While some of us are far too nervous to ever poo at work, others proudly take lengthy dumps in their office loos, knowing that they’re earning money while they unleash their faeces.

Wherever you sit on the spectrum of comfort pooing at work, this story may firmly put you off.

A man known only as robbomate shared his horrifying tale on Reddit, detailing the moment a spider jumped on his balls while he was simply trying to push one out.

It is hilarious to read, but, we imagine, not as much fun to live through.

He explains that as he’s on the eighth floor of the office, inside ‘the men’s shitter’ because ‘boss makes a dollar, I make a dime’, he’s just finished dropping a log when he feels something.

He writes: ‘I’ve just finished the dirty work and I’m about to perform my ablutions, but I delay it because it’s a “paid to shit” thing, dicking around on reddit a bit.

‘At this point I feel something jump onto my balls. Something I had never hoped I would ever experience, let alone talk about on the internet.

‘I shriek. Not a barbarian shriek. Not a viking shriek. Psycho-Shower-Scene shriek.

‘A huntsman spider has crawled out of the toilet bowl and jumped onto my low hanging fruit.

‘I bat the spider off, smacking myself in the nuts, keel over in pain.

‘Spider dead. Good news.

‘My banshee wail has not gone unanswered. Bad news.

‘Someone comes into the bathroom and knocks on the stall door. “Mate are you alright? Have you fallen over? I’ll call an ambulance.”

‘”NO. FINE. EVERYTHING. IS. GOOD. JUST SLIPPED. FINE. NO NEED TO CALL AN AMBULANCE. YOU CAN LEAVE NOW.”

‘I flush the world’s smallest sexual predator to try and retain some of my inner pride, wash my hands, and make the very VERY long walk back to my desk.’

Unfortunately for this man, the story doesn’t end with a deeply unsettling trip to the bathroom.

It only gets worse from there, because his manager comes up to ask robbomate what happened.

Robbomate explains, and his boss laughs, attracting the attention of his coworkers. He then tells them the embarrassing story, too.

And then, as his boss is very supportive, Robbomate has a follow-up meeting about the traumatic events.

Robbomate writes: ‘I come back from lunch, and Bossman and two other members of my team come up to me as I’m sitting back down at my desk getting ready to get back to work. Bossman is holding a piece of paper.

‘”Look. We need to have a chat about something. I’ve brought two of your friends in the team as support since this is obviously not something that’s easy to talk about.”

‘I am confused.

‘”I have a blank HR report here. I’ll need you to fill this out. You confided into me that you were sexually harassed in the workplace and it’s my duty of care to make sure the ‘POOPITRATOR’ is brought to justice. Under the space where it says which hand did they assault you with, just put x8. We understand this is a traumatic experience for you and I just want you to know that every resource we have is here for you.”

‘TL;DR I need to fake my own death because I screamed when a spider jumped on my balls while I was on the toilet.’

What a lovely working environment, right?

Now, obviously people on Reddit have responded to this story with laughter and glee, but be warned: this is an incident that stays with you.

The next time you take a poo you’ll be eyeing the toilet bowl, on edge and bracing yourself for a visit from a touchy-feely spider.

That’s right, pooing at work has been ruined forever. There’ll be no more taking your time and scrolling Twitter. You’ll want to get the toilet trip over and done with so you can return your genitals to the safety of your trousers and run back to your desk.

We’re so sorry.

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Picking out an engagement ring your partner will love is tough – especially if they have very specific preferences.

It’s no wonder some people go for cheap ‘holding’ rings so they can get their other half’s input for the real deal.

But there’s a sense that even if you do get it wrong, it’ll be okay – because love isn’t just about a ring, right?

Not so for this bride, who took to online forum Wedding Bee to have a moan about the ring with which her boyfriend popped the question.

Her issue is simple: the ring is nothing like what she wanted, as it originally belonged to her partner’s grandmother.

That’s quite sweet and sentimental, we reckon, but this bride-to-be took issue with the ring’s appearance.

‘I got engaged a couple weeks ago to my boyfriend of ten years,’ wrote the woman.

‘I always wanted a larger canary yellow diamond ring on yellow gold. A few months ago my boyfriend asked me to send him photos of the ring styles I liked and I told him exactly what I wanted.

‘His mother called me later and told me that she always wanted a yellow diamond as well but that they don’t have a yellow diamond in the family.

‘Apparently she wanted me to have his grandmother’s ring and he was just gonna take the diamond and change the setting. After they kept insisting I sent him a photo of a two ct diamond with a halo and pave band.

‘I like really blingy looks. Well he finally proposed on January 3. The proposal wasn’t spectacular either.

‘The ring he gave him is with his grandmother’s diamond which I didn’t want and I’m suppose to pass it down to our future children.’

She accepted the proposal, but over time realised she absolutely hated the ring. She wrote on the forum to get some advice on how to bring it up with her fiancé.

‘At first I liked the ring,’ she writes. ‘I was just excited to be engaged but the more days that go by the more I hate it. I don’t know what to do.

‘I’m upset because it’s not what I always wanted and I waited so long for a proposal. Does anyone know how I can talk to him about it?’

The reaction has been mixed.

While some people offered advice on chatting to her partner before any resentment builds, others called her a brat.

‘That’s a big blingy ring,’ wrote one commenter. You sound extremely ungrateful. Hate is such a strong word. That’s his grandmother’s ring that you say you hate. How disrespectful.’

Another wrote: ‘You sound like a brat.’

A few Wedding Bee-ers said they thought it was perfectly reasonable to be upset with an engagement ring that isn’t to her taste.

One wrote: ‘I don’t think it’s ungrateful at all to want to love your ring! And let’s be real, after 10 years, you deserve a proposal with a lot of thought and effort.

‘I don’t know the story there, but don’t feel bad for being disappointed!!’

It’s an interesting conundrum. If you’re the one wearing a ring, it makes sense that you want to like it. But at the same time, it seems harsh to turn down a family heirloom with a lot of meaning behind it.

What do you think?

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If you live in the developed world you’ll be familiar with silica gel.

They come with pretty much anything you buy. And apparently as soon as you get whatever you’ve bought home, you’re supposed to throw the silica gel away.

The reason that come with pretty much anything you buy is because they absorb moisture.

It’s basically a non toxic, super porous material which sucks up any moisture. It comes in packages because it helps protect the product, for instance it helps avoid condensation from damaging electrics, or mold from growing during the shipping process.

The real mystery is why on every single packet of it it says ‘”DO NOT EAT”‘ because, well, why would you?

Maybe it’s because it looks like a sugar packet. Or perhaps it’s just because humans are complete nightmares. But whatever the reason, it raises an important question.

What would happen if you ate a packet of silica gel?

We asked an actual doctor, so you don’t have to. Tom Micklewright, medical officer at PushDoctor.com told Metro.co.uk: ‘Silica Gel is considered non-toxic and is unlikely to cause any symptoms after it is eaten.

