Innehållsförteckning för 19-Apr-2018 från Chat

Growing up, I’d always been chubby. But when I had my daughter Helana at 17, in October 1994, I really piled on the pounds. It was tough being a young mum, I used food to make me feel better. Stuffed sausage, bacon, eggs and potatoes into a burrito for breakfast, scoffed fast food for lunch. All followed by a huge evening meal. In February 1996, I had Eryka, then Khristopher in June 1997. Life was hectic! But I always found time for food, munching through six sharing bags of Doritos a week. By the time I was 29, I tipped the scales at 28st 9lb. I eventually split with the kids’ dad, started working as a nurse. Hulking my huge body round the hospital all day was tough. I avoided…

Grinning broadly, Dad placed a hot cuppa in front of me. ‘Here you go,’ he chirped. It was August 2012 and, then 18, I loved catching up over a brew with my dad Scott Taylor, then 40. We were two peas in a pod, and Dad would always have me in stitches. Silly, one-liner jokes, teasing me...he was like my best friend. Everyone loved him. He’d split with my mum Apral, 42, when I was 7, but they still got along. One evening that month, Dad popped out for a few pints with pals at a local pub. I was in bed before he was due to be home. Only, at 4am, banging at my front door wrenched me from sleep. I opened it to find two police officers there.…

We’d do whatever it took to save our baby I imagined that the first time I’d hold my baby, he’d be passed to me in a hospital bed – I’d be exhausted after labour, but overwhelmed with love... Instead, the first time I saw my son Daniel, I was peering at him in an incubator. Wires snaked from his 7lb 13oz body and he looked all pink and new. One thing was the same, though...the love I felt for him. From our 20-week scan, me and my partner Nicky, 37, had known something was wrong with our baby’s kidneys. He had posterior urethral valves (PUV), a condition that only affects males and occurs in about one in 8,000 births. It is an abnormality of the urethra, the tube that drains…

Sitting across the room from my brother Nick, I tried not to wince at the smell. Unwashed, hair matted, his body gaunt. He was like a shipwreck survivor who’d been through a sewer. It was February 2014, and I was visiting Nick in a prison in Chennai, on the east coast of India. Nick was an inmate. But he was innocent. There and then, something just clicked inside me. Call it Big Sister Mode. ‘I’ll do whatever it takes,’ I promised. It had started with a phone call nearly five months earlier, in October 2013. Nick, then aged 27, was working for a security firm, protecting ships in pirate-infested waters. Before that, he was an army paratrooper. Tough man? You bet! But to me, he was just my little brother.…

As the doctor said the word, we couldn’t believe our ears. ‘Cancer.’ It was August 2012, and me and my husband Russell, then 36, had only been married a year. We were about to start trying for a baby. Only, now he’d been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma – blood cancer. ‘We’ll have to start chemotherapy straight away,’ the doctor continued. It was life-changing. Terrifying. We’d met when I was a teenager, yet I’d known Russell was ‘the one’. By the age of 20, we’d moved in together and started planning our future. Cancer hadn’t been part of those plans. I’d only sent Russell to the doctor after he struggled to shake a persistent sore throat. Doctors referred him to the Ear, Nose and Throat clinic for tests and biopsies. But…

Serves: 10 Prep: 15 mins Cook: 15 mins Cost per serving: 82p 1 Heat oven to 180C/ Gas 4. Mix 250g crushed digestives with 110g melted butter until well coated. Spread over the base and sides of a 20cm deep pie dish, and press all over to firm up. Bake for 15 mins, then set aside to cool. 2 Beat 250g ricotta, 100g mascarpone (or cream cheese), 150ml cream, ½tsp peppermint extract (available from Dr Oetker) and 4tbsp icing sugar until smooth, fold in 100g milk chocolate chips and 30g chopped pistachios, then scrape into the pie dish, spreading over in an even layer. 3 Put 50g dark chocolate chips into a small bowl, pour over 50ml double cream, put in the microwave on high for a few secs. Once…

