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Foxy lady: Magda Szubanski

Magda Szubanski has done it – the much-loved actress has hit her goal weight of 85 kilos, losing an amazing 36 kilos in the process. Now, as she tells Wendy Squires, not only is she the happiest and most energetic she has ever been, she is also feeling downright foxy.

Magda Szubanski is so excited, she can barely contain herself. ‘Oh. My. God! You have got to see this,” she insists before skipping over to a rack laden with clothes for The Weekly’s photo shoot. “Here it is! Isn’t it just beautiful?” she asks, stroking and hugging a Carla Zampatti silk trench coat. “Wait until you see it on me,” she continues, slipping on the garment, then spinning around, model-like, to catch the view from the back in a full-length mirror.

“You know, I suddenly feel like I’m in Sex and the City,” she says, beaming. “It’s not like I haven’t always liked clothes, there just weren’t any I could fit into, so I resisted and put fashion down as superficial and tended to mistrust it.

“Now, I can see that vanity can be your friend. Used in the right way, it’s a great motivator. It’s fun and, well, I think having things of beauty is good for the soul …”

Although she may sound like every other fashion lover justifying yet another purchase, Magda has every reason to treat herself to a new coat – an entire new wardrobe, in fact. In less than a year, the star of Kath & Kim has lost a whopping 36 kilos. She lost 10 kilos performing in Guys and Dolls, before joining Jenny Craig. Since then, she has lost a further 26 kilos to reach her goal weight of 85 kilos, dropping from a size 26 to a 14, and winding up, for the first time in a long time, “feeling fit and foxy”

To read more about Magda’s journey, see the August issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly, out now.

Your Say: How does Magda inspire you? Tell us below…

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Kindred spirits: Rachel Ward & Bryan Brown

Photography by Tim Bauer

Photography by Tim Bauer

They met and fell in love on the set of The Thorn Birds. Today, more than 25 years later, Rachel Ward and Bryan Brown tell Susan Chenery why they were made for each other and why he is happy to let her call most of the shots.

On a distant hill in a still, quiet place, Bryan Brown is making billy tea on a spluttering fire. A plate of lamingtons sits on a rough-hewn wooden table.

Coming towards us through soft rain is Rachel Ward, sitting astride a striking Appaloosa horse. Just as Bryan, with his strong, sharp profile and fierce gaze, seems etched into a rugged outback landscape, so, too, does Rachel seem carved into this Australian pastoral scene at their farm on the New South Wales North Coast.

These tall, striking people met on the set of The Thorn Birds in 1983, where something immediate and molecular happened. “It felt very instant,” recalls Rachel. “I remember meeting him, shaking his hand and feeling this extraordinary sense of relief. I just remember having that incredible feeling of phew, phew. There was a connection very quickly.

I felt that he was the masculine to my feminine, the yin to my yang. “I sensed that he was strong. He knew his mind. He had the right priorities and values that I respected.”

For approximately one second, Bryan was hesitant about getting involved with a co-star he would have to work with in the months to come, and the consequences if it all went wrong.

“He thought he would have no chance of getting away,” explains an amused Rachel, “but actually he bloody knew he didn’t want to get away. And he hasn’t been able to get away ever since, ha, ha.”

Theirs was a lightning attraction. Just a few months after they met, they were married, in the chapel at Cornwell Manor, Oxfordshire, one of Britain’s most beautiful houses, the home where Rachel grew up.

During the nuptials, the brash Antipodean stood in front of Rachel’s aristocratic English family and delivered the alarming news that it was “about time the aristocracy had a bit of convict blood”.

Such colonial audacity was greeted, he says now, by “a loud guffaw” from the Aussies and perhaps a wry smile from the other side of the table. “We had a small wedding, no more than 50 or 60 people, and it was very joyful,” he says. It is now more than a quarter of a century since they found each other and they remain one of Australia’s most enduring celebrity couples, the parents of three children – Rose, 24, Matilda, 22, and Joe, 16.

They are also the consummate working couple and never more so than now, with the release, on August 6, of their collaboration, Beautiful Kate, a movie directed by Rachel that stars Bryan, along with Rachel Griffiths, Ben Mendelsohn and newcomer Sophie Lowe.

To read more about Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward, see the August issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly, out now.

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Fix age concerns… for less

With a little savvy shopping and some clever beauty tricks you can certainly be beautiful on even the tightest of budgets.