‘It is possible that a person may feel nauseous and could develop vomiting or diarrhoea after eating Silica Gel, in which case they should see a doctor but if it has been eaten by accident and the individual is feeling well afterwards, then there is no need to be concerned.’

So while the block capitals might suggest that silica gel is super dangerous, it’s actually not. But it also probably doesn’t taste great, and the risk of vomiting and diarrhoea should be enough to put you off disobeying the little white packet.

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Getting injured doing something you love is the worst.

It’s the bittersweet risk we run as sports lovers – the harder we push, the harder we can fall. And no one, elite or amateur, is immune.

We saw the tears roll down Andy Murray‘s face as he talked about his potentially career-ending hip injury – and we felt that. Deeply.

If you’ve ever had a sports injury then you will know the sheer dedication needed to play through pain, and the heartbreak of realising you just can’t go on.

Injuries aren’t just about the physical. There can be real emotional and psychological trauma that sits alongside the symptoms that everyone else can see.

But it isn’t talked about enough.

When it comes to injuries we focus on phsyio, rehab, regaining mobility, building strength – but we rarely tackle the mental side.

We need to address this unspoken affliction. Athletes and sportspeople need support to mend their minds as well as their bodies.

After I dislocated my shoulder playing netball for the fourth time, I started to dream about the pain.

I would wake up in a cold sweat, imagining that my arm was sticking out at an inhuman angle.

The pain of my injuries was horrific. There was the sickening pop followed by a blinding, burning in every nerve-ending. It sucked away my breath and sent my body into a state of shock.

As we drove to the hospital for my third dislocation – hyperventilating, sweating, my shoulder socket jutting out wildly towards my face – I remember thinking the pain was so bad they would surely have to amputate my arm.

Looking back, I can see that I was essentially traumatised. Until I had the surgery to stabilise the joint, I lived with a sense of constant fear that it would happen again.

As well as dealing with the practicalities of working as a writer with my right arm in a sling, being sidelined from my netball team for weeks, and the physical pain, I was also dealing with anxiety symptoms, increased stress and panic attacks.

It’s a multi-layered thing. The stress and anxiety was likely triggered in part by the break from routine, the isolation, the inability to play the sport I love and to be as active as I wanted to be.

But the memory of the injury itself definitely played its part in my mental state at that time.

Louise Jones, the lead senior psychologist at the Sport Wales Institute says this isn’t surprising.

‘There is a psychological component to every injury,’ Louise tells Metro.co.uk.

‘Having a serious or long-term injury can have a significant impact on an athlete’s mental health as it can affect self-identity and self-confidence.

‘The injury can take athletes away from their social groups and support networks increasing isolation. More serious and long-term injuries are often more complex and the rehab process can be uncertain at times which can cause anxiety.

‘There are a lot of uncontrollable factors which can be a challenge to manage over time without effective coping strategies in place. There may be a threat to the athletes career which can also cause high levels of stress and anxiety for the athlete when injured.’

And this is true even of non-elite athletes.

So many of us make our hobbies and sporting pursuits part of our identities. If you have played football, or ridden horses every weekend since you were a child, any threat to that routine is a threat to who you are. And that can be incredibly scary.

I often describe myself as ‘sporty’ or a ‘netballer’ – it comes up early in conversations with new people. When my injury threatened to take that away – it caused a kind of crisis of identity.

‘It is hugely important to address the psychological impact of an injury,’ explains Louise.

‘Recovering from injury is an extremely complex process, both physically and psychologically – and it’s important to work on both of these areas.

‘Working on both areas will enable a smoother and more successful transition for an athlete back into competition.’

I pulled myself through the hardest times by remaining close to my team. I went to every game and supported on the sidelines, I went to training and did what I could with one arm.

For me, maintaining that connection was vital and really helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Also, being surrounded by other athletes, most of whom have been injured and know the acute pain of sitting on the bench, was hugely comforting.

Danelle Williams has been a keen netballer all her life.

She was devastated when she injured her knee in autumn last year, and she says the psychological ramifications are still becoming apparent.

‘I was injured in a tournament. I had to sit out for the rest of the weekend but really, I didn’t think much of it,’ Danelle tells Metro.co.uk.

‘I think I really just expected the doctor to say, “you will be fine in a couple of weeks”, but instead he said, “sorry you need surgery if you want to play netball again, and that definitely won’t be for a year.”

‘I cried all the way home.

‘For me, netball and the team are my stress relief and my support network. I didn’t grow up in this area, so to have a ready-made network who supports each other through good and bad has been invaluable.

‘So I felt incredibly down and I knew I was losing a lot more than the competitive and fitness aspect of netball that I love.

‘I was terrified about surgery. I had never had anything like it before and totally imagined it would be worst than it was. I read loads of negative blogs online and scared myself into a frenzy really.

‘I am a pretty active person. As well as netball, I mountain bike and do circuits, but I think that playing netball again feels very out of reach. I would be terrified of injuring myself again. So I wonder how much I will lose from the injury.’

Sophie Taylor-Denton knows how this feels. She ruptured her plantar fascia leaving her unable to play for months, and there’s still no real end in sight.

‘It’s been difficult to give yourself months to get better and then still be told your foot isn’t OK,’ explains Sophie.

‘It’s so hard to not play netball as I’ve played it since I was 10. All my friends are netballers so I’ve missed out on camaraderie and the fun, and that’s felt really tough.

‘Psychologically, it has been hard – I’m doing all this rehab with no end date to it. It could go on for months, years even. My treatment has also been frustrating as doctors just seem to have a real lack of knowledge in this area, and that has just compounded my feelings of anxiety.’

Sophie’s story, much like my own, highlights the fact that mental health is almost always an afterthought when it comes to recovery.

The NHS is stretched to breaking point, and practitioners have to focus on the physical symptoms – but the psychological effects on the physical shouldn’t be underestimated.

It would be so much more beneficial for healthcare and sports injury experts to tackle the psychological head-on, rather than responding after the fact.

‘In sport, mental health support has generally been reactive,’ explains Andrew Bethell, lead researcher at On The Head.

‘We need to change that culture and encourage sporting organisations to take a proactive approach to promoting positive mental health and psychological well-being among both athletes and support staff.

‘Injured athletes commonly report increased feelings of depression, anxiety, frustration and anger, and decreases in self-esteem and self-worth.

‘It’s vital that during periods of injury, support staff take the time to talk with athletes about their mental health and psychological well-being, and seek support from sport and clinical psychologists where necessary.’

Lisa Bowman is a runner. She was crushed when shin splints turned out to be a fractured bone and torn ligament.

Housebound for weeks, Lisa says the blow sent her mental health into decline.

‘I’ve had anxiety and depression since I was 15 and started using exercise as a mental health aid in my mid-20s. This happened when I was 26, so I guess I was fairly new to it then,’ Lisa tells Metro.co.uk.

