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The top 10 hottest celebrity bodies

Cameron Diaz

Ever since her big break onto the silver screen in ’90s hit The Mask , Diaz has sported one of the fittest bodies around.

Now 39 years old, the flirty blonde maintains her youthful image and those incredible biceps through strict diet and exercise, saying: “You have to give your body the right nutrients and really think about what’s best for it.”

Beyonce

Just months after giving birth to her first child, daughter Blue Ivy, Beyonce still has one of the most enviable bodies in the world.

But those curves in all the right places don’t come as easily as you think, with Beyonce having shed 27kg in just four months.

“I had to lose 60 pounds (27kg). They had me on that treadmill. I ate lettuce,” the wife of hip hop mogul Jay Z told fans at a concert in New Jersey.

Christina Hendricks

The Mad Men star challenges the modern day pressures of being stick-thin with her killer curves.

Although some critics condemned her as too plump for primetime, people the world over have become seduced by Hendricks’ non-conformity.

“It’s such a compliment, because of all those times I had agents who were like, ‘You have to lose some weight,’ and all of a sudden, people are celebrating it,” Hendricks told Health magazine.

Jennifer Aniston

Famed for her toned physique throughout the Friends years, during which she spent a lot of time on the treadmill, Aniston has resorted to other forms of exercise to stay in shape.

She turned to yoga after the infamous Brad break-up in 2005, then pioneering the popularity of hot yoga for years to come.

”My legs got leaner. My arms got strong. I’ve maybe even grown half an inch from aligning my spine,” Aniston has said.

Jessica Biel

Justin Timberlake’s fiancé is extremely serious about staying fit.

When it comes to hitting the gym, this muscular yet feminine beauty combines cardio, high intensity interval training, weight training and plyometrics to maintain her toned body.

“For me, getting enough sleep, drinking lots of water, having a healthy diet, and staying away from alcohol are musts. It’s so boring, I know, but doing those things really helps,” she said.

Jennifer Lopez

J.Lo is not one to shy away from flaunting her amazing body in tight-fitting dresses and bodysuits – and we can see why.

Applauded for her sizeable booty, 42-year-old Jenny credits her astoundingly fit figure to several methods of exercise including boxing, running, stair master and biking.

“I was always very comfortable with who I was,” she told Marie Claire UK in 2010. “Confident. I’ve never looked at my body in a negative way.”

Kim Kardashian

The most curvaceous Kardashian has one of the most desirable and unattainable bodies in the world.

With her curvy bust and butt and tiny waist, she’s got proportions most people would only dream of – and she’s not afraid of snapping and image of herself and Tweeting it to her adoring fans.

“On days when I need extra motivation, I just think: ‘Bikini, bikini, bikini!'” She told Self Magazine

Megan Gale

Aussie model Megan Gale has spoken about her body saying that she can find it difficult to find clothes and bikinis that fit on the bottom and on the top.

” I’m all shoulders and boobs — I’m a 12 on top, but a 10 bottom,” she told Good Health magazine.

“Maintaining my health is such a huge priority for me and always has been. As my job has been largely image-based over the years, I can’t afford not to look like a picture of health at all times as it can be detrimental to my career.”

Miranda Kerr

Aussie model and mum Miranda Kerr has bcome an international hit since getting on board with Victoria’s Secret.

The 29-year-old is all about maintaining a healthy body and a healthy mind and often shares her tips through her organic skin care company Kora.

Scarlett Johansson

The voluptuous blonde bombshell is coveted the world over for her unique and irresistible curves.

However, ScarJo once told Esquire Magazine: “You work hard making independent films for fourteen years and you get voted best breasts.”

But let’s be honest, it’s pretty hard not to focus on her hot body over her acclaimed acting skills.

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Botched plastic surgery gouged a hole in my face

Botched cosmetic surgery gouged a hole in my face

Sophie Blair, and the hole gouged out of her cheek during a facial.

Cosmetic surgery is more popular than ever before — but what happens when it all goes horribly wrong? Sydney mother Sophie Blair shares her plastic surgery nightmare.

Sophie Blair was just 20 years old and working as a part-time model when she visited a local beauty salon hoping to have a few freckles removed.