MUA Luxe Light Lustre Liquid Highlight in Sublime, £5, Superdrug Dab a little across the ‘high points' of your face - think brow bones, cheek bones and nose - for a sheen that catches the light. Skin Republic Brightening Vitamin C Face Mask Sheet, £4.99, Superdrug Vitamin C is a really powerful antioxidant, protecting your skin against environmental factors that speed up the ageing process. Use this mask once a week for fresher skin. Essence Fresh & Fit Awake Primer, £3.50, Wilko Works as well under make-up as it does on its own for smooth skin with a lovely light-reflecting glow. L'Oréal Paris La Vie En Glow Highlighting Powder Palette, £12.99, Boots Available in two different colour palettes for warm or cool skin tones, these fine powders are all you…

It was pretty strange watching Tabitha being ‘born’ The moment we married, my hubby Tristan, 41, and I had one thing on our minds. Kids! We couldn’t wait to start a family. And, in January 2015, eight months after our big day, I had the news we’d been waiting for. ‘I’m pregnant!’ I squealed, beaming at Tristan. We were both absolutely ecstatic. ‘It’s doubly exciting. Looks like you’re having twins,’ the sonographer confirmed at an eight-week scan. My jaw dropped, while Tristan’s face went white. ‘Twins?’ he gasped. But it was the best news – we couldn’t wait to tell everyone. A twin pregnancy is more complicated, there are more risks, which meant I had to go for a lot of scans. Thankfully, we were really lucky. My pregnancy went…

Bursting with excitement, I watched him walk through the train-station barriers. ‘Hi, sis!’ Anthony Hutchings, then 24, smiled. My long-lost stepbrother. I grabbed him in a big hug. Ant was my stepdad Steve Airey’s son from a previous relationship. Dad had split with Ant’s mum when he was little, and they’d lost touch. Dad went on to marry my mum, Maxine when I was 12, and treated me as his own. But he’d always remembered Ant, told me all about him. Desperate to meet my stepbrother, too, I’d tracked him down on Facebook. And in May 2015, he’d travelled from Northampton to visit us in Kent. ‘It’s brilliant to meet you,’ I beamed, tears pricking. I took him straight to Mum and Dad’s house. ‘Son!’ Dad gasped, hugging Ant for…

Asda Extra Special Wyke Farms Extra Mature Cheddar, 200g, £2.15 Smooth and creamy, with a good flavour. The texture is a little rubbery, but it melts really well to make a lovely cheese on toast. Aldi Specially Selected Vintage Reserve West Country Crunchy Cheddar, 250g, £2.29 A really good, firm texture. And, with its great, tangy flavour, it's perfect to make any cheesy pasta dish or toastie that bit more special. Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Mature Barber's Cruncher Cheddar, 400g, £3.50 A hands-down winner! Great, crumbly texture, well-rounded flavour and a bit of a punch. Delicious! NEW Asda Extra Special Peruvian Milk Chocolate: 39% Cocoa, £1.25  There's a new milk chocolate in town, all the way from Peru. Creamy toffee notes with warming vanilla hints make this a grown-up treat.…

Their friendship could be destroyed It was never going to end well between Carla and her best mate Michelle when Carla decided to lock lips with Michelle’s long-lost son Ali. Since her return, cobbles cougar Carla has had a bit of a thing for toyboys. Now, hot on the heels of her fling with Daniel, she’s been betraying the woman who has been more like a sister to her than a friend, by embarking on a shocking romance with young medic Ali! This week, the friendship between Michelle and Carla could end up being destroyed for good, when a heartbroken Michelle finally gets wind of the illicit affair and ends up banning her ex-best friend from attending her upcoming nuptials to Robert. Deep down, Carla knows she must end her…

