When it comes to online dating, just be yourself.

Or carefully research all the recommended techniques for crafting a great profile, use them all, and watch those right swipes roll in. We’ll choose the latter option, if only so we don’t feel personally rejected if it doesn’t work out – it’s not us, it’s all those profile cliches.

It turns out that gaming the system doesn’t just come down to your photos (although those are important), but also involves the words you use in your profile.

Researchers at Badoo have taken a look at the most popular male and female daters on their app and have analysed their ‘about me’ sections to see which words pop up most frequently.

They found that popular female users had the word ‘love’ in their bio, while men had ‘6ft’ (yes, that is in reference to their height, not a description of a nice doorway they found).

Other words that came up for both most-swiped genders include ‘music’ and ‘gym’, while popular men included ‘family’ and ‘beard’ and popular women used ‘foodie’ and ‘blue eyes’.

Top words for men

It also helps if your profile is funny, as Badoo found that 87% of users swipe right if they find a potential date’s bio amusing.

Claire Stott, Badoo’s dating expert, said: ‘When creating a profile, it can feel overwhelming at first deciding what content to include. But do not fear – our data tells us that a popular bio is one that is short and snappy, around only 20 words.

‘I would encourage you not to be afraid to write about something that is specific to you, such as your favourite film director or least favourite pasta dish.

‘These sorts of things will help you to stand out and can often add a touch of humour.

‘Even if your preferences turn off a few people, those that do appreciate them will probably be better matches in the long run.

‘Plus, you’re making it easier for them to initiate the conversation with something meaningful.

‘It is also a good idea to include what you are looking for and any potential deal breakers – such as height – to prevent awkwardness later on.

‘Though unsurprisingly we find that mentioning height is more common in men who are at least 6ft!’

We agree with listing your pasta preferences. Anyone who mentions gnocchi in their profile is going to get a right swipe.

MORE: Why I always talk about periods on a first date

MORE: How a sex drought affects your mind and body

MORE: I asked my Facebook friends to help find me a boyfriend and it went viral

Keep an eye on your typing speed to monitor early signs of Parkinson’s disease.

The speed at which you type could be a warning sign of Parkinson’s, suggests new research which found that the time it takes for someone to press different keys can indicate that they have hand tremors, a common sign of the disease.

Researchers from Charles Sturt University in Queensland analysed 76 people, 27 of whom had mild Parkinson’s disease.

Over nine months a programme was added to the participants computer keyboards to track how long it took them to press the keys.

Researchers found they were able to use people’s typing speed to diagnose mild Parkinson’s with 78% accuracy by comparing their typing against the standard frequency of a Parkinson’s patient’s hand tremor, which is between 4Hz and 6Hz.

They now hope that this research can be used to create a diagnostic tool based around typing.

This could allow people to notice early signs at home and get help more quickly, which could slow the disease’s progression.

Study author Warwick Adams told New Scientist: ‘The end-game is to develop a widely-available screening test for both GPs and individuals.’

Of course, it’s worth noting that the research used a small study size and the diagnosis had a 78% accuracy. More research will be needed before we can start rolling out typing analysis tools to track early signs of illness.

MORE: What’s the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia?

MORE: Trans dad who gave birth twice was inspired to transition by his stepdaughter

We tend to think of bedbugs as living only in beds. That’s what the name suggests, right?

We are wrong.

Bedbugs can hang out in any bit of fabric furniture, including your sofa, your office chair, and – shudder – the seats on buses and the Tube.

That’s right – you could pick up bedbugs from sitting down on public transport. This knowledge has shaken us to our core.

Kenneth F. Haynes, a professor of entomology, tells Metro.co.uk: ‘It is possible to pick up bed bugs from any place where there is an infestation. It may be more difficult for an infestation to get started in a bus or train, but it certainly has happened.’

Kenneth explains that bedbugs can end up on public transport because the little suckers are moved mostly moved around by us humans, who’ll let bedbugs sit on our clothes, bags, and belongings then take them to new places.

‘Moving an infested upholstered chair from one apartment to another would be such an example,’ Kenneth explains. ‘Also moving a bag that rested on such a chair to a new place could get an infestation started.

