Innehållsförteckning för August 4, 2016 från Pick Me Up!

What a BFF! My BFF Georgi is travelling from Wirral to visit me in London soon. I’m so excited! If you live in a different city to a mate, you’ll know 23 tough truths. Search ‘BFF’ on www.lifedeathprizes.com 7 That’s how many pretty tulips grew after my first-ever attempt to become green-fingered. Bloomin’ wonderful! What A Treat! In need of a girly break, my mate Maddy and I took a trip to a spa. While there, we indulged in a glass of bubbly and afternoon tea! Bliss! What a spec-sy lady! After 32 years, I’ve been told I need glasses. I chose some classic frames and am surprisingly loving my ‘geek chic’ new look. Think they suit me? What A Night! Check out me and my fella Stephen…

‘Jasper was unlikely to live much beyond school age’ ‘I got to live out my long-held dream. I married Jeff’ Life doesn’t always turn out how you plan it. Like when I first met Jeff 14 years ago when we were both working shifts at a local pub. Our first date, he took me to the cinema. I’d known I loved him, even then, sitting in the dark together, eating popcorn and holding hands. ‘Let’s get married one day,’ he’d whispered. And when, eight years later, Jeff got down on one knee on holiday in Salou, Spain, our future looked sure. So we started saving up for our wedding. Life-changing Then, in 2011, Oscar was born, and, two years later, we had Jasper. Most of our money went on the…

‘The age gap doesn’t bother me, but I worry Angela may want children. As long as they don’t mind Joe being an older dad, fine. Their website is good. It’s probably helped many people.’ Jennifer Welsh, Crewkerne ‘Once I would’ve had an issue, but my dad’s remarried to a woman 16 years younger, and my daughter’s husband is 11 years younger. Age doesn’t matter when it comes to love.’ Brita Bevis, Sleaford ‘Speaking from experience, Angela should think about the future. What if she does want children? They might have loads in common now, but the age gap will show eventually. Tracy Castano, Wyken…

Hernia 1 Hernias can only develop in the groin. 2 They cause swelling and lumps. 3 A hernia can be treated with surgery. 4 Hernias only occur in men. 1 FALSE Hernias can occur anywhere on the body, but, more often than not, arise in the area between the chest and hips. 2 TRUE In most cases, hernias cause few or no symptoms, the only obvious sign being the appearance of a lump in the abdomen or groin. 3 TRUE In open surgery, surgeons make just one cut and push the lump back in, whereas in keyhole surgery, several small cuts are made to enable the surgeon to repair the hernia. 4 FALSE Inguinal hernias can develop in men and women of any age, but tend to be much more…

‘She looked perfect – I couldn’t accept she could be so ill’ ‘I don’t want another family to suffer like us’ My daughter Claudia picked up her bag and gave me a kiss. ‘I’m staying at Rick’s,’ she said. ‘See you tomorrow.’ ‘Be careful,’ I called, as the door shut behind her. I knew I didn’t need to worry. Claudia, 19, had met her boyfriend Rick a year earlier. He treated her like a princess. At home, she was my princess, too. Gorgeous, she’d been a child gymnast, competing with her younger sister Madeline in the Wales National Squad. My husband Nigel and I had a third daughter, Mathilda, in July 2002. Though we later separated, he was a big part of the girls’ lives and, each Monday, he’d take…

Da Mhile Seaweed Gin, £17, www . damhile. co.uk Flavoured gin has become all the rage, and you can now enjoy a taste of the sea in your gin, thanks to this seaweed-infused tipple! It gives the gin a light-green colour and has been designed to go with seafood. Verdict: BONKERS! We’ll stick to our standard G&T, thanks! Got Your Back Tan Application Mitt, £14.99, bronzieuk.com Finally – the solution to reaching all those tricky areas with fake tan! Cover the bits you can reach using the mitts, then apply tan directly to the middle section and use it for your back and the back of your legs. Verdict: GENIUS! Tan-lovers will all want one! Chair Socks, £9.99, www.firebox.com Stop…

TRIED & TESTED This week: Highlighting sticks Lottie London Strobe Stix in Star Struck Perfect for trying the strobing trend, I applied this across my cheek and brow bones to highlight. It gives a metallic finish, and was really easy to blend and build. Barry M Illuminating Strobe Cream in Frosty Pink I loved how this made my skin look instantly dewier, and wasn’t loaded with glitter. This shade is great for pale skin tones. MUA Luxe Ombre 3 Shade Shimmer Stick Contains pink, champagne and bronze shades that gave my skin a lovely glow and left it looking really healthy. Jess’ Beauty Hero Ped Egg Bare Nails, £14.99, JMLDirect. com , buffs dull nails to perfection – leaving them super-shiny! READER’S TIP Dry your…