She’d just broken up with her partner and was looking for a treatment that would give her a confidence boost.

In pictures: The real-life Russian Barbie doll

“I wanted a little TLC,” she says, “I wanted a pick-me-up after the break-up and to come away feeling good about myself.”

Instead, Sophie ended up with a hole in the side of her left cheek that has taken seven years, reconstructive surgery and a law suit to fix after her therapist stabbed her in the side of the cheek with a needle- covered roller that was supposed to leave her with “baby soft skin”.

“It was described to me as ‘the Rolls-Royce of facials’, a luxury treatment,” Sophie explains.

“The roller would gently take off the top layer of my skin, leaving new skin underneath, and encourage collagen renewal like a deep exfoliation.”

Yet the therapist’s hand slipped during the procedure and the roller stabbed Sophie’s face.

“I screamed,” Sophie recalls. “It really hurt and I was under anaesthetic! There was blood everywhere and I had a panic attack, it was so shocking.”

The therapist patched up Sophie’s face with gauze strips and sent her home, promising free treatments to fix the wound.

“I kept going back — how stupid! But after six weeks, when it wasn’t healing, she suggested she could fill the hole with dermal filler to fix it. That’s when I knew I had to go and get help.”

Sophie sued and won $25,000 in compensation, but she has permanent nerve damage to the side of her face and required plastic surgery to remove the scarred tissue and heal the hole.

Shockingly, the equipment that was used on Sophie’s face, known as a dermal roller, can be bought online for $49 and used by anyone without any training or regulation.

“It’s been terrible,” she says. “Women must be very, very careful about where they go and who they see for treatments.”

Sydney surgeon Dr Charles Cope was neither shocked nor surprised by this case. He says increasing numbers of women are left with permanent damage after botched salon or DIY procedures.

“Plastic surgeons are seeing more and more cases of women coming in to fix up problems caused by procedures that have been performed by people who are not adequately trained, or by people using substandard cosmetic medicines they have purchased online,” says Dr Cope from North Shore Cosmetic Surgery.

In pictures: Mother of teenage ‘living doll’ defends her lifestyle

“I have seen the results of women buying dermal fillers and Botox from the internet. I’ve had patients inject themselves with permanent filler they’ve bought from overseas websites and it has to be cut out of their face.

“People don’t realise this is not the same as buying a lipstick or a pair of shoes. If something goes wrong, you can’t take it back. You can have all of these treatments delivered to your door, but do you know what you are buying? I don’t understand why anyone would take the risk.”

Your say: Would you consider getting plastic surgery?

Subscribe to The Australian Women’s Weekly and receive a FREE Nude by Nature Gift pack, valued at over $80.

Video: Crazy cosmetic surgery

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Outrage as Kate’s head pasted on model’s body

Outrage as Kate's head pasted on model's body

South African Marie Claire's controversial August cover.

Most fashion editors would swap their first-borns for a cover shoot with the Duchess of Cambridge — so how did South African Marie Claire beat the world to score an exclusive shot of Catherine? They didn’t.

Instead, the publication took Catherine’s head — complete with her trademark glossy locks — and plonked in onto a model’s body.

In pictures: The worst Photoshop fails

Not only is the body in a provocative hand-on-hip pose the real Duchess would never strike, but it is wearing a garish dress by South African designer Clive Rundle.

The magazine has also digitally removed the model’s hands and replaced them with Catherine’s, presumably for some added realism.

Editor Aspasia Karras has defended her decision to use the image of Catherine on the cover, saying it was meant as a “fan art tribute”.

“We were so inspired by her fairy tale wedding and her life as a modern-day princess, which is why we elected Kate Middleton as our cover star for the August issue,” Karras said.

“The cover is actually a hyper-real illustration of Kate, meant to be a fan art tribute to fashion’s new royal icon.”

There are four more digitally altered images of the Duchess inside the magazine and they have sparked outrage amongst readers, who took to the magazine’s website to voice their complaints.

“So she didn’t actually pose for the cover? How is that a good thing? Aren’t you cheating your readers as well as your cover subject?” one reader wrote.

In pictures: Love match for William and Kate at Wimbledon

It’s not the first time at heavily retouched image of Catherine has appeared on a magazine cover. British Grazia magazine caused controversy when it digitally slimmed her waist for its royal wedding cover.

