Blog Posts by Bianca Ffolkes

Woman fulfils her sister's dying wish.Four years ago, 42-year-old Jackie DeVita was dying of cancer when she made a special request to her unmarried sister Colleen Leary.

Jackie removed her wedding ring and handed it to Colleen, saying : “I want to know that this is the three of us,” referring to Colleen, Jackie and her husband, Richard DeVita. “Don't ever leave my kids.”

Colleen had promised to look after her children but wasn’t in love with her brother-in-law and refused to marry him.

However, three months after Jackie’s funeral, Colleen and Richard fulfilled Jackie's dying wish. The couple are now married and living on a ranch in Venice, Florida, in the home Richard once shared with Jackie.

Raising Richie, now 16, Mikey, 14, who has Down's syndrome, and Gabby, 12, together.

Colleen said: “I know we have her blessing. It mattered more to me that I felt peace for my sister, knowing that this is what was supposed to happen if she couldn’t be here.”

Jackie and Colleen were born only 50 weeks apart, were extremely close and often

Read More »from Woman fulfils sister's dying wish, to raise her kids and marry her husband

Talk about shedding weight! For most of us looking to get rid of excess pounds, we're lucky if we can drop a stone in a few months.

Well, Emmerdale star Pauline Quirke obviously wasn't willing to wait around. She's slimmed down fast - and how!

She shows off her new slim figure in the pages of Woman magazine this month. Quirke started her diet back in January and has managed to shed six and a half stone in just six months!

Pauline before in 2008 and now Photo: Left: Rex Features Right: David Venni/WOMAN Magazine
In a bid to lose weight, the TV star went on an extreme low-calorie diet at the beginning of the year that took her from 19st 6lb to 13st.

The actress – best known as Sharon in the hit nineties sitcom Birds of a Feather - has battled with her weight for years.

She took drastic action after she was told she was ‘severely obese’.

At 5ft 6in, her BMI (body mass index) was 43.9 - within the severely obese category.

With her health at risk, Quirke knew it was time to take stock of her life, she told Woman magazine:  “IRead More »from TV star Pauline Quirke’s amazing weight loss

Alright, I know what you’re thinking. Here we go again, another boring, designer high street fashion collection.

But you’re oh-so-wrong.

For her latest collection, Donatella Versace has knocked up some impressive pieces for her H&M Versace designs, full of items that will work wonderfully for your Christmas party and take you all the way through to summer.

Don’t be put off by Versace’s trademark loud prints and bold colours, this new collection features something for everyone.

Jennifer Hudson, Chloe Moretz, Jessica Alba and Mark Ronson in the Versace for H&M collection.

Simple little black dresses, tuxedo jackets and tailored trousers are mixed with the more extravagant palm-print, leather and studded outfits.  

[See also: Pics from Amy Child's new underwear range launch] - On Yahoo! omg!

Versace’s limited edition collection will roll into H&M stores from 17th November and if you, like me, are one of the hundreds planning to show up at the opening of the H&M Versace collection, then you are in for a treat.

The high street fashion store has announced a special competition forRead More »from Fashion frenzy for H&M Versace collection

Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year the poppy appeal is a hugely significant campaign in the UK. It raises funds for The Royal British Legion, the nation's leading Armed Forces charity providing care and support to all generations involved in war.

Last year the poppy appeal raised £36 million, their highest ever total and a record which it hopes to smash this year.

With only a few days to go until Remembrance Day, the charity anticipates that the little poppy brooch will grace everyone’s collar.

Christine Cobbold from the Royal British Legion told Yahoo! Lifestyle: “Our target for 2011 is to raise £40 million but we hope to reach £90 million as it is our 90th anniversary.”

While the paper poppy brooch has always been successful, it seems the sparkly versions of the iconic pin are helping to boost fundraising figures.

[See also: FA shamefully exploiting Poppy Appeal] - On Yahoo! Sport

The glitzy varieties of the little red flower have become a big hit with the public who are keen

Read More »from The value of the poppy brooch

Frozen food supermarket Iceland is selling a double decker pizza containing almost the entire daily allowance recommended for a woman.

