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Kerri-Anne’s slimming secrets

The TV queen’s fabulous figure is partly thanks to a broken down telly, she tells Lucy Chesterton.

After years of waking up every morning to Kerri-Anne Kennerley’s reliable smile and enviable hourglass figure, it’s easy for Aussies to forget the queen of the small screen faces the same struggle to stay slim as the rest of us.

“When it comes to healthy eating I’m either very good or very bad,” Kerri-Anne admits, summing up the problem of women everywhere.

“I have such an erratic, busy lifestyle, and my self-discipline occasionally leaves a little bit to be desired, and I can be a little lazy,” says the woman who appears in our homes at 9am five days a week, looking anything but undisciplined.

“I only drink water if it’s in the form of ice in a vodka tonic, and I love fruit as long as it’s fermented grapes in a glass of good white wine!

“Well, perhaps that is an exaggeration. I enjoy a drink, but of course, when working, you have to make sure your alcohol intake is moderate.”

But after a lifetime of experimenting, Kerri-Anne says she’s finally hit on the perfect keep-trim tip.

“Lately I have found the best thing to help me survive is a high-quality vitamin supplement called Tebonin, which is a high-grade ginkgo biloba,” she says. “It helps promote blood circulation, which equals more energy.”

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The Biggest Loser’s Michelle Bridges: My secret weapon

TV’s popular trainer, super-fit Michelle Bridges, tells Clare Rigden that she owes her fabulous body to the support she gets from her cheer squad of one.

It’s good to know that personal trainers are no different to the rest of us when it comes to dragging themselves out of a nice warm bed for some early morning exercise.

“I get a lot of people coming up to me and saying, ‘It’s all right for you, you love exercising’,” saysThe Biggest Loser’s Michelle Bridges. “But you know what? It’s hard for everybody.

“Yes, I do love the feeling it gives me, but getting up at 5am on a cold winter’s morning isn’t exactly what I’d call a barrel of laughs! It’s as hard for me as it is for anyone else,” admits the 37-year-old trainer known for her rock-hard abs and dedication to the gym.

Michelle’s down-to-earth attitude has made her a hit with clients and TV viewers alike. But it’s how she maintains her healthy lifestyle – no matter how early she has to get up – that’s truly impressive.

“Those cold mornings are the time I go into what I call ‘robot mode’,” she explains. “Get up, shoes on, out the door – you need to be a robot like that to stop those negative ‘I’ll do it later’ thoughts. You can’t let them start getting into your head, because if they do, you’re gone. You may as well hit the snooze button and roll over.”

Her discipline is impressive, but Michelle reveals she has a secret weapon – her husband of almost six years, Bill Moore.

“He brings me a cup of tea every morning, even if we’re on holidays. That’s my ‘wake-up’ tea,” Michelle says. “Often he’s the one saying, ‘Come on, Michie, get out of bed’ and spurring me on.”

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Former Wiggle’s baby joy: I love my new life

Yellow Wiggle Greg Page is singing with joy over his gorgeous baby girl and new band, writes Jacqui Lang.

The clothes are not as familiar, nor the tunes, but there is no mistaking that voice. After three long years, the former Yellow Wiggle, Greg Page, is back where he belongs – in the studio making music.

And his new country rock band already has at least one adoring new fan – a beautiful baby girl. Greg and his partner, Vanessa Miller, welcomed little Lara Brooke Miller Page to the world this month. Weighing 3.5kg, Lara is a picture of health, and Greg couldn’t be prouder.

“I’m thrilled,” he says. “It’s a wonderful time for Vanessa and me, welcoming a new member to our family.” Lara has struck a chord with the entire family, with Greg’s children, Blaine, 19, and Madison, 12, as well as Vanessa’s two, Hayden, 7, and Claudia, 5, all doting on their new sister.

And Greg is determined not to let his new project interfere with his time with Lara. “I’ve spoken with Vanessa about getting the [touring] formula right. It’s not ever going to be how it was with The Wiggles,” he says, shaking his head. “I put in the hard yards then, during my 16 years with the group, and now it’s time to enjoy my life with Vanessa and the kids.”

Of course, the tireless entertainer promises he will still spend some time on the road. “I’m really excited,” says the 37-year-old of touring. “I love being on stage, and being a part of creating music. I missed that for such a long time.”

