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The Block’s Mark and Duncan reveal their tradie bunch!

The Block's Mark and Duncan reveal their tradie bunch!

Our favourite chippies are mates off-screen too, and their wives and eight kids – four each – get along like a house on fire.

Between Mark’s four daughters and Duncan’s four sons, it’s easy to see why the lovable TV larrikins were quickly dubbed The Brady Bunch by fellow contestants on reality renovations series The Block.

But when Woman’s Day pops around for a visit, the close family friends reveal they’ve recently come up with an even better name for their combined clans.

“Forget the Brady Bunch – we’re the tradie bunch,” laughs Duncan. “Which is great because I would gladly swap the lot of them,” jokes Mark, playfully punching Duncan’s eldest son, Josh, on the arm.

It’s a rugged sense of humour – one that has seen these knockabout blokes and their families through their fair share of hard knocks, and also one that saw them quickly become firm friends after meeting in a timber yard more than 20 years ago.

And the jokes don’t stay on the construction site for these chippies. Even their wives, Jen and Jan, aren’t immune to the light-hearted jibes after having their hair and make-up done for our photoshoot.

**Read more in this week’s Woman’s Day,

on sale November 8, 2010.**

Related video: The Block.

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Michael Douglas: We are doing fine!

Michael Douglas: We are doing fine!

Michael Douglas proves he’s as tough off-screen as he is in his movies.

He’s cancer-stricken and appears fragile, with some US tabloids giving him just three months to live, but Michael Douglas is determined to go about life as usual, undertaking regular and lengthy journeys to visit his older son in jail.

The actor often makes the three-hour, 300km trip from New York to Pennsylvania, where Cameron Douglas is serving five years on drugs charges.

Michael, 66, seems to be making up for lost time with his 31-year-old son – and this gruelling journey is hardly the behaviour of a man at death’s door.

Almost a month after completing eight weeks of chemo and radiotherapy for his advanced throat cancer, the star himself tells Hello! magazine, “I’ve always been a positive person and I will kick this thing … A lot of my energy has gone and I have increased soreness in my mouth, but overall I feel good.”

Laughing, Michael adds, “I’m looking forward to enjoying a good glass of wine when I get my tastebuds back again.”

Related video: Michael Douglas looking good!.

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Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban on Oprah down under!

Nicole and Keith on Oprah down under!

The talk-show queen will be calling on her famous Aussie pals when she heads here next month.

When Oprah Winfrey hits our shores for her hugely anticipated Australian shows, there’ll be a who’s who of home-grown A-listers clambering to sit on her famous couch.

While the chat-show star’s production company, Harpo, has remained tight-lipped about her December trip, an insider has let slip that Nicole Kidman and husband Keith Urban will be among the stars taking part in Oprah’s odyssey Down Under.

“They’re delighted to have been asked and to be involved,” the source tells Woman’s Day. “This is great for Australia and they’re both passionate about celebrating the culture and people of this great country.”

But if you think you can guess where and when Nicole and Keith will be appearing in Oprah’s shows, think again.

“It won’t be on a live show and it won’t be in an area you expect that they’ll pop up,” the insider reveals.

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Terri Irwin: My secret life as a body builder

Terri Irwin: My secret life as a body builder

Terri tells David Robson how pumping iron has helped her get over the grief of losing Steve.

Terri Irwin hasn’t had it easy over the past four years. Since losing her beloved husband Steve in 2006 she’s worked tirelessly to promote the conservation work he dedicated his life to. But while she’s remained stoic in public, in private Terri desperately searched for solace in her darkest moments. That relief came in the form of body building.

“I really began training hard after losing Steve,” she reveals. “I discovered on my own that I could cope better with the crippling effects of grief by taking care of myself. Now I want to tell everyone that when the last thing you want to do is get up and get moving, that’s exactly what you should do.

“I’m better able to cope on an emotional level when I am healthy. Regular exercise definitely helps you cope with life’s dramas.”

And she’s certainly had her fair share of dramas recently. Last month Terri, 46, successfully prevented mining going ahead in Cape York’s Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve, she’s mended her feud with father-in-law Bob and she’s busy being a single mum to Bindi, 12, and Robert, 6.

Terri credits her late husband Steve with inspiring her new fitness regime.“I wanted to make sure I could continue all the projects he’d started,” she says. Here Terri tells how lifting weights helps her deal with the trials of her everyday life.

Related video: Terri Irwin.

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Schapelle shock: I don’t want to come home

Schapelle shock: I don't want to come home

Being sent home in handcuffs is not a tempting prospect for the broken Aussie.

