celebrating her 25th birthday in October 2016 with friends and family at her house, when she first started to feel sharp, stabbing pains in her side. ‘I thought I’d pulled a muscle or something,’ she explains. ‘I told my fiancé Stephen, 32, that I wasn’t going to drink that night and tried to ignore it.’ A few hours on, the pain subsided a bit, but a week later, it came back stronger than ever. One morning it was so bad, Laura needed help putting her shoes on as bending over was impossible. She managed to get to work as a retail assistant in a toy shop, but a work colleague later found her in tears and she was sent to A&E. ‘I…

Maria Strachan, 25, Arbroath My body was telling me I was pregnant, but the tests said I wasn’t. I knew exactly how pregnancy felt: I already had two children – Lexi, then two, and Harrison, five months. But 15 negative tests later, including one at my GP’s, my partner thought I’d lost my mind. ‘Stop being paranoid,’ he said. I felt like I was going mad, too. It was June 2016 – and a couple of days later, my phone buzzed. It was my sister Kayleigh, 21. I’m pregnant! she wrote under a picture of a positive test. I was excited for her to be a first-time mum. But my heart sank a little – I wanted my symptoms to be true, too. So I bought and did a digital…

Rosalind Brotherton, 50, Worcester After tucking my three boys into bed, I settled on the sofa with a cup of tea. Looking after Alex, then 12, George, nine, and Sebastian, five, was a full-time job. But, as much as I wanted to switch the telly on and relax, I had more work to do. It was 2001, and I’d recently signed up to do a degree in history with the Open University. That, coupled with being a mum and a dinner lady at the boys’ school, meant I hardly had a minute to spare. Had I left it too late for something new? Growing up, I hated school. I struggled in class and left with just five GCSEs. University wasn’t an option, so instead I got an admin job –…

Megan Smithard, 20, Southsea, Hampshire Walking home from school with my best friend one afternoon, she commented on my breasts. ‘You’re so lucky you have boobs,’ she said. We were only 12, and I’d developed much earlier than anyone else in my year group. Everyone thought it was the best thing ever – everyone except me. By 13 I was a size 30DD, and although other girls were jealous, I hated them. It wasn’t as if they were big and perky like everyone expects – they were so big they were sagging already and I was barely a teenager. They also caused severe back pain and made it hard for me to take part in sports. When my friends would be excited to go shopping on the weekend, I would…

Thinking of going vegan? The first ever mobile app designed to help people become vegan has been launched by The Vegan Society to celebrate World Vegan Day on 1 November. VeGuide, which is free to download on Google Play and iOS, features interactive content with shopping, nutrition and recipe information. A Vegan Society survey this year found that the number of vegans in the UK has quadrupled in the past four years, with nearly 600,000 Brits claiming to be meat and dairy-free. What better time to start on your vegan journey? Coffee cures Just one cup of black coffee a day can boost your metabolic rate, reduce your appetite, and burn fat. According to nutritionist Sarah Flower, coffee also contains chlorogenic acid, which slows down the absorption of carbohydrates. But,…

Paula won her £1,500 Full House playing a Link Game. A Link Game is a special-event Bingo game that brings together selected rooms, offering the chance to win an even bigger Full House. We offer two types of Link Games on Chat Mag Bingo, one with all the rooms of the same value and game type, e.g, 10p tickets and 90-ball bingo or when rooms of one type such as the value rooms come together for one game and will change to one ticket price. You can see the Link Game symbol of two gold rings at the top of the game while you're taking part, and in the main menu Bingo page.…

Growing up in Portland, Oregan, young Rebecca Schaeffer had shown such promise. She was an honour student who excelled in school and loved the outdoors. The only child of writer Danna and child psychologist Benson, she wrote poetry and was so devoted to the Jewish faith, she even considered being a rabbi. But during her junior year at high school, Rebecca tried her hand at modelling and the camera loved her. It was the 1980s and her big smile and curly brown hair was a popular look of the time. Rebecca easily won work for department store catalogues and appeared in TV commercials. In 1984, when she was 18, she moved to New York to pursue a modelling career. She attended a child acting school and later that year, appeared…