Your say: What do you think of the Marie Claire cover?

Video: Kate Middleton mocked as gold-digger in bizarre ad

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10 office wardrobe staples

Dress to impress with these 10 office wardrobe staples.

For client meetings and job interviews, it pays to have a crisp white shirt that embodies professionalism and finesse. We love the modern lines of this black and white spliced shirt ($95) from Cue.

A sleeveless blouse that can be worn under any jacket or cardigan is a must-have. The look and price of this cut-out neck blouse ($24.88) from Target is just right. Can be paired with skinny pants, a pencil skirt or a suit.

These oh-so-flattering Curvy Fit Skinny indigo jeans ($249) from Bettina Liano are designed with contoured waistband to suit shapely curves (for those of us who don’t have Jennifer Lopez’s bum). The cotton and elastane blend also makes them super comfy for long hours sitting at the computer.

Everybody experiences those can’t-get-out-of-bed mornings. For cold days when two items of clothing just seems too much to handle, a cardi dress can be slipped on in an instant. The I was Not Here! cardigan from Alannah Hill is long in length for extra warmth, with a ribbed collar and crystal buttons to add a little sparkle to your day.

Need comfy shoes to get you to and from the office, but not a fan of the sneakers/business attire look? These pointed toe Itsonn flats ($119.95) from Nine West

will have you walking to work in style. The slight wedge heel elongates legs so they still look great in skirts, while eliminating the risk of heels getting stuck in pavement cracks and escalators.

The Amber black patent leather pump ($139.95) from Zoe Wittner says “I mean business”, but is also a wonderful shoe to hit the town in afterwards for corporate functions or post-work drinks.

The most simple, yet underrated staple in any work wardrobe. Check out this comfy and fully-lined, one-button closure suit jacket ($199.95) from Portmans.

The ultimate feminine office essential for every woman’s work wardrobe has to be a flattering pencil skirt. This houndstooth ponte skirt ($24.88) from Target features decorative button tabs and a back split to ease movement and minimize shuffling.

If you’ve ever admired a sexy-looking handbag on the bus or subway during the ride to work, then you know that a stylish carry case for all your office papers is absolutely essential. The Turnlock Worker ($549) from Mimco features a separate zipped compartment for your laptop or iPad.

The simple shift dress is a straight-up and down staple, but it needn’t be boring! This Light Stream fitted sleeveless dress ($499) in neon coral from Ginger & Smart can be worn on its own or paired with a suit jacket for meetings.

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Jessica posts new pics of Maxwell

Jessica Simpson’s daughter is already living the high life – just look at how much room she has to lounge around! Simpson tweeted a photo of her two-month-old Maxwell Drew laying on a gigantic sofa, with the simple caption, “Life”.

The 32-year-old new mum celebrated her 32nd birthday last Tuesday with fiancé Eric Johnson, their daughter and her sister Ashlee Simpson at a lunch at Polo Lounge in Los Angeles.

“There was a lot of laughter coming from the table and everyone looked very joyous,” a source told Us Weekly.

The trio have been doing a lot of celebrating lately, with Jess also tweeting a picture from their 4th of July celebrations!

Jessica posted this picture on twitter with the simple caption: ‘Life’.

Jessica, Eric and Maxwell celebrate the 4th of July.

Proud mum Jessica Simpson posted this first pic of Maxwell Drew on Twitter.

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A Shire boy’s review of The Shire

A Shire boy's review of The Shire

The Shire's Vernesa and Sophie.

First things first. I need to declare an interest. I am from The Shire — born and bred in god’s country, raised on the fair plains to the south of Sydney, reared on a steady diet of white bread, meat and three veg.

My reaction to last night’s televisual train wreck? It was like when you meet someone really stupid.

You spend the first ten minutes in a state of total disbelief — jaw on the ground.

You spend the next ten minutes staring in wide-eyed amazement, trying to work out if they are real or not (which, in the case of Channel 10’s new “dramality”, I think we can all safely assume they are not).

Related: In defence of The Shire (the place, not the show)

Then you spend the next ten minutes trying to look away, your head hurting from the hideousness of it all.