‘The more links there are in the transfer, the less likely the transfer would be. The larger the source population is, the more likely would be the transfer.

‘Bed bugs don’t often ride around on us, but if numbers are large then this could happen. I have walked through a heavily infested apartment and found a few bed bugs on my shoes.’

So while your bed may be bug-free, someone whose bed is swarming in bugs could launch an infestation on the Tube simply by resting their jacket on their mattress then taking a seat on the central line. Unsettling, right?

This is particularly concerning information right now as the heatwave has prompted a massive increase in the numbers of bedbugs infesting cities in the UK.

This is because higher temperatures shorten the reproductive cycle of bedbugs to eight or nine days, allowing them to lay eggs and multipy more quickly.

The more bedbugs there are, the more likely they are to end up on public transport or spread around office furniture.

Oh, and because everyone’s been travelling all summer, the spread of bedbugs is even more likely. People may have picked up bedbugs from hotel beds or from their plane seats before bringing them into the UK travel system.

There’s no way to know in advance which forms of public transport will have bedbugs on them. Sadly, no one’s made an app alerting us to which bus line made them itch, and you’re unlikely to spot bedbugs until you sit down, feel an itch, and then inspect more closely.

David Cain of Bed Bugs Limited told The Guardian that his advice is to never, ever sit down on buses, trains, or tubes, which may be a bit extreme, but is really the only answer to completely avoiding the bugs.

He also said there are certain areas of London’s public transport that tend to be infested: ‘There’s a west-to-east corridor that follows the Central line. There’s another hotspot running from Elephant and Castle down to Lewisham and New Cross. And yet another from Elephant and Castle to Brixton, then Norwood, and then on to Croydon.’

Oh, dear lord. We’re screwed.

The good news, before you completely panic, is that picking up bedbugs isn’t the end of the world. You just need to spot the signs and act quickly.

Do your bit to prevent the spread of bugs, too.

‘Reducing the probability of transferring infested stuff into our homes is the best thing we can do,’ says Kenneth. ‘In higher density dwellings, we could avoid moving boxes, bags and other things back and forth between different individual units. We can increase the number of links that it would take to make it into our homes.

‘When traveling it would be better to keep our luggage away from beds or surrounding floors. If I am concerned that a hotel room might have been infested, then I would put my clothes through a hot clothes dryer.

‘If one works in a job that takes you through many dwellings, then running your clothes through a dryer could be a good routine precaution before you enter your own dwelling (or as soon as possible). Same thing if you see a bed bug crawling on you after you have been on an infested bus.

‘If an infestation gets started in your home don’t panic. Hire a professional to deal with it as soon as possible. The problem can be fixed.

‘The sooner it is caught the easier it will be to eliminate the infestation. Also this will keep the problem from spreading to our friends’ and neighbors’ homes.’

So keep an eye out for bites, act quickly to get rid of bedbugs if you spot them, and maybe don’t nestle into those cosy seats on the Tube whenever you feel like having a nap on your commute. If you can stand, do so.

MORE: Do you have bedbugs? Learn how to spot the signs

MORE: We do just 12 good deeds a month – and three because we want something in return

There’s still a lingering awkwardness around having sex on your period.

Just look at the comments section of any article that dares to mention sex while menstruating. The disgust and horror is wild.

It’s strange, really, because there’s nothing gross, dirty, or dangerous about period sex. It’s perfectly healthy and can help relieve period cramps and speed up the duration of menstruation.

It’s just sex, but with menstrual fluids – easily managed by popping a towel on the bed before you get down to it.

Photographer Nolwen Cifuentes hopes that her photo series, Period Piece, will challenge our lingering weirdness around period sex and normalise getting pleasure during your period.

Warning: The photographs below do include nudity, nipples, and (fake) period blood, so they may not be suitable for work. 

To recreate scenes of period sex, Nolwen mixed red food colouring with syrup to create fake menstrual blood, then asked couples to do relaxed, intimate poses.

‘The process of making these pictures was meant to feel really safe for everyone involved,’ Nolwen tells Metro.co.uk. ‘I wanted the subjects to have authority over what we were shooting.

‘For each shoot, it was just me and the two women involved.

