Innehållsförteckning för December 2024 från Chat Specials

This year is completely flying by, and I can’t believe how quickly we’re steaming towards Christmas Day. But for Susan, time stood still when her son Luke was struck down with a mystery illness (pg10). He was eventually diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder, but lost seven years of his childhood in the process. Now 17 though, he’s achieving remarkable things – including his own feature film premiering in February next year. Go Luke! Meanwhile, there was trouble in paradise for Linda and Wendy (pg22). Excited for their relaxing getaway to sunny Mallorca, they settled down on the plane – but they ended up somewhere unexpected… Thankfully, they were able to see the funny side and make the most of their holiday! And when Claire’s hefty frame left her struggling…

Sarah Tuckley, 47, from Derby Swaying around the room with my new husband as Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars played, I was on cloud nine. ‘I can’t believe we did it,’ I smiled at him. Dan and I had been together since 2003 and since then, it had been us against the world. And in 2011, during a trip to Las Vegas, we were out shopping and walked past a jewellers when Dan stopped in his tracks. ‘So, shall we get you a ring then?’ he grinned – his subtle proposal was perfect and the following year, in 2012, we flew back out to Vegas to tie the knot. As we shared our first dance as husband and wife, I didn’t think life could get better. Settling into married life, we…

Josephine Hall, 34, from Corby, Northamptonshire Erupting in a fit of giggles on the living room sofa, I tried to let on that this wasn’t a laughing matter. ‘It’s not funny!’ I teased my partner James, now 37, trying to hold back a gleaming smile. ‘It wasn’t supposed to happen – I’m on birth control.’ Staring at two clear lines on the pregnancy test on 6 March 2022, coincidentally the same day as my 32nd birthday, it was the best present I could have received. Even if it was a complete surprise for us all. ‘You’re going to be a big sister,’ me and James told our daughter Freya, now 11 – something she had been patiently waiting for. The good news opened a can of worms – she had…

Cream shades work well on all skin tones. Match with dark denim this winter! Wear cosy jumpers with a satin skirt for a put together and chic look!…

Ask our doc With Cheryl Lythgoe, Head Matron for Benenden Health (www.benenden.co.uk) Winter woes Q In really cold weather, my son’s asthma seems to get worse – he’s even had a few asthma attacks. What can I do to help his symptoms over winter? Clara, Ipswich A Whilst asthma has similar traits for everyone, each person’s asthma journey is individual. Cold air, especially dry cold air, can lead to people having flares. The cold air can make your breathing tubes go into a spasm, which can further irritate airways causing coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing. To help manage his condition when going outdoors, use a scarf around the mouth and nose, which will help to warm up the air he is breathing. Make sure he is taking his inhalers…

As the cold sets in, the new season brings common bugs, viruses and illnesses with it. Duncan Reid, Pharmacist and Head of Patient Safety at Pharmacy2U, shares signs to look out for and how you can treat the winter woes… To see more please visit: pharmacy2u.co.uk COMMON COLD, FLU AND COVID Signs and symptoms: Winter is prime time for colds, flu, and Covid due to more time spent indoors. Symptoms often include congestion, high temperature (fever), body aches and sore throats. Treatment options: A sore throat, in particular, is a condition that pharmacists can help manage through the Pharmacy First service, offering convenient advice and treatments without the need for a GP appointment. For quick self-monitoring, an antigen rapid lateral flow self-testing kit can be ordered at home to check…

SPILL THE BEANS Do you want to wake up and smell the coffee on the 24 days leading up to Christmas? We do! Well, the Devon-based family run coffee business, Little’s, have released their first ever Coffee Pod Advent Calendar. It contains 24 capsules with limited-edition flavours. These include Pumpkin Spice, Chocolate Orange and Toffee Nut. Make one of these to mimic your usual high-street coffee order. If you wanted more coffee to get your tastebuds tingling, Little’s have also launched Christmas Crackers which include their flavoured instant coffee. Bring a little merry to your mornings this season! Coffee Gift Sets, £15, Advent Calendar, £25, shop via: wearelittles.com WE CAN SMELL A DUPE! Get your oven mitts ready, as Aldi’s sell-out Cast Iron Cookware range is back. It looks pretty similar…

