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❙ strap strap ❙

‘Why working helps keep me young!’

Looking decades younger than her 72 years, Corrie actress Gwen Taylor chats about life on and off the Street – and why being on HRT still works for her

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❙ star chat ❙

By Alison James

M

Anne (far right) confronts Carla (second from left)

deluded mother Anne, who thinks he can do no wrong. She is convinced he is innocent of raping his former fiancée, Carla Connor.

Originally from Derby, Gwen lives in London, so she commutes up to Manchester and stays over when she’s filming the soap.

“I’m really enjoying stopping in a hotel,” she laughs. “I’m treating myself and staying at the Hilton.

You get some amazing views from the top floor.

“My husband, Graham (Northern Irish playwright, Graham Reid) was staying with me the other day. He used to work in Manchester and was pointing out all the landmarks to me.”

Gwen and Graham have been together for 30 years and married for 16. “I met Graham when I was appearing in a series of plays he had written,” she recalls.

“I adore him. I never had children but, through him, I have three stepchildren and two grandsons, who have grown up into lovely young men.”

She hopes she would not have been the same sort of mum as her new character, who she’s played since September.

“Poor Anne,” says Gwen. “She’s in complete denial. Her only son is the apple of her eye and she’s brought him up to have decent values – or so she thinks. Frank is an only child. She has obviously spoiled him all his life and suffocated him a little.

“She’s recently widowed and so she wants him in her life even more than usual. He seems to get irritated by her, but he needs her as much as she needs him.”

Gwen’s iconic TV roles

✤ Amy in Duty Free. This popular ITV sitcom co-starring Keith Barron ran from 1984 to 1986 and made Gwen a household name. ✤ Rita Simcock in the 1989 ITV Comedy Drama, A Bit of a Do ✤ Sharp-tongued, nosy parker Barbara Liversidge in the ITV sitcom Barbara which ran from 1999 to 2003 ✤ Peggy Armstrong in set-in-the-60s police drama Heartbeat from 2005 to 2010.

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PIC:ITV; CAMERAPRESS

uch-loved actress Gwen Taylor has been gracing our TV screens for more than 30 years – and she’s clearly a woman happy in her own skin.

At 72, she could be mistaken for someone much younger; but insists that, unlike many celebrities, she’s no slave to diet and exercise.

“I’m a bit chubby, about 2 ½ stone heavier than I’d like to be.

What can you do, though? I love food, I’m healthy – touch wood – and I know my husband loves me the way I am. Life’s too short!

“Maybe I’d lose weight if I came off HRT, but it seems to suit me.

I’ve been on it for years, closely monitored by my doctor. The only thing that depresses me about being overweight is not being able to get into all the lovely clothes I bought when I was slimmer. I keep thinking I should take them to a charity shop but I can’t bear to part with them. Anyway, you never know. One day...”

Work keeps her young, she says.

“It gives me a focus. I’m not good at being unemployed. There’s a lot to do around the house and in the garden, but I tend to only do it when I’m under pressure.

“Having said that, I’ve never panicked about work. Something will turn up – it always does.

As long as you don’t lose your marbles, you can act forever. It keeps me feeling young and I’m always up for a challenge.”

She’s certainly had a couple of those in the last year. “I got my boobs out for the stage version of Calendar Girls,” she laughs.

“And recently I played a part in a film where I had to walk down a London street wearing a surgical gown that opens at the back.

So that’s both my boobs and my bottom on show at 72!”

Gwen is currently keeping Corrie viewers gripped with her latest role, as rapist Frank Foster’s

Gwen says Anne refuses to countenance that her son will be found guilty and jailed. “She has totally convinced herself that he’s innocent. Even though there have been a few flashes of anger directed at her, she seems to have been able to brush these aside.

Poor woman, she’s in for such a shock if and when the truth finally comes out.

“I think a lot of real-life mums are like Anne, in that they refuse to believe their children are capable of any wrongdoing. Take last summer’s riots, for instance.

There were quite a few mothers who simply wouldn’t accept their sons and daughters had been involved, even though they obviously had.”

Frank and Sally Webster have become an item. Does Anne approve? “Not really,” Gwen replies. “She is not happy about Frank getting himself in what could be another messy situation when he should be staying out of trouble. She has nothing against Sally, but it is not ideal.”