‘Not everyone was comfortable being naked and that’s something we talked about before shooting.

‘Some of them gave me their thoughts of how the period blood might look in this situation and we had fun spreading it around.

‘The images were meant to show a representation of women in an intimate setting together while on their periods.

‘They’re meant to show that women are touchable, desirable and sexual even during that infamous week.’

Nolwen tells us she was inspired to create the series after a conversation with friends revealed their disgust at the concept of period sex.

‘They were pretty grossed out,’ says Nolwen. ‘When I mentioned that I do it with my partner, they didn’t even realize this was something some couples do.

‘I felt pissed off about it at first and I decided to channel this feeling into a photo series.

‘I wanted to photograph only women as I thought it would feel safer and sweeter somehow. I’ve recently come out and these queer series are a way to express my sexuality.

‘There’s nothing weird to me about having sex while on your period and I’m interested in normalizing that.

‘Look, if you’re going to play around with vaginas, you’ve got to accept that they bleed quite often. You can’t just love vaginas three weeks out of the month and then tell them they’re disgusting and untouchable for a week. That’s what sounds weird to me.’

True that.

Nolwen hopes that the beauty and intimacy of the photos will challenge the shame and disgust around period sex and menstruation in general, showing that there’s nothing weird about love in the time of period blood.

She’s experienced the shame around periods firsthand.

‘When I was growing up, periods were humiliating and you never wanted anyone to know you were on it,’ says Nolwen. ‘I’m not sure why, is it some big secret that we all get it every month?

Less

More

‘My grandmother growing up had to go deep into the woods to bury the cloth she used to contain her menstruation. She also wasn’t allowed to go to church during her period.

‘I think we’ve just been through so many generations of shame involving our periods and not many of us have stopped to question why.

‘One of my closest female friends who tracks her cycle loves getting her period. She says it feels like the beginning of a new chapter, of new possibilities. I love that attitude!’

The photographer has period sex herself, and is keen to spread the word about how great it can be.

‘When I became sexually active, I had a few instances when I got my period earlier than expected and I was so embarrassed when my partner found themselves drenched in blood,’ she tells us. ‘But in reality, they were totally fine, and we were still having fun.

‘And honestly, in all those instances, none of us even noticed I was on it until we saw blood.

‘One time a guy had his face down there for a good half an hour and still didn’t even notice a difference until he saw his face in the bathroom. There wasn’t any gross smell like some people have commented.

‘Period sex can definitely get messy, but I’ve never smelled anything different than the regular scents already in the mix.

‘A lot of people with vaginas fear that they smell bad to begin with, another completely false belief based in shame. Vaginas smell fabulous, especially lubricated ones, and your period smells just fine as well.’

Of course, the photos haven’t been universally well-received, there have been some negative reactions.

Some people have commented the usual – that periods are gross – while others have asked: ‘can we see a series on the beauty of smegma?

But that’s just proof that the conversation needs to keep going.

Plus, Nolwen has received emails thanking her for showing period sex as something beautiful.

‘Many young girls who said they love having sex on their periods and they’re so happy to see it normalised online,’ she tells us.

‘I’ve read some comments from young people who say they still feel uncomfortable with their periods, but the images gave them an outlet to see that there are other ways to feel.’

MORE: Why you shouldn’t keep a condom in your wallet or pocket

MORE: Severe PMS has stopped me from living my life to the full

MORE: All the damage you’re doing by holding in your pee at work

If you were as gutted as we were when Maltesers stopped making its white chocolate version four years, ago, you’ll be delighted to know that Poundland has created its own version.

Sure, they’re not the real, original thing, but they sound and look almost as good.

The Chocolate Malt Balls are little balls of honeycomb malt smothered in white chocolate.

They come in a blue square box, much like the fancy Maltesers boxes supermarkets sell as gifts.

They launched in 850 stores this week, on 27 August, for £1.

Poundland’s Trading Controller, Chris Burners, says Poundland is ‘bringing back one of the nation’s favourites’.

He said: ‘Poundland has the biggest balls on the high street and now they come covered in white chocolate.

‘Head down to store and pick up a box, the perfect gift for your friends and family or just grab a delicious treat for yourself – you’ve waited long enough.’

