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Sophie’s engaged but does her fiancé know?

Sophie Monk

Sophie Monk is ecstatic about her engagement, but her fiancé’s ex says the announcement may have taken him by surprise.

With a trip to Australia looming, Sophie Monk may be relieved to escape Los Angeles and the increasingly strange love triangle she has found herself in since announcing her engagement.

When Sophie spoke of her engagement to 50-year-old multi-millionaire Jimmy Esebag a few weeks ago, she called him her “best friend of a long, long time”, and didn’t hesitate to express her love for her “soul partner”.

The songstress was also quick to point out that while the debonair Jimmy may be almost 20 years her senior, it’s she who is actually the lucky one. As Sophie revealed, the business tycoon is “a good lover” and “a keeper” – and it appears this is a view shared by his ex-wife, Renee, mother of his seven-year-old son.

The Aussie’s engagement to the man she has described as a “male version” of herself provoked some more than curious claims from Renee, who admits she was stunned by the announcement.

Renee, 34, who filed for divorce from Jimmy in March 2008 and finalised the separation last year, insists Sophie’s announcement may have taken even her ex-husband by surprise.

“I have a great relationship with my ex-husband and we are still best friends,” says Renee, who is CEO of the Elite Fashion Academy in LA. “We have a son together, and if he had known they were engaged, I’m sure he would have brought it to my attention.”

Read more of Renee’s claims in this week’s issue of Woman’s Day.

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Ashton and Demi’s sizzling break

The water was warm, the temperature soaring and the sand scorching, but nothing was quite as hot as the chemistry between Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher on their romantic Caribbean holiday.

Wearing matching black swimsuits, the couple were inseparable as they sunbaked, snorkelled and swam. At one stage, Ashton, 33, was even unable to control his passion and playfully pounced on his 48-year-old wife for a cuddle, while she was on the phone.

Despite her decades in the spotlight, Demi is looking sexier than ever – fresh-faced and flaunting a toned and tanned figure.

See more pictures in this week’s issue of Woman’s Day and more celebrity beach bodies here!

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher on their romantic Caribbean holiday.

Demi’s body has changed little since she starred in *Charlie’s Angels* in 2002.

Demi’s body has changed little since she starred in Charlie’s Angels in 2002.

Last month the couple attended Sao Paulo Fashion Week in Brazil.

Demi was looking as remarkably youthful and radiant as ever.

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Perfect boiled eggs every time

Question: I have tried numerous different ways to boil eggs, but each time the yolk is either too hard or the white is undercooked, and it is not until you cut open the egg that you know! Please can you tell me how I should boil eggs to achieve a nice runny yolk to dip soldiers in? Sarah Niedermeyer, Palmerston, NT.

Answer: As always with eggs, fresh and preferably free-range is best. To perfectly soft-boil eggs, allow them to come to room temperature to reduce the risk of cracking.

Choose a saucepan to suit the number of eggs you are boiling – the eggs need room to move around. Add enough hot tap water to cover the eggs and then stir over a high heat until the water boils, to centralise the yolks. Boil, uncovered, for 2 minutes for soft-boiled or 4 minutes for a slightly firmer yolk.

Remove the eggs and run under cold water for 1 minute. Tap the pointed end with a sharp knife to take off the top.

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Behaviour of children with ADHD improves with elimination diet

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Children with ADHD should be placed on special diets to identify foods that may trigger disruptive behaviour before behaviour-changing drugs are considered, Dutch researchers have recommended.

Researchers from the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands found that significant improvements were found when children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were given a controlled diet.

“We think that dietary intervention should be considered in all children with ADHD,” the researchers, led by Dr Lidy Pelsser, wrote in the Lancet.

The research, which was conducted on 100 children aged four to eight with ADHD, found that restricting the range of foods given to children with ADHD can lead to significantly better behaviour.

During the study, half of the children were given a healthy diet, while the other half were given an “elimination” diet that included only a few foods such as rice, meat, vegetables, pears and water.

These children were slowly introduced to other foods including wheat, eggs, peanuts, milk, soy and fish over time.

The researchers said the diets should be tried only with medical supervision and for no longer than five weeks at a time.

