Chat Specials - September 2022

68 Pages·2022·71.5 MB·English

| & My boy won't
s / as - know I'm
COWARD KILLERS 2 smummy
STABBED MY GIRL
REAL PEOPLE, REAL LIFE

Pick MeUp!

YOUR CHEAPEST

PACKED —

INCREDIBLE [4

READS!

PLUS # : aul
TRUE CRIME, RECIPES,
FASHION TIPS, BEAUTY, 7am
FUN PUZZLES, ADVICE (tic,!:
AND SO MUCH MORE! \rh/77
Cover images: Getty. Images: SWNS, Alamy and Getty. Please note: some stories and puzzles may have appeared in other magazines.

eptember is a time of
beginnings and endings —
the start of anew school
year, marking the end of the
long summer holidays.

But don’t worry, because there’s
still plenty to look forward to!

Keep those summer vibes going
for as long as possible with home
buys inspired by the
Mediterranean (pg32), and soak
up some culture on an
educational day out (pg40).

This month, we meet
inspirational sisters Pam and Sue
(pg31), who set off on an epic
challenge to cycle all the way
across Britain — and it’s all the
more impressive because
they’re both pensioners!

Roy and Ann used their luck at
the amusement arcades to do a
good deed (pg25), and if you
need a feel-good pick-me-up,
check out Simon’s amazing
Hobbit-style mouse village (pg58). Z

As well as all this and plenty is
more real life, dress to impress
with outfits for every day of the
week (pg12), and take some time
out for yourself to get lostina
book (pg10).

They say look after the pennies, Dg 61 Oe
a

and the pounds look after

themselves — so check out our ! At * (

money-saving tips to tackle the \ = 1

cost of living crisis (pg47). . cman
Don’t forget to pick up your Chat rain

October special, too, which hits the oe umes

shelves on 8 September. ; fire

Enjoy! SANS PARFUM

for sensitive skin

Gail x a

On which page in this
month’s Chat can you

Two decades. ,/

aly

a nd
ances
N uu DO2T |

Sh NATURAL ee

find this stamp?
Your answer:

Answer on page 60

Chat 3
Titanic moment

Everyone has to recreate the
famous Rose and Jack pose at
one point in their lives. | can fly!

Standing on the ledge was pretty

scary, too. Zoey, Sunderland

. Qs the prettiest of cars

ween After along day at work, |
came through the front door
to a birthday surprise!

ES

Swallowed alive

Sandcastle building is fun — but what
about sand burying?! Toby loved our
family day out at the beach. He even
made it out alive. Brittany, Hull

= I stumbled across

é> in Covent Garden.
<= Imagine if you

= could really say
this was yours — life
goals complete!
yfe-- Onour recent camping trip,
we started a fire, toasted
marshmallows and shared
our scariest ghost stories in
the dark.

ne AY
ig smiles

Looking at the camera with my
cheeky boy, Percy. Do you think he
looks like me? Chloe, Devon

Clever pooch

Our border terrier is
studying hard for her

English exams. We know
she’ll be pup-tastic!
Morgan, London

Avisit to the zooisalwaysa |)
great idea —especiallywhen 9
I get to see my favourite ay

animals. Giraffes are just so
beautiful!

|

| THAT’S SO BRITISH
l

RUSHING TO THE SHOPS TO FIND AS MANY LAST MINUTE BACK
TO SCHOOL BUYS AS POSSIBLE.

THE SUMMER SUN STAYS AROUND JUST AS THE KIDS GO BACK.
| THE COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS STARTS AND IT’S ALL ANYONE
NOW TALKS ABOUT!
ee ee
Chat 5

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Words by Katie Pearson and Laea Marshall. Photos: SWNS

lhad the perfect family, but one night
saw everything fall to pieces...

Joanne Chesney, 39, from Southend

ouring a pint, I leaned
across the bar and passed it
to the handsome stranger
across from me.

‘Here you go,’ I blushed.

‘Thanks,’ he grinned. ‘Any
chance I can get your number?’

I first met Peter Chesney, then
27, in 2007, back when I was a
barmaid in our hometown of
Dagenham, Essex.

He was sweet and charming — I
fell for him quickly.

