Innehållsförteckning för Best of 1 - 2017 från Chat Specials

A new year means new challenges to get your teeth into. However, Yani on page 10 will be keen to get her astonishing talons stuck in instead! It's just one of the many extraordinary stories to kick off the year in our fab Very Best Of Chat mag. Take Melissa and Keith, who, rather than jetting abroad, have created a tropical paradise in their Norwich backyard! (p20) The course of love runs far from smoothly in our 13-page Crimes Of Passion minimag (p29). Read about Gregory (p34), who secured a lenient sentence for his attacker by proposing to her in court – only for her to later declare she hated him, stabbing him in the back twice! Other shocking crime stories include brave Sara’s revelations about her sick stepdad, who…

At 25in, they’re the longer than most people’s forearms! Slowly and delicately, I lifted the chicken wing to my lips, holding it between my fingertips. Yum! I paused. All eyes in the restaurant were fixed on me. But it wasn’t my delicious fried chicken they were interested in – it was my crazy fingernails! At 25in, they’re the second longest in the world – and longer than most people’s forearms! I started growing my nails 22 years ago. A trained nail technician, I’d watch women on telly talking about their extreme lengths. I wonder how long mine will grow? I thought. I started strengthening them with oils, and following other long-nailed ladies on MySpace for tips. Soon, my nails were 3in long! Then a guy called Herb sent me…

Something slammed into us, shunting me forwards Whenever I go on a night out, I love to dress up. Short, tight dresses are my fave, with false eyelashes, lippy – the works. And, in December 2014, I’d bought a new scarlet bodycon dress that showed off my curves perfectly. Weeks later, I was due to head to my mum Sharon’s work party with my sister Jessica, now 20. I spent an hour getting ready, then headed downstairs in my new dress. ‘Put a cardi over that,’ Mum said. ‘You’ll freeze!’ But I took no notice – I didn’t want to spoil the look. At the party, we had a great time drinking, dancing and eating. By midnight, things were winding down, but I joined a few of my mates in…

Janine watched my body turn black and purple The flesh of my arms and legs was dead, decomposing Life was all go. I worked hard during the week as a manager for the Royal Mail. Weekends were family time. Walks with my wife of 10 years, Janine, 31, games in the woods with our daughter Amy, 10. Or I’d take Amy mudlarking by the River Thames. Searching in the squelching slime for lost treasures. Only in December 2014, I had the sniffles. Got the dreaded man flu, I moaned to my Facebook mates. By Christmas Day, I felt so rotten I couldn’t get out of bed. ‘I’m sorry, love,’ I told Amy. I slept through Boxing Day, too. That evening, I woke up, dragged myself up to go to…

Settling on the sofa with my laptop, I logged into my e-mails. My face lit up when I saw a message from my friend Karen Baksi, 63. We’d been mates for 52 years. But, with her in Toronto, Canada and me in Nottingham, there were nearly 3,500 miles between us! The distance meant we’d never met. Not once in more than half a century! Instead, our friendship had developed through letters and e-mails. See, when I was 11, my schoolteacher paired my class with a school in Canada. Karen, then 12, and I were matched due to our love of sport. It'll be smashing writing to you, I wrote to Karen. A few weeks later, I received a reply. We have so much in common, she agreed. We clicked, and…

I soon noticed cracks appearing in their relationship Tall, slim, blonde and pretty, with a warm and loving heart… My daughter should have been fighting men off. Instead, she preferred beavering away at her job in a print shop for academic books, or enjoying a quiet meal with girlfriends. Still living at home with me in her 30s, she’d never even had a boyfriend. ‘I’m saving myself for the right man,’ she’d laugh, when I urged her to get out more. ‘Don’t worry, Mum, when I find him, you’ll be the first to know!’ But Tanya lacked confidence. What if Mr Right showed up too late to start a family of her own? Admittedly, my marriage to her dad Victor, 71, hadn’t worked out, but I wanted a happy ending…

Michael’s face twisted in anger as he screamed at me Scrolling through Facebook, my timeline was the usual tapestry of snaps and funny statuses. Suddenly, a message popped up in the corner of my screen. Long time, no speak, it read. It was from Michael Killick, 40, a lad I’d gone to school with. We hadn’t spoken to each other in years, but I figured he was just being friendly. Over the next few weeks, Michael and I messaged virtually every day. Before long, I was sitting opposite him in a local boozer, nursing a glass of white wine. We chatted for hours – me gushing about my son Brennan, 7, and him talking about his job at a railway company. Charming, funny, smart, Michael was everything I’d been waiting…