Broken trust Q My dad walked out on us when I was a kid and it’s ruined my trust in men. When I’m in a great relationship – I run a mile. Will I always feel this way? Melanie, Brighton A Rejection is one of our deepest human fears because we’re biologically wired with a need for belonging and to be loved. Your dad leaving wasn’t your fault and it certainly doesn’t mean that you’re destined to be alone. While all relationships present us with risks, they are usually risks worth taking. If you shield yourself from every possible hurt because you are frightened of rejection you are also shielding yourself from potential love and happiness. Try to face your fears and remember that even if you do open your…

Dads, brothers, sons, nephews, grandads, uncles – Bowel Cancer UK, the UK’s leading bowel cancer research charity, needs you! It’s that time of year again when the charity asks men across the UK to grow a beard throughout December raising awareness and money to support vital research and life saving work to stop bowel cancer. The rules are simple: just clean shave on 30 November and let your facial hair flourish throughout the month of December in the run up to Christmas. Already bearded? No problem. Dye, ditch or decorate your beard and join the campaign. Go to www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk .…

Verity Barker, 18, Bristol Emerging from the bathroom, I grabbed my mobile and immediately texted my boyfriend Luke. I’m not pregnant, phew! I typed, hands shaking with relief. I was 17 and doing A levels. Not ready to be a mum. In fact, I was planning on having a gap year, then maybe on to university the following year. But with extreme fatigue and a bloated feeling for the past couple of months, I’d started to worry, even though we’d been careful. But at least now I knew that I wasn’t pregnant. It was February 2017. Maybe it’s just a bit of winter weight gain, I thought. So I started to do sit-ups. ‘You’re too body conscious,’ my mum Lydia, 47, said to me. Maybe. But nothing seemed to be…

Mostly A: Tango You’re bold, dramatic, and adore being the centre of attention. You always dress to impress, and you’re very confident and independent. Not afraid to go after what you want, a man would need to pull out all the stops to impress you. But he should be warned – you have a fiery temper! Mostly B: Waltz You’re classy and elegant, and your mates can always rely on you. You’d do anything to make others happy. You’re quite traditional in many ways and your taste for the old-fashioned can be quite charming, but being a such stickler for the rules can sometimes make you a bit boring! Mostly C: Charleston You’re super fun and can always be relied on to make your mates laugh. You’ll find any excuse…

Emily Fazah, 28, Woodbridge The pain I had in my tummy was the first clue – and a trip to the loo confirmed it. It was 2005, and, at 15, I’d been expecting this moment. The day my period started. ‘Mum!’ I hollered. ‘Do you have any sanitary towels?’ My mum Jane, then 44, appeared, smiling. ‘That explains why you’ve been Little Miss Moody!’ Mum teased me. It was true. Over that last week I’d been a right madam. Anything ticked me off. And I’d been crying. A lot. But taking the sanitary towel from Mum, I felt quite cheerful. I was a woman at last! Only with it came the most ferocious tempers, every month without fail. But it wasn’t just moods. My periods were agonising. For my friends,…

Soak up the sun Phil and Ben love nothing better than to spend their afternoons relaxing in the sun. If only I could join them more often instead of being stuck at work… Joanne, Hull This is the life… Bella looks more than comfortable on her sofa. What a life! Stephanie, Cheltenham Close up kitty My cat Anya is so pretty, I just couldn’t stop myself from getting up close with the camera… Charlotte, Cardiff What you lookin’ at? Phoebe the sausage dog is a master at the evil eye… Tasha, Glasgow…

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Actress Theresa Saldana had starred alongside Robert De Niro in Raging  Bull, but in 1982, fame brought violence to her West Hollywood home. A Scottish born ‘fan’ called Arthur Jackson got her address from the DMV and waited outside. When Theresa appeared, Jackson stabbed her multiple times with a hunting knife – so hard the blade bent. Theresa lost almost all of her blood but she was saved with surgery. Jackson was committed to hospital and died before release. Theresa became passionate about stalking awareness. Her attack and Rebecca’s murder changed laws. Theresa died in 2016 from pneumonia, aged 61.…

