Pick Me Up! 30-Dec-2021

I began to suffer with body image issues from the early age of seven. I wasn’t as slim as the other children in my class, and I was regularly bullied. When I was 14, I started to take an interest in nutrition. I became fond of exercise and would go for a run three or four times a week. Although all of the exercise made me feel a lot fitter, I still didn’t like the way I looked. In 2004, I met my husband, Craig, 46, in Belgium, at a football match. Craig has always continued to tell me I’m beautiful, whether I believed him or not. I gave birth to our first born, Ciaran, now 16, in 2005. Four years later, I fell pregnant with twins, Charlotte and Maria,…

We’re loving When double world champion diver Tom Daley won his first Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games this summer, he became Britain’s most decorated diver of all time However, it wasn’t just his diving that captured the headlines. Pictures of Tom knitting circulated the globe, leaving the world obsessed with his creations. So, now, he has launched his very own brand – Made With Love by Tom Daley – allowing fans to share his love and passion for knitting. With 15 kits to choose from, the 1896 collection is here to make knitting cool once again! • Prices from £30, from bytomdaley.com WHAT A GREAT IDEA Spin the wheel! Get into a spin with the ultracompetitive Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel. New to Rascals range of board games, Michael McIntyre’s…

If your letter makes Star Letter of the week, you will receive some beautiful blooms from Flying Flowers. With over 30 years’ experience of helping celebrate life’s special moments and FREE delivery by post, a gorgeous bouquet by Flying Flowers is a lovely way to celebrate sharing smiles and happiness. See flyingflowers.co.uk for more details.…

Follow it! pg 6 Portsmouth Eggnog! The Microplane® Master Series is a collection of graters, crafted with a walnut handle and stainless-steel frame (microplaneintl.com) Serves 2-3 ◻ 250ml coconut milk◻ 500ml almond milk◻ 80ml maple syrup◻ 3 chai teabags (or 2 tsp of chai spice mix in a spice bag)◻ Pinch of salt◻ 1 tsp vanilla extract◻ 3 egg yolks FOR THE TOPPING: ◻ 200g whipped cream◻ Piece of dark chocolate – grated using the Microplane® Master Series Ribbon Grater◻ 1 shot of rum or brandy per glass (optional)◻ 1 tsp cinnamon – freshly grated using the Microplane® Master Series Fine Grater 1 Put all the ingredients, except for the egg yolks, into a saucepan and warm through slowly. Do not boil! Leave to infuse for five minutes. 2 Mix…

Waiting anxiously for the results, I was a bundle of nerves. Looking at my wife Jess, I could see she was, too. Then, the two minutes were up. Two lines. ‘We’re having a baby!’ Jess squealed, excitedly. We couldn’t contain our joy at the news. From the moment we met, Jess and I were on the same page about having a big family together. In fact, we’d even spoken about it on our first date! We’d met online in 2013 when we were in our early 20s, and I fell head-over-heels for her – I knew instantly she was the one. I couldn’t even explain it. I just had that feeling. I guess it’s true what they say – when you know, you know. Jess was absolutely stunning, and she…

Growing up, I always knew I was different. Born with a huge amount of missing skin and a large blister running across my stomach, it was hard not to notice. Almost immediately after I was born, I was diagnosed with junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB), and I’ve had to live with it ever since. Doctors first thought I wouldn’t live 24 hours. It was a traumatic time for my mum, Nasim, now 54. At the time, she didn’t speak much English, so she didn’t really understand what was happening to me. However, she later learnt that the genetic condition, which affects one in every million people, causes external and internal blistering, and erosion on the skin in response to the slightest touch. It meant that as a baby, my family were…