312

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ISSUE 312
The
Expert health
happiness
menu…
Essential foods to calm festive stress
Fun & cosy
Christmas
jumpers
from £10
PLUS
Shoes
with
sparkle
Our pick
of the best
Christmas
TV
Jenny
Agutter
Is it goodbye
for Sister
Julienne?
New recipes
Ditch the
turkey!
Easy ways
to enjoy
something
different
dec 4-17,
2018 £1.59
★★ ★
★
winter sun
Discover the
best sunshine
breaks from
just £277

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cover PIC: Nicky Johnston/Camera Press
Have you put your Christmas
decorations up yet? Decorating the
tree is a special time for me and
my daughter, Aimée. We cherish sorting
through the box of decorations, many of
which have sentimental value – from the
silver bells that once adorned my parent’s
wedding cake to the cotton wool snowman
she made at nursery. Each year, since she
was tiny, we allowed our daughter to choose
one new decoration. She’s built up quite a
collection over 20 years and they all go on the tree. I love the eclectic
mix showing how her taste has changed over the years. My idea was
that when she leaves home they can go with her
to begin her own sentimental box of treasures –
but as that day gets closer I’m not sure I’ll actually
ever be able to bear to part with them... or her!
As the last-minute festive preparations are
in full swing we’ve got lots of ways to make the
season less stressful. From money-saving tips
(p48), advice for dealing with family dilemmas
(p52), foods to lift your mood (p42) and more...
Wishing you all a very happy Christmas
…only when
you subscribe
See page 32
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Write to
Yours magazine, Media House,
Peterborough Business Park,
Peterborough PE2 6EA
editor’s choice
Let’s take a few minutes
to relax and unwind...
Pop these Kneipp
Red Poppy &
Hemp Bath Salt
Crystals into a
warm bath and
let the scent melt
away your cares.
£8.95
LloydsPharmacy
Email
yours@
bauermedia.
co.uk
The gel beads in
this Therapearl
Eye Mask can be
chilled in the fridge
or heated in the
microwave. Great
for dry or tired
eyes, or to relieve
sinus congestion
and headaches.
£7.99
www.performance
health.co.uk
Sharon Reid, Editor
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Yoursmagazine
Aimée’s box of
Christmas treasures
TV doctor Rangan
Chatterjee believes
that relaxation
has an important
part to play in
maintaining our
overall health. His
book The Four Pillar
Plan includes a
chapter dedicated
to ways to de-stress
every day.
£16.99
www.amazon.co.uk
Join us online…
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Find Sammy Squirrel…
For how to join the search see page 115
Inside this issue...
Real life
6 Strictly memorable!
16 Great Ormond Street
nurse’s lifetime of love
21 For the love of animals
22 Saving Dachshunds
with The Red Foundation
24 The changing face
of the Christmas shop
28 Making a difference: toys
for 3,000 children
Star chat
12 Cover Jenny Agutter
15 Radio 2’s Jo Whiley
18 Kate Humble
26 David Essex’s new role
30 At home with El Divo
126 Cover Christmas TV!
Your best life now!
36 Cover Novelty knits
38 Cover Party shoes
40 Cover Easy festive
make-up
42 Cover Good mood
foods
Good to know
48 Cover The 12 saves
of Christmas
36
51 Update your decorations
52 Festive dilemmas
69 Try something new…
Nostalgia
79 Where are they now?
80 Robert Redford
83 When Christmas went
wrong!
87 ‘I was an East End mum’
Leisure time
57 Cookery: tradition with a twist
63 Festive makes for little fingers
67 Knit a cosy hat
99 Visit the North East
102 Money-saving breaks:
winter sun
Your favourites
8 Meeting Place
73 Short story: part 2!
89 Roy Hudd
91 Cover Free for every
reader offer
93 Friends of Yours
107 Carers in touch
115 Puzzles to test you
& prizes to win
130 Horoscopes and
what’s in our next issue!
26
WIN
skincare
goodies!
p118
6
48