Since the chocolates were released, people have been posting photos of the blue boxes to Twitter, with one person laughing at the fact Poundland is basically ‘cashing in’ on Maltesers’ decision not to bring back the firm favourite.

Thank you, Poundland, for listening to what the UK wants.

We just hope Maltesers is taking note, so that they can bring us back the real thing.

MORE: Unicorn Cornettos are the most Instagrammable ice creams around

MORE: Strawberry Freddos exist and we want them to come to the UK

What you choose to do with your body hair is a personal decision.

Shave it, wax it, laser it, braid it, let it flow wild and free – whatever makes you comfortable, you should be able to do it free of judgement. It’s your hair on your body, after all.

But when the wide majority of images we see in adverts and on Instagram feature smooth, hairless women’s bodies, it’s important to recognise the people doing things differently – just to show that it’s okay to go against the grain.

Kaya Szulczewska, 30, is one of those women. She’s decided to ditch all the painful, time-consuming, and expensive hair removal methods to embrace her natural looks.

Kaya first started removing her hair as a teenager, after feeling pressure to be hairless to fit in.

She shaved, waxed, used hair removal creams, and even paid for laser treatments to get rid of hair she saw as unacceptable. She saw removing her hair as a way to be more attractive, and thought letting your body hair grow free was a sign of self-neglect.

‘I used to feel a great pressure to remove by body hair,’ said Kaya. ‘Depending on the part of the body, I used different depilation techniques.

‘They often caused pain, inflammation or festering, were expensive and time-consuming, and the hair quickly grew back anyway.

‘I have never felt comfortable with these body hair struggles, which caused my constant suffering. I could see they did not make any sense, but I still thought they were necessary; that I was not allowed to do otherwise.’

After seeing other women embracing their body hair on Instagram, Kaya was inspired to do the same.

She had the support of her husband, Misha, and her mum, Sylwia, who has now started to let her hair grow back after being inspired by Kaya’s choice.

‘I saw that body hair is a natural part of woman’s body, just like the hair that grows on our heads,’ explains Kaya.

‘In addition, if we reduce shaving, much less plastic rubbish and chemicals will be dumped so this choice is also environmentally friendly, which also matters to me.

‘I had long believed that removing body hair made me more attractive, but when I talked about it with my husband I discovered it did not matter to him.

‘He told me he had been wondering for a long time why I kept removing my body hair while having skin problems.

‘After all, hair is more attractive than inflammation and pus-filled pimples. So, my husband was a great support; he reassured me I made the right decision to grow my hair.

‘My mum remembers the times when unshaven female legs in the Polish streets was quite a common thing to see. She did not realise that the pressure on women to be hairless was so intense in my generation.

‘We just never saw a hairy woman when we were girls, they existed neither in the real life nor in the ads, media or pop culture in general. When I started to grow my body hair, my mum started to grow hers, too, to show solidarity, and some of my friends did the same.’

Kaya now shares photos of her body hair on Instagram in the hopes of inspiring others to embrace their bodies in their natural state.

She receives some negative comments, but refuses to let the judgement faze her.

‘The most common argument against body hair which people post below my hairy photos, is that it is unhygienic,’ said Kaya.

‘But I am asking: “aren’t purulent pimples and irritated skin less hygienic than neat and clean hair? Should we make everyone shave their heads bald to make them more hygienic?”

‘If someone’s head hair stinks we tell them to wash it, not to shave it, right? I think that this should apply to all kinds of hair.

‘People also make comments that body hair is not tasteful; they forget that beauty trends change all the time, different people have different tastes, and there is no need to criticise other people’s appearance.

‘The majority of hateful or judgmental comments are made by anonymous people on the internet, so I think it is not worth worrying about it; it is impossible to please everyone.

‘I would like to inspire other women and show them we do not have to approve of the pressure on having hairless bodies.

‘Just like with head hair which we are not forced to shave, we should be also allowed to choose the length of our body hair, because it is our bodies and our choice.

‘I would like to encourage other women to seek their own path and to not give in to the pressure.’

To those fed up of hair removal, Kaya urges: ‘If you feel that hair removal causes pain or discomfort, and that you are only doing it to please others, take action.