Relaxing on the sofa on a cold November day last year, I scrolled dreamily through online pictures of sunny beaches on my laptop. I longed to be somewhere warm. In the middle of a British winter, who wouldn’t? Snapping back to reality, I watched my partner Salim, 52, potter around the living room. With my laptop already on my knees, I thought I’d have a few games on Chat Mag Bingo. I’d been playing for about six years, after decades of going to the bingo halls with friends. I’d enjoyed going to the halls but, with online bingo, you can play from the comfort of your own home. Perfect for those cold, grey days! One of my favourite things about Chat Mag Bingo is the chat between all the players. There’s…

His teats had grown. Strange... Especially for a male Scrolling through her phone, my daughter Julie pointed to a photo. ‘Look at this one, Mum,’ Julie, 48, said. It was a picture of a beautiful white boxer dog. He had one red ear and cute markings on his nose. Only he was tied to a skip with a bit of old rope, helpless. Malnourished and injured. ‘He’s got cigarette burns and he’s covered in scars,’ Julie cried. And he was just 5 months old. My heart broke. It was late 2013, and Julie and some friends had just launched Boxer Friends Spain, rescuing neglected boxers. Julie had always loved dogs. Just like her mum! I’d had 16 boxers since she was 7 years old. And in 2013, Julie had been…

It was Hardy – the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end Settling in front of the TV, I flicked on a documentary. It was January this year, and the show title sent shivers down my spine. Britain’s Forgotten Serial Killer: Trevor Hardy. Hardy had grown up locally, in northwest Manchester. He’d been an acquaintance of my late hubby Eddie’s, until May 1977, when Hardy was convicted of murdering three teenage girls. In December 1974, Janet Lesley Stewart, 15, was stabbed and buried in a shallow grave. In July 1975, Wanda Skala, 17, was battered with a brick, sexually assaulted, strangled. And in March 1976, Sharon Mosoph, 17, was also beaten over the head, sexually assaulted and strangled. Hardy was jailed for life. Now, seeing photos of…

Serves: 4 Prep: 15 mins Cook: 25 mins Cost per serving: 89p 1 To make pickle, warm 75ml red-wine vinegar with 1tbsp sugar and pinch salt. Stir until dissolved. Bring to the boil, then pour over 1 sliced onion and 6 sliced radishes. Leave to cool for at least 15 mins. 2 To make filling, heat 1tbsp oil in a pan, add 2 diced shallots and cook gently for 5 mins, until completely softened. Stir in 1 chopped garlic clove and cook for 1 min more. Add 300g diced Jersey Royals, 300g chopped tomatoes, and 1tsp chipotle paste with 100ml water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 15 mins until potatoes are tender. Stir in 120g black beans and cook, uncovered, for 5 mins. 3 Spoon potato…

Water top tip!  When reheating pizza, put a small cup of water in the microwave with it. It'll keep the crusts moist and stop the pizza drying out. Mary Hadley, via e-mail Tree-riffic!  An inexpensive mug tree is perfect to organise bangles - and they look so pretty on display. Hazel Scott, Hull Boiling point Put a wooden spoon across a pan of boiling water. It'll stop it boiling over. Jan Robertson, Lytham St Annes Hot (choc) pot!  I used a handful of old, used postage stamps and a clean, empty hot-choc tub to make myself a little pen pot. All I needed was PVA glue and a brush. Linda Keen, Leeds Get on board!  To keep your chopping board steady on the counter top when cutting meat joints or…

You needed someone to protect you. To cuddle and love you To my beautiful Timmy, Holding you in my arms for the first time, my heart burst with love. ‘Oh, the grand old Duke of York,’ I sang, as you looked up at me with those big, brown eyes. From that moment, you were everything. You were just 2, and blissfully unaware of what life would throw at you. But it was never going to be easy for you, I’m afraid. You’d been diagnosed with the lifelong condition cerebral palsy, and your birth parents had decided they couldn’t look after you. So you needed someone to protect you. To teach you about the world, cuddle and love you. And I decided that someone was me. But in truth, I needed…