good to know
Deck
the
tree!
Felt elf,
£1, Tiger
Stores
Post box tree
decoration,
£7, Laura
Ashley
Wooden
robin, £4,
National Trust
Pom-pom
elf, £1, Tiger
Stores
Whether you’re
looking for a few new
decorations or you fancy
a whole new look, here’s
our pick of the best
baubles…
Santa glitter
bauble, £3,
Dunelm
Mini Xmas
jumper, £3,
Tiger Stores
Crochet
snowman,
£7, Laura
Ashley
Pom-pom
hanging
decorations,
£1.50 each,
Sainsbury’s
Hanging
Santa
snowdome,
£3, Wilko
Air balloon
bauble, £2,
Tiger Stores
Crochet
Xmas pud,
£7, Laura
Ashley
Red car and
tree bauble,
£3.99,
HomeSense
Decoupage baubles, (set of 14), £17.99, Very.co.uk
Nutcracker
bauble (set
of 3) £7.99,
HomeSense
London
guard
soldier, £7,
Laura Ashley
Skiing
Santa
decoration,
£1, Wilko
Festive pug
decoration,
£2.50,
Sainsbury’s
Wooden cone snowmen
(set of 3), £4, Sainsbury’s
Santa coat
decorations,
(set of 6) £4.50,
Sainsbury’s
Candy cane decorations (set of 6), £12.99, Very.co.uk
Stockists: Dunelm, 0345 165 6565; HomeSense, 01923 473561; Laura Ashley, 0333 200 8009; National Trust, 0344 800 1895;
Sainsbury’s, 0800 636262; Tiger Stores, flyingtiger.com; Very, www.very.co.uk, Wilko, 0800 032 9329
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
51

Good
mood
food
If your mood takes a dip, it’s tempting to
turn to comfort foods but could what you’re
eating actually be affecting your mood, asks
health writer Karen Evennett?
When you’re feeling
down, do you reach
for a nice bowl of
probiotic-boosting
vegetables or the
nearest chocolate bar?
Actually, don’t answer that! We
all know how our sweet tooth kicks
in when we’re feeling a bit stressed
or grumpy. And there’s a very good
reason for that, explains nutritional
therapist Judy Watson (www.
judywatsonnutritionist.co.uk).
“Sugar gives your brain an instant
rush of serotonin, one of your main feelgood
hormones. But that’s not all. It also
releases dopamine, which relaxes you.”
The problem is, sugar is a bit of a false
friend. You want it and it makes you feel
great – but the effects are shortlived.
“Soon your mood will come crashing
down and, to get the same serotonin
and dopamine rush, you’ll need another
fix of sugar. And this time you’ll need
more of it to achieve the same effect,”
Judy explains.
“A cycle quickly develops whereby
you need more and more sugar to
maintain your good mood. But behind
the scenes, all this sugar is undermining
your psychological wellbeing.”
Sugar triggers inflammation in
your brain and this impacts on
the neurotransmitters that
regulate your happiness
levels, according to
University College
London. Fatty and
processed foods have
the same effect.
“When you’re feeling low, you’re
unlikely to want to plan healthy meals
based on fruit, vegetables, nuts and fish
– your brain is too interested in a quick
fix,” says Judy. “But these are precisely
the foods to help boost your mood.”
The same study that revealed sugar,
fat and processed food were bad for
your mental health also showed how
people who stuck to a traditional plantbased,
Mediterranean diet maintained a
much more robust mood.
“This has a lot to do with the effects
that different diets have on
your gut microbiome – the
bacteria that colonise
your intestines,” explains
naturopathic nutritionist
Claire Barnes, (www.biokult.com).
42
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT

Bug alert
“Sugary, fatty and processed
foods provide the ideal
environment for bad bacteria
to thrive in your gut and these
harmful bacteria produce toxins
which travel to your brain and
affect your mood,” says Claire.
“Prebiotic foods – such as oats,
bananas, onions, and garlic - fuel
the growth of healthy gut flora,
eliminating toxins, and boosting
levels of the so-called ‘happy
hormones’, serotonin and GABA.”
You may have to force yourself
into the habit of eating goodmood
foods, but you’ll soon feel
the pay-off, promises Judy.
“By making the effort to start
your day with a bowl of porridge,
for slow-releasing carbohydrate,
you’ll dampen down your sugar
cravings. Stir in a spoonful of
seeds or nuts for protein – this will
give you a dose of tryptophan,
which your brain will convert into
serotonin.
“Include a portion of meat,
Once you break the sugar
craving cycle you’ll find it
easier to continue eating
healthier, good-mood foods
Your
happiness
menu
Breakfast:
Porridge oats soaked in coconut
milk and warmed on the hob. Add
cinnamon, walnuts for omega-3 fats,
pumpkin seeds, dates and banana.
Drink a cup of green tea – it contains
theanine to help relax your mind.
Lunch:
Homemade
butternut squash
and lentil soup with
mashed avocado on
rye or wholegrain
toast.
feeling great
Stock up on these foods to
keep your gut healthy
and your mood stable
Dinner:
Baked mackerel with garlic butter,
steamed kale and a warm salad made
with quinoa, beetroot and onion,
drizzled with olive oil, lemon juice
and apple cider vinegar.
Top 6 good mood foods
fish, eggs or nuts with every
meal,” says Judy. “As well as
providing tryptophan, protein is
an important source of zinc, an
essential mineral for a healthy
brain and mood. As your immune
system also needs zinc to keep it
ticking over it can easily become
depleted in the winter months.
If you’ve had a cold, for example,
that can drain your zinc levels –
another reason why you’re likely
to be more prone to a low mood
at this time of year.
“If you get zinc and tryptophan
from oily fish you’ll get the added
bonus of omega-3 fatty acids that
maintain good circulation in the
brain and help you hang on to
serotonin for longer.”
Porridge – oats are
naturally calming.
Salmon – a fantastic
source of omega-3.
Walnuts – they contain
tryptophan and more
omega-3 than any other nut.
Bananas – they’re
very calming, especially
before bed.
Boiled eggs – an
easy source of protein,
helping keep sugar
cravings at bay.
Blueberries – high in
Vitamin C which helps
to reduce stress
PICs: shutterstock, jumpfoto, stock food, getty images
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
43

As we inch excitingly towards the grand final, we relive
some of the funniest moments of Strictly Come Dancing
over the years – and a few of the very best
With just a few
weeks to go
to the Strictly
final, things are
really hotting
up. The dances are getting ever
more elaborate, the judges
stricter and the dance floor
tension is mounting in the push
to win the glitterball trophy.
So in the midst of all this build
up we thought it might be fun to
take a look back at some of the
funniest and daftest moments
the show has ever given us, plus
some of the best dances.
From hilarious stunts to
flamboyant judges, memorably
madcap moves to magical
moments, enjoy taking a trip
down this glittery memory lane
to relive some glorious Strictly
moments from years past.
n The Strictly semi-final is this
Saturday, December 8, with
the final on Saturday,
December 15, BBC One
n From the moment Ann
Widdecombe stepped
onto the dancefloor in
2010, she threw herself
into the Strictly spirit.
Yes, there was a minimal
amount of dancing as
she spent most of the
time being flung around
by Anton, but you can’t
fault her have-a-go
attitude which will be
out in force again when
she returns for this
year’s Strictly Christmas
Special.
Strictly
memorable
n The final position should be the
crowning moment of a great dance, but
last year Ruth Langsford’s Paso Doble
ended in hilarity when she and Anton fell
over in a pile of giggles on the last note!
n Memorable for all the right reasons, 2008
winners Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup,
pictured left, clinched the trophy with one of
the most praised show dances in Strictly history,
setting Tom on the path to West End stardom.
PICs: bbc
6
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT

in the picture
n Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s Russell Grant, being
blasted out of a cannon at Wembley Arena in 2011.
While the jive routine that followed scored just 24 and
saw Russell eliminated from the show that week, it went
down as one of the best entrances in the show’s history.
n EastEnders actor Jake Wood revealed a hidden set of
snake hips with a sensational salsa to Mambo No 5 in
2014, complete with some of the most fast-paced tricks
we’ve ever seen.
n Ed Balls galloping away
Gangnam Style has to be
the sure highlight of the
2016 series, when the
politician showed off a
very different side to his
personality we’d certainly
never seen before!
n Jill Halfpenny’s
Jive set the bar high
in series two as she
flicked and kicked her
way to the first ever
perfect score of 40.
She went on to win
the show and launch a
career in musicals.
n We knew singer Jay
McGuiness was a Strictly
winner in the making when
he came out, hair slicked back,
with this effortlessly cool and
astonishingly fast Pulp Fiction
themed Jive in just week three
of the 2015 show.
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
7

