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Sandra’s heartbreak — My baby dreams are over

Sandra’s heartbreak — My baby dreams are over

As yet more women tell of their affairs with her husband, friends say Sandra Bullock is also grappling with the sad realisation she’ll never have a baby of her own.

Only days before the bombshell news that Jesse James had cheated on her with tattooed stripper Michelle McGee, Sandra Bullock was deliriously happy.

She had just won the Best Actress Oscar for her starring role in The Blind Side and was madly in love with her husband, the very same man who looked on with tears in his eyes as she gave her heartfelt acceptance speech.

But the icing on the cake for Sandra was the belief that her dream of having a baby of her own could be a possibility. She already loved Jesse’s three children from his two prior marriages — Chandler, 15, Jesse Jr., 12, and Sunny, 6 — as if they were her own (see box, over page) and wanted to add to her family.

Today, as Sandra hides from the world, the 45-year-old actress is said to be mourning more than the devastating betrayal and impending end to her marriage.

Only last year, she declared, “I met Jesse and I went, ‘Wow!’ There’s a feeling of wanting to procreate because I love someone, and I see him to be a good father.”

Those words have come back to haunt her. Until the affair news dropped, she was still trying to have a baby by the man who had been repeatedly cheating on her.

Sandra was “trying to get pregnant right up until she discovered Jesse had been unfaithful,” a friend has revealed, adding that the actress suffered two painful miscarriages during her five-year-marriage to Jesse.

“Having a baby with the man she loved so much was the most important thing in the world to Sandra,” the friend says. “And for him to take that dream away is just the ultimate betrayal, maybe even worse than the cheating.”

Another friend described Sandra’s pain as “as bad as when her mother died” in 2000 and that unlucky-in-love Sandra only dared to dream of a child of her own since meeting Jesse and, soon after, falling pregnant.

Just months after their July 2005 wedding, the friend claims Sandra conceived, but she lost the baby soon afterwards. Then in mid-2008, she suffered another devastating miscarriage.

“Sandra wanted to be a mum so badly. When she miscarried, Jesse wasn’t as supportive as she would have liked. He’d say, ‘Oh well, it wasn’t meant to be,’ which she thought was insensitive. Although she was heartbroken, she stayed brave and kept trying.”

Read the full story in this week’s Woman’s Day, on sale March 29, 2010.

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2010 Gold Logie nominees!

After playing Alf on Aussie soap Home and Away for 22 years, Ray Meagher has finally been nominated for a Gold Logie!

He is one of the longest continuing performers on the show and has played the character since the first episode in 1988.

The other Gold Logie nominees are Rove McManus, Home and Away‘s Esther Anderson, Packed to the RaftersRebecca Gibney, Spick and SpecksAdam Hills, The Gruen Transfer‘s Wil Andersen, Good News Week‘s Paul McDermott and Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation‘s Shaun Micallef.

This year it seems the comedians are winning the television popularity contest, with five of the eight nominees having comedy backgrounds.

Four of this year’s nominnees for the gold Logie

Gold Logie nominees Rebecca Gibney and Esther Anderson

Ray Meagher cuts the 21st anniversary cake for Home and Away!

Past gold Logie winners Rove McManus and Rebecca Gibney

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Debra Byrne — Supergran!

Debra Byrne — Supergran!

The singer, now a full-time carer for her two grandsons, tells Glen Williams why grandparents are Australia’s unsung heroes.

The look on Deb Byrne’s face says it all. Drinking in baby Alice, her cute eight-month-old granddaughter, the singer’s joy spills over. And little Alice, sensing her proud grandma’s love, instantly breaks into a heart-melting grin.

To see her, all plump and smiling, it’s hard to imagine the little girl had a rough start to life. At five weeks of age she wasn’t putting on any weight and was failing to thrive. Her worried parents, Deb’s eldest daughter Arja and son-in-law Ashley, were at their wits’ end. Thankfully the medical team at Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, were quick to diagnose a hormone problem and treat her, and now Deb can’t stop singing their praises.

“That hospital is amazing, and I’m so in love with Alice,” says Deb. “Every time I look at her, she stirs so many memories. She’s exactly like Arja was, yet this little bundle is a lot more full-on than Arja ever knew how to be. She’s very feisty.

“To think she was so frail and sick. But she’s a fighter, and that’s what pulled her through. I said to Arja, ‘It’s good she has that feisty spirit because she’ll need it to come amongst these kids and hold her own.’ But she will hold her own. She’ll give them a run for their money.”

