Innholdsfortegnelse for 03-May-2021 i Woman

So, tell me – have you cracked and ventured to a pub garden yet? It feels weird, doesn’t it? Apart from the fact it’s been unseasonably cold and sitting with a bobble hat and winter  wasn I hoped on my first date with the world in a year, it was a joy to feel a sense of normality once more and to see friends. It got me thinking, because this was the first time in a while I’d worn make-up. Yes, the image that stares back at me some days in online meetings isn’t quite (!) the Claudia Schiffer beauty I’d like to see, but it’s me. We investigate whether we should all be growing old gracefully or trying a few ‘tweakments’ on page 16. I ever change my face?…

Regé-Jean Page had viewers swooning over him as the dashing Duke of Hastings in the hit Netflix period drama Bridgerton – so naturally, fans were heartbroken when it was announced that he wouldn’t be returning to the show, which has been renewed for three more series. There have been reports that 31-year-old Regé quit because his character won’t be the ‘focal point’ of the next series – something that the show’s producer, Shonda Rhimes, quickly dismissed. ‘We made a one-season deal with him at the beginning of season one,’ she insisted. But now, Woman can exclusively reveal that the real reason he left the series is that he has dreams of making it big stateside. Media consultant Jayjay Epega – who has mentored Regé on and off since they first…

SOFT MATTE More like a tint than a lipstick, Glossier Generation G Sheer Matte Lipstick in Zip, £14, glossier.com, gives the look of just-blotted colour. HIGH SHINE L’Oréal Paris Brilliant Signature Lip Ink in Be Brilliant, £10.99, Superdrug, manages to deliver vinyl-like shine with none of the stickiness normally associated with a gloss. TWO-IN-ONE Avon True Crème Legend Lipstick in Va-Va-Voom, £9, Avon, is a primer and a lipstick all at once, providing intense hydration for a creamy, comfortable finish. LONG-LASTING With an impressive eight-hours staying power, L’Occitane Pressed Fruity Lipstick in Pomelove, £20, uk.loccitane. com, is simply budge-proof.…

Tuna and tomato linguine We love the warmth and depth from the chilli flakes, but feel free to adjust the amount or omit them if you prefer. SERVES 4 PREP 10 MINS COOK 15 MINS ✱ 300g fresh linguine ✱ 3tbsp olive oil ✱ 2 garlic cloves, sliced ✱ 1tsp chilli flakes ✱ 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered ✱ 190g jar tuna fillets, drained ✱ 100g pitted Kalamata olives 1 Cook the linguine in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions until just tender. 2 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic and chilli flakes. Cook for 1 min, then add the tomatoes and cook for a few mins to warm through with the tuna. 3 Drain the linguine, toss together with…

With her forehead furrowed and her hands on her hips, my daughter, Isla, three, looked up at the stairs. Still so tiny for her age, she was wearing  leggings and a dress meant for a 12-month-old. But as little as Isla was, there was no stopping her from achieving whatever she set her mind to. And, as I bent down to carry her up the stairs as I always did, she shook her head and smiled mischievously. Then, before I could stop her, she bolted up the stairs. It was this March and, as I followed her, I found myself amazed at just how far my little girl had come. I was reminded, too, of how close her dad, Mitchell, 34, and I had come to losing her. years IVF Mitchell…

ARIES 21 Mar – 20 Apr If you work well under pressure, you’ll have a productive week. If you can’t take the heat, you’ll run into a problem. Be cool, calm and collected, especially with money. For your reading ☎ 09058 172557 TAURUS 21 Apr – 21 May Good relationships come through weeks like this, but those not built to stand the test of time are going to reveal their cracks. Be philosophical about what comes and goes. For your reading ☎ 09058 172558 GEMINI 22 May – 22 Jun Welcome to a week full of surprises. Epiphanies come thick and fast, and inspiring decisions that could change a small or large part of your life. The post-mortems come later. For your reading ☎ 09058 172559 CANCER…

P!NK: ALL I KNOW SO FAR Amazon Prime Video Get a rare glimpse into P!NK’s world in this documentary that follows the singer on her 2019 global tour. With on-the-road footage, personal material and interviews, it shows her balancing life and work with aplomb. WOLFE Sky One From the creator of Shameless and No Offence, this six-part drama stars Babou Ceesay as Wolfe Kinteh, a celebrated forensic pathologist whose way of working doesn’t go down well with everyone he meets. THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW Netflix In this thriller, Amy Adams plays agoraphobic child psychologist Anna Fox, who sees a brutal crime from the window of her NYC apartment. But nothing or nobody is what they seem. SEX, MYTHS AND THE MENOPAUSE C4  Davina McCall talks about…