**1. Dark under-eye circles and puffiness

** Fatigue and slackened under-eye skin can lead to pouches and bags. Often this is caused by a build-up of lymph which needs to be regularly drained, and then firmed.

Solution: Garnier Caffeine Eye roll-On, 215ml, $18.

**2. Spots & Discoloration

** Years of exposure to sun and pollution can start to show in brown blotches, discoloration and age spots, which mars your complexion.

Solution: Olay Definity Tone Correcting Anti-ageing Serum, 50ml, $40.

**3. Weakened, Fragile Skin

** As we age, elastin and collagen supplies deteriorate and decrease, compromising the strength and resilience of our skin, leading to fragility.

Solution: Garnier Nutritionist Regenerating Daily Moisturiser, 50ml, $18.

**4. Large, open pores

** Often associated with oily skin, large open pores can also affect mature and ageing skin, and needs exfoliation and targeted ingredients to help reduce them.

Solution: L’Oreal Derma Genesis Cellular-Youth Creating Skincare Pore Minimising Smoother, 50ml, $31.

**5. Clogged pores

** Regardless of age, problem skin can result in blocked pores and bumpy skin texture.

Solution: To help extract the gunk, try a gentle warming treatment such as Biore Refine Self Heating Mask, Pack of 8, $15. Rinse off. Pores should start to clear.

**6. Lacklustre skin

** Dullness is now considered one of the major signs of ageing skin, as environmental aggressors can leave skin looking lacklustre.

Solution: ROC Retin-Ox+ Intensive Anti-Wrinkle Moisturiser, SPF15, 30ml, $48.

**7. Menopausal/Hormonal concerns

** As women reach menopause, and the hormone oestrogen decreases, the skin becomes thin, dry and sensitive.

Solution: L’Oreal Paris Age Perfect Skin Re-Support Day Cream, 50ml, $32.

**8. Sagging Jaw-line

** One of the hardest areas to treat, the neck and jaw-line tend to lose firmness in the late 40s.

Solution: Olay Regenerist Micro-sculpting Cream, 50ml, $50.

Your say: What are your favourite beauty products? How do you keep your skin looking and feeling young? Tell us below…

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Surprising things that cause headaches

Headaches are nasty little things that can interrupt your day at any given time. But did you know that it’s not just your gender and genetics that can cause them? There are some things that we do that give us the head hurt. Avoid these and you might find yourself a little less prone to use the old “I’ve got a headache” line.

An increase in the temperature might make you smile but it can also be the cause of your headache. Changes in barometric pressure can also cause a headache as can a change in altitude.

Have you ever walked through the fragrance section of a department store and made it out the other side only to be left with a throbbing reminder of the overpowering smell? You’re not alone. Overpowering smells, even nice ones, can overstimulate your nervous system and the result is a headache.

Your hair might be making a fabulous fashion statement but the pulling and the strain your headband, braid or hat is putting on your head can cause a headache.

Like other organs in the body, the brain gets dehydrated and one of the main side effects of a water-free day can be a headache. Keep a water bottle on your desk and drink at least two litres a day.

Caffeine on its own is not necessarily a bad thing. But too much of this stimulating substance can cause you a headache. On the other hand for those of us that can’t get past nine o’clock without a hit from the barista, skipping your daily caffeine fix to start a detox could cause you a withdrawal headache.

It’s not just those who work vigorously outdoors that get headaches from work. Sitting down in front of a computer all day can strain your neck and head muscles. And this can be magnified if you slouch. Try and check your posture at least every half hour and get up and have a bit of a stretch every hour.

An ingredient in red wine, tyramine, is the culprit of those nasty red wine headaches. Alcohol increases blood flow to the brain and can make the headache more intense.

A dip in blood sugar levels can be the cause of a headache. This can happen when you have skipped a mean and you could get a headache even before you realise you are hungry.

Cigarette smoke can cause you a nasty headache, even if you’re not a smoker. Second-hand smoke contains nicotine, which causes the blood vessels of the brain to shrink and presenting you with pain often on one side of the brain.

Like any exercise, sex can lead to an exertion headache. The headache is caused as the blood vessels in the brain expand, building up pressure.

Yes, your boss really can give you a headache! Anything that increases the stress levels of the body can lead to tension headaches. Tension headaches are one of the most common forms of headache with recent international studies suggesting 42 percent of women suffering.

