Pick Me Up! 27-Sep-2018

A tough cookie, with a heart of gold - that’s my mum... When the going gets tough, you’ll never hear her grumble. But, when you’re the one with a problem, Mum’s there in a flash. Growing up, Mum’s advice was gold dust. Whether she was warning me off some spotty lad, or reminding me to be myself, she was always right. I still talk to her every day. Her opinion means so much. Her support, too. When I discovered I was pregnant at the age of 26, I knew that I’d be able to lean on her. She nagged me like mad, though, ‘Don’t eat that!’ or ‘Put your feet up!’ followed by one of her no-nonsense looks. But you always do what my mum says - she’s the boss!…

My boyfriend Lee loves ice cream more than most things, and so does our cat Sky. Sharing is caring after all. Jane Whitaker, Birchington Sitting in my local pub, I spotted this sign for the toilets. Too right, eh girls? Karen Hill, Penygroes My friends organised the best hen party ever in Ibiza! I’ll give you three guesses which one I am… Hint: I’m not a lady in red. Bethan Ewart, Ashbrooke To celebrate our first anniversary, my fella treated me to a journey over the Thames on the Emirates Airline. Sarah Myers, Bracknell I was so lucky to go to the Strictly Live Tour at the O2 this year – and even luckier to be sitting near Bonnie Langford and Shaheen Jafargholi from EastEnders. Tina Saunders, Crowborough Jess couldn’t…

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As the sound of guitar chords came down the phone, you couldn’t wipe the grin off my face. ‘No-one’s ever written me a love song before,’ I told Lewis, 19. ‘Come to Sunderland, we can sing together,’ he replied. I couldn’t wait. I was 21, but me and Lewis had first met seven years earlier at a music project, when we were kids. Then, in January 2017, we’d reconnected on Facebook. And the cocky 12-year-old I’d known had grown into a man. One I fancied something rotten! The feeling was mutual and we’d been flirting on the phone for hours. He’d even written a song about me. Now I wanted us to make music together... So, that March, I made the coach trip to Sunderland to visit him. And over…

Life with three kids can be expensive! In July, me and my partner Danny, 31, took ours out for the day. It was the summer holidays and there was an Armed Forces Day event on. ‘Shall we go see the planes?’ I said to my littl’uns. Our boys Jack, 10, and Alfie, 8, were cuckoo for planes and anything Army related. Our daughter Ruby, 7, wasn’t so keen, but happy to tag along. Especially when all the kids piled on the fairground rides. We had a great day - but, boy, did our wallets feel the pinch?! So, the next day, in need of a cheap and cheerful day out, we packed a picnic and headed for a lake in a park. When we were there, Danny told the kids…

How do you feel when you see someone hugely overweight? Do you pity them? Or do you shudder with revulsion, think, How could you let yourself end up like that? I used to feel those things. But it wasn’t a stranger’s flabby tummy and triple chins I was judging. It was my own... I’d look in the mirror and be revolted with myself. I’d feel other things, too. Shame. Self-loathing. And utter, abject terror. Because I was sure that, one day, my size would kill me. So how had I let myself get like that? In truth, it’s hard for me to even remember. I’d been slim and healthy as a young child. But at school, I’d started being bullied - turned to pizza, crisps and cake for comfort, and…