Damian ‘HELEN SHONE SO BRIGHTLY’ Grieving Damian Lewis has written a moving tribute to his late wife Helen McCrory, who tragically died of cancer aged just 52. ‘Helen was an even more brilliant person than she was an actress,’ he said. ‘She lived by the principle of kindness and generosity. Even when dying in her last few days, when talking to our wonderful carers, she repeatedly said, “Thank you so much,” in her half-delirious state.’ And speaking of her famed humour, Damian revealed that before she died, she said to him and their children Manon, 14, and Gulliver, 13, ‘I want Daddy to have girlfriends, lots of them, you must all love again, love isn’t possessive, but you know, Damian, try at least to get through the funeral without snogging…

MILITARY PRECISION The actor, 62, is buckled up and braced for action in this combat-inspired jumpsuit. We love her blend of keeping it casual yet glamorous with the addition of gold loafers. COMFORT IS KEY Emma may spend a lot of time on red (or pink) carpets, but that doesn’t mean she has to compromise on comfort – as demonstrated here in this bright-red ensemble. NUDE AND NEUTRAL Proving she’s got all the colour trends covered, Emma kept things sleek and stylish in these nude-toned separates. The contrasting textures ooze cosiness. SUITED AND BOOTED Emma certainly knows what works for her and that’s a trouser and jacket combo. Here, she channelled androgyny and nailed the high-fashion look. THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAIL We loved Emma’s attention to detail in this…

I was living in South Africa when it happened. I was 39, a fashion designer working in a beautiful country, enjoying life with a new partner, and I felt as though I was invincible. But cancer does that to you. It creeps up on you when you least expect it. It was 2013 and, a year earlier, a mammogram had shown a benign lump in my left breast. Doctors had reassured me not to worry, and that’s exactly what I – I even thought . But, a year on, a routine scan to monitor the lump and discuss having it removed revealed my biggest fears. The lump in my breast was still benign – that wasn’t the problem. The problem was there was now a large tumour next to it.…

Everything I tried had a positive impact on my mood, but cold-water therapy is now my go-to. If you’re keen to try, start with water no colder than 15 degrees, and don’t stay immersed for longer than two minutes, as there’s no therapeutic benefit to submerging for longer. Cold water is not a cure, but researchers have found it can decrease depressive symptoms. Gaz and I joke that we no longer have difficult days, we just have ‘get in the tub’ days. During the pandemic, our collective wellbeing has never been so challenged, nor so necessary. The more tools we have in our toolbox to help us cope, the better. ✱ If you’re struggling, there’s help out there. Call Samaritans free, 24-hours a day, on 116 123…

‘I’M VERY DIFFERENT TO THE PERSON I WAS IN MY 20S AND 30S’ Belinda Tompkins, 53, is a health and safety executive. She lives in Milton Keynes with her husband, Bob, 53, and their son Max, 12. ‘THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT HIM’ I was turning 40 when I met Bob on New Year’s Eve. While it isn’t particularly late in life, it is if you’re planning on having a family. I’d recently moved to the area and my new neighbours invited me to the pub. At the time, I was happily single, I had a great job, owned my own home and had a strong circle of friends. I wasn’t out looking for someone to share my life with. I spotted Bob immediately. There was a high-end casino theme that…

Try Pep up a tired wall fast with wallpaper. Look at minimalist options before diving into the huge choice of prints. Here are our favourite palm styles across the spectrum. Hang prints Don’t like wallpaper? Bring some colour to your walls with a canvas or framed print instead. Group three prints together or experiment with a gallery-wall layout if you have space. Pick images with similar green tones to tie the prints together.…

Good to see the rest of the country has caught up with those of us who love a bargain. Budget shops have become not just popular but fashionable during lockdowns and since high streets reopened. Queues outside my local Peacocks were full of yummy mummies hunting bargains. The variety in discount stores is so good, it’s surprising who you will bump into in the home accessories aisles. It was revealed last year that Kate Middleton shops in The Range. Scarlett Moffatt is also a big fan of The Range, packing her beautiful barn conversion with bargains from the home store. Stacey Solomon’s bathroom looks like a Dunelm display. Actor Patrick Dempsey, singer Sia and even John Travolta all love a bit of TK Maxx action, too. They’ve all posed for…