‘At that point I was doing Bikram yoga regularly, as well as running, so not being able to exercise, coupled with not being able to leave the house really hit me hard.

‘My commute to work was almost two hours, but we didn’t get sick pay, so they (luckily) let me work from home.

‘I developed quite bad social anxiety as I rarely left the house – it was too hard with crutches and a full leg brace, especially as it was winter and quite icy. Just nipping to the local Tesco made me realise how hard life is for disabled people – even everyday activities us able-bodied people take for granted are so incredibly difficult.’

The ramifications of being injured extend much further than your ability to play sport. It can challenge every aspect of your life.

For people like Lisa, who have pre-existing mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, a serious injury can be enough to set you back in to a really bad place.

The important thing to remember when you’re injured is that you’re not alone.

Andy Murray’s tears were a visceral reminder of the universality of this kind of trauma.

Regardless of the sport, the level you play at, the severity of your injury – take time to evaluate your mental health during your recovery process.

Your mind is just as susceptible to injury as your bones and muscles, and it’s only when you start to heal both elements that you’ll really get back to your best.

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Sure, that classic church your parents got married in was lovely and meaningful.

But it would look sh*t on the ‘Gram. Let’s be real.

A far better plan is getting married in this new art installation, we reckon.

Artist Joshua Vides’ newest project is Til Death Do Us Part, am 800 sq. ft black and white wedding chapel designed to be as Instagrammable as humanly possible.

For $4,500 (£3,477), couples can throw a glorious wedding at the venue then have a stay in a themed suite at Palms Casino Resort, where the installation is based.

There are a few different packages to choose from, but yes, you do have to pay just to pose in the chapel without a load of crowds. Being an Instagram icon costs money.

The installation will be open to the public for photos on show nights at the Palms’ Pearl Theatre, but we predict big queues. That might not be the best environment if you need to take a few hundred plandids.

For $250 (£194) you can go for the Our Marriage Looks Perfect – On Instagram package, which offers you one hour to take pictures in the chapel for all your social media.

For $500 (£387) you can have the Shotgun Wedding package, which includes a one hour ceremony, time for photos in the chapel, and a bottle of Moet & Chandon Ice Imperial (you’ll need to get a Boomerang of yourself popping the cork, obviously).

Then there’s the Black, White and Wed, which costs between $500 (£387) and £5,500 (£4,239) and includes a ceremony in the chapel, a four-course dinner at Scoth 80 Prime or Vetri Cucina with various beverage packages available for up to 24 people, and complimentary VIP admission to the APEX Social Club. Snazzy.

The $4,500 deal we mentioned earlier is the For Better Or Worse, and includes a one-night stay in the Make Good Choices suit, a two-hour catered reception, and of course the ceremony and chance to take loads of pictures.

That might sound like a fairly sizeable amount of cash, but if you were on Don’t Tell The Bride you’d have a significant chunk of cash left over. That’s the barometer we use to measure the expense of weddings, so this chapel seems like a decent option.

It’s all part of the Palms’ massive renovation, which aims to turn the hotel into a modern art museum. Fancy.

The chapel will open from today, 18 January, but it won’t be around forever. If you’re keen, book your flights ASAP.

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A month after the brand was accused of using padding on standard-size models to sell plus-size clothes, Boohoo has been hit with claims that they’re shoving pillows up model’s outfits to make them look pregnant.

People have been tweeting out images of models with seemingly misshapen bellies wearing maternity collections, questioning why the brand won’t just hire pregnant models.

Georgia Hallgalley said: ‘Really Boohoo, you really expect us to believe that this is a “pregnant belly” you can literally see the pillow stuffed up her dress.”

Realizt Dee added: ‘Boohoo you lot couldn’t find a pregnant model? Lol. That belly ain’t fooling anyone. I’m actually dying of laughter.’

Courto said: ‘I feel like Boohoo didn’t even try to make this model look like she was actually pregnant.’

One of the models used to show the maternity line, Camilla Moraes, hasn’t posted a single Instagram photo of a pregnant belly or a new child, which seems to suggest she wasn’t actually pregnant for the photos.

A photo from November 2018 shows Camilla having her makeup done for a Boohoo shoot, and just a month later she’s tagged in photos with no hint of a baby bump.

What’s interesting, though, is that when we scrolled through Boohoo’s standard clothing, Camilla doesn’t appear to model those pieces – but she’s used heavily for the maternity line.

That could suggest that Boohoo has booked a model specifically for maternity modelling – but why wouldn’t they hire a model who’s actually pregnant?

Camilla has previously modeled for ASOS and Nelly… for their standard collections rather than their maternity ones.

We’ve contacted Boohoo for comment, and will update this article when we hear back.

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A hairdresser has saved a customer’s life after she spotted a lump on his head which turned out to be cancer.

Driving instructor Adam Shatford, 54, popped in for a quick trim when one of his students failed to turn up for a lesson.

Hairdresser Erinna Lindfield, 42, was brushing his hair when she noticed a hard mole-sized lump under his sideburns by his left ear.

She mentioned it to Adam and suggested he get it checked out – which he did, two hours later on 3 October last year.

Just days later, Adam was diagnosed with stage three melanoma, with doctors discovering even more cancerous lumps on his forehead.

He had an operation on 23 October to remove the cancer and had further surgery last month to remove lymph nodes. Last week he was given the all clear and has returned to the hairdressers to thank Erinna for saving his life.

The dad-of-three, of Northampton, said: ‘Erinna had never cut my hair before, another stylist did it.

‘While she was brushing my hair, she said, “Has anyone ever checked that mole out? It costs nothing.”

‘I left here and I phoned the doctor and within two hours a doctor had asked me to come in.

‘If Erinna had never said “you need to get it checked”, I would never had phoned.

‘It was definitely from the sun – it affects people’s pigments differently.

‘I have been told the reason it’s so dangerous is because you are not ill until it’s progressed.

‘I’m very lucky. I could have easily nodded my head at Erinna but I thought I will phone and both surgeons and doctors paid tribute to Erinna.

‘I felt 100% fine until they operated. I usually ran four to five miles a day.

‘I’m very grateful to her, and the NHS.

‘If she had not said that, I would have got worse until I was very bad.’

Erinna, who works at Jazz Hairdressing, in Northampton, said: ‘I hadn’t done Adam’s hair before, but I started cutting his hair.

‘I saw the mole and felt like I had to say something. I knew that it wasn’t right.

‘It was very misshapen, dark and bumpy. It was about the size of a 5p, right in the side burn.

‘He said to me “do you think I should get it checked?” I said “I really do”.

‘I’m not a doctor, I just wanted him to get professional advice. He called the doctor straight away.

‘When he came back to the hairdressers, he was very grateful. He bought me a bottle of Prosecco.

‘He said it was one of the best hair cuts he had ever had. I’m just glad he came in on that day and he got it checked out.’

