Innholdsfortegnelse for 9-Oct-2023 i Woman

Former Countryfile star Julia was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2021. While she admits she thinks herself ‘lucky’ that she didn’t have to have chemotherapy, in October that year Julia, now 53, underwent a single mastectomy, where a 6cm tumour was removed, before having reconstructive surgery. Two years on, after re-evaluating and overhauling her life, Julia – who shares son Zeph and twin girls Zena and Xanthe with her husband Gerard Cunningham – fills us in on how she’s feeling now and getting to grips with her new lifestyle. Hi Julia, how are you? I’m in a happy place. Some days I feel better than others but at the moment I’m sitting here positively healthy. I don’t think anyone has the all-clear when it comes to their health, it’s…

Luscious lips Ever wondered what TV presenter Holly Willoughby wears on her lips? ‘Burts Bees Satin Lipstick in Blush Basin, £12.86, ecco-verde.co.uk, is a lovely product I first discovered at the NTAs. It’s got loads of shea butter in it, and it just feels like a lip balm with colour in it. It’s just the nicest lipstick, it doesn’t get stuck on your lips.’ Lengthy lashes Beauty queen Trinny Woodall looks flawless and some of the products she uses are seriously affordable. ‘I want a mascara that never clumps or flakes, but delivers on length and volume, and a brow that would give a transformation to your face in one easy whoosh.’ She swears by Trinny London Lash2Brow Mascara + Brow, £28, trinnylondon.com. Dry skin saviour Dry-skin staple Weleda Skin…

Tucking into a sweet treat at the end of a meal is often seen as indulgent, with many of us disappointed when we ‘give in’ to pudding. With our ever-expanding knowledge of how certain food choices can be bad for our health, it’s no wonder that we live in a world where desserts are automatically labelled ‘naughty’ and we believe having one is a sure-fire way to derail us from a healthy lifestyle. But while many traditional puds are sugar-laden and calorific, nutritional experts say that when eaten the right way, dessert can be a good thing. Here’s why… You’ll get nutrients It’s obvious that if we eat overly processed food that is high in fat, salt and sugar, over a long period of time, it can negatively impact our…

Everyone copes with grief differently. Some people surround themselves with loved ones, others prefer to deal with it alone, some turn to religion, or therapy. For me, the answer was sugar. After losing my brother in 2017, comfort eating was the only way to numb those feelings of pain and momentarily feel a bit of release. I’d been lying in bed one night when I heard my phone ringing. It was my mum, telling me she was outside. I tiptoed downstairs, careful not to wake my two kids, Jack, then six and Izzy, four. The moment I opened the door to my mum, Wendy, then 53, I knew something terrible had happened. She was ashen faced and told me to sit down. Then she proceeded to tell me that my…

From the hotel-room window, you might see blue sea and a beach bar, a limestone mountain or a historic European city skyline. But when Joanna Lovell, 40, goes on holiday with her fiancé Jack Harland, 46, she often finds herself hiding the view while she calls her children on FaceTime. For when it comes to their many trips abroad, she and Jack don’t always tell the kids where they’ve gone — or that they’re going at all. In fact, regular holidays without the children are all part of their recipe for a happy, long-lasting and, above all, exciting relationship, she says. Call them sex-cations, if you will. ‘We once checked into a hotel in Spain and didn’t even get to see the pool area because we didn’t leave the room.…

10 QUICK WAYS TO REFRESH YOUR LIVING ROOM 1 COVER UP Don’t want to replace your whole sofa? Buy some large throws to go over the seats, along with a few new cushions for a revamped look. It’s a great way to give it an instant hit of colour, too. 2 POP IN A PICTURE LEDGE Treat yourself to some new artwork and create a quick gallery wall with a shelf to hold all your frames. You could paint the shelf the same colour as your walls, or even the same colour as your picture frames, for a cohesive look. 3 PAINTED ELEMENTS Whether it’s the legs of your coffee table or the frame of your window, a lick of paint is ideal for changing things up dramatically. Choose a colour that works…

ARIES 21 Mar – 20 Apr Mistakes could turn out to be providential. Nevertheless, keep your eye on the ball and don’t take anything on trust. Some people don’t know what they’re talking about. For your reading ☎09058 172557 TAURUS 21 Apr – 21 May Romance comes in many forms, its purpose always to take us out of ourselves. Enjoy being swept off your feet and visiting fairyland, but wear a sensible pair of shoes. For your reading ☎09058 172558 GEMINI 22 May – 22 Jun It will be difficult to separate fact from fiction. So before you leap to a conclusion, do your research. Sometimes what you see is what you get, but not always. For your reading ☎09058 172559 CANCER 23 Jun – 23 Jul Whatever the real…