‘First of all go online, search for women who have body hair and get used to it.

‘Secondly, make your hair removal less frequent. Start by growing hair on the parts of your body that are not exposed on a daily basis; which you can observe and slowly learn to accept.’

MORE: No contraception is perfect – fertility apps like Natural Cycle should be given a break

MORE: Trans dad who gave birth twice was inspired to transition by his stepdaughter

On 28 December, 2016, in a small town called Poulsbo, Sarah Dean was hit by a car travelling 60mph.

She was thrown over a guardrail down into a small river underneath the highway, and woke up in the stream with yellow and brown leaves stuck on her wet, bleeding body. Sarah was convinced she was going to die.

The driver didn’t stop and two years later, hasn’t been found.

As Sarah lay in the water, she was faced with a decision: stay put and likely die from loss of blood, or fight back.

She chose the second option.

Sarah put one arm in front of the other to drag herself up the 15ft hill she’d been flung over, and slide her body back on the highway, where she waved down three passing cars whose drivers called the police.

Sarah doesn’t remember anything after that, and said she didn’t feel any pain as she lay on the road.

When she came back to consciousness she was in hospital. Her right leg had been amputated below the knee.

Before the accident, Sarah had been an up and coming semi-pro surfer, having been taught at age 18 by the late surfer Kirk Hodges.

‘I don’t know how or when I fell in love with surfing,’ Sarah tells Metro.co.uk, ‘but I was a young girl living in Seattle with Andy Irons photos on my walls.

‘The reason I like surfing is no matter what happened in live, after I surfed I always came back a happier person.’

Confronted with her new body, Sarah struggled to see how she would be continue to follow her passion. But with the same determination she felt lying in that stream, she decided she would fight to get back into the world of surfing.

‘I had no choice,’ Sarah tells us. ‘I was gonna give up on life or I was gonna live my life doing what I love most; surfing. Quitting on living is nor was ever an option.’

Six months after her amputation, Sarah took her cat on a road trip from Bainbridge Island to San Diego, where her Hawaiian friends and her aunt lived.

With their support, she slowly learned to surf again – first with one leg, then with her original leg plus a prosthetic designed just for surfing.

‘The first time I surfed I almost popped up but it was near impossible due to lack of having a proper length surfing leg,’ Sarah explains. ‘You need a walking leg and a specific leg just for your passion, whether it be hiking, running on blades, or any sport.

‘So I had to adjust to wearing shorter prosthetic when surfing just so I could pop up in order to surf a wave period.’

Eight months after surgery, Sarah went to the World Championship in La Jolla, California. Things didn’t go as well as she had hoped.

‘I was pissed,’ says Sarah. ‘I couldn’t surf or even get up in each of my heats.

‘I didn’t have the strength. It hurt so bad to stand up on my shin bone while it ground against the fiber carbon metal of my prosthetic.’

Again, Sarah refused to give up.

‘I caught and stood up briefly on one wave before claiming it and immediately falling back down into the water.

‘I went into the very last day wanting and hoping to win the world title. I sometimes have too high expectations of myself, but that’s all I know. That’s who I am and always will be.’

It’s taken time, pain, and a lot of work, and there’s still a long way to go – but Sarah has made her way back on to the surfboard. She hopes that her story will inspire others to overcome whatever challenge they face, fight for their passions, and keep going no matter what.

It hasn’t been easy. Sarah has struggled to accept her new body, finding it tough to adjust to the difficulty of doing things she once found easy.

Becoming an amputee has also changed Sarah’s relationship with alcohol, making her go sober.

‘I have forgiven the driver since the day it happened. Why? Because I know he was drunk, or on drugs, or both,’ she tells us. ‘And I am a recovering alcoholic myself and because of this accident… I used it to turn my life around and stopped drinking 100%.

‘I have no regrets when I drank but I lived in fear that I would accidentally hurt someone else. And if I ever hurt someone because of my recklessness, then I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. I can live with one leg but killing someone, I simply could not.’

Surfing still hurts. It’s still hard. But Sarah won’t stop fighting.

Alongside surfing and working as a photographer, Sarah hopes to travel the world and tell her story to inspire others.