Deb is referring to her lively grandsons, Oliver, 5, and Aaron, 3, two boisterous blond handfuls she is raising single-handedly. She has full custody of the boys, who are the children of her second daughter, Lauren.

Lauren is intellectually impaired and her partner has disabilities, and they weren’t able to consistently look after the boys.

Now Deb, like many grandparents today, is the full-time carer of her two grandsons, and she wants to see all grandparents in similar situations get a fairer go.

“There are so many grandparents who do what I do. You would be shocked by the number who take on this challenging role,” she says. “It’s not easy, and we’re not supported or appreciated by our government bodies. The amount of backwards and forwards to Centrelink, the paperwork, the confusion and not knowing your rights, is endless. It all gets in the way of the job you are doing.”

Deb is hoping to rally carer grandparents together so they can present a united voice in their efforts to get more government assistance.

Read the full story in this week’s Woman’s Day, on sale March 29, 2010.

Debra Byrne, dressed by Excessories

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Women complain more than men about their health

Many women already know the men in their lives will hold off reporting ill health to a doctor until symptoms meet crisis point. But new research from the UK has found that while women are more likely to report illness, they’re less likely to die from their reported bad health. It’s better to be safe than sorry, we say!

The UK’s Office for National Statistics tracked how 750,000 people from the 2001 Census rated their own health between 2001 and 2006, the UK’s Daily Mail reported.

“Women were more likely than men to report that they were in ‘not good’ or ‘fairly good’ health, but they were less likely to die during the follow-up period,” the Office for National Statistics said.

Interestingly, the data also showed that those who were divorced or separated or had never been married were both more likely to complain of ill health and more likely to die in the following five years.

Other factors that the study found to be precursors to ill health included living in public housing, having no educational qualifications, being unemployed and not owning a car, the Daily Mail reported.

Residents of Scotland were found to be the least likely UK citizens to be accused of being hypochondriacs because their complaints about ill health were in fact backed up by the reality that they were statistically more likely to die within five years of reporting their illness.

In related news, last week scientists from University of Cambridge announced that “man flu” may be an actual condition caused by the differences between men and women’s immune systems.

Researchers claimed that men’s immune systems are generally weaker thanks to an evolutionary development which favoured women, giving them stronger immunity from illness because of their childbearing role.

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Married people twice as likely to become fat

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The old cliché that people “let themselves go” after getting married has been given some scientific backing by researchers in Greece.

Married couples were found to be twice as likely to become fat or obese as their single counterparts, according to a new study.

Scientists from Salonica and Ioannina universities found that married women were twice as likely to have weight issues while married men were three times as likely to become fat, the UK’s Daily Telegraph

Gallery: Celebs’ weight-loss journeys

Survey: Marriage better for men’s health than quitting smoking

The study of more than 17,000 couples aged 20 to 70 found that married couples exercised less, had less sex and had worse diets but were more “comfortable” with their lives.

Married couples apparently spend more time eating together, watching TV and ordering takeaways and were therefore more likely to suffer from “abdominal obesity, or belly fat” than single people, who exercised more to stay in better shape in order to find a partner.

Professor Dimitris Kiortsis, one of the study’s co-authors who presented their research to the Panhellenic Medical Conference last week, said that the weight problems were directly related to changes in lifestyle after marriage when people “let themselves go”.

“The need to hunt for a partner is reduced,” he said.

“Stress and anxiety is reduced in a good marriage, there is less smoking, and therefore one’s appetite increases.”

The study recommended that married couples exercise more, snack less and follow more of a Mediterranean diet, which includes fruit, vegetables and olive oil.

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“If one of the partners decides to go on a diet, then the other partner also often follows,” said Professor Dimitris Papazoglou, the other co-author.

“Obesity is the biggest threat to public health in the entire world”, he said.

The 2004-05 Australian National Health Survey found that 40.5 percent of adult men and 24.9 percent of women were overweight. Overall, 16.4 percent of adults were reported as obese.

Obesity is measured using the body mass index (BMI). BMI is a weight-to-height ratio, which is considered to be a reasonable measure of body fat to height of most people. It is calculated by dividing body weight in kilograms by the square of height in metres. A BMI greater than 25 is classed as overweight while one greater than 30 is considered obese.

BMI tool: Calculate your body mass index

Your say: Do you think that people do let themselves go when they get married? Share your thoughts below.