I learnt to write with my toes, even feed myself For as long as I can remember, I’ve always done everything with my feet. You see, I was born without any arms. Doctors don’t really know why they think it’s just the way I developed in the womb. But, from an early age, I found my feet came in very handy! I’d pick up toys between my toes, and clap my chubby feet together when I was excited. When I was 3, I had prosthetic arms fitted. ‘They’ll help her do things more easily,’ the doctor told my parents William and Inez. I hated my prosthetics, though. They were clumpy and pinched. So I continued doing everything with my feet. As I got older, I learnt to write with…

I was a shadow of the happy girl I’d once been Ripping off the last of the wrapping paper, I gasped in excitement. It was a beautiful dolls’ house, complete with tiny beds, tables and chairs. ‘Thank you, Nan!’ I beamed, throwing my arms around her. My mum Lillian, now 53, had bought me furniture, too. Then my stepdad Gordon raised an eyebrow. ‘Thanks,’ I smiled, giving him a hug. Mum met Gordon when I was 5. He was lovely, buying me toys and playing games with me. He’d take me, my older brother and sister on days out, too. But, when I was 10, my siblings started doing their own thing, so I started going for days out with Gordon on my own. One afternoon, while Mum was doing…

Clucking good Lovely Lydia, my sister’s hen, really does think she’s top of the pecking order! Claire Roberts, Huddersfield Milking it Max wasn’t best pleased when I told him we’d run out of milk! Rebecca Evans, Washington Cheers, big ears! My cute 8-week-old puppy, Chester, can do a great impression of Dumbo! Nicola Partridge, Lordswood Cat’s barmy! Roll up, roll up! My cat George thinks he’s a circus ringmaster! Lindsey Broad, Liverpool He’s on a roll... We’re not sure why, but our adorable 2-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier Alfie likes to look at people from upside down! Tracy Gilbert, St Leonards-on-Sea…

Aries 21 Mar - 20 Apr Travel in week two can see some lucky Rams head off for some winter sun or to the ski slopes. If you feel restless, you may be tempted to make changes early on, but just continue to absorb all you’re hearing and learning and by the 20th and 28th, the picture will become so much clearer and you’ll fire into action. • Call 0905 817 1760* for more. Taurus 21 Apr - 21 May January can be a sociable month for you Taurus, a time when your links to others can strengthen. However, your budget is only finite, so you may have to resist any tendency to splash out on things you don’t need. Your career is boosted from the 20th, and someone you…

He was going downhill, and I didn’t know how to stop him When I first met John Barron, back in 2007, I hadn’t expected we’d fall in love… To start with, at 26, he was 16 years younger than me – and I didn’t want a toyboy. But, after his sister introduced us, we quickly became friends. ‘Do you fancy going out some time?’ John had asked. ‘Why not?’ I’d said. We started spending lots of time together – could chat about anything and everything. He’d play computer games with my son David, then 19, too. ‘Why don’t you move in?’ I’d suggested, after a couple of months dating. And, before long, we talked about marriage. In July 2008, we married at Sunderland Civic Centre. ‘I’m so happy,’ I told…

Edith Graham, 50, from Houston, Texas, says: ‘The other ladies call me “Curly Fries” because of the shape of my 21in nails. I used to sing in a band, and often got mean comments that my nails were disgusting. Growing them is my way of sticking two fingers up at the critics.' Lena Cole, 59, from Dallas, Texas, says: ‘I used to be a nail-biter. Then, 35 years ago, I decided to grow my left thumbnail, just to see if I could. Then I grew my other nails. Now they're between 12 and 19 inches. I love being in the Real Nail Qweenz. It's comforting to know there are other women with extremely long nails.' Nicole Waters, 41, from El Paso, Texas, says: ‘People always ask how I hold down…

We enjoy the fruits of our labour – quite literally Fighting through dense bamboo and banana plants, I wiped my brow. I could easily have been in the depths of a jungle. This was thirsty work! So I went to put the kettle on. ‘Tea’s up!’ I called to my hubby Keith, 66, soon after. I laid out a fresh pot and some cups on the wooden table. Sat sipping a cuppa, sun beating down, I grinned. ‘This is the life, eh?’ I asked. But we weren’t in some far-flung corner of the globe. This tropical hideaway is our own back garden – and it all began with a single palm tree. Keith and I love unusual plants, but never intended our collection to grow… and grow! When we bought…