As a Shire boy, was I offended by last night’s show? Not in the slightest. We’ve had much worse thrown at us.

This is the place, after all, that served as the setting for Puberty Blues — a book and movie that made the immortal words: “Hey Freda, you slack-arse mole” synonymous with an entire people.

This is a region that invented the school-yard fruito (or if we didn’t invent it, we sure as hell perfected it); a place where not a day at school went by when you didn’t run the risk of having your head flushed — and all of it good, stern, character-building stuff.

True, The Shire is one of the more mono-cultural pockets of Sydney. A tiny corner of our fair country in which (at least when I was growing up there) lasagne was considered exotic and a night of gastronomy meant honey prawns and beef and black bean down at the local Chinese.

Perhaps the only place in the world that turned a race riot into an expression of patriotism: “We grew here, you flew here” being one of the more choice slogans to come out of the 2005 Cronulla beach riots.

But to have the likes of Beckaa and her creepy dad flying the flag for The Shire? To have the more-plastic-than-actual-human Vernesa and Sophie daring to set foot on the hallowed sand of North Cronulla beach and try to pass themselves off as typical Shire girls? It’s an insult that we’re not going to take lying down.

Now I’m not entirely sure I agree with Sutherland Shire Mayor, Carol Provan, who has called for State Government intervention to stop Channel Ten from filming the series.

I’m offended by fake tans, collagen lips and shopping trips to Dubai to pick up a nose job as much as the next person, but short of blowing up Tom Ugly’s Bridge and launching proceedings to officially secede from the nation (in which case, I’d like to formally nominate Shire resident Glen McGrath as our new President), there’s nothing to be done.

And while I applaud her perfectly-coiffed efforts this morning on the Today Show to defend her people, I’m not sure the Mayor’s assertion that Vernesa and Sophie “looked more like they came from Burwood than The Shire” would really have won her many fans. Certainly not in Burwood.

The only solace we can take as Shire people is that this so-called “dramality” is heavily-scripted rubbish.

The producers will tell you that the show is only “soft scripted” — meaning they simply record what happens in the lives of these dreadful people and only occasionally nudge things in a direction that suits the cameras.

But if that were really the case, how do they explain why the characters and plotlines (and I use that last word very loosely) are carbon copies of the UK series, The Only Way Is Essex?

Memo to Channel Ten: If you’re going to create a new show, at least try to make it marginally different from one that already exists. I mean, there’s “taking inspiration” and then there’s “blatant ripping off’ — and as viewers, we can pick the difference.

Reactions to the show in the media this morning and in the social media sphere have been almost universally damning.

However, if I was a Channel Ten executive, I’d be sitting in my office thinking: “mission accomplished”.

The ratings were okay, if not spectacular, but more importantly, it’s the most talked-about TV show since, well, since Being Lara Bingle.

Related: Why we should leave the body image debate to teens

Whether all this chatter will translate into a ratings lift for next week’s instalment or a precipitous slide (which, if God really was born in The Shire as per local legend, is surely bound to happen) only time will tell.

Meanwhile, and as I wrote in a Sunday newspaper column at the weekend: whether this program goes on to unprecedented international success or disappears without a trace, you can rest assured that the people of The Shire will have the last laugh. Because we learned to laugh at ourselves long before this TV show came along.

Video: Mayor tears into The Shire

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In defence of The Shire (the place, not the show)

In defence of The Shire (the place, not the show)

We’ve all got skeletons in the closet. If you dig deeply enough into anyone’s past you’ll find a dirty little secret. With this in mind, and in light of unfolding events in the pop-culture sphere, I’ve decided to come clean with mine. My name is Bryce Corbett and I am from The Shire.

I know, I know, it’s hard to believe. Certainly, if we take the fine models of Shiredom being peddled in Channel 10’s new “reality” show The Shire as a guide, I don’t, at first glance, appear to fit the mould.

But appearances, as any Shire person will tell you, can be deceiving. After all, if were you to scratch beneath the surface of my bottled ginger hair, my spray-on pale skin and the laughable pretence that I can string a sentence together, what you would really find is a perma-tanned, walking six-pack with the IQ of a mollusc, a Southern Cross tattoo and a clinical aversion to baklava.