Risky business My hubby knows not to get on the wrong side of me, or he’ll end up in the stocks! Lizzy, Marlborough Couple goals I love this picture of my mum and dad – can you believe they’re both in their 70s?!  Rachel, Keynsham Cheers! There’s nothing like putting the world to rights with your bestie over a glass of prosecco. Gemma, Birmingham On the moors My mum and I went on a walk on Dartmoor recently – she’s nearly 90 but she can still get around! Jill, Sidmouth What a tart! On a weekend away to Bakewell in Derbyshire, I had to stop off at this pudding shop and try an authentic Bakewell tart. Rhiannon, Ashby-de-la-Zouch Send noods I made these crispy chilli turkey noodles for dinner recently,…

Ellie Coverdale, 27, Yorkshire Completing my final chain of green yarn, I’d done it. Making sure that the frog’s emerald toes were facing forward, I snapped a picture of the infamous character. Kermit the Frog was on my sofa. And he was going to join a long line of celebrities, characters, pets and icons that I’d immortalised through crochet. From Dolly Parton, Frida Kahlo, David Tennant, George Michael and baby Gromit, too. Already knowing my way around a knitting needle, I’d make clothing and scrunchies by watching YouTube videos. Self-taught, I’d make them for my friends and family. However, I quickly ran out of people to make them for. So that same year, I started selling them through my brand Yorkshire Knitter. It was a hit. However, by the time…

There are few places in Turkey more magical or beautiful than Butterfly Valley. Tucked away in the port city of Fethiye, on the country’s southwestern Turquoise Coast, the designated nature reserve near the famous Oludeniz Beach is only accessible by boat. Perfect for couples, it got its romantic name thanks to the extraordinary number of tiger butterflies that flit around the protected valley. With trails leading to stunning waterfalls and boasting unrivalled views across the crystal-clear ocean, it drew in locals and tourists alike. A beautiful location for a romantic meander. And it was no different for Hakan and Semra Aysal. They seemed to have a happy relationship. Semra, 32, was seven months pregnant with the couple’s first child back when they ventured up the cliff during a holiday to…

Susie Masterson is a BACP registered relationship coach and trauma informed therapist. She is passionate about relationships and has her own private practice where she helps individuals, couples and companies. For more information about Susie and therapy, please visit: ultraliving.uk and bacp.co.uk I’ve made a huge mistake… Q I’ve been with my hubby since we were both 18, I’ve never been with anyone else. A couple of weeks ago I made the biggest mistake of my life. I slept with his stepdad. He knows – but is there any coming back from this? Is my marriage over? Rayanne, Manchester A When couples get together at a young age, it’s not uncommon to experience a bit of ‘grass is greener’ syndrome – especially when it comes to sex. Relationships are always…

Get in the festive spirit with these delicious sweeties!…

Claire Dawe, 48, Falmouth Ice cream, cake, chocolate, I loved it all. I always had a sneaky sweet treat every now and again. As a teenager I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and wouldn’t have to worry about putting any weight on. I was a size 10 to 12 and loved dressing up. That was until my mum suddenly passed away when I was 17 years old. I was never the same after that. Soon after, I ended up meeting my now husband, Simon, who helped me massively. Within the first year of meeting him, we found out I was pregnant. It was a surprise, but we were ready to start a family. We first had Teagon, now 29, then along came Sadie, now 28. It was…

FILM AND TV 1 What gift does Rose find hidden in her coat pocket at the end of Titanic? a A necklace b A ring c A bracelet 2 Gavin and Stacey star Larry Lamb played which infamous EastEnders villain? a Archie Mitchell b Mick Carter c Phil Mitchell 3 With the announcement of Shrek 5 coming in 2026, what does Shrek compare ogres to? a Tomatoes b Onions c Carrots 4 On Strictly Come Dancing, what score was Len Goodman knownfor awarding dancing contestants with? a Seven b Eight c Nine 5 What’s the last word in this famous Jaws quote: ‘You’re gonna need a bigger…’ a Gun b Rope c Boat SHOWBIZ 6 What is Taylor Swift’s fanbase called? a Smilers b Swifties c Daydreamers 7 Which pop star is the godmother of both of Elton John’s sons?…

Susan Bates, 49, from Welwyn Garden City In the dimness of my living room, I settled down to watch a film with my husband and son. ‘Interstellar again?’ I smiled at my son Luke, now 17. ‘Yes please,’ he replied. And settling down next to my husband Geoff, 48, I switched on the TV. But this wasn’t a normal movie night. This wasn’t settling on the sofa on a Friday night like other families would. You see, Luke had been poorly for almost seven years. Spending much of that time in pain and sensitive to the light and sound, watching movies was one of the few pleasures in his life – he escaped his struggles in all his favourite films. Back in April 2016, when Luke was eight, he contracted…

Need to add a festive hint to your outfits this season? Peacocks have got you covered. Whether you’re looking for a metallic muse, want to go back to black or you need a burst of red, dress up for the occasion. You’ll turn heads… • Available to buy in store or online via: peacocks.co.uk Louise Redknapp loves!…

Just grab and go! I place all the silverware by groups in the dishwasher cutlery caddy. It makes it so much quicker to put away when it’s ready to unload. You can just grab the entire sections! Hayley, Plymouth Banish the frizz Does your hair seem to go static in winter? To stop this, hide a safety pin inside your clothes. The pin will stop the electric current, so you won’t get that frizzy reaction. Heidi, Canterbury Ice, ice, baby You can thaw frozen car doors and locks by rubbing some hand sanitizer over the icy area. The alcohol content will melt the ice. Caitlin, Essex Scum be gone! Instead of scrubbing the limescale stains on your loo with a toilet brush, use a pumice stone. It quickly banishes those scum…

Identity Unknown by Patricia Cornwell £22, WATERSTONES Patricia Cornwell is the queen of crime writing and her new Kay Scarpetta thriller will leave you thirsty for more. It’s an ordinary day at work for Dr Kay Scarpetta, until she realises the body they are examining is one of her past lovers. While teaching in Rome during the early days of her career, Kay had an intense love affair with Sal Giordano. Now, she was hovering over his dead body. Stunned and speechless, the murder scene at an abandoned theme park left her with some questions. His body was surrounded in a circle of petals and his skin was unusually red. With investigators suspicious of otherworldly forces, and of Sal himself, Kay thinks an explanation is much closer to home –…

Put the takeaway menu down – get your wok on with Jimmy Lee, TikTok’s 60-second stir fry sensation. There are 80 takeaway recipes to choose from and they’re chow-mazing! • Jimmy’s Smoking Wok!, £25, Meze Publishing CHOW MEIN TIP: Cook the beansprouts first – as uncooked beansprouts could be a recipe for disaster. INGREDIENTS: • 2 tbsps vegetable oil• ½ onion, sliced• 50g beansprouts• 200g soft egg noodles, blanched (or rice noodles, if vegan)• 1 tsp light soy sauce• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce• ½ chicken stock cube, crumbled• 1 tsp sesame oil METHOD 1. Wok on. Add the vegetable oil. Add the chopped onion and beansprouts and fry for one minute. Add the blanched noodles and fry for 30 seconds. 2. Add the light and dark soy sauce and the…

Ashley Marotta, 38 Hearing footsteps creeping up behind me, I knew a big question was coming. My son Jordan, then four, was a friendly little boy with plenty of energy. And he was always inquisitive. ‘Mummy,’ he started. ‘When I turned four, I thought that my hand was going to grow.’ Immediately, my heart sank. ‘That’s not how it works,’ I soothed. ‘I’m sorry.’ Finding out that Jordan’s left hand hadn’t fully developed at our 20-week scan, me and my hubby Josh, 42, didn’t know how to feel. Fear and sadness washed over me – would he grow up to be independent like his big brother Jacob, now eight? Would he get bullied? But after turning to Google, I was put at ease. There was an organisation called Lucky Fin…

Simone Milner, 31, from Stockport Rolling out my mat, it was time to see what yoga was all about. Taking myself to the gym in 2016, I’d tried two sessions with a new instructor Matt, now 42. And just as I was about to leave, Matt pulled me aside. ‘Did you know that we share the same birthday – 18 November?’ he smiled at me. ‘Oh really?!’ I said. How did he know that? I thought. Adding his clients on Facebook, he had already done some stalking of his own. And it seemed we had a lot more in common, too. Although I told myself that I wasn’t looking for love, it happened naturally – I mean sharing the same birthday was meant to be, right? Annually celebrating our joint…

SPLURGE Show a loved one you care – these would all make a great gift for a beauty lover…

Sarah McCaig, 32, from Wigan Collecting my bunches, I hopped in the van and started doing my rounds. As a florist, I often had leftover blooms – and hating them going to waste, I’d arrange the leftovers in pretty bouquets and drop them round my local area for people to find. And on 8 March this year, that’s exactly what I was doing. Dropping off five bunches, I posted on my Instagram, letting my followers know the flowers were waiting to be found. My very last stop was Gathurst train station. I’m not sure I can be bothered to go up there, I thought. It could be a bit awkward driving the van up there, and I wondered if it was too much hassle. People told me I’d made their…