I had a soft spot for Gru, but I adored his sidekicks – the Minions Walking into the living room, I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. My fella Bob, 52, was snuggled up on the couch watching a Disney film. ‘You big softie!’ I teased. Although he had six grown-up children, my man was a real kid at heart. He couldn’t get enough of cartoons. I wasn’t mad about them myself, but I found his interest endearing. Bob and I met through friends in December 2012. He was a real character and easy to talk to. We became an item, and he moved into my place after three weeks! A whirlwind romance, sure. But it worked. And a year on, while on holiday in Mexico, he proposed. A couple…

He had more than 100 deep wounds to his face, head and body On that fateful day, Hassan had ordered Tanya to buy him a computer, so he could keep in touch with his potential Egyptian bride! When she refused, he got angry. Around midnight, neighbours heard Tanya screaming as Hassan beat her. Then, like a savage, he’d grabbed her, yanking up her dress and trying to force her into anal sex on the sofa. Petrified and repulsed, Tanya had given in to conventional sex, fearing he’d beat her again if she refused. Afterwards, he’d hit her, before lying down on the sofa, satisfied Suddenly, Tanya’s anger erupted. How had she been so foolish, succumbing to Hassan's abuse for three long years? ‘I suddenly knew I’d wasted my life on…

He isolated her from everyone except himself She thought her unborn baby might finally make Ben change Whether she was caking her face in mud or make-up, little Jayden Parkinson was equally happy. The youngest of three, she was the apple of her mother Samantha Shrewsbury’s eye. A live wire, she was forever questioning things. Samantha affectionately described her as ‘a tomboy in a tutu’. Sadly though, her close bond with Jayden was fractured in 2003, when she split up with her daughter’s dad, Paul. And, instead of staying with her mum in Didcot, Oxfordshire, Jayden moved 200 miles away to Nelson, Lancashire, with him. Samantha was heartbroken by the separation. ‘We’d blow four kisses out of the window every night and arrange to meet up in our dreams,’ she…

She had a massive open wound – you could even see her skull Like lots of little girls, my Daisy, 2, is horse-mad. It’s something that’s been passed down our family. I’ve got my own horse Sausage, which I keep at a local racing stables. My mum Zoe, 53, owns them. I often take Daisy and her sister Poppy, 1, with me when I go and help my mum out. One morning in June 2015, I took the kids down to the stables to see Sausage. I kept an eye on them as I cleaned up Sausage’s pen and gave him some new feed. But, as I was locking up the feed room, I heard a groan. Thinking it was just Poppy making noises in her pram, I brushed…

I’d built up my own farm, grown and harvested crops. Now I was busy trading my produce. Then a message popped up on my screen. Can anybody send me a bushel? a stranger wrote. A bushel was a basket filled with some crops. I can! I replied. Our farms were virtual ones on the game FarmVille. The message had come from Rod Ferrell, 52, in Kansas, USA. Thank you! Will you marry me? Rod wrote back. I laughed out loud. Yes! I wrote, playing along with his joke. But flicking through his photos, he looked kind, genuine, with a lovely smile. We were soon chatting online, then in video calls, telling each other about our lives. I’d been a widow for five years and my kids, Paul, 44, Michaela, 43,…

I screamed in horror as the wheels went over my arm Slipping on my dressing gown, I went into the kitchen and opened the bread bin. My husband, Dave, had an early start for his job as a driver. So I was up by 6am, making his packed lunch and filling his flask. ‘Is cheese and onion OK, Dave?’ I called to him. It was his favourite butty. While I was busy in the kitchen, Dave was getting ready in the bathroom. As I washed the onion at the sink, I suddenly caught sight of a man behind me, through the living room mirror. ‘What are you doing...?’ I began, thinking it was Dave. But as I turned around, I realised in horror that it wasn’t Dave at all. The…