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Aussies are against sex selection: report

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A recent survey has revealed Australians disapprove of IVF sex selection but would prefer a “balanced” family with one girl and one boy.

The study, led by Dr Rebecca Kippen from the School of Population Health at the University of Melbourne, found that 69 percent of respondents disapproved of the use of IVF for sex selection and 80 percent were against sex-selective abortions.

More than 2500 people participating in the Australian Survey of Social Attitudes, were quizzed on the topic and only 11 percent supported the idea of a hypothetical gender selection pill.

Dr Kippen said people involved in the study were against sex selection for a number of reasons and were concerned about the concept of “designer infants”.

“Opposition to these technologies was grounded in three major concerns: the potential for distorted sex ratios; that sex selection can be an expression of gender bias; and a concern about ‘designer infants’ being created, when parents should be happy with a healthy baby,” Dr Kippen said.

Previous behavioural and attitudinal research found that Australian parents want a balanced family, of one boy and one girl.

The research was published in Fertility and Sterility in December last year.

This year the National Health and Medical Research Council is due to review the ban on sex selection, which was established in 2004, and has called for community discussion of issues surrounding sex selection.

The current guidelines surrounding the ban state that “sex selection (by whatever means) must not be undertaken except to reduce the risk of transmission of a serious genetic condition”.

Your say: What do you think about sex selection? Do you agree with the study results?

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Fergie’s high life

Fergie’s high life

The ‘bankrupt’ duchess is living it up in exclusive resorts, writes Sebastian Van Der Zwan.

For someone more than $150,000 in the red, who vowed to do everything she could to clear her massive debts, Sarah Ferguson hardly seems to be leading a frugal lifestyle.

Just days after flashing wads of cash at an expensive boutique in the Caribbean, the supposedly destitute duchess jetted off to a lush Swiss resort to join ex-husband Prince Andrew and daughters, Princess Beatrice, 22, and Princess Eugenie, 20, on their annual ski holiday.

The extravagant jaunt started on the island of St Barts, where 51-year-old Fergie joined pop star Robbie Williams and his wife, Ayda Field, on a luxury yacht. The two ladies later hit the isle’s notoriously pricey boutiques, leaving high-fashion designer store Hermes with several shopping bags each.

While friends of the duchess insist she was simply helping Ayda to carry her bags and had not made any purchases herself, our exclusive photos show a make-up free Fergie flicking through a pile of money as she eyes off expensive items in the exclusive shop.

She was also spotted sporting a glamorous black Birkin handbag with gold lettering, made by the Hermes fashion house and retailing for at least $6500, a couple of days later.

“She still has two problems that won’t go away,” one close source told the UK’s Daily Mail. “One is generosity; the other is that she thinks it’s quite normal and acceptable to jump on planes like the rest of us use taxis.”

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Jason Donovan’s mum reveals ‘My son tore our family apart’

Jason Donovan's mum

Sue McIntosh reveals that her famous son no longer speaks to her after ‘betraying’ his family to make millions, Rose Fydler reports.

Jason Donovan’s mum Sue McIntosh was home alone in Melbourne the day she found out she was going to be a grandmother for the third time. In what would be a surreal moment for most people, Sue heard the news from a radio bulletin rather than an excited phone call from her son, the dad-to-be.

But from him, there has been only silence. Former Neighbours star Jason lives in London with wife Angela and children Jemma and Zac and has shut his mother out of his life.

“Jason and I haven’t spoken for three years – not since his visit to Australia in 2007 to publicise his autobiography. Nor was I invited to his wedding,” reveals Sue, a former TV news presenter who divorced Jason’s father, actor Terence Donovan, nearly four decades ago.

“I’m thrilled to bits for them that they’re having another baby, because Ange is a really normal and nice person who has grounded Jason, and the children they have are beautiful. But, the way things are, I’ve become used to finding out things like that in the media.”

A devastated Sue blames Jason’s book – Between The Lines: My Story Uncut – for the rift that has torn her family apart. “I was appalled and upset by his book. It was a cruel effort on Jason’s part and I told him that in the last conversation we had.

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What your mum ate (or didn’t eat) while pregnant could still be making you fat

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Can a mother’s eating habits while pregnant affect her child? A new study suggests, it might.

It’s well known that rats that are underfed during pregnancy produce fat babies with metabolic problems.