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The dreaded Beast From The East is set to make its return this January – and we are not ready for it.

So far, winter has been delightfully mild, dry, bereft of sleet, snow and frost – perfect conditions for bracing, morning runs.

But things are set to turn much, much colder – and the temptation to hibernate will only grow stronger.

If you exercise outdoors, the cold weather can be a serious knock to your motivation. Even getting out of bed to go to the gym gets harder when your bedroom is freezing and you can hear the wind outside.

But there are ways to stick to your fitness plans. Even when the weather outside is beyond frightful.

Last year when the cold snap hit, loads of us dropped the ball.

We abandoned our fitness plans and hunkered down in our snug living rooms, refusing to exercise until the worst of it had passed.

Figures by Sport England found that last year, 28% of people did less sport and physical activity in February and March, with over 50% of them citing a lack of motivation as the reason they did less exercise.

And it’s cyclists and runners who are most likely to be affected by rubbish weather.

31% who cycle for sport and leisure were less active during the cold snap, 30% of runners did less and 27% of footballers did less exercise.

Most people said that safety was their main concern during the cold, giving fear of injury and worries about slipping on ice as reasons that prevented them from getting active.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Sport England have published their top tips for staying active – even when can’t feel your fingers:

Set small and achievable goals

Research shows that having a goal to aim for is one of the biggest motivators. It doesn’t have to be a big challenge like a race or event, it could be going for a walk at lunchtime every day for a month, or doing a YouTube video once a week.

Check out the Good Gym, which links runners up with isolated older people who need help with tasks or just someone to talk to.

Plan to exercise with others

Research suggests that you’re more likely to build a long-term habit of being active when you have a positive experience. And working out with others can be more fun.

It also means you can motivate each other when the going gets tough, plus it’s much harder to cancel when you feel like someone’s counting on you.

If you’d like to try a new sport but aren’t sure where to start, check out Sport England’s online activity finder.

Switch it up 

When even the thought of getting changed sends shivers down the spine, it can be tempting to call off your plans. Research cheap or free indoor activities in advance, so you’ve got a list of alternatives in your back pocket to choose from.

There’s no rule that says you have to exercise in gyms, sports halls or parks. As long as you’re getting your heart rate up, it all counts and lots can be done at home.

There are loads of free YouTube or Instagram fitness videos, or mobile apps like the 7-minute workout, a high-intensity HIIT workout.

Enjoy nature 

There are numerous studies that show that being outside is good for our health and happiness.

If you make exercise your one reason for getting outside, for a walk or jog in the local park or countryside, you’re getting a mood boost as well as getting your steps in.

If you’re just walking or jogging, there’s no reason you can’t layer-up to protect against the weather. Think hats, gloves, scarves and a good trick is wearing a pair of leggings underneath your joggers.

Get fully equipped

Yes, it is safe to exercise in the extreme cold. Just protect your head, hands and ears with hats or gloves and wear layers so you can start off wrapped up and remove as you get going.

You’ll always be warmed up by the end of a workout. If it’s slippery or dark, wear trainers with a good grip, pop on a high-viz vest and keep an eye out for hazards.

Think of exercise as me-time

Exercise has profound mental health benefits; improved mood, a decreased chance of depression and anxiety, and a better and more balanced lifestyle. Try re-framing exercise as a moment to yourself to get some head-space, while looking after your body, and it might just make you more motivated to do it.

If you’re just starting out and currently do little or no activity, the gains are even greater. Studies show that those who exercise the least actually have the most to gain in terms of the health benefits.

This month’s Red January campaign in association with mental health charity Mind is a great way to get fit and boost your wellbeing at the same time by being a little active everyday throughout January.

It’s okay to stop

Sometimes, exercising in winter can feel harder. Remember it’s okay to take a break, it’s okay to walk, or sit down, or have some time off exercising altogether.

Just have another go when you’re ready.

And if you really can’t find the motivation then don’t beat yourself up about it. These tips are meant to inspire you – but taking a break from fitness every now and then is completely OK as well.

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A British runner has become the first woman to win the 268-mile Montane Spine Race – and she even stopped to express breast milk along the way.

Jasmin Paris obliterated the race record by a huge 12-hours, running from Derbyshire to the Scottish borders in just over 83 hours.

The runner, who is also a vet, is a mum of two. She is still breastfeeding her 14-month little girl, and she expressed milk along the route so that she wouldn’t get mastitis – a painful inflammation of the breast tissue.

The 35-year-old ultra-marathon enthusiast won the British Fell Running title last year. During the race, Jasmin spoke about how it was the thought of her daughter that kept her going.

‘Everything is starting to hurt now but it’s not that far any more… once I get to the finish, I’ll have my little girl there,’ said Jasmin.

Talking to the BBC, Jasmin explained that she continued to breastfeed her child after she got ill over Christmas.

‘I had to go back to feeding her multiple times throughout the night to soothe her,” she explained.

Training for the race, Jasmin ran up to 100 miles every week. When the race began, she only got three-hours of sleep per night.

‘The first night was the hardest for me mentally because I was away from my daughter, but as the race went on it got easier as I got used to being away from her,’ she explained.

‘Although my milk production diminished throughout the race, I did express at four out of the five checkpoints.’

She crossed the finish line almost 10 miles in front of Eugeni Roselló Solé, the first placed male who was from Spain.

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Attention, people: You no longer have to wear socks or slippers around the house to keep your feet warm, because hot water bottles for your feet exist.

Yes, you can now warm your feet up on a pair of hot water bottle slippers. We are so thankful to whoever took it upon themselves to invent these.

The heated feet warmers are selling on Amazon for £14.99, in a fluffy grey material.

The fleece pouches have openings for hot water bottles to slide inside, and they fit your feet just like slippers.

The description reads: ‘The hot water bottle foot warmer retains all the simplicity and effectiveness of a hot water bottle.

‘The hot bottle is inserted into the attractive and practical foot pouch which is big enough to envelop both feet in gentle warmth and comfort. Heats in minutes. Stays warm for a couple of hours.’

So far, the reviews for the feet warmers have been positive, with many happy customers.

One person wrote: ‘I have struggled with bad circulation and icy feet for a long time. Thick socks and other things did not do the trick. This product solved my cold feet problem in a matter of minutes! Extremely soft and comfortable and very easy to use. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who struggles to keep their feet warm in the winter.’

Someone else said: ‘My husband was always complaining about his feet being cold of an evening, so thought I’d order this for him. Arrived promptly, looks good and is just the trick….no more cold feet!!’

Another wrote: ‘Absolutely love this. Easy to use and much more efficient than the electrical foot warmers. The ultimate in comfort for those pamper sessions / dark nights.’

For £14.99, you can’t really go wrong.

Here’s to having incredibly warm feet this January.

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There are many things I hoped I’d eat once I got to China’s grand capital Beijing. Donkey was not one of them.