Related: A Shire boy’s review of The Shire

Because, and as per the mantra that all Shire schoolkids are made to chant each morning as we gather at assembly and face Northies, “You can take the boy out of The Shire, but you can’t take The Shire out of the boy”.

There were plenty of stereotypes trotted out on Monday when The Shire hit the airwaves. Not since Craig Emerson immortalised Whyalla in song has a region of Australia been so cruelly, discordantly maligned.

And so, in the spirit of heading off an avalanche of gross generalisations and ensuring the price of my parent’s property doesn’t take a nose-dive (we’re talking about my inheritance here, people!), allow me to set the record straight in advance.

If you chose to tune in, one of the impressions you would have come away with is that The Shire is about as multicultural as a Pauline Hanson family barbie — a peculiar little Caucasian ghetto to the south of Sydney in which everyone is blonde.

This, I can proudly report, is patently untrue. There’s a fair smattering of red-heads down there as well. There was even a Chinese-Australian girl at my primary school. And she had a brother.

You would have also been left with the mistaken impression that we all have ridiculous names like Vernesa and Beckaa. This is also untrue. Some of us have perfectly normal names. Like Bryce, for example.

The show may try to convince you that all Shire women are vacuous shopaholics, interested only in nabbing a bargain at Dotti and bagging a tradie for a husband.

To that I would simply reply: the presence in The Shire of what was once proudly declared “the second-largest shopping centre in the southern hemisphere” is pure happenstance, and wouldn’t we all be better off if we had married a tradie? I mean, who’s laughing now?

Finally I would add to anyone who sat there watching and sneering, safe in the knowledge that whatever fame whores the producers lured out of the woodwork for their so-called “dramality” (it’s reality, but it’s drama — see what they’ve done there?) are safely contained in that leafy enclave to Sydney’s south, don’t be so cocky.

Because like the Church of Scientology, The Shire occasionally sends emissaries out into the wider community to blend in and live among you.

Under the cover of night and across the Georges River they go, to drive your trains, make your sandwiches or assume jobs in the office cubicle next to you — getting under your skin in ways you would never suspect.

ABC TV presenter Adam Hills might look for all the world like a worldly young man, but he also hails from The Shire.

I know this because we spent our youth together hunkered down in the 1st Loftus Scout Hall hatching plans to use a combination of clove hitches and reef knots to bring down Tom Ugly’s Bridge and thus preserve The Shire’s unique way of life. Dib-dib, dob-dob.

Related: Why we should leave the body image debate to teens

So no, I didn’t watch The Shire. Ever since Sutherland Shire Mayor, Carol Provan declared a fatwa against Channel 10 (but only after her attempts to set up road-blocks on the three bridges connecting the Shire to the rest of Sydney were ultimately deemed unworkable) no card-carrying member of The Shire is allowed to tune in.

So bring it on Channel 10. Do your worst. For as the program goes to air each night, rest assured the real residents of The Shire — hard-working, decent folk one-and-all — will be sitting in their neat little homes on their tidy quarter-acre blocks in their tree-lined streets having the last laugh.

Because we learned to laugh at ourselves long before you came along.

Video: Mayor tears into The Shire

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Is Madonna too old to flash her breasts onstage?

Is Madonna too old to flash her breasts onstage?

Madonna flashing her breast onstage in Paris.

At 53, Madonna obviously doesn’t think she is too old to flash her bare breasts and bottom, but The Weekly’s style director Judith Cook disagrees.

Parisians are famously open-minded, but the sight of Madonna’s bare breast left 80,000 of them outraged on Saturday night.

The 53-year-old singer flashed her boob and her derriere — partially covered by a lace thong — while performing her 1995 hit Human Nature during her concert in the French capital.

Related: Why you can’t find plus-size clothes

It’s not the first time Madonna’s breasts and bottom have been exposed onstage this year, prompting people to question whether the Queen of Pop is getting too old for such hijinks.

But with many claiming 60 is the new 30, is there still an age where women should cover up? The Weekly’s style director Judith Cook believes emphatically that there is.

“There comes a time when women have to cover up, for dignity’s sake,” Judith says. “Madonna is a mother. What would her children think about her behaviour?