After three days of deliberations, the jury found Jacques Delisle guilty of murder. Delisle buried his face in his hands. There were pained screams and sobs from his family in the public gallery. And with that, the once-prominent judge was escorted from the courtroom as a convicted murderer. As such, he received an automatic life sentence. Now in his 80s, Delisle continues to appeal, yet all have so far failed, and he remains the only Canadian judge to ever be convicted of first-degree murder.…

Sick of booze! QI've never been able to enjoy a drink with friends, as alcohol makes me hot, giddy and sick! Why? Xian, 30 A You could have inherited a gene that's particularly common in Asian people, causing one of the enzymes that breaks down alcohol in your body to be defective. Drinking alcohol leads to a build-up of chemicals causing these unpleasant side effects. Sorry, best stick to fruit juice! Want wart gone QI have a seborrhoeic wart on my chest that my GP says is harmless. But I want rid! Caroline, 47 A Despite the name, these aren't warts but simply an overgrowth of skin cells in one area, usually your trunk. They won't turn cancerous and are safe to ignore. Cutting, freezing or laser therapy will remove…

Bursting through the door, my daughter Julie, 20, clutched a sparkling crown. ‘Guess who won the pageant?’ she beamed, showing off her sash. It was 1991 and Julie was the middle of my three girls. Outgoing, happy, helpful. And with her blonde hair and blue eyes, she was beautiful, too. ‘Well done, love!’ I smiled. My husband Norman and I were so proud. The Miss Ware pageant was an annual event in our town. At 5ft 11in, Julie had a model-like figure. With her sparkling personality, I knew she’d be a shoo-in for the crown. Soon after, Julie got her own flat – and I started to notice how slim she was getting. ‘Hasn’t Julie got thin!’ my eldest Catherine, 24, remarked when Julie visited. ‘She’s just learning to look…

I hadn't noticed how close I was to winning the progressive jackpot. My Full House had been called within the set number ball calls for the jackpot. And I'd won it! All £6,607 of it. ‘Oh!' I cried, jumping up and down with happiness. My daughter was screaming with excitement too, we just couldn't contain ourselves. Thrilled, I immediately grabbed the phone. Called my brothers and sisters in turn. They were all chuffed to bits for me.…

It needs to stop… I was angry to read Show-off could've killed my girl (15 February) about Samantha Clark whose daughter was nearly killed in an accident with a boy racer. Boy racers are always at it! What can we do to stop it? We definitely need more disapproval of dangerous driving from society. His 14-month suspended sentence was too soft for his crime. Bea Webb, Bodfari Nan’s gnashers On holiday, my 7-year-old daughter wanted to swim with Nanny and called her to get in the pool, but my mum said her teeth were chattering. My daughter replied, ‘Just take them out, then…’ Ellen Kadhraou, Wolverhampton Sleepless nights A warning to fellow insomniacs: Don’t watch late-night infomercials or you’ll never sleep again worrying that your diet…

As we hugged, our nude audience cheered Packing my suitcase, I ran through my mental check list. Passport, sun cream, a good book to read by the pool… I didn’t need much more than that. Where I was going, I could pack light. Very light. And just a few hours later I’d landed on the Greek island of Rhodes and was being ushered into a welcome meeting with my fellow holidaymakers. Immediately, one bloke caught my attention. Handsome, a twinkle in his eye, bright smile. And, well, not much more. You see, he was completely and utterly in the buff. And so was I! It was June 2017 and we were on a nudist holiday, and everyone was totally starkers! Yet across the sea of wobbly bits, this bloke stood…

Aries 21 March - 20 April You’re making romantic plans for the future - but are you looking ahead, or trying to recreate the past? What’s gone is gone and what lies ahead is different. Make sure you’re facing in the right direction. Call 0905 817 0690* for more Taurus 21 April - 21 May Living the dream, even for a few days, feels good. But there’s a serious side to it, as being away from normal routines will let you think about what you really want. The conclusions you reach may surprise you. Call 0905 817 0691* for more Gemini 22 May - 21 June What do you do when things don’t work out? Pick yourself up and start again. You do that this week. With less obstacles in…