Corrie life certainly hasn’t been dull so far. “It is so, so special,” she enthuses. “I’ve watched it for years and still find it hard to believe I’m actually in it. My first scene in the Rovers was a real watershed moment. I felt like a bit of an interloper, but I’m getting used to it.

“One of the funniest things is having flaming rows with Carla, played by Ali King. Ali is a lovely woman and it’s hard to have an argument with her. We’ll have just had a nice conversation in the Green Room and then I have to go on screen and tear her to bits!”

WARDROBE ClASSICS…

Mix and match these 50-plus wardrobe staples, which will

By Michelle Nightingale

The versatile jacket The flattering waterfall draping offers a more relaxed alternative to a blazer and is ideal with jeans or a dress. ✤ Rust-coloured jacket, £55, 8-20, Marks & Spencer; stripe silk top, £8, 8-18, Primark; trousers, £59, 8-20, Autograph Marks & Spencer; rust pumps, £12, 3-8, Primark; bead necklace, £15, Marks & Spencer; clutch bag, £17.50, Isme.

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Classic jeans

Slimming skirt

Dark denim jeans in a bootcut or wide-leg style will suit most body shapes. For comfort choose jeans that sit a little higher on the waist. ✤ Dark denim jeans, £30, 8-22, M&Co; cream silk blouse, £26, xs-l, Apricot; suede look heels, £22, 3-8, Brantano; pendant necklace, £4, George at Asda; oversized clutch bag, £32, Isme.

Clever colour block panels create the illusion of a slimmer frame. ✤ Panelled skirt, £19.50, 8-20, Marks & Spencer; cream silk blouse, details as before; patent black shoes, £19.50, 3-8, Marks & Spencer; mock croc brown bag, £25, Marks & Spencer.

Style

E … to flatter your figure

notes

ch will make the most of your figure whatever your shape

Gathered cowl necklines and detailing are great ways to disguise problem areas such as the tummy and help make the most of your bust. ✤ Rust drape top, £25, 8-20, Marks & Spencer; tapered trousers, £14, 8-12, Primark; patent nude shoes, £22, 3-9, Brantano; print scarf, £5, George at Asda.

Stylish trousers

Wider fit trousers will help smooth your silhouette and balance out wide hips. Choose camel or brown shades as softer alternatives to black, which can look quite formal. ✤ Trousers, £59, 8-20, Autograph Marks & Spencer; print silk top, £25, 10-28, Isme; suede look heels, as before.

Everyday dress

PHOTOGRAPHY RUTH JENKINSON; STYlIST JO WINCH; HAIR AND MAKE-UP HANAN TOUHAMI

Flattering top

This dress is a great wardrobe staple. Its ruched detailing means it will help hide a wobbly tummy and larger hips and thighs, so it’s a flattering must-have for most body shapes. ✤ Pattern dress, £35, 10-18, M&Co; black patent shoes, details as before.

STOCKISTS: Apricot www. apricotonline.co.uk; Brantano 0870 NEXT ISSUE 990 1600; George at Asda 0800 952 0101; Isme 0844 811 8112; M&Co 0800 The best skirts 031 7200; Marks & Spencer 0845 302 for all figures 1234; Primark 0118 960 6300 Details correct at time of going to press YOURS

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Recharge your

health

Y

our immune system is your body’s defense mechanism.

It works tirelessly to fight off bugs and viruses and help you stay healthy. But as you get older your immunity naturally becomes weaker – unless you do all you can to protect yourself. Thankfully just a few little lifestyle tricks are all you need to reinforce your armoury, so follow our seven easy steps to a healthy glow.

1

Lower your stress levels

Getting stressed could change the levels of protective bacteria that live in your gut, say US researchers.

This could impact your immunity by leaving more room in your intestines for unhealthy bacteria.

Finding ways to relax every day could help to reduce the impact of stress on your body. Choose something that works for you – whether it’s a walk in the fresh air, a warm bath or half an hour with a good book.

Taking a daily dose of probiotics might help, too.

7 ways to...

boost your i Defend yourself against bugs with our seven simple steps

By Rebecca Speechley

2

Get moving

A daily walk or a simple exercise routine a few times a week could help you fight off colds. Exercise is thought to help your immune system fight off simple bacterial and viral infections – but scientists still haven’t quite established why. It could be that aerobic exercise helps to flush bacteria from your lungs and through sweat.