Many people find that there are certain foods that will trigger a headache. Chocolate and peanuts are common sources of pain. Processed meats can also be a trigger for a headache as they contain nitrates. Related: the top five diet mistakes

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Carla Bruni: first lady fatale

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Why Carla Bruni rejects feminism

Once a nude model and free-spirited rebel, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has put away the Playboy vamp to become an elegant, charming and popular French First Lady, writes Chrissy Iley.

She used to smile and say “sex” instead of “fromage” during her supermodel photo shoots. By her own admission, “Okay, I flirt. I flirt with everything. Even inanimate objects.”

She used to say, “I am monogamous from time to time, but I prefer polygamy.” Outrageous, witty, voracious, Carla Bruni was all about appetite, never self-censure. She was bohemian. She was a muse for rock legend Eric Clapton and dated Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger for seven years, partly in secret while he was still married to Jerry Hall.

Now she is married to the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, she is still about sexy. Yet she has disguised it. Just as she used to put on a disguise to hide from the paparazzi when she was dating Mick, it’s been said she still sometimes wears a wig and a disguise, not so much to hide, but because she likes the idea of swapping roles.

When she and Nicolas first started dating, her look was jeans with a G-string appearing above them. A flat stomach, skimpy bikini, long and tousled hair, she was pictured on motorbikes. Although she admits she was never shy or prudish, her clothes now stress the idea, “I am not immoral or vulgar”. The French expect their First Lady to be elegant.

Now she dresses in Dior. She caused a stir in a matronly Galliano for Dior coat. It could have been Margaret Thatcher, yet she still made it strangely sexy. She favours elegant. She cut centimetres off her hair and heels – she wears ballet pumps so as not to dwarf her husband. She looks more serious, reined in. She put away Playboy vamp, but somehow that didn’t diminish her and it certainly hasn’t hurt Nicolas’ popularity.

They first met at a dinner party in November 2007 hosted by Jacques Séguéla, an advertising mogul and former socialist who was a convert to the Sarkozy campaign. The frisson between Carla and Nicolas was obvious to all present. “It was love at first sight,” she has said.

Their romance was whirlwind. They had been seeing each other for only a month when he proposed. “He’s not a slow man,” says Carla. “He said, ‘I’m completely in love with you and I’d love to marry you’.”

To read more about Carla, see the August issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly, out now.

Your Say: What do you think of Carla Bruni? Tell us below…

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Ditch the Doc!

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Want to zap zits, tame your tummy, or heal heel pain?Here are 10 trustworthy home remedies to beat your everyday health hassles.

  1. Zap those zitsApply a drop of tea-tree essential oil to blemishes three times a day to discourage infection and speed up healing. Research has found that 5 per cent tea-tree oil is as effective against acne as a 5 per cent benzoyl peroxide solution.

  2. Tame your tummyChew and swallow half a teaspoon of fennel or caraway seeds when you have indigestion or wind. These seeds contain carminative oils that relax spasms in the gut, counter nausea and help to reduce flatulence.

  3. Shhh the snoringSew a pouch onto the back of the snorer’s pajama top and slip a tennis ball inside. If they roll on their back – which causes their tongue to flop back and block their airway – the ball will prompt them to go on their side.

  4. Banish bad breathCloves are rich in eugenol, a potent antibacterial. Just pop one into your mouth and bruise it with your teeth until the aroma fills your mouth; then spit it out.

  5. Heal heel painThis is often due to plantar fasciitis, the inflammation of the Achilles tendon (the band of tissue that connects your heel and toes). Stretch it by standing a metre from a wall and moving your right leg forwards, knee bent, until you feel an even stretch in your heel and foot arch. Switch sides and repeat.

  6. Ease urinary tract infectionsStudies show that cranberry juice helps women get rid of UTIs faster; it also helps stop them from starting in the first place. Antiseptic herbal teas like echinacea and goldenseal kill the bacteria and flush the system.

  7. Nix nits’Shampoo’ hair with mayonnaise, cover with a shower cap, and leave overnight. Next morning, remove eggs with a nit comb, and then shampoo. A final rinse of 50:50 white vinegar and water will remove oily residue.

  8. Quit hiccupsDrink a glass of water backwards. You’ll have to suck harder, and this overrides spasms of the diaphragm.

  9. Baby those boobsTender ta-tas can be caused by methylxanthines, stimulants that include caffeine and theobromine, found in coffee and chocolate respectively.

  10. Fight athlete’s footAdd a spoonful of mustard powder to a foot bath; soak feet for 30 minutes daily.

YOUR SAY: Do you have a home remedy secret? Share your tips with us below…

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Gluten free eating

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Coeliac disease is the permanent intolerance to a protein called gluten, and currently affects approximately 1 in every 100 Australians.