‘IT WOULD BE LOVELY TO FEEL SECURE’ It’s been more than a year since Fern Britton and Phil Vickery decided to end their marriage after almost 20 years together, and, for Fern, after spending so much time alone during the pandemic, it seems she might be ready to meet someone new. Despite the presenter previously insisting she’s happy being single and isn’t ready for another relationship, her recent comments perhaps suggest otherwise. She’s even admitted she’d like to be able to ‘lean on someone’ again. The lonely star has also been flirting with her Twitter followers after confessing that she’s having ‘down days’, so is Fern ready to start dating again? Online flirting After admitting that she has ‘no idea what day or month it is’, Fern liked a cheeky…

In a society fixated on eternal youth, women have never before been under as much pressure to look their best as they age. Just recently, a study of 80 Facebook members revealed women who let their hair go grey naturally are viewed as less competent than women who dye their hair. But, while we can’t control the ageing process, one thing we can control is whether to leave our ageing looks to Mother Nature or take control of them ourselves. A plethora of mature stars have spoken openly about having undergone various cosmetic surgeries in a bid to rewind the years, including tennis coach Judy Murray, 61, who earlier this year underwent a facelift after her tennis-star sons Andy and Jamie teased her about having a turkey neck. But it’s…

BRUSH BETTER Be honest, how long do you actually brush your teeth for? Without the guidance of an electric toothbrush timer, repeated studies show that the average person stops after just 35 seconds. To avoid missing a spot, work in four sections, concentrating on each for 30 seconds. Upgrading to an electric toothbrush really will make a difference, helping you to both brush for the recommended time and get into hard-to-reach areas around the sides of your teeth. WE LIKE: Oral-B Pro 2 2000N CrossAction Brush, £40, Boots DON’T FORGET TO FLOSS We know, flossing feels like a chore. But according to Dr Safa Al-Naher, clinical lead at Care Dental Group, brushing alone only reaches 60% of teeth. ‘The remaining 40% is between the teeth, where most of the bacteria…

According to US nutritionist Haylie Pomroy (whose clients include Jennifer Lopez), slim people have a simple secret: fast metabolisms. Those carrying extra pounds have slow metabolisms. But the good news from Haylie’s book, The Fast Metabolism Diet (Vermilion, £7.99), is you can retrain your body to become a burning wildfire. Haylie’s diet trains your metabolism to burn fat. On her easy-to-follow plan you can expect to lose up to 20lb of fat in 28 days, shed cellulite and build muscle, with no calorie-counting. The plan works by using food to rev up a sluggish metabolism. You eat three satisfying meals and two snacks a day, but still lose weight. YOUR WEEK DAYS 1 & 2 Unwind This phase is designed to lower stress and calm the adrenal glands. You’ll eat…

THE SUMMER JOB by Lizzy Dent (£12.99, Penguin, HB) Who doesn’t love a story that whisks you away – especially when it’s a luxury Scottish hotel. Birdy Finch is flitting through life. So, when a chance comes up to be someone else for the summer, she jumps on it. But pretending to be a world-class sommelier is a little more taxing than she thought. An escapist read with a flawed, but fun, protagonist. Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner (£12.99, Bloomsbury, HB) With a baby on the way, a large home and loving husband, Helen seems to have it all. But she lacks friends. So when she meets Rachel she’s grateful for the company. Yet when Rachel suddenly moves in, Helen’s family realise she is not who she seems. Creepy and…

60 SECOND INTERVIEW JENNY AGUTTER As the latest series of Call the Midwife continues on BBC1, Jenny, who plays Sister Julienne, reflects on 10 years of the much-loved drama and reveals what’s in store for the nuns and midwives at Nonnatus House… What’s it like to have reached the tenth series of Call the Midwife? I vividly remember starting the series and reading these beautiful episodes. Suddenly we had this huge audience, which was wonderful, and it just grew. Ten years as a nun is quite something! Do you still enjoy filming the birth scenes? Even with the social distancing on set, the mothers are there with their babies and you spend a quiet day with them having the birth scenes. It’s delightful having these little ones around. What can…

Beckhams in business? David Beckham’s kids have told him he is too old at 45 to wear trainers. This could just be a ploy. It was recently revealed teenagers are making fortunes ‘scalping’ sports shoes – buying up limited-edition trainers and re-selling them online at inflated prices. Could it be the young Beckhams have spotted a business opportunity? You shouldn t have bothered, boys! Mick Jagger has released a lockdown single Easy Sleazy with Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters. Their terrible rhymes in this awful song include ‘mask’ and ‘chance’ and ‘graphs’ and ‘glass’. As a friend of mine said wearily, ‘Just because you can, it doesn’t mean you should.’…