Other experts believe it increases antibodies and protective white blood cells, and that the increase in your body temperature helps to fight off infections.

They all agree that it works though, so try to get some exercise every day.

See your GP before taking supplements or herbal remedies, particularly if you take prescribed medicines.

Always speak to your GP before stopping any medication or before starting any diet or exercise regime. Never stop taking medication unless advised by your GP.

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❙ health matters ❙

r immune system Try taking 25mg of Vitamin D every day as a supplement. Research has shown that Vitamin D could help to bolster your immunity by helping your body make the T-cells that fight infection.

The researchers found people with low Vitamin D levels are more susceptible to bugs.

You make Vitamin D in your skin when it comes into contact with sunshine, and during the winter months this is generally in short supply, so the NHS recommends everyone over 65 take a daily Vitamin D supplement.

4

An apple a day

Snack on an apple and you’ll be increasing the number of immuneboosting proteins in your body.

It’s the pectin in apples that gives you the benefits – and this can also be found in pears and citrus fruits. Scientists say that eating pectin-rich fruits also helps to shorten the duration of a cold, too.

5

Stay warm

Getting chilly in itself might not give you a cold – but it could weaken your defences. If you’re already carrying a cold virus then getting cold or wet may increase the risk of it taking hold. Researchers from the Common Cold Centre in Cardiff think that getting chilled causes the blood vessels in your nose to constrict, which makes it easier for a virus to replicate. Wrap up warm on brisk days and be sure to keep the room you sit and sleep in heated. The World Health Organisation suggests that your heating should be set to a minimum of 16°C for good health.

6

Think positive

Jolly, glass-half-full people are more likely to have strong immune systems. US scientists found that positive people seemed to have better defences to common bugs – and that the more up-beat they were the stronger their immunity was. The experts aren’t exactly sure how being optimistic improves your immunity, but it could be that positive people find looking after themselves and fighting off immune-dampening stress easier.

7

Try Echinacea

Have you ever thought about using a herbal remedy if you succumb to colds and flu this winter? Why not try Echinaforce Echinacea drops and tablets (£9.15 RRP/50ml or 120 tabs) – licensed traditional herbal remedies for the symptomatic relief of colds and flu. Echinaforce helps the body to fight the symptoms of these infections by supporting the immune system. Available from health stores, pharmacies and larger Boots stores.

For more information visit www.avogel.co.uk or call the helpline on 0845 608 5858.

Always read the leaflet.

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Help for

carers

at 50, 60 & 70+

Thousands of carers looking after a close relative claim no help at all because they don’t regard themselves as carers. Read our guide to ensure you get all the help that’s rightfully yours

By Reader Care Editor Rosie Sandall

IN YOUR

50s

More than three million people juggle care with work, but one in five carers are forced to give up their job due to the demands of caring. Most of them have the right to request flexible working hours to help them manage their caring role. Call Carers UK on 0808 808 7777 for advice or visit www.carersuk.org

✤ If you are thinking of leaving Carer’s Allowance of £55.55 per work because of your caring week can be paid to working role, consider how it could carers as long as you earn no affect you. How will you manage more than £100 a week (after with less money? Will leaving certain deductions). You may work affect your future pension also be able to claim Working entitlement? Consider instead Tax Credit, Housing Benefit taking a career break (paid and Council Tax benefit. or unpaid sabbatical), Check with your which would allow you local Jobcentre | DID YOU KNOW? | to keep your options or Benefits Office. open and ensure ✤ You may need you have a job to go support to find a back to should you different job if your want to. Check with caring role means your organisation’s you can’t work full employment policies time. Jobcentre Plus or have a chat with can help with courses your manager. and advice. If you want ✤ If you are combining work to combine work and caring, and caring, you may still be able ask for a carer’s assessment. to claim some benefits. There Social Services must take into are strict eligibility rules, but account your need or desire

Carers save the economy £119 billion anually

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to work as part of this assessment. ✤ If you are claiming Income Support, you may qualify for the Carer Premium, an extra amount of up to £30 per week.

Call the Benefits enquiry line on 0800 882 200 or visit www.direct.gov.uk to claim online. ✤ If you are not working, try to keep up your skills by taking a course especially designed for carers. Learning for Living offers City and Guilds courses for carers to complete at home. The National Extension College also offers courses for carers. To find out more, visit www.learningfor-living.co.uk or contact the National Extension College on 0800 389 2839 or visit www.nec.ac.uk

✤ Caring can affect your State Pension. People receiving Carer’s Allowance are credited with National Insurance contributions. Check how caring will affect your pension by calling The Pension Service on 0800 99 1234 or visit www.direct.gov.uk ✤ If you receive the State Pension, you can’t normally be paid Carer’s Allowance (we at Wise words: Yours continue to campaign xxxxxxxxx for a change in these rules!).

– xxxxxx If your pension is less than the Carer’s Allowance, your State Pension can be topped up to the level of Carer’s Allowance so it may still be worth making a claim. You may also get the Carer’s Premium as part of Pension Credit. Call the Benefits Enquiry Line (see advice for ‘In your 50s’) to check your eligibility. ✤ Thousands of grandparents DID YOU KNOW? offer free childcare to help their own children survive in today’s tough economic You may have to put your own retirement climate. You plans on hold as you face the extra demands may well find IN YOUR of looking after parents in their 80s or 90s. yourself caring Make sure they get all the help they deserve by for little ones while contacting their local Social Services department supporting elderly parents (the number should be listed in a local directory). as well. Do try to have some ‘me time’ in between all your caring roles. Learn to say ✤ Everyone needs a break. Try ‘no’ sometimes!

Vitalise holiday centres, where ✤ You may find that your parents disabled people and their or partner need support to live carers can enjoy time together as independently as possible. (and with other people). Carers can relax because day-to-day Each local authority sets its caring duties are taken on by own eligibility criteria so ask someone else. Call 0303 3030 it for advice. Crossroads 145 or visit www.vitalise.org.

– which provides carers for uk or for more details. Tourism short breaks, usually weekly for All specialises in accessible – has branches throughout the accommodation and travel. For country offering support. Call more details call 0845 124 9971 0845 450 0350 or visit or visit www.tourismforall.org.uk www.crossroads.org.uk

| | Every day another 6,000 people take on a caring responsibility – that’s more than two million people a year

What’s available for carers in their 70s? Turn the page to find out YOURS

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60s

Best buy

| DID YOU KNOW? | Bad winter weather has pushed up the number of home insurance claims by 200 per cent over the last three years. Carry out basic maintenance on your home to ensure a claim isn’t invalidated. Source: M&S Money

Become a Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) member and you can enjoy unlimited days at wetland reserves throughout the UK. Go on guided walks and see interactive exhibits.

Annual membership costs £37 for adults (£27 for 65-plus), or £66 for families (two adults and up to six named children or grandchildren) and your money supports the WWT’s conservation work. ✤ Sign up at any WWT centre, call 01453 891198 or visit www.wwt.org.uk

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£27

Watching the

pennies | IT’S A FACT |

Cash in the attic Most of the tartans we know today date from the late 18th century, and it wasn’t until the 1819 publication of William Wilson’s Key Pattern Book that the association of tartans with family names was cemented.

Sensing profit to be made, the trinket box makers of Mauchline began to hand-paint their creations with tartan patterns in the 1820s.

When two royal tartans – ‘Victoria’ for the Queen and ‘Balmoral’ for her castle – were commissioned around 1850, the

ME M B FROERSHI M P

demand was ripe for exploitation.

William and Andrew Smith, who operated a large factory in Mauchline, designed a machine capable of printing tartan patterns onto paper, which was then applied onto boxes.

The production of tartanware ended in 1933, after fires destroyed the machinery.

However, the scale of the operation until that point means that there is an abundance of it today. The tartanware ‘McDuff’ pattern vinaigrette case (pictured) is valued at £80-£100.

Source: millersonline

28% of today’s over-50s are likely to work past the current state retirement age, with women expecting to stop work at 66 on average.

Source: LV=’s Working Late Index

Ask Michael...

If you hate scraping frost from your car and would rather not use a chemical de-icer, pour cold water over the windows. Don’t use hot water – it can shatter the glass, plus, strangely, hot water freezes quicker than cold.

Don’t leave your engine running to speed-up defrosting while you nip back indoors – you may find yourself a victim of ‘frosting’ – where an opportunistic thief steals the car.