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Get the look: LMFF Runway 1 & 2

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The hair and make-up looks on the LMFF runways were breathtaking. Take a look at how you can create them for yourself at home (with a little bit of practice)

Runway 1

The look: A classic look, flawless skin with a strong red lip vamped up with a wash of bronze lipgloss. A soft golden eye with the longest of lashes balances this look perfectly.

We love it: This look attracts attention and screams ‘look at my lips’. A statement lip, such as this, will see you through autumn into the winter.

Get the look with L’Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Professional High Definition Lipliner in Red (051) and then fill in with L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Anti-Age Serum in Luminous Scarlet (501) & L’Oréal Paris Glam Shine 6H Bronze in Timeless Ruby (502).

Runway 2

The look: This look makes a statement with a bold and striking eye emphasising the shape of the eye with a strong sweep of black eyeliner. The focus stays on the eyes by keeping the lips soft.

We love it: with the hype surrounding Alice in Wonderland, the sensationally dreamy Tim Burton creation has filtered into the everyday. While this look might not be seen off the catwalk, for the show it took us to a place filled with magic and mystery.

Get the look: Winged eyeliner is making a comeback, jump on the bandwagon with L’Oréal Paris Telescopic Liquid Eyeliner in Black, L’Oréal Paris Color Appeal Trio Pro eyeshadow in Night & Day Black (408) and L’Oréal Paris Telescopic Carbon Black Mascara in Carbon Black.

See the best looks from LMFF

Your say: What is your favourite make-up look for autumn/winter? How do you like to wear your hair? Share with us below.

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Lots of lettuce

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Lettuce is one of the world’s most popular vegetables and is commonly used in salads. There are thousands of different types of lettuce available.

Some of the more common lettuce varieties include:

  • Butter: a soft leaf lettuce that has a bright green head and a mild flavour.

  • Cos: this is a crisp pale green lettuce with elongated leaves.

  • Iceberg: also known as common lettuce. This lettuce has coarse crisp leaves and a tight head.

  • Mignonette: has a curly, small soft leaf with red edges. The leaves at the centre of this lettuce are pale green, but still tinged with the darker colour.

  • Radicchio: has a bitter flavour and comes in different colours and shapes, some varieties are dark red or can be streaked with dark red.

  • Oakleaf: a light green or reddish loose-leafed lettuce and the leaf is shaped like an oak leaf.

  • Mesclun: this is a mix of leaves, providing a variety of lettuce leaves, as well as leaves such as rocket, chervil, and mustard.

Nutritionally speaking, the darker the lettuce leaves, the higher its content of carotenoids. Carotenoids including beta carotene, are converted by the body into vitamin A. The body requires vitamin A for growth and development, good vision, immunity and tissue repair. Lettuce also provides a source of vitamin C, dietary fibre and folate.

Choose lettuce that has bright, crisp leaves and does not look wilted. Lettuce that has wilted will have lost some of its nutrients. Store lettuce in a sealed container or plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Your say: We’ve named a few varieties here but there are many more, what’s your favourite type of lettuce?

This information is provided by the Sanitarium Nutrition Service.

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Brad tells all about his beard

Bard Pitt

Rumours have been circulating for months about why Brad Pitt has been sporting a grey over-grown beard and now the actor has finally revealed why.

According to a UK newspaper, the sexy star is growing the beard simply because he is bored.

“It’s boredom. No other reason than that,” Brad told the Sun when he was in London on Monday to promote an action-comedy, Kick-Ass, which he helped produce.

At one point over the last few months the 46-year-old’s beard was beaded in a Pirates of the Caribbean style, which prompted rumours his buccaneer-style facial hair was in preparation for a new role.

The star of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has been wearing the beard since November last year as part of his Halloween costume. He had dressed up as DJ Lance Rock from the children’s TV show Yo Gabba Gabba!

After the Kick-Ass afterparty, Brad returned to partner Angelina Jolie and his six children in Venice where Ange is shooting her new movie The Tourist with Johnny Depp.

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Michelle Obama: In love with a President

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When up-and-coming lawyer Barack Obama met Michelle Robinson, he was blown away. She, on the other hand, resisted his offer of a date, but he never gave up trying to win her over. Here, CHRISTOPHER ANDERSEN reveals the intimate details of how the future US president wooed his First Lady and why she fell under his spell.