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La Toya Jackson: Michael would forgive them

The grieving sister of superstar Michael Jackson reveals to Dylan Howard the family’s hurt at the Hey Hey blackface skit – and their fears about the upcoming documentary on Jacko’s life.

Still grieving after the sudden loss of her megastar brother, La Toya Jackson escaped to the United Kingdom earlier this month for a much needed break, almost four months after the King of Pop died. But when she returned to her Beverly Hills mansion and turned on the TV for the first time, La Toya never expected to be confronted with the send-up that shocked the world: the “Jackson Jive” performance on Hey Hey It’s Saturday.

“The last thing I expected was to turn on to CNN and find a blackface skit about my brothers from Australia,” La Toya tells Woman’s Day.

“It sent memories of Michael flooding back.

“My first reaction was that it was not sensitive to circumstances surrounding the death of my brother. It was insulting, to be honest, and deep down, that is what all my brothers thought about it.”

Diminutive La Toya, who bears a striking resemblance to her more famous sibling, was one of Michael’s closest confidants in his final years.

Now, in her first one-on-one magazine interview since the singer’s death, La Toya is speaking out about the global outrage sparked by the parody, and Harry Connick Jr’s impassioned race lecture to a live TV audience.

“I want to thank Harry Connick Jr for defending America, Michael and my brothers,” she says. “I don’t think the performers realised what they were doing. How could someone do that, considering what has happened, and think it would create laughter?”

While La Toya, 53, has taken aim at the six Sydney doctors who painted their faces – and “who should have known better” – she has leapt to the defence of a besieged Australia.

Responding to the world condemnation of our country as a “racist backwater”, La Toya declares it a “gross overreaction” and believes Michael would have forgiven those involved.

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Katie’s Scientology snub – Suri goes to Catholic school

Strict Scientologist Tom Cruise once vowed that his daughter, Suri, would never be raised a Catholic, but it seems his increasingly assertive wife, Katie Holmes, may be getting the last word on their daughter’s religious upbringing.

In a move that has stunned Hollywood, Catholic-raised Katie, who has not been seen at a Scientology centre for more than five months, has reportedly booked their daughter into a church-run preschool.

While Tom once said, “You can be Catholic and be a Scientologist, but we’re just Scientologists,” it seems that Katie now has other ideas, with their three-year-old set to attend the Catholic Charities Yawkey Center For Early Education And Learning while Tom films a new movie in Boston.

“Katie has been listening to her parents, who are devout Catholics,” a source told Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper. “She is not convinced by Scientology and has told Tom she wants Suri to be educated as a Catholic – as she was.

“They had been having huge problems agreeing on her school. To say they were having arguments is putting it mildly – but Tom came around to the idea in the end.”

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The return of the sizzling 3 mobile Men of Cricket calendar!

3 mobile, sponsor of the Australian Test Cricket Team, has created the second installment of 3 mobile Men of Cricket – a calendar in aid of the McGrath Foundation.

This limited edition calendar supported by Cricket Australia features stylish, sexy photographs of Australian players Nathan Bracken, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Shaun Tait and Shane Watson to name but a few!

To give you a sneak preview of what to expect, press play on the video player above, plus here’s some shots of the players taken behind-the-scenes on the photo shoot:

The calendar priced at $29.95 will be available from 19th October at 3 mobile stores, online via 3’s dedicated website www.three.com.au/menofcricket and at 3 mobile Test Series matches.

All proceeds go to the McGrath Foundation, so it’s a fun and enduring way to show your support for a very worthy cause. It’s also a great gift for Christmas!

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Broke Fergie’s very unhappy birthday

The Duchess of York had it all planned out: A bash fit for royalty, with hundreds of close friends celebrating in her honour.

But due to yet another personal financial crisis, Sarah Ferguson has had to cancel the party marking her 50th birthday.

The former princess recalled her guest list of over 300 royals, friends and hangers on at the last minute, as the reality of the party bill set in.

It is not the first time the woman once cruelly called the ‘Duchess of Pork’ has struggled to control her cash. After her divorce was finalised in 1996, Fergie’s blossoming weight coincided with the news she had accrued debts of over $8 million to Coutts, the Royal Bank.

To pay them off she agreed to a number of media roles, including a stint as a spokesperson for Weight Watchers, children’s writer and even a guest role on the 1990s sitcom ‘Friends’.

A spokesperson for the Duchess played down rumours of financial strife, denying Sarah had serious financial problems.