Source: foe.co.uk

Yours cash saver Some 18 per cent of easy-access savings accounts limit the number of withdrawals permitted and two per cent of accounts will lose either a bonus or some interest if you withdraw the money. Make sure you’re aware of any restrictive terms before you open an account.

Source: Defaqto

IT’S A FACT | High street shops will |stop offering instant discounts to entice customers to sign up for store cards, thanks to a deal struck between the card companies and the Government. With rates of up to 30 per cent APR, these cards have been criticised for encouraging shoppers into debt. If you have a store card, remember to pay it off in full every month to avoid paying the high interest rates.

Source: Which? Money

How to... notify the Government of a death Tell Us Once is a new scheme designed to make it easier for families to inform the Government about a person’s death. Under the scheme, 28 different departments, including DVLA and the Pension Service, can be informed on a relative’s behalf following one single appointment with the local registrar.

It’s thought the scheme will save £260m over the next ten years (for families £68m and the Government £192m). The new service is being rolled out nationally, with most local authorities operating the scheme by March 2012.

BUDGET BEATERS Many supermarkets offer savings schemes for shoppers to buy £1 stamps over the year to help buy Christmas food. Or you can also invest the money with a building society. It will earn interest and you don’t have to spend it all in one store.

The Yours money expert Michael Wilson answers your questions I am worried about my son who was made bankrupt last year. He has now been discharged, but is having difficulty getting credit – even just to have the internet connected. Will it always be like this?

Michael says: This sort of problem is only to be expected.

Naturally, a firm offering credit will be wary of anyone who has been made bankrupt.

However, it will not always be quite so difficult. To succeed in obtaining any sort of credit, your son will need to have a reasonable profile with the various credit reference agencies.

It is from such agencies that credit providers obtain the information they need to decide whether or not the applicant represents a good risk. Your son’s record will clearly show he was made bankrupt, and so applying for credit now is probably a waste of time. However, a bankruptcy remains on the record for only six years. After this period your son should very carefully start applying for credit, without getting too carried away. Once he can demonstrate the ability to keep up with his payments his credit record will improve, and this will enhance his chances of obtaining credit in the future.

If you have the chance to influence him, do encourage him to keep his use of credit cards to a minimum. Having one or two cards to improve his credit record is one thing – but he must take care not to get over-committed.

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GREENWATCH

❙ caped crusaders ❙

WE DID IT FIRST… capes

They were all the rage in the Sixties and now they’re proving popular again with A-list celebrities... t’s an age-old fashion problem that hits at this time of year – the weather is gloomy and cold, but wrapping up in layers and layers of drab clothing doesn’t do anything to lift our moods. So how do you stay fashionable without giving yourself a chill in the process?

In the Sixties we opted to give the cape a go. Traditionally used as cover-ups in sports and male

I

NOW: Supermodel Claudia Schiffer, singer Kylie Minogue and TV star Amanda Holden model the cape look

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professions, we women took this previously androgynous look and made it our own. From lush velvet creations reminiscent of Roman emperors to luxury hand-knitted ponchos, no wardrobe was complete without a cape to drape over your shoulders, whether on a winter walk or heading out for a night in London’s most fashionable districts. Glamorous with a touch of the dramatic about them, capes evoked a time when young Brits were able to spend more money and be more adventurous with their clothing, and any Mod worth their fashion stripes had one in their wardrobe.

Fast-forward to a similarly fashion-conscious 2012, and the cape is having its time in the spotlight once again. This time around, the cover-ups are generally shorter in length and more practical than they were in the Sixties, with many having more structured sleeves than we were used to.

The shorter version allows them to be worn with jeans, as seen on supermodel Claudia Schiffer (pictured left), while bright versions like Amanda Holden’s (also pictured) give a nod to the current colourblocking trend and are perfect for

THEN: Models from the Sixties show off their capes

accessorizing a plain outfit. Capes have come in for criticism for making women look shapeless, but we think they’re a great way of covering up any body parts you don’t want to show off without the bulking effect given by many other jackets or layers of clothing.

And you can’t beat that feeling of being wrapped in a blanket even when you’re outdoors – making you feel fashionable AND snug as a bug in a rug. Finally a returning fashion trend that seems as alluring now as it did back then!

PICS:I GETTY IMAGES; REX FEATURES

By Laura Bradder