‘Before the accident, I was beginning to land my airs, riding bigger and bigger swells, and getting bigger sponsorships,’ says Sarah. ‘I was going semi pro.

‘I’m that much closer to surfing how I [used to] with every session.

‘My passion is still big waves, and inspiring kids and adults to get help, not numb themselves with the bottle. I want to travel throughout the world giving speeches and inspiring people.

‘My relationship with my new body is a fight every day.

‘Some days I just put on my prosthetic like normal and go about my day. But then I have what i call an amputation day where I stay inside, cry, and refuse to put on my prosthetic because I’m so annoyed, frustrated and refuse to deal with all the ins and outs you need to accomplish just to get up in the middle of night to use the bathroom

‘But each month is a lot easier than the last.

‘I have to admit, I have a long way to go until I accept myself fully. I truly think when I get my best wave or barrel even before the amputation, that’s when I will have fully accepted the new me.

‘I know that day will happen.’

MORE: Gap’s back to school ad praised for showing a child model with a headscarf

MORE: Mum is aiming to be Britain’s first national beauty pageant winner with a stoma bag

MORE: I’m 32 and an alcoholic, and accepting that has made me happier than I’ve ever been

A couple who met on Deal Or No Deal have married, with the blessing of Noel Edmonds.

Graham Whipp and Lyn Carr got married four years after meeting on the game show.

They had an entire table of friends who were also ex contestants of the show celebrate with them at the wedding reception.

48-year-old Lyn met Graham, 45, in the dressing room at the TV studios as they prepared to film the show in November 2014.

She decided to go on a date with him after his best pal Barry White, 45, let slip that he fancied her after he was invited to filming.

Noel, 69, remarked on their ‘obvious chemistry’ on the show, where a pool of 22 contestants take it in turn to open red boxes for the chance to win up to £250,000.

Graham, from Essex, said: ‘You get to know each other quite well because you’re living in the same place and eating together non stop.

‘I first saw Lyn in the green room. I’d just finished the show.

‘She was just sitting in there and I walked in and said “hello darling”.

‘I thought she was a member of the crew or something. We just started chatting from then.

‘I liked her straight away. She was single at the time and we were the same sort of age group.

‘We got to know each other quite well. Lyn got to know all about me and my history, my family.

‘You get really quite close. I shared things with Lyn in those weeks that I hadn’t shared with anyone else. And it was the same with her.

‘We got on like a house on fire straight away. She didn’t see it as romantic as she’d had a rough last relationship.

‘It was only when my mate told her that she considered it. She was like “Graham? Really?!'”

Graham was there filming for two and a half weeks, while Lyn, from Durham, had to be there for three.

Speaking about his best mate’s slip up, when he told Lyn he fancied her, Graham added: ‘He did me a favour really as if he’d not been there I’m not sure I would have had the bottle to ask her out.’

The couple kept in contact by text and phone after they finished filming.

Amazingly, both beat the banker. Lyn won £5,900 and Graham banked £50,000 after he gave back £10,000 to bet on that or 50p.

The pair’s first date was on new Year’s Eve 2014 when Graham drove up to Durham to take Lyn to a romantic restaurant.

By the following February they had booked a trip together to Jamaica.

Although she had been married twice before, Lyn knew straight away that Graham was the one.

And her four kids – Evan, 13, Max, 17, Chloe, 24, Sophie, 26 – agreed.

Graham proposed in August 2016 on a family holiday to Orlando. He bought a ring and organised a helicopter trip where he got down on one knee.

They married at Hertfordshire Golf and Country Club in Broxbourne, Herts, in front of 200 guests, last week.

A table of 24 people from Deal Or No Deal attended and although Noel was invited he couldn’t make it due to other commitments.

Lyn said the story of how they met never gets boring to tell.

‘It’s absolutely unique – no-one’s ever got married on the show,’ she said.

‘We were thrust together and kept together so you knew everyone’s life stories.

‘I remember Graham bounced over and was so happy and friendly. I liked him straight away.

‘We just clicked instantly. We were just best friends. I knew I was going to fall in love with him.

‘We just knew we loved each other early doors.

‘Everyone thought we’d been together forever. My life was great but there was one missing piece and it was him.’