The disease involves an autoimmune reaction to the intake of gluten, causing the lining of the small intestine to become damaged and nutrients to be poorly absorbed. Upon diagnosis of coeliac disease, a diet completely free of gluten should be followed to prevent future health problems. The thought of preparing gluten free meals for friends or family members with Coeliac disease may at first be overwhelming, but we’ve got some simple ideas and tips to get you well on your way.

Tips to get you started

It’s important to be aware of a few key foods to avoid when preparing gluten free meals. Gluten-containing grains include wheat, barley, rye, triticale and oats, also varieties of wheat such as spelt, kumat and durum wheat, as well as foods made from wheat including cous cous, semolina and burghul should be avoided in a gluten free diet. The good news is a large variety of nutritious whole foods are naturally free of gluten, including fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, milk, egg, rice, corn, nuts, seeds, oil, seafood, poultry and unprocessed meat.

Full lists of gluten-containing and gluten free foods are quite lengthy and can be hard to remember when you’re out grocery shopping, so here are some simple tips for deciphering food labels:

  1. While it can take some time in the beginning, reading all your food labels is worth the effort in the long run. While foods like bread and pasta are obvious sources of gluten, many foods you might not suspect like sauces, soups and ice cream can all contain gluten as well.

  2. A “gluten free” label means that a product has been shown to contain no detectable gluten.

  3. Avoid products that use “contain” statements in regards to gluten containing grains – e.g. “contains wheat products”. These statements can be found below the ingredient list.

  4. Avoid products with the statements “may contain” regarding gluten or gluten containing grains – e.g. “may contain traces of wheat”. These products are at genuine risk of containing gluten.

  5. If in doubt contact the manufacturer – if after reading the label you are unsure if the product is gluten free or not, contact the manufacturer who can confirm whether or not the product is suitable.

Other handy household hints to ensure foods remain gluten free include washing utensils thoroughly to remove all traces of gluten; avoiding getting gluten free bread sliced at the bakery as the slicer may have traces of gluten present; use separate water in a clean pot for cooking gluten free pasta and check shared spreads and dips for any crumbs which may be a source of gluten or keep separate containers of each for gluten free use only.

Planning and preparing gluten free meals may seem tricky at first, however there are lots of delicious and easy recipes available. You could try making gluten free based tomato sauce served with gluten free pasta and a side salad; gluten free wraps with fresh salad fillings; baked potatoes with kidney beans and reduced fat cheese; or a tofu and cashew nut stir-fry served with rice.

Brought to you by The Sanitarium Nutrition Service, www.sanitarium.com.au

YOUR SAY: Have you got a great gluten-free recipe to share? Tell us about it below…

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Dealing with difficult family members

When Aussie cricket star Mitchell Johnson’s mother recently made ‘unkind’ comments about his fiancee, thousands of other young men probably groaned in embarrassed compassion for the guy!

Having a mum who speaks out of turn; a permanently needy sister or maybe in-laws who won’t butt-out, is all part of being in a family. And an expert reassures us it’s all quite normal.

“It’s important to understand that in all relationships – especially families – we spend more time disagreeing than agreeing,” says Anne Hollonds, a psychologist and CEO of Relationships Australia (NSW).

“So you need to be able to expect and accept disagreements; and learn to manage them as best as possible.”

Here Anne answers some very typical questions about how to manage difficult family members.

Q: I love my mother to bits, but she is constantly meddling in my marriage… and I know my wife’s at her wits end. How can I keep them both happy.

A:

“Tell your mum you love her, that she’s important to you and she’ll always be your mum, no matter what. But some things need to change in your relationship now that you’re married. It’s best if men sort out their relationship with their own mother, and allow time for their new partner to develop a positive relationship with her as well. Consider suggesting new ways of staying connected with your mum that accommodate the needs of your new relationship.”

Q: My parents live locally and my father phones me nearly every day with something that ‘needs’ to be done for him. I have my own family and am very busy at work too. I’d love him to leave me alone a little, but I don’t want to offend him either. What can I do?

A:

“Once again, start by being positive and saying something like: ‘I love you dad and want to support you. But I have responsibilities to my own family now …..’. Then let him know what you can offer – maybe every second weekend you could pop around to help. So make a positive offer, but you do need to draw some boundary lines.”