On our first official
date, he told me he was a
single dad of two girls
— Jodie, then six, and her
sister Lucy, then eight.

He wasn’t in contact
with their mum, and he
had sole custody.

‘Does that bother
you?’ he asked apprehensively.
‘Not at all,’ I smiled. ‘I’d love

to meet them.’

I’d never really planned on
having kids of my own, but I didn’t
mind being with someone who did.

After a few months together,
Peter introduced me to his girls.

‘Say hello to Joanne,’ he said,
coaxing Jodie towards me.

‘Hi,’ she replied
sweetly, peeking out
from behind him.

When I first met
her, she was very
shy. It took her a
little while to warm
to me, but once she
did, the two of us
got close quickly.

She was silly and
fun, with bags and
bags of energy.

‘You're like a
wind-up toy,’ I
laughed, giving her
a tickle.

I loved the girls
like they were my
own daughters, and

Chat

Jodie and!
became

close quickly

I was grateful to have them both in
my life.

At two years older than her sister,
Lucy was more independent than
Jodie, and a real daddy’s girl.

Still, she and I got on great.

And while they had their usual
sibling rivalries, Lucy and Jodie
were the best of friends.

A few years later, while on
holiday in Magaluf, Peter popped
the question, and in November
2012, we tied the knot
ina lovely wedding.

It was like a
fairytale, and the girls
got to dress up in cute
dresses and be our
beautiful bridesmaids.

“You look lovely,’ I
beamed, as Jodie gave
mea spin.

People would often ask me if it
was difficult taking on someone
else’s kids — but to me, they weren’t
someone else’s kids at all, they
were our kids.

Our dynamic just worked and we
were a normal, happy family for the
next few years.

As Jodie got older and she got
interested in makeup, we’d go out
shopping together and spend girly

I’d known the girls
since they were little

I loved Jodie like

she was my own

nights in watching films and doing

makeovers on each other.

We were both huge Friends fans,
and would spend hours watching
the series on Netflix.

She was an incredible piano
player, and loved the colour purple
— she even dyed her hair a bright
shade on one occasion.

Everything was great, right up
until the night of 1 March 2019 —
Peter’s 39" birthday.

By then, Jodie was 17 years old
and your typical teenager.

She loved hanging out with her
friends and seeing her
boyfriend, Eddie, 17.

They’d only been
together for about
three months, but they
adored each other.

She was also at
college, studying
photography,
psychology and
sociology, too.

And unlike some
her age, she never got
into any trouble.

She’d even joined
the Scouts, which
helped her come out of
her shell and make

some new friends.

The night before Peter’s
birthday, she came home late from
a Scouts meeting.

‘I’m back,’ she yelled from the
front door.

‘Hello stranger,’ Peter laughed
from the sofa. ‘Feel like we never
see you anymore.’

The pair of us were going out to
celebrate his birthday the following
night with friends.

We’d booked an apartment in
central London and were staying
there overnight, leaving both the
girls at home.

‘Do you think we should have
done something as a family?’ I
asked Peter, packing my overnight
bag for the trip.

‘No,’ he insisted. ‘They don’t
want to spend a Friday night with
their parents.’

The next morning, | left early for
work as a finance assistant, and
didn’t see Jodie.

But we were sending each other
texts all day.

We were talking about Peter’s
birthday presents and joking about
our dog, Woody.

Jodie felt bad that she hadn’t
been paid in time to buy her
dad a belt.

We’ll do something big for his
40" next year, replied.

How about we tie some balloons
to Woody? she joked.

That evening, Peter and I hit the
town to celebrate.

Lucy, then 19, hadn’t been well,
so she decided to spend the night
curled up in bed.

Jodie had offered to stay with her,
but when Lucy said no, she decided
to go out with Eddie and some of
her mates.

We weren’t worried about her at
all— we knew she was a responsible
young woman.

With not a care in the world,
Peter and I were having a great
birthday evening.

His brother Terry, 42, and a few
of our friends had joined us for the
night. After quite a few drinks, I
was feeling pretty wobbly and
ready to call it a night.

‘I might stay for one more,’ Peter

We were such a happy family jf

yelled over the music.

‘Ican’t keep up,’ I laughed. ‘I'll
see you back at the apartment.’