A mentally fragile Schapelle Corby is refusing to pin her hopes on Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s heartfelt mission to bring her home to serve out her remaining jail time, fearing it will end in heartbreak.

“She’s aware the Australian Government is supporting her on her lucid days, but most days she’s not really with it or fully comprehending what’s going on,” a family friend tells Woman’s Day. “Also, she’s clung to hopes before that were dashed, so she’s still very depressed most of the time and can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

And given all her avenues of appeal have been exhausted, the bid for clemency to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, lodged in March this year on the grounds of her failing mental health, is her last hope of having her sentence slashed.

If it fails, she will serve at least another seven years. Speaking publicly about Corby’s case for the first time, in a press conference with Julia Gillard last Tuesday, Dr Yudhoyono said he was “quite optimistic” about a prisoner transfer scheme between Australia and Indonesia, which could apply to Schapelle’s case.

But this isn’t cause for celebration for the Corbys, as politicians have talked about prisoner transfer for more than five years and Schapelle has said numerous times she wants to come home a free person.

Related video: Inside Schapelle’s prison.

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Kyle Sandilands living in fear

Kyle Sandilands living in fear

The shock jock’s life seems to be spiralling out of control.

The look of panic on Kyle’s face when a boisterous fan grabbed him in a headlock and wouldn’t let go could almost have been comical if the situation were not quite so serious.

The incident occurred while Kyle held court recently in the VIP bar at Piano Room, the nightclub in Sydney’s Kings Cross that he bought into this year, and where he has been living out his bachelor fantasy. It was probably just drunken antics from a fan, but a shaken Kyle called for help from the bodyguard he’s just hired to protect him around the clock – after receiving death threats.

“He is taking the threats seriously,” says one of his fellow 2DayFM employees. “Someone has gone through with making a threat on his life, so who knows what else they are capable of? They may well take it to the next level and cause harm. Kyle has taken steps to protect himself, spending more time in LA, because he feels safer there.”

For many years, Kyle has employed security staff, but he’s stepped it up recently by hiring one of Sydney’s best-connected strongmen, Kings Cross identity Neil Cummins. The shock jock has also just moved into what he describes as a high security “fortress” at Terrey Hills, 25km north of Sydney.

He shares the a multi-million dollar pad with luxury car dealer, Nasser “The Gnome” Elkordi, who has a helicopter to provide a fast escape if security is breached.

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Miranda: My dream for my baby!

Miranda Kerr’s most treasured memories are not of glamorous photo shoots or movie premieres, but of a childhood spent horse riding and climbing trees in a rural Aussie town.

Now, as the 27-year-old prepares to welcome her first child with Pirates Of The Caribbean actor Orlando Bloom, 33, her thoughts are turning to the kind of upbringing she would like for her own baby.

Sharing memories of her youth and intimate never-before-seen childhood pictures in her new book, Treasure Yourself, Miranda says she’s grateful she got to experience the innocence of growing up in the outback.

Read more in this week’s Woman’s Day, on sale Monday November 8, 2010.

Miranda Kerr

Baby bump: Miranda shows off her baby bump.

Yummy mummy: Miranda is focusing on her organic lifestyle whilst pregnant

Loved up: Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom

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Heidi Klum was told to lose weight

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Heidi Klum on the run way for Victoria's Secret and as a model at 17-years-old.

It’s hard to believe that supermodel and former chief Victoria’s Secret model Heidi Klum was once told she needed to lose weight and chop off her long blonde hair to be a successful model.

Now the 37-year-old mother-of-four has revealed she refused to bow down to the pressure of the cutthroat modelling industry.

“People were trying to squeeze me into boxes saying, ‘Oh, you’re too happy, maybe we’ll cut your hair really short, maybe you’ll lose some weight to be thinner’,” she told Access Hollywood.

“And I was like no, my hair is the way it is and my body is fine and I would just go with what I believed in.”

The German-born beauty, who quit Victoria’s Secret in September this year after 13 years as the face of the brand, said she has loved every part of her career.

“I loved all of it, doing Victoria’s Secret, doing shows with all those models,” she said.

“It was Naomi Campbell, Tyra [Banks], Laetitia Casta, Karen Mulder — you name it they all did it. It was amazing to be surrounded by all these woman that I wanted to be.

“Then you get a title and get to be put in the New York Post and it was all happening.”

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Ann Ann answers Woman’s Day readers’ questions

Ann Ann answers

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

ANN REPLIES

Sell, definitely! If you wait too much longer, you will lose a lot more financially than you can recover. November is a brilliant time to look at selling. You will have no regrets once you have done it.