But here I am at one of the city’s donkey restaurants mid-way through a food tour of the famous hutong neighbourhoods, a warren of narrow alleyways and traditional courtyard houses.

‘We don’t do anything for shock value but because we genuinely think travellers will want to eat here,’ our guide Garth, a friendly bear of a man, tells us.

The sign outside says Fatty Wang’s Donkey Burger but when we get inside, we’re presented with a plate of meat filled flaky pastry. I take a bite. Flavoured with green peppers and onion, it has the gamey taste of veal wrapped in light chewy dough.

It’s a local delicacy that started off when hungry impoverished soldiers used to eat their own horses. When horse meat became scarce, they started using donkeys as a substitute. It’s genuinely tasty but I’m not sure if it’s something I’d be in a hurry to try again.

I’m here with Untour, a company that runs food tours visiting places you’d be hard pressed to find yourself. Most restaurants in the hutongs don’t have any signs outside and you won’t see any tourists either.

Garth, an Australian who relocated to China many years ago, is one of the original founders, who each pitched in with their ideas of where travellers would want to eat in Beijing but might not know about. These are places discovered by word-of-mouth rather than TripAdvisor reviews. After flying in with Cathay Pacific on a flight via Hong Kong, I’m hungry and ready to start feasting.

We start off the night by grabbing some dumplings from Crippled Brother’s Restaurant manned by several retired ladies who take turns making these delicious parcels filled with pork and cabbage as well as egg and chive using a rota system. If someone doesn’t put their name down, the restaurant is shut for the night.

But that’s just a quick starter. For our first course, we enter a small white room in a grey nondescript building next door. Lao Liu’s Mongolian Firepot looks more like someone’s back room than a restaurant.

A woman brings over a large metal hot pot to our table. The inner conical is filled with burning coal while the outside rim simmers with boiling hot water.

Garth throws in some dried mushroom, ginger, leeks, goji berries, jujubes (small red Chinese dates), dried shrimp, tofu and bamboo to the water to add some flavour. Once that’s been bubbling away for a few minutes, we each dip in a thin slice of mutton.

They only take a few seconds to cook and when they’re done we dip them into thick sesame paste that is made with fermented tofu and Chinese chive. We mix in spring onion and coriander. It’s deliciously rich and nutty.

This is authentic Beijing hot pot brought over 800 years ago by Mongolians and one of the most popular ways for locals to pass the evening with a group of friends.

I wash this down with a plum and cinnamon drink, nicknamed ‘landmines’ because of the shape of the bottles they come in. There’s also potent sticky rice wine, sweet and tart, and a Beijing yoghurt drink that has a hint of honey to it.

Then it’s on to the next stop where we try biang biang noodles at Qin Tang Wei Dao. This is one dish where you’ll want to get a table close to the kitchen so you can see these hand stretched noodles being made. Each bowl is one extremely long noodle beaten into shape seconds before it’s cooked.

It’s a simple dish that has lots of layers in flavour. There’s the spicy kick that comes from the oil dressing made up of minced garlic, dried chilli and onion, as well as the sweetness of the tomato and egg sauce. It’s a wonderful combination and incredibly moreish.

Our last stop is Fifth Brother’s Chicken Wings restaurant, a rundown room in somebody’s house. It’s a tiny space with no windows. Just a door and several empty bird cages because the chef, we’re told, as well as making the best chicken wings in town is also a champion bird cage maker.

In the middle of the table is a big pile of sticky chicken wings of varying degrees of spiciness. A few seconds after I’ve bitten into one, my lips start to go numb. It’s the Szechuan pepper crust that’s making them tingle – chilli that doesn’t burn so much as take a hammer to your taste buds.

The tour is a fascinating glimpse into the evolving history of Beijing’s hutongs, once bustling with myriad illegal restaurants and shops.

Since a crackdown a year ago, locals have had to be more discreet about their operations. Not that it’s stopped them. Just make sure you go early in your trip so you have recommendations for places to eat for the rest of your stay.

As I leave, my stomach is bursting and I’m already planning which dish I’ll come back to eat again. Just not poor Eeyore.

Untour’s Old Beijing Dinner tour costs £55 per person and includes over 15 tastings.

What else can you do?

The Great Wall of China is obviously top of everyone’s must see list when they visit Beijing.

Badaling, the section closest to the city and easily accessible by public transport, is where the majority of tourists end up. But having to elbow and jostle your way through heaving crowds isn’t a pleasant experience.

Your best bet is to head to Mutianyu, which is slightly further out but a lot quieter. It’s roughly an hour and a half’s drive away from the capital.

To save yourself from walking up and down lots of uneven steps, take the cable car up to tower 6. From there it’s an easy walk along to tower 14.

After marvelling at the staggering magnificence of this architectural wonder, you can take a toboggan all the way down to the bottom.

You can make it part of the way by bus to Mutianyu but to it’s easier to hire a guide to take you there. Newman Tours can arrange for transport from and to your hotel as well as giving you a potted history of the bloodshed behind the wall.

Where to stay

If you want somewhere fashionable

East Beijing is your dream hotel sent from the future. It’s a super trendy luxury hotel near the 789 Art District and its minimalist decor will make any design lover happy.

The clientele is a mixture of businessmen, families and hip foreigners in the know. At 25 floors high, it commands incredible views of the city.

Rooms are massive and come with floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around the room so you get the most out of the glittering lights below you.

Every aspect of its design is slick in a very discreet way. Corridors are curved so you feel like you’re in a sci-fi film as you swipe in while eyesores like charging spots are hidden away and there are no walls inside the rooms, just glass partitions so it’s all open plan.

Inside, the decor is designed with a pleasingly neutral palette that is tastefully chic while bathrooms are decked out in marble to feel super luxurious. There’s also a beautiful indoor pool and several restaurants.

It’s part of the Indigo shopping mall which has the subway stop Jiangtai on the lower ground floor so it’s extremely convenient to get around.

Rooms start from £133 per night. 

If you want old fashioned glamour

Four Seasons Beijing may play it safe when it comes to the decor of its rooms – warm shades of brown and beige that are inviting but inoffensive – but scratch the surface and you’ll find one of the most opulent hotels in the city.

The hotel saves the glitz and glamour for its bars and restaurants. Newly opened Equus, which is a contemporary take on the structure of a Chinese courtyard, holds a hip bar, a red bathed cellar complete with seafood bar, and cosy outdoor terraces.

More refined but just as dazzling is its Michelin starred Chinese restaurant Cai Yi Yuan that specialises in Cantonese cuisine. With its art deco furnishings and superb food it’s worth visiting even if you’re not staying at the hotel.

Rooms start from £172 per night.

How to get there

I flew from London Heathrow to Beijing via Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific. The flight takes around 15 hours and 30 minutes and costs £829. For more information visit www.cathaypacific.co.uk or call 0800 917 8260.

