16 Feb, 2026 | Admin | No Comments
I’ve lived with chronic pain for 30 years – sometimes even brushing my hair hurts too much
Gillian was just a teenager when she started to suffer with chronic pain (Picture: Supplied) Gillian Best was getting ready to head off to university when she was suddenly overwhelmed by searing, stabbing pains in her bones. It was unlike any pain she’d experienced before. Until that moment, the teenager had been looking forward to […]
15 Feb, 2026 | Admin | No Comments
‘I donated my kidney to save a stranger – I’ve had worse hangovers’
In the last 20 years around 1000 people have donated their kidneys to strangers – Jamie is one of them (Picture: Supplied) Jamie Bonning was trimming a hedge in London eight years ago when he heard a radio phone-in about the traumatic and life-threatening effects of people living on kidney dialysis. He learned that for […]
13 Feb, 2026 | Admin | No Comments
The discreet device that’s ‘saving’ relationships — and it’s not a sex toy
Staying connected is important for couples (Picture: Getty Images) ‘The most exciting innovation in couples’ connection and intimacy. Small, but oh so powerful… The moment you turn it on, you’ll feel closer than ever.’ These words are describing a sleek, discreet device, but perhaps not the one you might expect. It’s taken from a new […]
12 Feb, 2026 | Admin | No Comments
I thought I was resistant to Mounjaro — but I had a rare 12kg tumour
Becki thought she was just overeating, but that wasn’t the case at all (Picture: Becki Ward/SWNS) Becki Ward had never felt comfortable with her weight so, like 1.6 million other adults in the UK, she began taking Mounjaro in October 2024. ‘At first it was working well, and supressing my appetite, but then I realised […]
12 Feb, 2026 | Admin | No Comments
Early bowel cancer symptoms all young people should look out for, as James Van Der Beek dies aged 48
Learn these key symptoms to make sure you recognise early signs (Picture: Getty Images) Beloved actor James Van Der Beek, died this week aged 48, following a two-year battle with bowel cancer. The father-of-six was first diagnosed with the condition — also known as colorectal cancer — in the latter half of 2023, having noticed […]
I honestly had no idea they were dangerous (Picture: Katie McVeigh) ‘But I don’t even use sunbeds that often!’ I told the nurse. I’d just been diagnosed with Stage 3 Melanoma – an aggressive type of skin cancer – and told my love of tanning was to blame. It was a huge shock. I honestly […]
11 Feb, 2026 | Admin | No Comments
The sign that made me realise at 21 that I had to put mum into a care home
Jenny’s mum was told the first signs of her dementia were ‘menopausal brain fog’ (Picture: Supplied) It was the shoes in the salad that indicated something was going seriously wrong for Laura Starkie. The mum of two in her 50s had been struggling with her memory, so she saw her GP who told her she […]
10 Feb, 2026 | Admin | No Comments
I told work I’d been sick – I was terrified they’d learn the truth
My younger brother (left) was dead (Picture: Sam Meekings) I was startled awake by my phone ringing in the middle of the night. At first, my groggy brain mistook it for my alarm – but it was my mum. ‘It’s Luke,’ she said – and instantly, I knew something terrible had happened. My younger brother was […]
I dwell on every single little interaction (Picture: Sybilla Hart) Driving around the winding roads near my home in East Anglia recently, I was startled when I was beeped by a fellow driver. Presumably I’d annoyed them in some way. While this is the kind of routine occurrence that most people can shrug off, as […]
8 Feb, 2026 | Admin | No Comments
‘I felt so low, I would silently hope someone would crash into my car’
For a long while, Elle gave the impression she was coping but the reality was she battling suicidal thoughts (Picture: Getty Images) From the outside, Elle Ward looked like the life and soul of the party; funny, outgoing and confident. But inside, she was crumbling. ‘I could be in the middle of a conversation, looking […]