MORE: Bride cancels her wedding after guests refuse to pay for it

MORE: I don’t need you telling me to starve myself to fit into my wedding dress – I’m happy just the way I am

Never mind cool-looking models that can fit on your shelf, Lego has built an exact recreation of Bugatti’s supercar that actually works.

Ever since Lego became socially acceptable for adults to play with there’s been a host of giant-sized sets that are clearly not just for kids. The recent Lego Hogwarts Castle for example, or the Technic Bugatti Chiron. But they really are child’s play compared to the life-sized model you see here.

It’s not for sale, obviously, but it’s been built out of 1 million Lego Technic parts and has a top speed of over 12 miles per hour.

Technics is the more complex Lego system that specialises in moving parts over outward appearance, although they’re both cross-compatible and often used together.

To get the car moving it’s powered by 2,304 Power Functions motors – the same kind you can get in many regular Lego sets – that use 4,032 Technic gears.

The Lego car weighs 1.5 tons and generates 5.3 horsepower, with an estimated torque of 92 Nm. Which is crazy considering it’s all connected using normal Lego parts, with no glue or any other kind of cheating.

Not only is it the same size as an actual Bugatti Chiron but all the seats, dashboard, and (detachable) steering wheel are also exactly where they should be – and still made out of Lego.

It even has working front and rear lights, a speedometer, and a brake pedal.

Lego took their car out for a run at the Ehra Lessien proving ground in Germany, where the real Chiron was first tested, and let official Bugatti pilot Andy Wallace have a go on it.

‘When I first saw the Lego Chiron, I was immediately impressed by the accuracy of the model and the minute attention to detail’, he said. ‘In fact, from about 20 metres away it’s not obvious that you are looking at a Lego car. I can only imagine how much time and effort went into making this model.’

And that is the big question really, to which the answer is a staggering 13,000 hours.

Lego aren’t saying how much the car would cost if they did try and sell it as a kit but considering the 1:8 scale set costs £329.99 you’re looking at many thousands of pounds.

Although admittedly that is still cheaper than a real Bugatti…

This year’s shortlisted photos for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize include a mother cradling her daughter, two shoppers in London, and a child in the jungle of Sierra Leone’s Eastern Province.

Those portraits are now in the running to win the £15,000 prize, along with all the respect and admiration that comes with winning such a prestigious award.

50 of the portraits out of the 4,462 images submitted will also go on display in the National Portrait Gallery.

National Portrait Gallery director Nicholas Cullinan said: ‘What was particularly striking about this year’s entries to the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, was the variety of approaches, techniques and styles of the photographs submitted from around the world.

‘I hope that the works selected for the shortlist and 2018 exhibition continue to inspire and engage visitors with photographic portraiture today.’

The winner will be announced on 16 October. In the meantime, take a look below at the pictures on the shortlist and pick your favourite.

Clapton Blossom, by Enda Bowe

Irish photographer Enda Bowe captured this image in Clapton, east London.

It shows Cybil McAddy and her baby, Lulu.

Enda says the portrait is about ‘finding the colour and beauty in the urban’.

Londoners, by Max Marstow

‘It was taken, swiftly, in the middle of a crowd of passersby,’ says Max. ‘It is, unusually, both a formally successful portrait with a classic studio aesthetic and a street photograph in the broad idiom of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Garry Winogrand.’

Tombo’s Wound, by Joey Lawrence

The child in the image is struggling with water-borne illnesses. He lives in a remote village in the jungle of Sierra Leone’s Eastern Province.

Drummies, by Alice Mann

Alice Mann photographs the all-female teams of drum majorettes in South Africa’s Western Province for her series, Drummies.

MORE: London in pictures: Your best Instagram photos this week

MORE: Portrait of Britain winners capture the diversity and beauty of the public

Lidl has just launched a new addition to its popular gin liqueur range – Hortus Pomegranate & Rose Gin Liqueur.

The gin costs £11.99 for a 500ml bottle and has an ABV of 20%.

Apparently, it has the perfect combination of fruity and floral, with the rose flavour adding a ‘light floral quality’ and the pomegranate adding sweetness and tart fruit flavours.