novelty
Whether you’re looking for a tasteful Fair Isle,
a touch of sparkle or a jolly festive-themed knit,
we’ve the perfect Christmas jumper for you
knits
£28, 6-22,
£25, s-xl,
M&S
Dorothy Perkins
£25, 6-22,
F&F at Tesco
Be a sequin
queen
in this
glittery
number
Suzi wears:
Red knit,
£30, 10-24,
Bonmarché
| glitter jeans,
£35, 8-20,
Wallis | earrings,
£14, Next
Lizzie wears:
Reindeer jumper, £25,
s-xl, M&S | red trousers,
£38, 6-22, Next
words Michelle Nightingale; PHOTOGRAPHY RUTH JENKINSON;
STYLIST LINDSEY BAKER; HAIR AND MAKE-UP SARAH JANE GREEN.
£59.95, 6-18,
White Stuff
£35, 10-24,
Bonmarché
£22, 8-22, Tu
at Sainsbury’s
36
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT

looking good
£29, 8-22,
M&Co
Style tip
£10, s-xl, George
at Asda
Let your novelty
knit take centre
stage by teaming
it with a pareddown
bottom
half, or wear
it over your
favourite little
black dress for a
bold party look
£32, 6-22,
Next
Transforms to
a silver stag
with a swipe of
the hand
£25, s-xl,
M&S
£29, 8-22,
M&Co
Editor loves
£30, 10-24,
Bonmarché
£16, s-xl,
George at Asda
£35, 6-24,
Next
Great
value buy
Christmas
party choice
£35, 8-18, Nine by
Savannah Miller at
Debenhams
Stockists: Bonmarché 0330 026 2728; Debenhams
0344 800 8877; Dorothy Perkins 0344 984 0261;
F&F at Tesco 0800 323 4050; George at Asda 0800
952 0101; M&Co 0333 202 0720; M&S 0333 014 8555;
Next 0333 777 8739; Tu at Sainsbury’s 0800 028 6658;
Wallis 0344 984 0266; White Stuff 0203 752 5360.
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee availability
and prices
YOURS
of items
n
featured
EVERY
on
FORTNIGHT
this page
37

star chat
David, left, with co-stars Tam
Ryan and Martine McCutcheon
&
happiness!
David Essex takes time out
to chat to Yours about a
very special Christmas role
By Alison James
As a father of five, aged from
four to 46 – and grandpa
to a similar number –
Christmas has always been
about family for the everpopular
David Essex.
“It’s really what it’s all about, isn’t
it?” he says. “Spending time with the
people you love. Christmas is important.
My main priority has always been my
family. This year, though, I’ll be missing
a lot of the build-up to Christmas as I’ll
only be home on Christmas Day and
Boxing Day, but those two days will
be very, very special.”
David will only be home then
because he’s starring in one of this
year’s most sensational Christmas
shows – a live, arena-size version of
the smash-hit film, Elf called ‘Elf – a
Christmas Spectacular.’ The Elf in
question is Buddy, a cheerful chappie
who, as a human baby in a children’s
home, was transported by the fairy folk
to the North Pole to live with the other
elves and Santa Claus.
Buddy thinks like an elf and dresses
like one, but at three times an elf’s
height, is clearly not one. Realising that
he’s different, Buddy decides to leave
the Arctic and head for New York in an
attempt to find his birth dad – a grumpy,
bah-humbug publisher of children’s
books named Walter Hobbs who is
played by David. Eventually, Buddy
manages to melt his Dad’s heart.
So, has David watched the film, in
which Walter is played by Hollywood
actor James Caan?
“Haven’t seen it,” he replies. “The
first thing I really knew about it
was when I read the script of our
production and I thought what a great
Christmas story it was. I felt it was the
essence of Christmas, really. When I
got the call about this I also thought it
would be nice for my family and my
grandchildren, so I said yes. It’s been
suggested that I watch the film now,
but I’m not going to do that – I don’t
want to be influenced by it.”
Another reason David (71) – who
married third wife Susan, the mother
of his youngest child Sonny, in 2010
– was keen to do Elf was down to the
production’s amazing special effects.
“They are incredible,” he enthuses.
“We have a giant sleigh which flies
across the arena, an indoor snow
blizzard, amazing CGI (computergenerated
imagery) effects, an
iceberg journey from the
North Pole and lots of
skating. It’s on a much
bigger scale than a
Christmas show in a
regular-sized theatre,
which is why we’re
able to have such
spectacular sets
and special
effects. But
it’s very
Christmassy,
and everyone
can come
and enjoy
the fun.”
PIC: rex shutterstock
n Elf – A Christmas Spectacular: Cardiff Motorpoint Arena (Dec 14-16), Birmingham Genting
Arena (Dec 20-24) & Nottingham Motorpoint Arena (Dec 28-30). Tickets: buddytheelf.co.uk
David was our
heartthrob back
in the Seventies
26
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT