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Zara and Mike’s fairy tale wedding

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Zara and Mike's fairy tale wedding

Our veteran royal reporter Judy Wade was there to share in the happy day.

Three months ago, as she was driven to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s grand royal wedding, Zara Phillips gazed in horror at the crowds and formal procession, and vowed, “I’m not having all this fuss!” And she got her wish on July 30, when she married England rugby captain Mike Tindall in a charming but very private ceremony in Edinburgh, a world away from the pomp and pageantry of her cousin’s nuptials.

In stark contrast to any other wedding in recent Windsor history, Zara, 30, and Mike, 32, invited only the immediate royal family. Most of the 400 guests were close friends from the worlds of rugby and horse-riding. Of course, Zara, the Queen’s eldest and rumoured favourite granddaughter, has always been a rebel royal, famously shocking her family with tongue and tummy piercings.

But as she arrived a stylish seven minutes late at Canongate Kirk on the arm of her proud father, Mark Phillips, the champion equestrienne looked every inch the traditional eye-mistingly gorgeous bride in her timeless ivory silk gown, designed by the Queen’s favourite couturier Stewart Parvin. In the simple, 45-minute Church of Scotland ceremony, Zara vowed, “I now take you, Michael, to be my husband. In the presence of God and before these witnesses, I promise to be a loving, faithful and loyal wife to you, so long as we both shall live.”

Then, with a skirl of the bagpipes, the newlyweds walked out into the Edinburgh sunshine and kissed in the doorway of the church, much to the delight of gathered royal fans, who also let out a loud cheer when Wills and Kate emerged from the church on their way to the reception. Held at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland, which had been turned into a temporary nightclub for the occasion, it was a chance for Zara and Mike to let down their hair among their nearest and dearest.

Read more of Judy Wade’s royal wedding experience in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale August 8, 2011.

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MasterChef Kate’s bombshell: I don’t want to be a chef

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MasterChef Kate's bombshell: I don't want to be a chef

Kitchen whiz Kate Bracks is ditching the bright lights to spend time with her kids and live her B&B dream.

Before setting foot in the MasterChef studio to compete in the show’s final episode, Kate Bracks knew she was already a winner, blessed with three beautiful children and a loving husband to cheer her on. And now the pressure test of the MasterChef finale is behind her, the modest mum from Orange is making the surprising admission that her dearest dream is to abandon a lucrative career in cooking and return to her former anonymous life in the peaceful valleys of central west New South Wales.

Despite the delicate dishes she spent hours slaving over, and the “techniques and skills” she acquired along the way, Kate says she doesn’t want to run a restaurant or star in her own show. She wants to run a sleepy B&B. “I have an underlying dream of owning a bed-and-breakfast,” Kate reveals. “I look at what [past winners] Adam Liaw and Julie Goodwin have done before me and I know plans change, so I’m open to whatever is coming, but still, deep down, is the desire to own a B&B.

That’s my gift, that’s my skill and that’s something I can make work with the family. The idea of a cookbook freaks me out.” Kate, 36, famously puts her family ahead of her industry ambitions, so her vision of a tiny hotel consisting of “small cottages set on land near Orange, amongst rolling hills, at the luxury end of things” is the perfect solution to the modern dilemma of juggling motherhood with the satisfaction of succeeding in business.

“I’m much more interested in people than food. I want people to come and stay with me and feel nurtured and pampered,” Kate smiles. “There would be options for food…of enjoying a meal at night around a communal table.”

Read more about Kate’s food dream in this week’s Woman’s Day, on sale August 8, 2011.

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Bondi vet Lisa: I couldn’t marry without my boys

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Bondi vet Lisa: I couldn't marry without my boys

With her two pooches beside her, Lisa Chimes marries her long-term boyfriend Brad Nissen.

There was no way Bondi Vet star Dr Lisa Chimes was walking down the aisle on her wedding day without her two biggest fans – her cavalier-cross-poodles Nelson and Lucas. So it’s a good job they were suitably dressed for Mum’s big day.

“The lady who altered my bridesmaids’ dresses also made up the boys’ suits,” says Lisa, 27, who married her boyfriend of 10 years, Brad Nissen, also 27, in Melbourne recently. “I know… I’m crazy, right? They had little tuxes – a white shirt and bowtie, and their charcoal bit of material that matches the groomsmen – and the florist, Katie Marx, made them corsages to wear. Just gorgeous!” Both Nelson and Lucas were clearly thrilled to be with Lisa on the biggest day of her life. With tails wagging, they sat patiently as she fitted them into their outfits.

“Nelson is an absolute angel – if I put anything on him he’s fine,” says Lisa, smiling at her docile six-year-old pet. “Lucas is a bit younger, he’s almost two, so he’s a bit more of a troublemaker. We did practice runs with the tuxes on and he spent the whole time chewing his little bowtie.” It’s rare to meet a bride so relaxed in the run-up to her wedding – and rarer still to meet one who was more concerned with what her dogs were wearing than with her own outfit.

“With my dress – and the designer won’t be too happy to hear about this – it was lying there on the bed a few days before the wedding and the dogs decided to lie on it!” a laid-back Lisa laughs, showing us her gorgeous grey Collette Dinnigan wedding frock. “But you know what? That’s OK… they’re just as important.”Brad was equally enthusiastic about the unusual groomsmen. “The dogs were always going to be a part of the wedding – it was never up for discussion,” Lisa laughs. “They’re our surrogate children, so there’s no way they were going to miss this.”

Read more about Dr Lisa’s perfect day in this week’s Woman’s Day, on sale August 8, 2011.

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Lara Bingle warned: Your new guy can’t be trusted!

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Lara Bingle warned: Your new guy can't be trusted!

Rugby star Danny Cipriani will break your heart, warn bitter ex-girlfriends.

Kissing and canoodling in clear blue waters and on pristine beaches, it looked like Lara Bingle and Danny Cipriani had found paradise. Not only were the lovebirds enjoying a romantic, hands-on holiday on the beautiful Tahitian island of Bora Bora, but it also appeared the Aussie model had finally met her match in this Melbourne Rebels rugby star with a big profile, big-money contract and boyish good looks to boot.

“I’m in a really good place,” says Lara herself. “With Danny, it’s just so easy – he gets me and my life, and I get his. It just feels right.” However, Danny’s ex-girlfriend has issued a chilling warning that this heavenly love affair could turn into hell for 24-year-old Lara, saying the British-born athlete is anything but an English gentleman.

LA cocktail waitress Jasmine Waltz found herself the subject of Danny’s affections at a Hollywood party last year. Within moments of meeting the 28-year-old brunette, he was showering her with over-the-top compliments, slurring, “I love you. You’re amazing. I want you to be my wife. Let’s get married.” They began dating but Danny, 23, never came through with a real marriage proposal… and in no time he was two-timing her with none other than Lindsay Lohan.

At an LA pool party, Danny introduced Jasmine to Lindsay, 25, as the love of his life. He told her, “Meet Jasmine. I am in love with her and we’re going to get married.” But that didn’t stop Lindsay sending him a text saying, “I want to see you. Come over.”

Read more about what Danny’s exes have to say about him in this week’s Woman’s Day, on sale August 8, 2011.

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Salma VS Linda: It’s war

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Salma VS Linda: It's war

Two of the world’s most beautiful women are at each other’s throats in a Hollywood love triangle turned nasty.

An Oscar-nominated movie star with an adorable young daughter and a billionaire husband, Salma Hayek thought she was living the dream. That is, until five weeks ago, when her marriage to fashion mogul Francois-Henri Pinault was turned upside down by the revelation he had fathered a love child with supermodel Linda Evangelista.

Friends say Salma, 44, was initially devastated by the news. But now that Linda, 46, has turned such a private matter into a public scandal by taking the Frenchman to court, demanding a staggering $46,000 a month in child support, the Mexican beauty is incandescent with rage.

A close friend tells Woman’s Day, “Salma is absolutely livid. The money Linda is asking for is absolutely crazy – it is clearly just Linda’s way of sticking the knife in because Francois-Henri chose Salma over her. Salma is so angry, she wants to scratch Linda’s eyes out!”

Linda claims she needs almost $600,000 a year to pay for 24-hour nannies, armed chauffeurs and other staff she and her four-year-old son Augustin cannot do without. If Linda, who’s worth more than $8 million, is successful, it will be one of the world’s most expensive child-support settlements – and Francois-Henri, who is worth an estimated $11.5 billion, is fighting the pay-out to the end.

Read more about Linda and Salma’s battle in this week’s Woman’s Day, on sale August 8, 2011.

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Parents fed up with breastfeeding baby doll

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Parents fed up with breastfeeding baby doll

A toy that allows children to simulate breastfeeding is causing controversy ahead of its US launch this week.

The Breast Milk Baby, manufactured by Spanish toy company Berjuan, was originally called Bebe Gloton which translates to “greedy baby.”

Aimed at little girls, the baby doll is programmed to make sucking sounds and motions when it is held up to flower-shaped sensor-spots, situated where nipples would be on the special bib its “mummy” wears while feeding. Once fed, the doll cries until it is burped.

Related: Baby beauty bloggers: Cute or creepy?

While the doll will share shelf space with babies that pee and poo and can be fed with a bottle, US parenting groups claim this doll is yet another product encouraging the early sexualisation of young girls.

US television personality Bill O’Reilly expressed outrage at the product, saying it was inappropriate for children, spurring criticism from several parenting forums who share his view.

The product’s website, which bears the tag line “healthy fun”, argues that little girls need to learn to breastfeed to “express their love and affection in the most natural way possible,” and “share in the wonder and magic of motherhood.”

Related: Should you tell your daughter she’s beautiful?

The manufacturer employs statistics on the benefits of breast feeding in its argument that The Breast Milk Baby will revolutionise America’s “attitudes to good infant health”, and even claims the Bible backs the breastfeeding doll, quoting supportive Psalms in a post entitled “God supports The Breast Milk Baby”.

The Breast Milk Baby will be unveiled at the Las Vegas Retail Merchandise trade show, where its demand will be truly tested.

Elizabeth Burke is The Weekly’s youngest writer. Click here to follow her on Twitter and here to follow The Weekly.

Your say: Would you buy your child a breastfeeding doll?

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Marc Anthony is begging Jennifer to take him back

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Marc Anthony is begging Jennifer to take him back

After just three weeks Jennifer Lopez has seemingly moved on from her marriage to Marc Anthony, saying she loved herself enough “to walk away”… but things don’t seem to be that easy for Marc.

Although the Latin singer joked about the couple’s split, a source says he is struggling to come to terms with the fact that his seven-year marriage is over, Us magazine reported.

“His mood shifts from blaming her to begging her to take him back to telling her she is destroying his life,” an unnamed source told the magazine.

“He’s being difficult on every little point. He wants to prolong things so she reconsiders.”

Jennifer on the other hand seems to be in a good place telling Vanity Fair magazine that she feels strong.

“I am positive — determined to move forward with my life, bring up my babies, and do the best job I can as a mother, entertainer, and person. I now look forward to new challenges. I feel strong,” she said.

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How to avoid overindulgence

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Feel energised with these simple tips

While we all like to indulge in life’s pleasures, it’s easy to overdo it. But, you don’t have to feel uncomfortable every time you eat your favourite foods, says accredited nutritionist and exercise physiologist Caitlin Reid. Here are here top tips for avoiding overindulgence.

Easy access to large amounts of food combined with a culture of socialising around food and alcohol makes it likely that we have all felt uncomfortable in our clothes at least once in our lives. Many of us are familiar with overindulging, whether it is for a special occasion or because we simply enjoy food. Here are some simple steps to avoid over eating

Eat slowly

Eating quickly makes overeating more likely, as it takes about 15-20 minutes for your body to register that you are full. Slowing down your eating will help to combat this, as well as allowing you to savour your foods.

Eat the foods you love

Developing a healthy relationship with food is the key to preventing overindulgence. Depriving yourself makes it more likely to overindulge when you do give yourself the chance to eat your favourite foods. However, this sets you up for a cycle of deprivation and overindulgence. Enjoy the foods you love all year round but do so in moderation.

Choose nutrient dense foods

Some foods are more nutrient dense than others, meaning they give you more nutrition per gram of food than others. While it’s important to include more nutrient dense foods at each meal, including them before a meal can help to reduce the amount you eat at mealtime. For example, starting your meal with a low-kJ soup or salad has been shown to reduce intake at the next meal by 20 percent and 12 percent respectively, as these foods fill up the stomach and keep you feeling fuller for longer.

Drink water before your meal

Drinking two glasses of water before your meals can help fill your stomach and reduce the amount of food you eat at the subsequent meal. In fact, research shows drinking 500ml of water before your meal can reduce kilojoule intake by 13 percent irrespective of age, weight or gender.

Be alcohol smart

Enjoy a drink but do so in moderation or you could find yourself with excessive amounts of kilojoules and partaking in activities you really wish you hadn’t. Swap regular wine and beer, for lower alcoholic or carbohydrate varieties.

While the lower alcoholic varieties are recommended over the low-carb varieties, both will offer you fewer kilojoules than their regular counterparts. Reduce consumption by putting your drink down in between sips and remain hydrated by alternating your alcoholic beverages with water. This will also help reduce the likelihood of intoxication.

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Struggling to conceive? It could be your liver

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Struggling to conceive? Your liver could be to blame

If you’re thinking about having a baby, it’s not just your reproductive health and your partner’s sperm quality you have to take into account — it’s the state of your liver too.

According to a study from the University of Milan, published in Cell Metabolism, oestrogen receptors in your liver are crucial for maintaining fertility.

Related: I had a baby at 50 – without IVF

The study demonstrated that the ability of these receptors to perform was dependent on the presence of dietary amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein.

Animal test subjects that were put on a restricted diet were found to have inadequate blood levels of the hormone IGF-1, which is needed for the growth of uterine lining and normal reproductive cycles.

When they were given more protein, their cycles normalised; dietary fat and carbohydrates, by way of comparison, did not seem to affect the liver’s oestrogen receptors or fertility.

While there is a considerable body of science linking the impact that individual dietary nutrients have on fertility — in particular, folic acid, vitamin E, and zinc — this is the first to show how a diet that is deficient in protein can also lead to problems when trying to conceive.

Related: Solving your infertility problems

Study leader Professor Adriana Maggi added that the findings may explain why anorexics are often infertile.

Keep your liver healthy by cutting back on saturated fat and avoiding alcohol, especially if planning a pregnancy.

Video: How to beat infertility

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Kate Middleton makes world’s best dressed list

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Kate Middleton Getty Images

Kate Middleton has received yet another prestigious title, now recognised by Vanity Fair as one of the best dressed women in the world.

The Duchess of Cambridge joined the magazine’s coveted International Best Dressed list following a succession of sartorial wins on her recent tour of North America with Prince William.

The judging panel praised Kate for her elegant and accessible style, listing her alongside high profile first ladies Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

“She’s captivated the world with her signature mix of high and low fashion,” Vanity Fair said of the Duchess.

In pictures: Royal recycler Kate Middleton strikes again

As one of the most scrutinised women in the world, Kate’s dress sense has been mostly well received by the press and public, with her effortless style and tendency to repeat outfits in particular earning rave reviews.

Vanity Fair first recognised Kate’s stylish dress sense in 2008, but this is the first time she has had the honour bestowed upon her as a royal.

Other royal women recognised making the best dressed list include fellow royal newcomer Princess Charlene of Monaco, and Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, the wife of Emir of Qatar.

British actresses Carey Mulligan and Tilda Swinton were also featured among the world’s best dressed women, while the men’s list boasted big names Colin Firth and Justin Timberlake.

In pictures: Prince Albert marries Charlene Wittstock

Though she didn’t quite make the cut as one of the best dressed, Lady Gaga’s innovative style earned her a mention as one of 2011’s fashion originals, most notably for the infamous “meat dress” she controversially wore to the MTV Awards last September.

Your say: What do you like most about Kate Middleton’s fashion sense?

Video: Zara Phillips talks about her royal wedding

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