When J arrived back, I kicked off
my heels and poured myself a glass
of wine.

Just as I was about to get into
bed, my phone started to buzz.

It was Peter.

Thad the only key for the

process
it, but it
didn’t compute.

I went into autopilot
—I packed up our things
and left the apartment.

I called Terry, who
was with Peter, and

asked him to tell me
what was going on.

He told me that the
police had turned up at
our house that evening

and spoken to Lucy.
Meanwhile, officers
were rushing Peter to
the Royal London

Hospital, where Jodie

was being taken.

But she had died on
the way there.
My world came crumbling down
in a matter of minutes.

Peter was taken back to our
house, and I got a cab home to be
with him and Lucy.

“What happened?’ I sobbed to a
police officer.

“We don’t know much at this
stage,’ he explained kindly.

All we knew was that Jodie had
been hanging out with friends ina

apartment and assumed park in Harold Hill,
he needed letting in. East London, when

‘Hello,’ I said, still a) she’d been stabbed
half asleep. Ull by a stranger.

Nothing could’ve Paramedics were
prepared me for what he called and battled to
said next. save her life.

‘It’s Jodie,’ he A doctor tried to
spluttered through tears. meet them halfway to

‘She’s been stabbed
Joanne. She’s dead.’

I froze completely.

‘What?’ I croaked, barely able to
get the words out. ‘Tell me that’s
not true.”

But he couldn’t, and I tried to

the hospital, but she
didn’t make it — Jodie died ona
petrol forecourt.
It was the worst night ofall of
our lives.
In just a few moments, our lives
had completely crashed down

around us.
We held Jodie’s
funeral on 29 March.

Peter’s older brother Dave, 51, a
vicar, performed the service, while
Jodie’s friends and Scout leader
spoke beautiful words about her.

Lucy made a video montage with
pictures of her sister, and as her
coffin was led out, we played one of
Jodie’s favourite songs — The Day I
Died by Just Jack.

Over the next few months, Peter
and I started taking our grief out on
each other.

My way of coping was to go
back to work, but Peter could
barely get out of bed on some days.

His daughter had been murdered
on his birthday.

I didn’t know how to be there for
him while grieving myself.

Even the most solid couples
would have struggled to cope, and
unfortunately, we weren’t able to
get through it together.

Our 12-year relationship
crumbled under the weight, and
that July, we separated.

I moved in with my mum Linda,
62, in Southend.

I’d gone from having a
wonderful husband and two
daughters, to nothing.

My whole world had been turned
upside down.

Over time, Jodie’s death just
didn’t seem real.

I’d find myself listening to her
voicemail on my phone over and
over, wondering how on earth this
had all happened.

It just wasn’t fair.
Words by Katie Pearson and Laea Marshall. Photos: SWNS and Getty

Continued from
previous page

olice investigations
continued, but it felt like
we weren’t getting
anywhere at all.

How could someone do
this to Jodie? | thought to myself in
utter disbelief.

She was such a sweet girl — it
made no sense.

Eventually we had a
breakthrough, and two people were
charged with her murder.

The trial started in September
2019 at the Old Bailey.

For eight agonising weeks, I went
along every day.

As the details of Jodie’s murder
emerged, it was hard to take in.

That evening, Jodie had been
hanging out on a park
bench with her
boyfriend and a few of
her friends in East
London, when two
figures emerged from
a bush and one
plunged a knife into
her back.

She died after suffering a
seven-inch deep wound that
caused her lung to collapse.

It turned out that drug dealer
Svenson Ong-a-Kwie, 19, and his
17-year-old runner, Arron Isaacs,
had been looking to take
revenge on rivals when

Aknife was
plunged into
her back

in November was incredibly tense as

Jodie was always
laughing and joking

they killed Jodie by mistake.

The pair showed no remorse as
they testified, and it was very hard to
listen to.

Poor Jodie had been caught up in
their pathetic turf war.

There was no rhyme or
reason to the crime,
which made it even
harder to understand.

It was so difficult
hearing all the awful
details, but I knew I had
to do it for Jodie.

The day of the verdict

we waited to find out the result.
“We find the defendants guilty of
murder,’ the juror announced.
The pair were sentenced to life in
prison — Ong-a-Kwie will serve a

Jodie’s killers were
jailed for life
4

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_ som

minimum of 26 years behind
bars, while Isaacs will serve a
minimum of 18 years.