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We’re big fans of Mitzi, who was once one of Britain’s fattest cats.

We even declared her one of the best cats of 2018.

But clearly not everyone sees her glory as we do, as she’s now searching for a home again after being returned to the shelter for the fourth time.

Poor, sweet Mitzi. Why do people keep rejecting her?

Mitzi first arrived at Woodside Animal Welfare Trust in Plymouth, Devon, weighing 1st 3lbs (7.7kg), almost double her recommended weight.

She was found as a stray, having put on weight because students in the area kept feeding her, back in May 2017.

She was put on a strict diet, and managed to find a home pretty quickly. But her owner struggled to cope and returned her to the shelter.

Over the course of the next year, she found three homes. Each time she wasn’t able to settle and she was brought back to the shelter again.

She’s currently there again, after being returned for the fourth time. This return is because Mitzi became a little aggressive when her last owner became pregnant.

The constant back and forth has had an effect on Mitzi, who’s now a tad grumpy and is finding it difficult to settle in.

She has managed to get down to her lowest weight yet, though, now at 5.48kg. That’s just over a healthy weight for an adult cat, so she’s still got a bit more work to do – but she’ll need a family up for helping her along the way.

Sweet Mitzi is now looking for a loving home yet again. Hopefully this time it’ll stick.

If you think you could be the loving forever family that Mitzi deserves, it’s worth getting in touch with Woodside.

Your home will need to be free of children and other cats, and you’ll need to be patient, as Mitzi can be a touch challenging.

‘We’re disappointed she hasn’t quite managed to find that match yet but she is so well loved by staff here,’ said Woodside assistant manager Lisa Darcy.

‘We will continue to stand by her and help with her diet. She is still quite barrel looking but we are half way there.

‘She is a bit of a grumpy girl but with her weight loss and through gaining mobility that could change.

‘She’s getting a bit fed up of it. She’s like “great, I’m back here again” and I think it is impacting her mentally as she can’t ever feel completely settled here.

‘She needs a child free home, and she’s not keen on other animals either.

‘We’re looking for a particular type of home and an owner who can’t be fooled by her cuteness or her eyes for Dreamies.

‘We completely understand that circumstances change and we are grateful for [Mitzi’s past owners] for trying.’

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Bear with me, but it turns out that your year eight history lesson might have held all of the clues to why your dating life is a mess.

The headlines on Henry are that he was not supposed to be king, but his brother died so he got an upgrade. Unfortunately he was a bit of a brat, which led to some dicey foreign policy and the murder of two of his wives.

You probably knew all that. But what you probably don’t know is that the only difference between Henry VIII and the f**k boys you’ve been ghosted by on Tinder is a few meters of ermine and a daily brace of quail.

To understand why Henry VIII is the relevant to your dating life, you first of all need to understand a bit about the women that he married.

Catherine of Aragon was a Spanish princess, who had been married to Henry’s dead brother Arthur. She was devoutly Catholic, and put up with all sorts of sh*t from Henry, only for him to send her off to live in a damp house in the countryside without any money.

Next came Anne Boleyn, the sexy one. She’d been raised at French court, and through her impressive game (blow jobs, if you believe Phillipa Gregory, which I do) she managed to get Henry to break with Rome, divorce Catherine of Aragon and start a new church.

Unfortunately things went sour and he had her put to death for witchcraft and having sex with her brother.

After the roller-coaster ride that was AB, Henry married the quite boring Jane Seymour who could only sort of read and write but gave him a son. Unfortunately she promptly died after giving birth. Are you starting to see a pattern here?

Next was a diplomatic marriage to the very clever Ann of Cleves, the patron saint of catfishing who apparently didn’t look like her Tinder picture portrait. She was given the old heave ho for not being sexy enough.

What do you do if your previous wife wasn’t sexy enough? Marry a highly sexual teenage hottie of course. Then, plot twist, Henry went off the idea of being with someone hot and into sex so had her put to death for adultery.

Bear with me, this is going to relate to your terrible romantic history in a minute.

As far as Henry was concerned, the natural next step after having to have your wife killed for maybe not being a virgin upon marriage is obviously to get married again, but this time to a studious, intelligent woman who hasn’t ridden anyone else’s steed out of wedlock.

Enter Catherine Parr who (fun fact) was the first English woman to be published. She outlived her gouty husband by a year.

Spotted the pattern yet?

Henry VIII over corrected every relationship with another relationship, swinging from woman to polar opposite woman. Catherine of Aragon was restrained and dignified, so he went for hot tempered, sexy Ann.

Ann was a challenging handful, so he swung the other way to uneducated sweetie pie Jane.

Then when she popped her clogs he tried his luck with a diplomatic choice and found her deeply unsexy. So, surprise surprise, he used his peen as a compass and navigated himself over to sexy Katherine, a mere 33 years his junior.

Finally, pissed off that his sexy wife had had sex, he picked an older and bookish final wife, who was the grand old age of 30.

So, what does this History lesson have to do with your dating life?

Well, it seems that H8 isn’t the only one who tends to over correct from partner to partner. In fact you might well be doing it yourself. Dating & sexpert Annabelle Knight says:  I call this tendency ‘U turn dating’. It’s quite common, and people do it attempt to avoid previous mistakes. Sometimes it works, mostly it doesn’t.

‘Dating in extremes in any way can start you down an unhealthy path and just means that the relationship has little chance of success.’

In modern parlance, if you’re someone who dates an adult model with a tattoo of a dagger on her thigh and Marilyn Monroe quotes all over her social media, and then dumps her for a primary school teacher who thinks that true love waits, you might be guilty of Henry the VIII-ing.

Similarly if you’re the kind of girl who falls for a vegan charity worker and feminist and then swaps him for a whiskey swilling banker who thinks women have ‘if anything too many rights’, you’re Henry VIII-ing.

But how do you avoid being a Henry? Dating expert Charlie Spokes from MyFriendCharlie.com tells Metro.co.uk:

‘If you’ve split up with someone who is the life and soul of every party you may be tempted to have a change and date someone who prefers a quite night in but it’s so important to ask yourself what you enjoy first. You’ll never be fully happy if you love the occasional party but never go out anymore or you always have to go to parties alone.

Finding a balance is key, look for characteristics in a partner which complement your own. You don’t need to do everything together but there has to be plenty of common ground to keep that spark going.’

Who’d have thought that we’d still be making the same dating mistakes in 2019 as 1545?

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Another week, another Twitter storm over ‘PC-mad’, ‘virtue-signalling’ advertising.

Before I watched the latest Gillette advert, I was dubious.

I’d read a lot of angry comments on Twitter and assumed the brand had gone and ‘done a Pepsi’ (the campaign involving Kendall Jenner, which was ridiculed for co-opting civil rights protest movements, and was eventually pulled).

When brands reference social movements in their advertising, the tone can sometimes be way off the mark. But this razor advert is cut to precision.