‘I FEARED DAVID WOULD LOSE IT ALL’ They’re one of showbiz’s most iconic power couples, but David Beckham’s mum worried that her son would ‘lose everything’ when he began dating Spice Girl Victoria back in 1997. At the time, David was playing for Manchester United, and Sandra, 74, admits she had concerns. In a teaser for the footballer’s new Netflix docuseries, Beckham, she says, ‘We were worried he would lose everything he worked for – football had always come first, then all of a sudden it wasn’t.’ But she needn’t have worried – the couple have gone on to have worldwide success and accumulated an estimated net worth of £380 million. The four-part series is set to follow David’s journey from his working-class beginnings to becoming a global football icon.…

‘WHY SHOULD THEY BE JOINED AT THE HIP?’ William leaves Kate at home!’ ‘William goes it alone!’ ‘Why did Princess Kate not come?’ shouted the news headlines during the Prince of Wales’ whistle-stop tour of New York. Aside from the frankly ridiculous assertion that William and Catherine, Princess of Wales should be joined at the hip at every public appearance (this is the 21st century, after all), there were a couple of good reasons why Kate stayed in Windsor. First, the two-day trip was to announce the 2023 finalists of William’s prestigious environmental award, The Earthshot Prize, which is very much his baby. Second, as I have often observed (and indeed Kate has told me when I’ve chatted to her), their three children always take priority. If one parent can…

Style | Beauty | Health As temperatures drop, get your wardrobe cool-weather ready with a beautiful new pointelle jumper. Featuring a delicate diamond pattern, these finely woven knits are the perfect addition to your autumn wardrobe and can be worn layered up or on their own. Consider this design an update on your favourite crew-neck jumper – whether you team it with jeans and trainers at the weekend or wear yours with smart separates, it will slide seamlessly into your everyday outfits. Now’s the tricky part – which of the five gorgeous colours will you pick? Jumpers, £24.99 each, sizes s-xxl, Damart…

Columnist The trick to keep your bowels moving every day Anyone who wants to minimise risk of premature death, boost energy levels and improve long-term health – that’s all of us, right? – should keep a close eye on bowel movements and stool consistency. That may sound dramatic, but it’s true. And it all comes down to how much fibre you have in your diet. Aim for the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 30g a day and you’ll make your body very happy. Fibre is a plant-based carbohydrate – let me explain. Take a piece of white bread or a portion of white rice. These foods are broken down and converted to glucose quickly, which isn’t going to do your diabetes risk any good. However, if you eat wholegrain bread…

Think a prescription is the holy grail to getting better again? In many cases, taking pills you don’t need could do you more harm than good As a GP, I’m sadly no stranger to not meeting patients’ expectations within the NHS, even more so of late, but one debate that remains consistent with patients is the request for antibiotics. Why won’t your GP just give you a prescription for them? Like many doctors, I see a multitude of illnesses caused by infections, but antibiotics work by killing and preventing the spread of bacteria only. A large majority of what we see are the result of a pesky virus, including the common cold, flu and the majority of coughs, sore throats and ear infections. It’s true there’s no bedside test that…

We all love saving money, but when buying an item how do you know you’re getting the real deal? Here’s how you can check the true value of your purchase 1 DO YOUR RESEARCH The most basic step you can take is carry out some research online before making a purchase. Check out a range of customer reviews and don’t click ‘Buy’ until you’re certain. After all, no item will ever be a bargain if it’s not right for you. 2 COMPARE PRODUCTS Before you pay for your item, it’s worth checking how much it costs elsewhere. You can analyse the current price using sites such as Google Shopping, PriceRunner or Idealo. 3 WHAT’S THE PRICE HISTORY? While comparing is important to ensure you’re not being overcharged,…

Feta and spinach stuffed chicken This impressive, Greek-inspired dish could be prepped ahead for an even speedier dinner. SERVES 2 PREP 10 MINS COOK 20 MINS ✱ 1tsp olive oil✱ 1 small shallot, finely chopped✱ ½tsp chopped oregano leaves, or pinch dried✱ 125g spinach✱ 50g feta cheese, crumbled✱ 2 skin-on chicken breasts✱ Juice ½ lemon✱ Splash white wine or sherry For the salad:✱ ¼ cucumber, deseeded and sliced✱ 200g tomatoes, sliced✱ ½ large roasted red pepper, sliced✱ Handful mint leaves, roughly torn✱ 25g Kalamata olives✱ 1tsp red wine vinegar✱ ½tbsp olive oil 1 Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the shallot. Cook for 2 mins until soft, then add the oregano; and cook for 1 min. Stir in the spinach, season, then cook until wilted and the…