Q: I have two beautiful girls, now aged four and six. We always thought they were close, only recently they’ve been fighting – physically and verbally. We are shocked by their behaviour and have tried everything we can think of to help (separating them; negotiating), but nothing is working. Help!

A:

“To some extent try to let them sort out their own squabbles. It’s normal for siblings to disagree, and you jumping in too soon won’t help them to learn how to resolve their own disagreements constructively.

“But reinforce to the kids the ground rules for their behaviour – that they must not kick or hit or bite, and that the way to resolve disagreements is to discuss them. “They’re at an age where they will understand, though you’ll need to intervene if it really gets out of hand. They will eventually learn – and of course make lots of positive comments and reward them when they do sort things out well themselves.”

Q: My sister has always been jealous of me – though we’ve had pretty similar upbringings, so I have no idea why. But now I’m in love with a wonderful man; and her jealousy has become more ‘angry’ than ever. She is completely rude to him and has almost frozen me out completely. Do I just ignore her and hope it will settle down in time?

A:

“The same ‘rule’ applies, about saying something positive first, like: ‘You are my sister and I love you, but I find it very difficult when you treat my partner this way. I’d ask you to stop’. You can do this verbally, or even via a letter. If you can, try to ignore her negative behaviour, and focus on positives. If necessary, spend less time around her until things improve.”

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Chris Rawlinson: My heart is breaking

Jana Rawlinson’s estranged husband Chris opens up to Rose Fydler about his marriage bust-up, revealing he’d do anything to get his family back.

Chris Rawlinson once had everything he’d ever dreamed of: marriage to the love of his life, an adorable two-year-old son, and a rewarding career coaching one of the world’s most talented athletes. But it all ended in April when his wife of nearly three years, champion hurdler Jana Rawlinson, left him, jetting off soon after to compete in Europe for five months and taking the couple’s son, Cornelis, with her.

“I woke up one day and my world had collapsed. I’d lost my wife, my child, my home, my job, my car and pretty much my reason for being here in Australia,” the British Olympic hurdler says of the shock marriage split, cutting a lonely figure as he stands amid a sea of half-unpacked boxes in the one-bedroom Sydney apartment he’s just leased.

Until now the silent partner in the breakdown of sport’s glamour union, Chris, 37, opens up to Woman’s Day about love and life with Jana, the truth behind their marriage drama, and his hopes of winning her back.

“I absolutely adore the girl,” he says softly, his Yorkshire accent still strong despite four years in Australia as 26-year-old Jana’s partner, coach and occasional manager. “It breaks my heart to be apart from her and from Cor, the three of us not being a family any more. If I had any say at all in changing that, I would.”

Chris believed himself to be a happily married man until an incident at Jana’s brother’s wedding in January sent the couple spinning towards divorce.

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Jennifer Hawkins: A week in my world

Phillip Koch spends a few days in paradise with the supermodel and learns how cleverly she blends business and fun.

It is almost 10pm and a mini-cyclone has blown up in Fiji. Waves batter the beach, rain buckets down and palm trees dance like a bunch of teenagers at a rave party.

It could almost be romantic, except that Aussie supermodel Jennifer Hawkins is stuck in the middle of the storm, in a small boat, in the pitch black of an angry Pacific Ocean.

With no words of reassurance from the skipper, even the unflappable Fijians charged with welcoming the former Miss Universe start to look decidedly nervous. Then, just as everyone starts to fear the worst, Jen arrives, laughing off the near disaster and looking a million dollars, despite rain flattening her famous blonde mane.

“What fun!” she says.

Jen, 25, is on Fiji’s Vomo Island for a three-day shoot to promote her second collection of signature swimwear, Cozi by Jennifer Hawkins, and not even a mini-cyclone will stop her.

Her boyfriend, builder Jake Wall, is with her, taking advantage of her time on this tiny island paradise to spend a few days together after the shoot.

The couple have just one day to enjoy the balmy Fijian weather before Jen starts work on the shoot at the unforgiving time of 4am — to catch the best light of the day.

“It’s a beautiful location,” she says. “And I’m very lucky I have a team of people I work with all the time and they are all here to help me put the shoot together, which I’m really excited about.”

Jen’s life has changed dramatically since she won Miss Universe five years ago, but her work ethic has, if anything, become stronger — particularly since she launched Cozi by Jennifer Hawkins last year.

“I wanted to do something I could do creatively,” she explains. “This is obviously a business opportunity, but it’s also great fun and a way I was able to put my lifestyle into something I love — and the swimwear has got even better since last season.”

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