If you haven’t watched it yet, please do. It addresses issues of toxic masculinity, bullying, sexual harassment and the objectification of women, claiming that the brand ‘believe[s] the best in men’ and that ‘it’s only by challenging ourselves to do more that we can get closer to our best’.

The advert is a celebration of change in a post-#MeToo era. It shows men sticking up for women, sticking up for each other and includes a clip of arguably the most masculine man on the planet, actor Terry Crews, calling for men to ‘hold other men accountable’.

Who could possibly fault a message like that?

Thousands, apparently. The advert has over 846,000 dislikes on its YouTube platform, and the comments underneath are disturbing.

Some of these men claim to be ‘boycotting’ the brand, arguing the advert is part of a ‘war on masculinity’ and taking offence at the ‘PC agenda’ of the film.

Presumably they miss the adverts of a bygone era when three blades were sufficient and having a smooth face would help you ‘get the girl’. It won’t.

But being an honest ally to women and stopping others from treating us like garbage is a step in the right direction, regardless of your relationship status.

The outrage caused by this advert justifies the need for its existence. Protesters describe it as an attack on their masculinity.

‘You can’t grow a beard anyway, mate’, is an attack on masculinity. Discouraging sexual and physical assault is not.

Boycotters feel that by appealing for all men to do better, Gillette are suggesting all men are to blame.

This is obviously a gross misunderstanding. Not all men are culpable, but all men are capable of making a positive difference.

People moan about politically correct culture as if it’s some sort of totalitarian regime. Being ‘PC’ is essentially about being polite and considerate. Neither of which are particularly political.

There isn’t much in our current political landscape to help guide our moral compass.

If recent Brexit discussions show us anything, it’s that not one person in politics knows what on earth the correct thing to do is.

However, if we are going to truly fix the issues identified in the Gillette advert, we can’t simply dismiss the opinions of those who oppose it. There’s obviously something still missing.

For a group of people to feel emasculated by such an advert suggests a feeling of misplaced disenfranchisement and anger that should be ignored at our peril.

To witness a large group lashing out at such a positive message is concerning. But how do we bridge that gap?

As addressed in the advert itself, the advertising industry has profited from the objectification and sexualisation of women for decades. For a global advertiser to turn around and ask individuals to pick up the pieces is bound to evoke a defensive anger.

It wasn’t so long ago that Gillette themselves advertised their logo across the latexed arses of grid girls. And let’s not forget, the advertisers they paid for the campaign aren’t stupid.

‘Wokeness’ sells just as much as ‘sex’ nowadays, and it’s done its job at getting the brand into the headlines, so there’s reason to be cynical. But if we look at the bigger picture, at least a platform so far-reaching and influential is being used to promote vital positive change, no matter the motivation.

I get it. I’d be pretty angry too if, after years of showing women drooling over a scantily clad window cleaner/gardener/pool boy, Diet Coke released an advert telling women to stop being such a bunch of perverts and look the other way.

My anger would probably stem from the fact that I hadn’t questioned it before, and that I didn’t call them out first.

Advertisers prey on insecurity – it’s their currency. But here we have a campaign that does the opposite. I want men to feel secure enough to hear an adjective like ‘toxic’ and not feel threatened by it.

To the men who do: I’m sorry.

I’m sorry you feel so disconnected from the benefits of a movement that you view it as oppressive. I’m sorry you feel intimidated instead of empowered by it.

I’m sorry that you may not feel any tangible privilege in your own life in a world that tells you that you should.

But this advert isn’t a threat to a man’s right to be masculine, it’s a celebration of it. It is not an attack on your behaviour, but an attack on a system of oppression that has been around for so long we need all the help we can get to change it.

This is a call to arms. Not against us, but with us.

We must help educate each other and future generations, because becoming a man is about more than just learning how to shave.

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This week an egg won the world record for most likes on Instagram, beating Kylie Jenner’s 18 million.

The egg surprisingly majorly surpassed Kylie’s record, with over 48 million likes.

Yep, an actual egg got nearly 50 million likes. Amazing.

And now, Fashion Nova has taken inspiration from the egg, using one wearing jeans to advertise their products in the hopes of securing just as many likes.

But it seems people are more confused than anything.

Fashion Nova took to its Instagram page to share a photo of an egg wearing some high waist jeans.

They wrote: ‘If You Wanna Get Laid, Fashion Nova Jeans Make Your Booty Look Eggs-tra Fat.

‘Let’s Scramble the World Record And Make This The Most Liked Picture On Instagram.’

So far, the image has received over 292,000 likes since being posted three days ago – so it’s safe to say it’s got a long way to go if it expects to beat the new world record.

And people don’t really get why an egg is wearing a pair of jeans – or where its bum came from.

One person wrote: ‘How does this egg have ass.’

Someone else said it was unfair how the egg had a smaller waist than them, while another wrote: ‘I’m just mad this egg is more famous and thicker than me.’

Someone said they felt sorry for the model who had been Photoshopped out and replaced by an egg. They said: ‘Lmao that poor model got photoshopped out for an egg. Time to retire honey.’

While we commend Fashion Nova for its advertisement tactics, we doubt their image will be as popular as the original egg world record.

But hey, at least it was an opportunity to see what an egg would look like with a bum, right?

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Bow down to this guy, who won a girl over with a story all about a duck.

After matching with the girl on Tinder, the man started telling a tale of a duck walking through the forest, asking her where it should go, giving her a list of options and letting her answer.

With each answer, the story went on, until he asked whether the duck should call a number, before asking for hers.

And amazingly, she gave it to him.

Here’s the full story so you can try the method out for yourself.

The man, who shared the conversation to Reddit, started off the conversation with a story about a duck

After giving her some options as to where the duck should go, the girl chose the bridge

She then decided the duck should investigate under a Christmas tree that was randomly in the story. And then, the duck found a desk with a phone, and this is where he gained the courage to ask for her number…

Amazingly, it worked. The guy really got the girl’s number by using a story about a duck.

Guys, take note.

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A bulldog puppy loves to take her big sister duties to the next level by pushing her younger sibling in a shopping trolley.

In a super cute video, Belle walks along on her hind legs with her front paws on the trolley, pushing it as little Dotty peers up at her from inside.

Belle, who turns one later this month, decided to take over from owner April Adie, 23, by standing on her hind legs and pushing her tiny puppy sister in the black case.

April had taken her two dogs to the local park when Belle decided to copy her.

April, from Immingham, Lincolnshire, said: ‘Belle was loving playing the big sister – it was so funny.

‘Dotty loves being the baby and she looks up to Belle all the time, even though she’s technically a puppy too.

‘We take Dotty out in a shopping trolley when we go on long walks to the park because she’s only young and it could strain her joints.

‘This was the first time Belle had done this though, I never expected it.

‘Belle will be one this month and Dotty is only six months. They’re inseparable, they’re really close.’