‘The side of his face was covered in lumps’ ‘The boys are so close – making up for lost time!’ As I felt the cold jelly spreading across my small, but growing baby bump, I stared at the ultrasound screen. I was 12 weeks pregnant and I’d been counting the days until my first scan. ‘I can’t wait to see the heartbeat,’ I said to my partner Spencer, 40. We waited nervously while the sonographer moved the ultrasound wand around. After what felt like a lifetime, she turned to us. ‘So, do twins run in the family, then?’ she asked. Spencer and I looked at each other, stunned. ‘It’s really twins?’ I gasped. ‘Yes! You have two healthy little babies growing in there,’ she replied. Emergency I couldn’t believe it.…

I was 15 when I met Barry, then 19, at a pal’s 18th birthday. Chatting away, I was smitten with the hunky mechanic. Inseparable, we met up every week and, when I was 16, Barry popped the question. That week, we chose a ring together – gold, with a cluster of diamonds and sapphires. Still young, the years ticked by and, when I turned 22, we bought our first house together. Saving for the wedding was outweighed by other commitments. Then, in early 2014, I fell pregnant. ‘Bang goes the wedding again!’ I laughed. ‘We’ll manage,’ Barry insisted. So, we attended several wedding fairs. In May, Swarling Manor, a stately home, hosted a fair. Set in 75 acres, it was breathtaking. On arrival, we spotted a competition to win a…

LEO 24 July–23 Aug A friend’s personal problems are beginning to affect your life. But rather than be swept away with the drama of all that’s occurring, why not try stepping away? Remember, you can and should be a priority, too, my friend. Call: 09058 170 714* VIRGO 24 Aug–23 Sept A family drama is getting on top of you and it seems that, no matter what you do to try and placate a close one, nothing’s good enough. Something you think is worth nothing can actually make you a profit by the end of this month. Call: 09058 170 715* LIBRA 24 Sept–23 Oct Choose your words carefully this week, Libra, as they’re going to be affecting not just this week, but also the rest of the year. Younger…

1 Check Contract  Your contract’s usually based on how long it’ll take to pay off the handset. So if you’re still paying the fee once the contract’s lapsed, you’ll be paying for a phone you’ve already bought! 2 Upgrade  If you’re not sure when the contract ends, check with your provider and ask when you’ll be eligible for an upgrade. 3 The Best Deal  It may be cheaper to buy your phone outright in return for a SIM-only deal, which usually lasts just 12 months. After that, shop around for another SIM-only deal. 4 Sell Or Trade In  Don’t be pushed into buying a new handset. If you actually want a new one, you can always sell your old handset or trade…

When my son Jacob, 10, came home from playing on 7 June this year, I noticed some red marks on his hands. ‘What’s happened?’ I asked, taking a closer look at them. He’d been running around in the long grass, playing tag with his friends. I thought it must’ve been a sweat rash. The next day, Jacob’s school called me to say he’d broken out in harsh, red blisters. He was in a lot of pain. I was shocked when I saw him. The blisters looked like burns. Some of them were as big as 50p pieces! I took him straight to the GP. ‘Looks like an allergic reaction,’ she said, before calling in another doctor, who said he’d seen something like it before. ‘I think he’s come into contact…

‘I’d find a sunny spot and lie for hours – without suncream’ I used to love a good beach holiday. Sand, sangria and - most of all - sun! I’d get a base tan in the weeks before going away, usually having half a dozen sunbed sessions. Then, as soon as I’d landed, I’d find a sunny spot on the beach and lie there for hours - without any sun cream. If I felt myself burning, I’d move to the shade for a bit. I’d been doing this for five or six years. I just loved having a tan, and thought it wasn’t doing me any harm. How wrong can you be? In January, I discovered a lump the size of a pea on the left side of my neck.…

Apple, Honey & Whisky Drizzle Cake Serves: 12 Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 1 hour Drizzle: 1 Preheat oven to 180C/ Gas 4, and grease and base line a 900ml loaf tin. 2 Heat honey, sugar and butter in a small pan and stir until melted. Off heat, stir in cream and cool for 5 min. 3 Thinly slice apple quarters. Sift flours and baking powder into a bowl, add honey mixture and eggs, and beat for 1 min. 4 Spoon half mixture into tin, then scatter over two thirds of apple slices, top with rest of cake mix, and level surface. Arrange remaining apple slices on top. Bake for 1hr. 5 Remove cake from oven and cool…