I was happy that justice
had been served, but it felt
like a hollow victory,
because nothing will ever
bring Jodie back.

Although Peter and I are
not together anymore, I
would never have a bad word
to say about him.

He was the very best father to
those girls — I'll always love and
respect him.

He and J are still in regular
contact now, and he seems to be
doing a lot better.

He focuses on Lucy and gets on

with life, as he believes that’s

what Jodie would have wanted
him to do.

He’s since set up the Jodie
Chesney Foundation, a charity
aimed at tackling knife crime
through supporting the parents of
children caught up in drug dealing
and violence.

As for me, I have good days
and bad days.

It’s been just over three since
we lost her, but I think about Jodie
every second.

I often wonder what kind of
woman she would have grown
into, and what our family would
be like had this awful tragedy not
happened to us.

Lots of people know about
Jodie’s case, but not many people

Jodie had been wit
friends in the park

know who she was.

She was such a loving person,
always laughing and being silly.

There was never a dull moment
when all her friends were around,
and she adored our dog Woody.

When Jodie died, he spent weeks
pining for her, waiting on her bed for
her to come home.

I could tell it had broken his poor
little heart.

Jodie was only 17 and she had her
whole life ahead of her.

But that was all snatched away in
an instant.

Her friends often tell me how
much she loved me, and I hope she
knew how much I loved her, too.

Losing her has left a massive hole
in our lives that will never be filled.

But our special Jodie will never,
ever be forgotten.
Crossit’

Solve the puzzle to find a word.

Fit the words back in the grid and the letters in g/ |
the highlighted squares spell out the answer.

We’ve put in one word to help.

4 LETTERS OPERA
BASH RINSE
BEAR
COKE 6 LETTERS

EVIL ANGORA
FIST COARSE

TUTU DREDGE
ERMINE
5 LETTERS SCANTY
CHINA TRAVEL
GOOSE
GORGE 7 LETTERS

Your answer

DENSITY

FANFARE
FOREARM
FUCHSIA

PARTIAL

8 LETTERS
CASANOVA
DOORSTEP
FOOTSORE
SUBURBIA
TWOPENCE

A pair of thieves who stole two exotic cars in
Switzerland, a BMW 7 Series and a Bugatti
Veyron, and were caught on a German
autobahn have been handed a bill for EU
import tax of how much in pounds? To find out,
solve the puzzle... Fit these numbers into the
grid, reading across and down. One number
doesn’t fit. This is the answer.

3 DIGITS | 4DIGITS
1267
2656
3755
4022
5164
6191
7803
8230
9242

5 DIGITS
19181
26057

38575 | 698540
43453 | 846405
59702 903142
65274

66614 | 7DIGITS
78438 | 2357694
85212 | 3342163
94977 | 6284319
96236 | 9633287

6 DIGITS | S DIGITS
323677 | 87122433
496368
591804

—||eo||—||-5]
~*~ *%

Children’s books transport us to
magical places, but we often fall
out of love with reading as we get
older. So get back into it!

here’s nothing more satisfying than putting your phone
away, turning off the TV and snuggling up with a cuppa
to settle into a story.

When you're engrossed in a good page-turner, all the
stresses of normal life melt away as you journey into aq new
world inside a book.

But with work, kids and general life admin,
it can be hard to find the time to sit down
and enjoy it.

Danielle Lyon, English expert at 1:1
tutoring company GoStudent, shares
her top tips to make reading a part of
your routine.

‘No matter how difficult you think
developing a reading habit is, there are
ways to try and tempt your inner
bookworm out of hiding and develop a
genuine interest in reading, she says.

listening to audiobooks is a great
compromise — listen in the car, when
you’re ona walk or just while
pottering around the house.

If you have a copy of the book,
you can also try to read this
alongside listening, to help you
concentrate and pace your reading
speed — just make sure that you
have the unabridged audiobook.

Look out for audiobooks narrated
by actors you are fond of. There are
many big names like Meryl Streep,
Carey Mulligan and Nicole Kidman
who have recorded audiobooks.

es, led A LT — ~
PF} ~~. Po ‘(o &% 3