“She has faced some challenges and difficult times with one side of her business, Hartmoor,” the source said. “She’s resilient, will work through the situation and bounce back from this.”

But recent reports reveal the New York-based company set up to manage Fergie’s media career is expected to close with over $1.1 million in debts.

Fergie will now spend her half-century birthday with a relatively modest dinner at a local restaurant, with just her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and a few close associates in attendance.

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To fix or not to fix?

Deciding on what to do when it comes to your interest rate.
house and padlock, Getty Images

WITH variable rates recently at 50-year lows and now starting to move upwards (beginning with a 0.25 per cent increase last week), the question many people are now asking is “should I fix my interest rate?”

As three-year fixed rates are already at an average of around 7 per cent and the discounted variable rates are around 5.3 per cent there is currently a valid argument that it’s now too late to fix. However this argument assumes you are using fixed rates to try and out-guess the market to get the cheapest rates, as opposed to a risk-management strategy.

The argument is that banks, which employ teams of economists and are supposed to know more than the average person, have already factored in what will happen with rates in the future. Meaning, that fixed rates already reflect the likely increase you will pay in the next few years.

What is often overlooked is the affordability of your loan should rates start to go much higher than anticipated. So for example, if your loan is $450,000 over a 30-year term and the rates went from 5.3 per cent to, say, 9 per cent (as they were only 12 months ago), the difference in principal and interest repayments would go from $2498 per month to a whopping $3620 per month.

It’s quite clear that when considering whether to fix, hedging for the cheapest rate must not be the sole consideration. You must factor in the maximum monthly repayment threshold that you can afford.

Of course, banks carry out affordability checks at the time of your loan application, however they generally use a buffer of around 1.5 per cent over the current variable rate. Because variable rates are currently so low, it is especially important to be aware of how high a rate you could tolerate before you would need to fix.

Rate calculators are freely available on sites such as www.mfaa.com.au. If you can afford a very high rate if rates went crazy, then you can afford the strategy of out-guessing the market described above, and for those who can afford the risk, it is fine to do. However if you can’t then you need to watch rates very carefully. A free interest rate comparison service is available at www.infochoice.com.au.

A common risk strategy is to “split” your loan, part-fixed and part-variable. Ask your broker to discuss these concepts for you. Either way it’s good practice to understand the risks you are taking, especially if you are a recent first home owner and not yet used to the impact of higher rates.

Read more from Virginia at www.modelmortgages.com.au

Your say: What do you think, should you fix your loan? Do you have any tips? Email us on [email protected]

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Go fish, fight cancer

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Getty Images

Good news for guys, just in! Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids — such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines — has been strongly linked to a decreased risk of developing prostate cancer.

The Harvard School of Public Health study, published in Clinical Cancer Research in the United States, examined the dietary habits of nearly 1000 men.

Those who ate five servings of fatty fish per week slashed their risk of developing prostate cancer by a staggering 63 percent. What is even more encouraging is that the finding was most noticeable among men who had a family history of the disease, which put them at greater risk to begin with.

Your say: Do you or your partner eat fish regularly? What are your favourite seafood recipes? Share with us below…

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Stop work, drop dead!

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Getty Images

New research from the US has found that people who retire and stop working altogether are less healthy than their part-time working counterparts.

University of Maryland researchers found that serious diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease were less prevalent in those who were still carrying out some kind of employment. Those workers also were healthier mentally and performed better day-to-day than those who gave up work altogether.

Twelve-thousand people aged between 51 and 61 were interviewed over a six-year period about finance, health, employment history and retirement.

The findings suggested that a form of “bridge employment”, part-time, self-employment or casual work, by older people in the same field as their pre-retirement career could improve mental health compared with retirees who stopped working all together.

However, those who took up work in an unrelated field to their previous career did not experience the improvement in their mental health. Researchers say this could be because taking a job in a different field could lead to stress caused by the new environment.

The study backed up the adage that people who gave up full-time work could die soon afterwards.

It also found that pensioners struggling with finance were more likely to take up work in a field unrelated to their previous career.

“Given the economic recession, we will probably see more people considering post-retirement employment,” study co-author Dr Mo Wang, told the Daily Telegraph.

This, according to the authors, would be a good thing for all concerned. The findings are reported in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association.

**Your say: When you retire, will you stop working altogether? What kind of work do you think would be good for retirees? Do you think this study will help older people when making decisions about retiring?

**

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