‘At first, it seemed like Rick knew he’d made a mistake – but it’s awful he didn’t take responsibility. The sentence is lenient. I hope Rick and other young people learn from this.’ Charlie Richardson, 29, Powys ‘Drivers and passengers need to be aware of the dangers and avoid drinking. Andrea’s done so much fundraising to spread this important message.’ Melanie Lodge, 51, West Yorkshire ‘It’s shocking that Rick thought having three pints was fine. You should avoid having any alcohol. It’s wonderful that they’ve raised £20,000 in Claudia’s memory.’ Mayah Till, 22, Derby…

Get Moving! Rediscover the fun of skipping! This aerobic exercise is great for your heart and lungs, balance, flexibility and stamina. Best of all you can do it at home, the kids can join in, it’s fun – and it’ll burn around 200 cal in 15 min. Need a rope? This one, from the Davina range at Argos, costs £4.99. Pick Me Up! FOR LESS THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS NAME: Clare Ratcliff, 48, from Alton, Hampshire. VITAL STATISTICS: I’d been overweight since childhood, and then my job as a driving instructor didn’t help. By Christmas 2014, I weighed 14st 12lb, a size-20. My motivation? My little boy was starting school – did he really want a fat, frumpy mummy? MY ACTION PLAN: I’ve always loved watching Si King and…

‘Cheryl and I have got more in common than just looks...’ Excited, I handed over my pocket money to buy my first CD single. Sound Of The Underground by Girls Aloud. Then 9, in December 2002, I danced around my room. Growing up, I enjoyed watching Cheryl’s career unfold. Not to mention her love life, as she switched from Tweedy to Cole to Fernandez-Versini... Her style’s always impressed me. I loved seeing what she’d be wearing next as I started my career as a freelance make-up artist and model. Four years ago, I was out in town when a lad stopped me. ‘You’re the spitting image of Cheryl!’ he said. Everyone around us suddenly commented in agreement. ‘Thanks,’ I blushed. I saw it as a compliment, but couldn’t really see…

‘When Sonam got home, his eyes were wild and staring...’ ‘It’s me who’s had to move away, start again...’ For me, it was the biggest thing that had ever happened. I was pregnant. But my boyfriend couldn’t have cared less. ‘Oh, are you?’ he said when I broke the news, without even looking up from his X-Box. It was July last year. Me and Sonam Chosang, 35, had been together for 18 months. When we’d first met, things were great. I’d helped turn his bachelor pad into a proper home and started spending more time there, though I kept my own flat. Accusations Then, a few months on, a scrawny black-and-white kitten came in through Sonam’s window. I poured him a saucer of milk. Sonam wanted to shoo him out.…

1 Finger food  Instead of a sit-down meal, serve canapes instead, as it avoids the hassle of seating pla ns. Cecilia Brown, Preston 2 Pretty blooms  For bouquets, buy flowers that are in season – they’re much cheaper. Jess Hickson, Edinburgh 3 Gift aid  Offer friends the option to donate to your favourite charity as a present. Ann Smith, Plymouth 4 Confetti substitute Give children bubble blowers to let loose on the bride and groom. It helps to keep them busy and looks good, too! Sadie Levant, Bournemouth…

‘I was sure he felt the same, but he never asked me out’ My life changed forever in June 2013 when I was cast in an independent movie. Not because I got the part. Because it would lead me to the love of my life... I’d been an actor for six years. And for this role, I was a kidnap victim. I was thrown around a lot and getting bruised! But it was well worth it, as another actor approached me... ‘What happened to your knees?’ asked Joe Leon, 60. He was playing an FBI agent. He seemed concerned when I said I was getting bashed about. ‘I’ll talk to the director,’ he said. My hero! Next time I went to do a rough scene, the director laid out mats…

Rhythm method Q I don’t really want to use contraception, but I don’t want to get pregnant. When’s the safest time in a woman’s cycle to have sex without risk? Jennifer, Stevenage A There’s no time in your cycle that’s safe to avoid getting pregnant, even during your period! You need to reconsider contraception, or you may well end up with an unwanted pregnancy. Too much booze? Q I think I drink too much. Whenever I see my doctor, I expect a telling-off – but liver-function tests always come back clear. Kay, Sheffield A The liver is resilient, but each time it filters alcohol, some of the cells die, so damage accumulates over time. Alcohol is also toxic to brain and heart cells. Be completely honest with your doctor…