I’d snack on crisps and chocolate, then head to the chippy Reading the printout, I thought it was a mistake – 17st 7lb With my two littl’uns tucked up in bed, I set to work on my dinner… Special-fried rice from my local takeaway covered in BBQ sauce. After polishing off the mountain of food, I spent the rest of the evening picking at sweets. Yet it never seemed to make me feel better... A few days later, I was crying in my room, wondering what on earth was wrong with me. ‘You need to go to the doctor,’ my partner said to me, gently. He was right. I owed it to him and my gorgeous kids Faith, then 3, and Lucas, 2. So, in August 2009, I took…

The banner had travelled 205,000 miles around the planet With a milestone birthday coming up, I knew just how I wanted to spend it – plenty of sun, sea, and sipping fizz! So for my 50th in May this year, me and my hubby Derek, 54, had plans to jet off for four nights in Marbella. Bliss! The day before we were due to leave, I was at home, madly packing, when the phone rang. It was my good friend Claire Smith, 44. ‘Will the birthday girl pop over this evening and see us before you go?’ she asked. When she said her and her hubby Mike had something to give me, how could I refuse? So we took a break from packing and went over for a drink. But…

I was in bad shape – painful arthritis in both knees, 22st and a size 32, plus I’d been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2000. I’d tried every diet going – and failed. Desperate, I searched ‘gastric surgery’ online. A website popped up about Gastric Mind Band treatment – where patients are hypnotised to believe they’ve had the surgery. The Elite Clinic, in Spain, offered six sessions for £700. It wasn’t available in the UK so I’d get a hol, too! Jetting off that July, I met therapist Marion Shirran, who discussed my emotional connection to food. I was shown a video of a gastric bypass op, and I’d have ‘surgery’ under hypnosis. I was awake, but deep in thought as Marion described the procedure. An antiseptic smell and…

My heart shattered, I couldn’t catch my breath Gazing lovingly into Wayne Varndell’s eyes, I’d never felt happier. ‘I will,’ I beamed. As we were pronounced husband and wife, Wayne, then 40, pulled me in close for a kiss. It was a simple wedding ceremony in August 2008, a year after we’d met. I’d meant my marriage vows with all my heart. I’d just met a new mate, too Leanne Priddis, then 20. We were both support workers in a psychiatric unit, working on the same ward, and Leanne was a laugh. As time passed, we grew closer. I was a mother figure to Leanne, and she’d pop round most nights. Wayne and Leanne often went outside for a cigarette together, and I was glad they got on. Then, in…

Matthew and my family were convinced I’d die Lifting my arm in the air, I winced in pain. ‘I think I might have pulled a muscle,’ I moaned to my boyfriend Matthew, then 23. I worked as a carer and it was quite a physical job. But over the next week, the pain got worse, not better. Soon, I could hardly move my arm. And there was a hard lump under my armpit. ‘It might be an abscess,’ my GP suggested. He prescribed antibiotics, referred me to New Cross Hospital to have it drained. I went alone. ‘I’ll be fine,’ I said to Matthew, smiling. But at the hospital, I was in absolute agony. ‘I think it’s something more,’ I admitted to my consultant. Agreeing, he referred me to a…

Faux Fur Collar Boot Slippers, £12, F&F at Tesco Keep your tootsies snuggled up in the cold in these fleecy slipper boots. Once they’re on, you’ll never want to take them off! Faux fur pom pom beanie £8, F&F at Tesco Ward off winter winds and chills with this cheery pom pom hat. The neutral grey should match most coat colours and keep you nice and toasty. Mabel Fairisle capped gloves, £12, Accessorize What could be cosier than these gloves? Pop them on and if your fingers get too warm or you have an urgent text to send, unbutton them so your tips are free! Pink waffle stitch jumper, £10, Primark If you’re sick of your winter wardrobe and want a little update, you could do much worse than this…

He’d been electrocuted while using the vacuum cleaner ’ll never forget the look on my husband’s face as I walked down the aisle. Ricki rarely showed emotion, but on our wedding day, he had tears rolling down his cheeks. ‘You look beautiful,’ he smiled when I reached him. Could life get any better? I’d first met Ricki at the local pub three and a half years before. He’d just moved here from New Zealand – and I could tell instantly he was a kind, genuine guy. Having relocated from the UK four years earlier myself, we soon became friends. A few months later, Ricki asked me out, and after that, we were inseparable. No-one was surprised when we decided to tie the knot. Our loved ones flew in from all…