Barack Obama?” Michelle asked, one hand planted firmly on her hip. “What the hell kind of name is Barack Obama, anyway? Who names their kid Barack Obama?” It wasn’t the first time she had listened to a colleague at [law firm] Sidley Austin rave about the gifted, handsome, suavely urbane Harvard first-year law student who was coming to work there as a summer associate.

In pictures: Glamorous first ladies

In pictures: Obama — History in the making

Newton Minow, a senior partner at Sidley Austin, had been instrumental in spreading word of Barack’s imminent arrival, going so far as to praise his letter of introduction to the firm as poetic. Soon the firm’s rank and file were buzzing about his towering intellect, his exotic background and his equally exotic good looks.

In a less than subtle manoeuvre to bring together two of the relative handful of black lawyers in the 500-lawyer Chicago office, Michelle was assigned to be the new arrival’s mentor. She was not amused. She had already pledged to her mother just a week earlier that she was “not worrying about dating. I’m focusing on me”. Besides, Michelle insisted, she really didn’t have time “to babysit some guy”. As for the breathless comments from her co-workers, Michelle reacted with characteristic scepticism. “I figured,” she later said, “they were just impressed with any black man who has a suit and a job.”

After all, it wasn’t as if Michelle hadn’t been down this road before. Barack, she said, “sounded too good to be true. I had dated a lot of brothers who had this kind of reputation coming in, so I figured he was one of those smooth brothers who could talk straight and impress people.”

Before he arrived, Michelle pulled out Barack’s bio. “I”ve got nothing in common with this guy,” she thought as she read it. “He grew up in Hawaii! I’ve never even met somebody who grew up in Hawaii. He’s biracial. Okay, so what’s that about? Hmmm. This guy’s going to be a little strange, a little weird, a little off-putting.” She had managed to create in her mind “an image of this intellectual nerd”.

Extracted from Barack and Michelle: The Love Story by Christopher Andersen, rrp $35.

Read the rest of this extract in the April issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly out now with The Obama’s on the cover.

Your say: What do you think of Michelle Obama? Share your opinions below…

For health, beauty, celeb gossip and more, visit:

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Painted ladies

Photography by Grant Matthews. Styling by Amanda Moore.

Tara Moss and Clare Hampshire. Photography by Grant Matthews. Styling by Amanda Moore.

Once the sure sign of a wayward life, tattoos are now appearing on people from all walks of life. Ingrid Pyne discovers what inspired these women’s body art.

Gone are the days when tattoos were the preserve of sailors and soldiers, prisoners and prostitutes, or dockers and drug addicts. Body art has hit the mainstream. Celebrities from Angelina Jolie to Victoria Beckham and Australia’s Ruby Rose are the best-known of today’s tattooed women – and ordinary women of all ages are rushing to get inked. British acting great Helen Mirren even complains that a tiny tattoo on her thumb makes her feel conventional. “I decided to get a tattoo because it was the most shocking thing I could think of doing,” she says. “Now, I’m utterly disgusted because it’s completely mainstream, which is unacceptable to me.”

Tara Moss, 36, AUTHOR

I got my first tattoo – a black, three-clawed dragon – on my hip in 2004, after a long wait. I had loved tattoos on other people for so long that I’d literally started to feel “untattooed”. Since then, I’ve added a writing quill to my left arm and recently had amor eterno [eternal love] tattooed on the back of my neck, as a wedding present from my husband. My tattoos represent significant times and sentiments in my life.

I have never regretted my body art, so I’m not sure why Julia Gillard – whom I respect – felt compelled to comment on women and their tattoos. I don’t believe that women are likely to regret their tattoos more or less than men, or more or less than other decisions they make.

My tattoos are very much a part of me and I would feel naked without them. They are the art I carry with me everywhere I go.

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Clare Hampshire, 26, TATTOO ARTIST

Ever since I was 14, I knew I wanted to be tattooed. I had always been into alternative culture and body art was part of that. I got my first tattoo just after I turned 18. Some of my designs have personal meaning – I have tattoos for my parents, my grandparents, my fiancé and my dog. I also have a random assortment of images for no other reason than they make me happy.

Sometimes, my tattoos attract disapproving stares, like when I go to nice restaurants or hotels, but that doesn’t bother me. Tattoos will always draw a strong reaction and if you’re not prepared for this, you shouldn’t get inked. My parents were pretty unhappy when I got my first tattoos, but they’ve gotten used to them. They realise this is who I am, that I’m still the same person I always was.

Your say: Do you have a tattoo? What is the meaning behind it? Do you think people will regret getting body art when they get older? Share your opinions below…

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