Columnist HANCOCK WITH THE SILENT ‘HAN’ Matt Hancock surely can’t be enjoying watching himself on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. Because no matter how well he does out in the Vietnamese jungle in all that rain, he’s got to have realised by now that no one actually likes him. Not the SAS instructors, not the other celebrity recruits and certainly not the viewers. That he really is, as Foxy suggests on the show, Hancock with the silent ‘Han’. And that being forgiven for the way he conducted himself as health secretary during COVID-19 is still a long, long way off. Perhaps his appearance on the pre-recorded show might help him realise just how deep his unpopularity with the public runs. Because while his newfound career as a reality TV star…

Six years after splitting from her husband of 20 years, Jamie Redknapp, it seems Louise has finally moved on. The star, 48, made a public appearance with her new man, Drew Michael, who at 39 is nine years her junior, as they attended pal Jimmy Carr’s 51st birthday together in London’s Soho. And it looks as though things could be serious. One onlooker said, ‘Louise’s smile when she and Drew connect with each other says it all in terms of this being a relationship rather than a “plus one” date.’ And Louise was quick to confirm that Drew was a new fixture in her life, saying, ‘It’s so difficult with your personal life... it’s all good.’ Admitting there was nothing left to say as ‘everything about it has already been…

It’s been a difficult year for Corrie actor Sue Cleaver. She ended 2022 on a high after taking part in one of TV’s biggest shows, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, which Sue described as ‘the ride of my life’. But fast forward just a few months and Sue was being rushed into intensive care following major surgery. As a result of her health problems, Sue has lost weight – something her fans have picked up on. And Sue was quick to tell them that her recent weight loss was not intentional. ‘I have not been on a diet this year. I have been seriously ill,’ she said. A tough year Opening up about the health issues she’s faced, Sue said, ‘I had a really bad year. I…

1 LACY LINGERIE For great-priced bras in larger cup sizes, Matalan have a DD+ range to flatter and support. Bra, £16, sizes 32DD-42F, briefs, £7.50, sizes 8-18, Matalan 2 BEST FOOT FORWARD Eagle-eyed shoppers may remember these boots from last year. M&S have brought them back this season with a slightly chunkier, trend-led sole. Boots, £49.50, M&S 3 EASY UPDATE When it comes to accessories, H&M steal the show. Head to your nearest store for designer-inspired jewellery and accessories that won’t break the bank. Earrings, £5.99, H&M 4 ELEVATED BASICS A bestseller in the womenswear department, this lightweight ribbed jersey roll-neck is available in four colours and is ideal for layering. Top, £25, sizes 8-20, John Lewis & Partners 5 DRESSED TO THE MAX Swedish…

Men hate my nipples Q I have inverted nipples, which means they’re flat. I fondle them and rub ice on them to try to make them pop up, but nothing works. My last partner kept saying I was weird, and I’m really worried my latest partner isn’t satisfied either. I’ve wondered if breast surgery would help, but when I suggested that he seemed horrified and said he likes my nipples the way they are. But I think he’s just being nice. SUSAN SAYS A I don’t think your partner’s just being nice. I think he genuinely cares for you – cares enough that he doesn’t want you to take the huge step of breast surgery. I also think you’ve been influenced by your ex’s negative attitude into believing you’re lacking…

IF YOU LOVE TO WIN PRIZES THEN VISIT comps.womanmagazine.co.uk With what did singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor entertain the nation during lockdown? To find out, solve the crossword then read down the shaded squares to find the two-word answer. ACROSS 11 TV host, _ Kay (6)12 Daniel _, star of the Harry Potter films (9)13 Level of command (4)14 Singer of Wuthering Heights (4,4)15 Rapper, _ Minaj (5)16 Place of safety (6)17 Feeling (7)18 Light or radiation abbreviated to UV (11)20 Weeps (5)22 Study of the world (9)24 _ Newton, scientist (5)28 Artist (7)29 Pupil (7)32 A dozen (6)34 Menace (8)36 Blameless (8)37 Two-seater bicycle (6)39 Poisonous substance (7)40 Planet closest to the sun (7)45 New _, Indian capital (5)47 Large reptile similar to a crocodile (9)48 Dried plum (5) 51 Coffee…

As Ghosts returns for its fifth and final series, Charlotte Ritchie and Kiell Smith-Bynoe are back as Alison and Mike, the beleaguered couple who share their mansion home Button House with a hodge-podge bunch of spooks. Here, Charlotte reveals more… Alison is a lovely character. What are her best qualities, do you think? Her strengths have always been that she’s really resilient and very front-footed. She also seems to make the best of what she’s got. I think she really perseveres, and she sticks with things. My only criticism would be that I think sometimes she indulges the ghosts too much! She’s very kind and a lovely character to play. What’s in store for Alison in the final series? She takes a new step into a different phase of her…