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

ANN REPLIES

Nothing can make you happy for the rest of your life because you constantly keep changing your mind about everything. You will walk away from this relationship when you are ready, but I do not see that happening in the near future. You should stop living in fairy land young lady and get back to reality.

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

ANN REPLIES

Just add “O.N.O” to and you will find a buyer. Please remember that what you lose in the short term you will recoup later on somehow. You will have no regrets long-term for having dropped your asking price.

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

ANN REPLIES

You will break free within the next two years. This business is finished, and it has been for three years. If you weren’t around they would be forced into make decisions that are well and truly overdue. Don’t allow them to make you feel guilty for wanting to have some space. I can assure you that you owe them nothing, and it’s time you saw them for what they really are – manipulators of the worst kind, your husband included, with only their own interests at heart.

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

ANN REPLIES

You got it right when you said someone else. It also seems you’re going to have some problems with a female. The best advice I can give you is for you not to try to vindicate yourself, because the more you try to protest that you’re innocent, the more seems to have the opposite effect. For once, just walk away and it will all blow over.

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

ANN REPLIES

Your mum says to hold that thought, so I take this to mean that you have been toying with an idea and are not sure if you should make the move or not? From April onwards is the right time to go for whatever it is. Do not allow anyone to tell you it won’t work, she says. How often have you felt as if someone was giving you a slight push in your right shoulder with their finger? Well, now you know who it is – she is trying to tell you to move on. She will always be there to support and protect you. Also, buy yourself a bottle of Australian Bush Flower Essences Angelsword and take two drops morning and night for seven days in a row. This will help clear your mind of self-doubts.

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

ANN REPLIES

Firstly, go out and buy six whistles. Give one to your son and make sure he has it on a chain or cord around his neck at all times while he is at school. Tell him to keep it out of sight – this is his secret weapon. Also, arrange a meeting with his principal and tell them that from now on any time your son is being bullied that he will blow his whistle to make the teachers aware that he needs help. Also tell your son to make sure that he blows it as hard as he can – it will have the desired affect on the bully and others will soon follow your lead.

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

ANN REPLIES

No apologies necessary. Take a really good look through his room and you will learn exactly what he is spending his ill-gotten gains on.

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

ANN REPLIES

Yes to both your questions. There is also something about an unexpected move or trip, and I can see you are not sure what to do – go or stay. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by going.

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

ANN REPLIES

This is one battle you can’t help him with, but a good hypnotherapist could find the cause and get rid of it. What happened either to him personally or to the family unit when he was around 12 or 13 that made him feel that nothing in his life was secure?

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

ANN REPLIES

Go speak with a solicitor and also take all legal documents you have previously signed with you. Somewhere in there is a loophole in your favour.

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

ANN REPLIES

I do no see it happening this year. Next year, things will have eased a lot financially, and any time from August onwards would be best to go for it, but lock it in for two years only.

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

ANN REPLIES

This has nothing to do with your gambling or him being younger than you at all. It’s coming to the time for the both of you to move on. You are both finishing off a past lifetime connection.

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

ANN REPLIES

Long term Sydney is the place you need to be.

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

ANN REPLIES

Don’t become involved in this unless you want to get hurt, really hurt that is.

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

ANN REPLIES

Don’t worry about the grandchildren. They will be OK, but your daughter is not completely out of the woods yet. She needs to let go so that she can move on.

Woman’s Day Psychic Ann Ann, has the answers to readers’ dilemmas.

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Puppy Carers

When Vision Australia merged with Seeing Eye Dogs Australia a year ago, they welcomed a new breed of volunteer — the puppy carer!

These canine-friendly helpers give round-the-clock service by providing loving homes for the puppies that go on to train to be Seeing Eye Dogs.

Dennis and Gail Rowatt had wanted to become puppy carers for many years. It wasn’t until their beloved family pet passed away last year that they decided the time was right.

The couple from Bokarina on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast began caring for Gary the pup in January and have since been steadily training the black labrador in preparation for his formal “studies” with Vision Australia’s Seeing Eye Dogs, Orientation & Mobility division.

“We wanted to do something for the community and we’re dog lovers,” Dennis said soon after Gary’s arrival. “This gives you the flexibility and you’re not tied down for another 14 years.”

Dennis’s main responsibility as a trainer is to familiarise the pup with a range of environments. Gary sits under his desk as he works from home, accompanies him to medical appointments and sits beside him in restaurants.

“I’ve also taken him to the airport to get him used to the noise and public transport,” says Dennis.

“The first few months you’ve got to imprint in their minds what’s right and wrong.”

Find out more

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