FILM AND TV 1 In which fictional town is Coronation Street set? a Weatherhall b Weatherfield c Weiatherton 2 What is the name of Peppa Pig’s eight-year-old cousin? a Chloe b Abigail c Jessica 3 How is Marvel Comics’ Scott Lang better known? a Daredevil b Ant-Man c Deadpool 4 Who is the only professional dancer to appear in all 15 seasons of Strictly Come Dancing? a Brendan Cole b Pasha Kovalev c Anton Du Beke 5 What is Homer Simpson’s middle name? a Jay b Joe c James 6 What is the name of the Freddie Mercury biopic starring Rami Malek? a We are the Champions b We Will Rock You c Bohemian Rhapsody SHOWBIZ 7 What is Pink’s real first name? a Ally b Alecia c Abbey 8…

A photographer captured the moment a cute owl played ‘peek-a-boo’ with him from inside a nearby tree. The bird of prey had a real hoot popping its head out of a tree stump before hiding back inside. The little owl spent more than 20 minutes playing with snapper Stephen Clark before flying out of its nest and landing on a nearby watering can. Stephen, 56, said: ‘I saw the owl sitting six feet up a tree, but when I began taking pictures, it kept hiding. It was doing this for about 20 minutes before flying out in front of me. I love taking photographs like this as I find it a very good stress reliever.’ The friendly owl is a resident at Andy Howells birds of prey centre in Berwick-upon-Tweed,…

We’re walking on egg shells I always keep clean egg shells around my house plants to keep bugs away. They hate the smell of them. Margaret Rowley, Northampton Versatile tool Make a handy funnel out of the top of a plastic cold drink bottle. You can use it for cooking, baking, or even for pouring washer fluid into your car. Amanda Morrissey, Brighton Easy breakfast Cooking with bacon? Keep it frozen. It’s much easier to cut through when it’s still frozen, and only takes a few extra minutes to cook through. Theresa Gallagher, Portsmouth Crossword crazy The last time we went on a road trip, I cut out all the crosswords and puzzles from oldChat magazines and pasted them into a book to keep the kids busy. It worked a…

Wonky forever? I’m 37 and have wonky teeth. I would love them straightened but hate the idea of the ‘train track’ braces I remember from school days. Is it too late for perfect teeth? Chloe, Exeter No, it’s never too late to have your teeth straightened. The oldest person we have created braces for was 86! You also don’t have to have the traditional ‘train track’ braces. You can have invisible braces like Invisalign, which are clear braces that you can take in and out. These have to stay on for different lengths of time, depending on your teeth, but they aren’t noticeable at all and are a great way to help create your perfect smile! Scrub up How do I know if my kids are brushing their teeth correctly?…

Paula Lawson, 52, Hartlepool Flicking through Chat magazine earlier this year in June, I spotted an advert for Chat Mag Bingo. There was a welcome offer where if I spent £10 playing any games, I’d receive 200 free tickets to play a huge selection of bingo games. I hadn’t played online bingo before, but just a few weeks earlier, one of my friends was raving about a win she’d had on the same site. I decided to give it a go… Settling down on the sofa, as my husband Barry cooked dinner, I typed the website address into my phone. Choosing the Sapphire 90-ball link game at 8pm, I bought 18 tickets at 25p each. Then, I sat back and watched as the bingo balls began to pop out, one…

Anne Webster, 47, Southampton Have you ever heard of a cat climbing the career ladder? Well, neither had I! But that was before my black and white cat, Sheldon, came onto the scene. Three years ago, he’d appeared as a skinny, scruffy little stray, but now he was cat-somer liaison officer at my local B&M store! Walking into the shop one evening, I spotted him supervising the pet products aisle. ‘Sheldon!’ I called out. ‘Time to go home!’ He glared at me, a bit embarrassed that his mum had come to fetch him from work. But I knew if I didn’t, he’d end up sleeping there all night! He’s quite the workaholic. Every morning at 6am, he’s at the door when Tim, the manager, arrives to open up. If I…