The belly-busting 10in Double Decker Pepperoni Pizza is now on sale across the UK for £3, in the face of warnings from health professionals that obesity could surge to 26 million by 2030.

It consists of two stonebaked pizzas held together with mozzarella cheese, lots of pepperoni and sweet chilli sauce.

Described as “every pizza lover’s dream” it is packed with 9.6g salt, which is more than one-and-a-half times the amount advised for both sexes. It contains 54.4g of fat, of which 20.8g is saturated – this is just over 80 per cent of the advised 25g daily intake for women.

Iceland’s Double Decker Pizza is being endorsed by X Factor star Stacey Soloman, who appears in the TV ad saying her catchphrase “Love it” as she tucks into a slice.

[See also: What 2,000 calories a day looks like]

Stacey Solomon is featured in the TV advert for the Double Decker Pizza.

Critics are concerned about the high calorie product that goes against theRead More »from Iceland's new double decker pizza

It’s not every day that you get a bunch of supermodels in one place at the same time but last night the fashion elite descended upon Claridge’s Hotel to honour Harper’s Bazaar’s Women of the Year 2011.

The third annual awards event celebrated the women (and one man) who have had a noteworthy 12 months.

Collecting the most coveted award of the night was Sarah Burton, who won Designer of the Year, which followed the fashion magazine announcing Kate Middleton as Britain’s Queen of Style.

Sarah Burton, of Alexander McQueen, was celebrated for her influential designs, and most notably for her contribution to British fashion in 2011. 

Left to right: Dame Judi Dench, Jessie J and Sarah Burton. Photos Rex.

[See also: Women of the Year Awards in photos] - On Yahoo! omg!

Since creating Kate Middleton’s wedding dress seven months ago, Burton has become one of the most talked about designers of the year.

The awards ceremony also paid honoured Dame Judi Dench, who received a Lifetime Achievement award.

Who else did the magazine recognise?

It was a return of the Read More »from Harper’s Bazaar’s most stylish women of 2011

It’s been almost a year since Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement and women are still going mad for the royal engagement ring.

Marks and Spencer’s replica of the blue sapphire and diamond ring has become the retailer’s best-selling piece of jewellery to date.

M&S have sold around 200 of its "Platinum Plated Royal Ring" every week since it went on sale in March.

Kate’s ring, which originally belonged to Princess Diana, has been replicated by many stores but this stands out as the favourite with the public.

Left: M&S Platinum Plated Royal Ring. Right: Kate Middleton wears her engagement ring.

Customers who have been delighted with their purchase left reviews on the M&S site. One said: “I've seen this style of ring in other shops but I think this one is by far the best quality and design of the lot. I've had lots of good comments from people .Well done M and S.”
 
Another commented: “I know it sounds silly but this ring makes me feel just a little bit connected to the Royal Couple! It is very sparkly and fit for a princess.”

Kate’s engagement ring costRead More »from Kate Middleton’s engagement ring is M&S best-seller

Liz Jones confessed in her column.Newspaper columnist Liz Jones is known for sharing intimate details of her love life in her Daily Mail column but this time she has crossed the boundaries of sharing all things personal.

In what is described as her “most shocking confession yet” Liz has sent the internet ablaze as she confessed to stealing her ex-partners’ sperm.

The 53-year-old journalist’s column discusses her desire to have a baby, firstly with a boyfriend when she was in her late 30s and then with her husband a few years later.

Despite both partners expressing they were not ready for children, Jones’ worry that her biological clock was about to stop ticking drove her to drastic methods.

Liz told millions of Daily Mail readers that despite her boyfriend, Trevor, being “wildly unsuitable” she decided to “steal his sperm in the middle on the night”.

She elaborated: “The ‘theft’ itself was alarmingly easy to carry out. One night, after sex, I took the used condom and, in the privacy of the bathroom, I did what I had to

Read More »from Liz Jones: I stole my boyfriend’s sperm to try and get pregnant