To do the same studies with humans is difficult. Yet a “natural” experiment was provided during World War II when the German invasion of Holland resulted in a major famine over several months.

In pictures: Bizarre medical treatments making a comeback

Your say: Do you think your mother’s eating habits have affected your own? Share your comments below.

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Uncover your inner beauty

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They say that inner beauty radiates to the surface. But without a warm complexion, smooth textured skin and fewer wrinkles, many of us find it difficult to feel our beauty glow.

From ancient Egyptian times women have used cosmetics to beautify themselves and through the ages creams and lotions have been the key to youthful skin.

But the problem is skin care treatments generally do not penetrate deep enough to continuously generate healthy skin. While healthy glowing skin may improve your physical attractiveness and help you feel good about yourself, skin plays a larger role than you may be aware of.

In pictures: Surprising things that age you

Keeping us in “touch” with the world we live in means regulating temperature, creating physical sensations such as touch, providing an immunity barrier and eliminating toxins from the body.

Nutrients skin deep

Nutrition plays a key role in not only helping to protect the skin against damaging external factors, but also to enhance the functioning capabilities of the skin.

We have known for some time that our skin is a reflection of our nutritional status. Many signs and symptoms of nutritional deficiency are exacerbated by dry, flaky skin as well as skin lesions.

There is now both scientific and clinical evidence to suggest that enhancing the diet with the deficient vitamins, minerals or essential fatty acids improves skin conditions in these situations

What is very exciting is that we are beginning to understand much more about the best foods we need to consume to actually improve the health, functioning and beauty of our skin.

Stay tuned for specialist beauty juices and dairy products and other hot, new beauty foods. My approach is to go for a healthy diet full of foods naturally nutrient rich and close to the source as possible.

Top foods to include in your diet are carrots (help protect against skin cancer), citrus fruits (keeps skin elastic), fish (calms inflammation), wholegrain cereals (eliminates toxins), dark green vegetables (rich in antioxidants) and healthy plant oils with essential fatty acids.

For a healthy glow it also pays to drink plenty of water and green tea, go easy on the alcohol and caffeine, stay active and get a great nights sleep!

Your say: What’s your skincare secret? Tell us below…

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Better bling

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A sparkling diamond knuckle-duster or a pair of pretty gold earrings says a lot about your style and taste. But, when it comes to human rights and the environment, there is another side to jewellery — and it’s not pretty.

For decades, precious metals and stones have been mined in some of the world’s poorest countries, and the associated human exploitation and environmental impact is dreadful. In certain parts of Africa, miners work long, gruelling hours in dangerous conditions for less than $1.00 a day; sometimes, children are employed. Some mines have been known to use cyanide to extract the metal from the ore, and toxic chemicals like this can pollute nearby village wells and taint the soil.

Then there is the issue of ‘blood diamonds’, also known as conflict diamonds. These became known to the general public with the 2007 movie of the same name, starring Leonardo di Caprio. Blood diamonds are an untraceable currency used to fund violence and civil wars. In the 1990s, Amnesty International claimed that nearly 15 per cent of diamonds on the international market were blood diamonds. Today, thanks to the establishment of the Kimberley Process (a certification plan backed by 71 countries that verifies diamonds as having come from non-warring countries, and tracks them from mine to manufacturer), that number of blood diamonds is said to have fallen to under four per cent.

The good news is, there is plenty you can do if you want to put your money where your conscience is.

  • Ask your jeweller to melt down old, unused pieces and design something new

  • Buy a stunning antique or second-hand piece.

  • Buy ‘cultured’ gems, lab-grown stones that are identical in composition to naturally occurring ones — even gem experts have difficulty telling them apart without special magnification.

  • If it simply must be a diamond then, in addition to checking that any stone you buy is conflict-free, you can ask for documentation about the producer’s environmental business practices, e.g. carbon offsetting and reforestation.

  • Be careful of stones from Africa and investigate those from Canada and Australia instead.

  • Favour fair-trade pieces that are produced using socially responsible programs for workers, and eco-minded designers who make jewellery from ethically sourced metals and recycled materials.

YOUR SAY: Do you consider the environment and human rights when buying new jewellery? Tell us your thoughts below.

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