‘With seven bullets, he’d taken four lives’ One Sunday in June 2011, a man with a fake beard and dark glasses popped into a chemist and spoke to pharmacist Raymond Ferguson, 45. The man asked Raymond’s assistant Jennifer Mejia, 17, if the pair could speak alone. Then, without warning, the man fatally shot Raymond in the abdomen. Jennifer started screaming, so the weaselly looking man shot her twice, killing her, too. Then the man went into the storeroom and stole armfuls of prescription drugs. Before fleeing the pharmacy in Medford, New York, he shot customers Bryon Sheffield, 71, and mum-of-two Jaime Taccetta, 35, in the back of the head. With seven bullets, he’d taken four lives before jumping into a getaway car and speeding off. Arrested The police had CCTV…

1 Asda Party 14 Duck Spring Rolls, 252g, £2.28 These party-sized rolls cook in just a few minutes. Good and crunchy, they go down rather well with a glass of something cold. 2 Co-Op Loved By Us 4 Hoisin Duck Spring Rolls, 200g, £2.19 There’s just enough of the strongly aromatic vegetable – and duck – filling inside crisp, golden pastry. Ever so good – and enough for two to share. 3 Sainsbury’s 6 Hoisin Duck Spring Rolls, 240g, £2.50 There’s lots of meat in these, along with water chestnuts, all wrapped in flaky, crispy pastry. Serve with sweet chilli sauce for dipping. Make ’em yourself... Serves: 16 Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 20 min 1 Preheat oven to 200C/Gas…

Can You Spot The Celeb By The Tattoo? WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY? These little yellow emojis may not mean what you think… 1 New hairdo you wanna shout about? Nope, this is a helpful information-desk attendant! 2 Feeling emosh? Well, this one’s meant to be someone snoozing. (The ‘tear’ is a snot bubble!) 3 No, it’s it doesn’t mean letting rip. It symbolises someone – or something – travelling at high speed. GOING MY WAY? The Name’s Bond… Or Is It? Some fun facts about Daniel Craig’s rumoured successors Astronauts can scratch their noses on Velcro patches in their helmets.…

‘I threw away my smear test letters, thought I was fine’ The glint of a scalpel, the whirr of a drill... Shudder. The mere thought of visiting a doctor or dentist brings me out in a cold sweat. I’d been diagnosed with asthma aged 10, and needed six-monthly checkups to monitor my lungs. As I’m used to those tests, they’ve never bothered me. But everything else, I’ve avoided - especially smear tests. When I was younger, someone told me that they were painful and that a knife is used to scrape your insides. It sounded horrific. When I turned 25, the inevitable letter arrived. My first cervical screening was due. Denial Grimacing, I threw it away, and did the same when three more letters came. I convinced myself I didn’t…

My wife Hannah and our kids - Theo, 5, and Pearl, 1 - often walk on North Gare Sands. I grew up nearby and, as a kid, I’d often thought about sending out a message in a bottle, but never had. ‘With instant messaging these days, it’s a shame Theo and Pearl won’t daydream like that,’ I told Hannah. ‘Let’s do a bottle!’ she said. So in January, Theo wrote his name, and I jotted down all our names, ages, location and e-mail address for whoever found it. Theo screwed the lid on the bottle with the note inside. Then, heading to North Gare, he chucked it into the waves. ‘Maybe it’ll reach Denmark!’ I smiled, where my great-great-grandmother was from. Deep down, I suspected it’d wash up further along…

‘I love talking, so I’m hoping my jaw won’t seize up!’ It would be so easy to feel bitter. At 2, my right arm was amputated by doctors because a large, red lump had appeared on my shoulder. Doctors had diagnosed infantile fibromatosis. My mum Carol and dad Fred trusted that removing my arm would stop the cancer from spreading. Only, six months later, further tests revealed that I’d been misdiagnosed. There’d been no need to remove my arm. In fact I’d been born with an extremely rare, incurable condition called fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). My body will freeze It affects just one in two million people worldwide, and in 1984, very little was known about FOP. Simply put, it’s a disorder of connective tissue, meaning that after trauma to…

‘Arlo-Blue kept pulling his ‘angry chef’ face’ ‘I decided to send a cheeky tweet to the chef himself’ It was love at first sight! In April this year, my partner Sonia, 35, had just given birth to our son Arlo-Blue. ‘He’s gorgeous,’ I gushed, relishing my first cuddle, taking in his mop of messy blond hair and cute, chubby cheeks. Family and friends all agreed - Arlo-Blue was utterly adorable. And he was such a chilled-out baby. He hardly cried, slept well, loved being fed! Only, if he was tired, hungry, or had to have a nappy change, he’d pull a really grumpy face. I kept thinking that he looked like someone every time his steely-blue eyes narrowed into a scowl. Then, suddenly, it clicked - he bore a striking…