Belle has developed a reputation for standing on her hind legs around humans, often doing it to have her photo taken.

But April and her mum Sharon Obee, 50, never imagined the dog would have enough strength to push the trolley with Old Tyme Bulldog Dotty inside.

April said: ‘Everyone has commented on how cute the video is and they were shocked she could push the trolley so well.

‘When we take pictures she does jump up or try and stand on her hind legs.

‘Because Dotty is the baby, she’s always getting up to mischief around the house, and because Belle is still only one, they’re both as bad as each other sometimes.

‘But on this occasion, it looks like Belle has decided to take the reins from us quite literally.

‘We love our animals in my house – my pets are my world.

‘We’ve actually got two other crossbreeds, three rabbits and five cats.’

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As part of our ever-growing quest to consume less animal products in a bid to save the planet, you’ve probably come across the term flexitarian.

Our first thought was that it was something to do with eating vegetables while touching our toes, but it turns out it has nothing to do with physical flexibility.

So what does this term mean? Can it actually help you save the planet? And should you be doing it?

We took a deep-dive into the world of flexitarianism.

Flexitarian essentially means eating a diet that is predominantly plant-based, but allows meat.

It involves making a conscious decision to drastically reduce your meat consumption, but it is much more flexible than veganism or vegetarianism. Hence the name.

Lots of people use the flexitarian diet as a pathway towards a plant-based lifestyle. It acts as a stop-gap between eating too much meat and becoming a full-on vegan.

We can see the appeal.

Veganism is tough. It requires sacrifice, careful decision-making and despite a number of major brands offering more vegan options, your choices are still limited.

Being a flexitarian is less rigid and allows you to make your contribution to helping the planet and eating healthier, while still allowing for the odd, drunken Donner kebab.

But there has been some furore over the growth of flexitarianism. Some people have claimed that it’s not really a thing, or it’s just a cynical marketing ploy to pander to guilty meat-eaters.

So what’s the answer? Is it legit? And are there any benefits?

Nutritionist Charlotte De Curtis thinks there are.

‘It’s much less strict and often easier to adhere to than a strict vegan diet,’ Charlotte tells Metro.co.uk.

‘And usually there aren’t any strict measures like counting calories or macros.

‘The biggest potential benefit is the fact that a typical Western diet is red meat, dairy, artificially sweetened and processed foods with minimal plants.

‘A flexitarian approach will likely see an increase in micronutrients being consumed (vitamins and minerals), which is a huge benefit for overall health.’

Nutritionist and self-proclaimed flexitarian, Rhiannon Lambert, agrees that there are benefits when you cut down on eating meat – but she thinks that it’s really only processed meat you need to be wary of.

‘In the largest study of diet and disease ever to be undertaken (and still ongoing), it reported in 2013 that processed meat increased the risk of death, while no effect was seen for unprocessed red meat,’ explains Rhiannon.

‘Unprocessed, properly cooked red meat is actually very healthy. It’s rich with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and loaded with healthy proteins and fats that have profound effects on our health.’

So if you are looking to reduce you meat intake, Rhiannon suggests that not all meat is created equal – and when it comes to health, eating good-quality meat produce can can be good for you.

However that doesn’t address the argument about meat production and the environment.

Rhiannon thinks that a flexitarian approach could be a simple way to get the best of both worlds.

‘Going flexitarian and eating a more plant-based diet may sound like a major dietary adjustment but the benefits that can be seen are impressive,’ she explains.

‘There are countless studies showing vegetarians and vegans live longer and have a lower risk of some serious diseases than meat eaters. Although, these groups are generally more health conscious than meat eaters anyway.

‘We are all unique and what works for one person may not work for the next. But, once you start eliminating whole food groups, you do run the risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

‘It’s not that restrictive diets such as raw or vegan can’t be followed, it’s just too easy to get them wrong. It is for this very reason that I didn’t join in on Veganuary, but I do enjoy the odd #MeatFreeMonday, and that’s why I consider myself a flexitarian.’

Recently, Aldi launched flexitarian burgers, which were a combination of meat and beans. And last year Byron launched a flexitarian burger made of 70% British beef and 30% sautéed mushrooms.

If the trend continues, there might soon be more options for those of us who want to occupy the middle ground between carnivore and vegan.

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According to a survey by Superdrug of 1,000 men and women, women are being more giving than they actually need to when it comes to giving oral sex.

Researchers asked those taking part in the study what the ideal blowjob would look like, focusing on length of time spend, whether or not the giver swallows, and if the blowjob is requested or volunteered.

In terms of timings, you might be surprised to read that women think that blowjobs should last longer than me do. American women suggested 11 minutes on average and European women suggested 9:14

Some women feel that swallowing is part of giving a blowjob, but researchers found that more than half of men don’t care if their partner swallows after oral sexand regardless. That said one in four of American women says that they always swallow.

More than half of men also say that they are extremely satisfied with the blowjobs they’ve received over time.

In terms of asking versus giving, 60% of European and American said that they women initiate blowjobs with their partners on their own rather than having it requested of them. How generous.

If you’re not satisfied with how your partner is giving oral sex (penis or otherwise) it’s perfectly reasonable to talk to them about it.

The best way to make this a positive conversation rather than a row is to use positive reinforcement. Try using dirty talk to gently encourage them. For instance, if your partner tends to be too brief, try telling them, ‘That feels amazing, please don’t stop.’ Or if they’re going in to hard, ‘That’s so intense, I don’t think I can handle it.’

For more tips on dirty talk you can read our handy guide. 

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The Boots 70% off sale is a big one for bargain hunters, to the point where its start date is hotly anticipated.

Although you can already get your hands on some bargains in their half price sale right now, that extra 20% seems just too good to resist.

We’ve been making some predictions, and using insight from MoneySavingExpert’s Martin Lewis to track when it might be here.

Read on to find out everything you need to know.

Since Boots haven’t confirmed the exact start date, we can’t be completely sure. However, last year the sale fell on Friday 19th January.

The year before that it was Friday 20th January, and the year before that, Wednesday 15th January.

Every year before that has been a Wednesday. Therefore, we were pretty certain that if it wasn’t 16th January, the sale would most probably begin on Friday 18th.

That day has come, though, and still no sale. Even Martin Lewis was shook, tweeting:

‘Important I tipped off unconfirmed reports this morning on @GMB that Boots may be starting a clearance tomorrow reducing sale items from 50% to 70%. It has now confirmed this is NOT happening.’

Rumours have been doing the rounds that it won’t be long, with some eagle-eyed shoppers saying they’d spotted posters in stores. It’s the latest it’s ever been, but expect the clearance within the next week.

As with previous sales, you’ll likely see the biggest discounts in store, so get down there to bag the best bargains.

It’ll most likely be Christmas stock reduced the heaviest, so brands like Soap & Glory, Jack Wills, and Champneys are a great place to start.

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