It’d take almost a day to steam... it really stunk out the house! Everything had been organised really well. I was pregnant with my second baby, and me and my bloke Matthew Coughlan, 31, had decided on a home birth, with a midwife and a birthing pool. It was all good to go – but some things never go to plan. On 19 May 2015, eight days overdue, I woke up from a nap to find that my waters had broken. ‘The baby’s coming!’ I shouted to Matthew. Thankfully, he’d just got back from his job as a digital marketing manager, so he called my midwife and put the phone on loudspeaker. Grabbing towels, he eased them under me as I lay on the carpet. ‘I can see the head,’…

Tiffany stabbed him in the back as he slept For centuries, men have been struggling to find new and unique ways to propose. But few could surpass Gregory Todd. Totally besotted, not only did he ask for the hand of the woman who’d stabbed him in the back with a 12-inch carving knife... He was also asking her to marry him in court. ‘I love you,’ mouthed Tiffany Baillie, then 32, as she stood, shaking, in the dock at Hull Crown Court. As the old saying goes, love is blind. And as Gregory, then 48, watched the woman of his dreams being taken down to the cells, ready to begin a three-year jail sentence, he couldn’t wait to make her his wife. It was April 2012 – another significant date…

Looking down, I gasped... I could see my own intestines! Luigi had hired two brothers to kill me for £500 each Taking a deep breath, I knocked gently on the front door. Inside, I heard her racing downstairs to answer, my nerves jangling with every footstep. Calm down, Kurt. It's just a date, I told myself. I’d been chatting to Jo Beech over Facebook for a few weeks, after she’d spotted pictures of me on our mutual pal Dawn’s page and added me. We’d spoken about anything and everything. I filled her in on my two jobs, one as a stock collector for charity Age UK and the other as a youth worker. She told me how she’d been a hairdresser, but had to give it up to care for…

I thought it was just the way I was MY TREMOR TROUBLE... Uncontrollable shakes are slowly taking over my life It began when I was 10 years old. My body would start shaking from head to toe. It’d last a few minutes, then stop. Days later, it’d happen again. ‘You’ve just got the shakes,’ my parents Valerie and Thomas told me. They didn’t think it was anything serious, and when I was 13, it stopped. Then in 1982, when I was 19, I met Jim, 20. We married a few months later, and shortly after, I fell pregnant with Matthew, now 32. Melissa, 30, and Thomas, 27, followed. Suddenly, the shakes returned. My body would tremor for a few minutes at a time. I’d feel exhausted afterwards and would…

Logging back in, there it was! I’d won the jackpot of £2,000! Surfing the Internet, I spotted an ad for Chat Mag Bingo. That looks like fun! I thought, and the winners’ stories looked so amazing, I signed myself up. I’d never played online bingo before, and I loved trying out all the bingo rooms, and the excitement of watching the numbers come up. That was a couple of years ago now, and I had some little wins after signing up. Now, during the day, I help out my hubby Robert, 53, in his garage. But, after a long day, I love to put up my feet and play a few games of bingo. Sometimes I enjoy a few spins on the slots. But the excitement of the bingo rooms…

We were willing to try anything to help save our pooch I’d just settled in front of the telly when there was a knock at the door. My hubby Brendon, 45, and son Euan, 10, had just taken our 1-year-old beagle Bilbo for a walk. But, when I opened the front door, Euan stood there looking terrified. ‘It’s Bilbo,’ he gulped. ‘He’s had an accident.’ He explained that, on their walk, Bilbo had heard a noise, then darted off. ‘He was hit by a car,’ he sobbed. Brendon had raced Bilbo to an emergency vet in the car that’d hit him, while Euan came for me. Wasting no time, we made our way there. When I saw Bilbo, I instantly broke down. Poor thing couldn’t move, just looked at me…

BAA-MY I guess when the sheep have run out of grass here, they hop on the bus to a new grazing spot! Russ Griffin, Bristol HEN PECKED After trying to eat the numbers in Sudoku, Ethel started pecking at the Chat crosswords! Hayley Field, Somerset FANCY A BREW? Shadow, my dog, is 15 years old. The secret to her long life? Three cups of tea a day! And they have to be in her favourite mug, too! Melissa Morgan, Telford FURRY FARMER Floss loves to sit on Dad’s tractor – if only she knew how to drive it, she could help cut the grass! Jagoda Drurie, Ewloe TOP DOG It’s funny how a pair of specs can turn my pooch Jess into a professor! Stephanie Bradshaw, Corby LEAF IT OUT…