“Really, short skirts should be banished once you’re 30 and arms should be covered from the age of 55.

“People think revealing clothes make them look younger but they actually accentuate all the signs of age — they make all the lumps, bumps, wrinkles and sun damage more obvious.”

But getting older doesn’t mean you can’t look sexy. Judith says there are plenty of ways for mature women to show off their figures without embarrassing themselves by exposing too much.

“A beautiful statement necklace or scarf is a great way to cover up your chest without looking boring or conservative” she says.

Related: The Duchess of Cambridge in Photoshop scandal

“You can also try layering a few sheer things, so you get the beautiful effect of sheer garments without revealing too much flesh.

“Really, you should just be aiming to cover up and look dignified and classy. There is nothing to gain from wearing revealing clothing past a certain age.”

Your say: Do you think women should cover up after a certain age?

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How to help your child lose weight

How to help your child lose weight

Posed by model.

It is easy to criticise the parents of overweight children, but would you know what to do if your child was obese? It’s not as simple as cutting out the junk food, as childhood obesity expert Dr Matt Sabin explains.

Sabin, who runs an obesity clinic at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, says putting an overweight kid on a strict diet is not only inadvisable — it’s potentially dangerous.

Related: Is it ever okay to tell your child they’re fat?

Instead, food intake should be gradually reduced and combined with a rigorous exercise regime.

“Doing one without the other simply won’t work, especially in young children where exercise has many other benefits on physical and psychological health and where calorie restriction alone to induce stabilisation in weight gain would not be safe,” Sabin says.

Adults often struggle to stick to crash diets, and Sabin says children are no different.

“If there are a lot of tantrums and fights then it is unlikely that there will be a good short- to medium-term outcome,” he says.

If a healthier diet is phased in slowly, the opposite occurs and parents often find their child becomes far more even-tempered and well-behaved.

“More often, there is a reduction in mood swings and an improvement in behaviour as the child consumes less processed and high glycaemic foods,” Sabin says.

Even if your child is a healthy weight, there are things you can do to ensure they avoid obesity later in life.

Dietician Jane Barnes from FoodSense, thinks the key to this is raising your kids to see food as fuel and not a reward.

“We have set up an environment with food as a reward,” Barnes says. “We have got this notion of food as a reward from childhood experiences.”

Related: What to do when your kids don’t get along

Despite this, Barnes says children should still enjoy the occasional treat. Junk food shouldn’t be banned, just eaten in moderation.

“Food should still be fun,” Barnes says. “I am a believer in having a little bit of everything. Nowadays when you go to McDonald’s you have a large coke a large fries and a large burger. This is just unhealthy.

“We can still feed our kids fast food here and there but rather than having that large meal, you could share two burgers and some fries between three or four people.”

Your say: Have your kids struggled with their weight? Share your story below

Video: Puberty at five years old – is obesity to blame?

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Grandparents say goodbye to retirement living, hello to full-time childcare

Grandparents say goodbye to retirement living, hello to full-time childcare

As the cost of living skyrockets, more Australian families are relying on grandparents instead of formal childcare. But how do the grandparents feel about their new roles as caregivers?

Yvonne Coombes, 78, lives in a granny flat at the back of her son’s family home.

She has been retired for many years, but now works full-time again, looking after her grandchildren, aged three and five, while their mother works.

Related: What to do when your kids don’t get along

“It is much harder now taking care of grandchildren then when I looked after my other grandchildren at 50,” Yvonne says. “It is a big responsibility.”

But while Yvonne admits running around after two young girls is exhausting, she prefers it to the alternative — sending the girls to a childcare facility.

“I’d much rather take care of them then them going to day care though,” she says. “They love their home and their things.”

Yvonne’s daughter-in-law Alanna is convinced she couldn’t cope without grandparental care.

She says the cost of childcare is becoming prohibitive, and many families have no choice but to make alternative arrangements.

“They girls adore their nan. I don’t know how we’d manage if we didn’t have her,” Alanna says.

Related: Are we raising a generation of brats?

The Coombes family are by no means unique. In 2011, more Australian children (26 percent) were being cared for by their grandparents than childcare providers (24 percent).

Your say: Who cares for your kids when you are at work? Share your story below

Video: Childcare Decisions

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