Lidl’s Spirits Expert, Tristan Stephenson, recommends serving the new spirit with Lidl’s Italian Asti Spumante, which contains 7.5% ABV at £5.49.

He also says it should be served in a champagne flute and a strip of lemon.

The new gin is anticipated to be incredibly popular, after Lidl has seen a 40% increase in gin sales this year. Over 400 bottlers per hour of its Gin Liqueurs were also sold last November, which equates to 7 bottles per minute within the first few days.

Paul McQuade, Head of Buying for Spirits at Lidl UK, said: ‘The new gin liqueur will strengthen and diversify the Hortus offering, moving it on from the popular existing varieties which focus on sweet fruits, and basing this addition on the recent floral spirits trend.

‘Since Lidl UK recently won Supermarket Own Branded Spirits Range of the Year at the International Spirits Challenge, we have listened to the fantastic response from our customers and innovated our own-label Hortus range with fantastic results.’

MORE: Poundland is selling its own version of white chocolate Maltesers

MORE: Unicorn Cornettos are the most Instagrammable ice creams around

A unique two-bedroom house has just gone on the market.

The 164-year-old disused railway building, which is sat on a working railway and is one of few lived-in station buildings in Scotland, is being sold by owners Helena and Euan Couperwhite, both 49.

The couple is selling the single-story building reluctantly, as they’re having to move for work.

The building, which is located in Gartly, Aberdeenshire on the Aberdeen-Inverness line, has gone up for sale for offers over £209,975.

Built in 1854 for the Earl of Lennox, the station closed in 1968 and lay derelict until being converted into a home 14 years ago.

It contains the original stained glass window station name and a station lamp.

The main bedroom was once the ladies waiting room, while the living room was the men’s.

The kitchen was the stationmaster’s office and a waiting area adjacent to the platform is now the dining room.

The property also includes an unfenced trackside garden, which the couple had looked after by agreement even though it is part of the railway.

Selling agents Blackadders said: ‘The former platform is laid out with grass and flower beds.

‘Although belonging to ScotRail, this ground is maintained on an informal basis by the sellers with the owner’s consent.’

Helena says that the property was in ‘quite a poor state’ with much upgrading needed when she and her husband first bought it.

She said: ‘We have kept as many period features as possible, such as the fireplaces and interior doors, to keep it in character.

‘We have even had visits from people who used to work at the station, one of whom stoked the fires as a boy.’

She said the couple had moved from Largs, North Ayrshire, to take up new jobs with Aberdeen University and the city council.

Although not avid trainspotters or rail enthusiasts, Helena said they couple were drawn to the station building’s charm.

She said: ‘We were looking for a property with character and the station has a lovely, cosy and warm feeling about it – calming and serene.

‘There’s also spectacular scenery with fields and hills, it’s a hidden gem.

‘We just don’t notice the trains – they have just become part of living here.

‘Guests also tell us they don’t hear them.’

Helena says despite trains no longer stopping at Gartly, the couple often travelled into Aberdeen from Huntly station, five miles away.

Disused stations on the network rarely come up for sale as homes.

Loth, near Helmsdale in Sutherland, which closed in 1960, went on the market two years ago.

Rail experts said the few other such lived-in stations included Dalguise, near Dunkeld in Perth and Kinross, and Thornhill in Dumfries and Galloway.

They said some others had become holiday accommodation, including Sanquhar in Dumfriesshire, Strathcarron and Plockton in Wester Ross, and Beasdale near Mallaig.

Several operating stations also contain homes, including Springfield in Fife, Scotscalder in Caithness, Rogart in Sutherland and Newtonmore near Aviemore.

MORE: Stunning 3.4 acre private island retreat in Florida is on the market for £3.3 million

MORE: Gorgeous £2.85 million farmhouse has a pool, stables, a boating lake and a gym

If you’re having a bad day, stop what you’re doing and look at these photos of animals flaunting their painting skills.

Yes, we’ve come across a load of pictures showing various animals picking up a paintbrush and creating works of art.

From a beluga whale using its mouth to paint in the water to actual snails trailing around in paint – yes, that actually happened – there’s going to be at least one picture here that’ll put a smile on your face.

Meet the beluga whale painting a picture using a special paintbrush at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama, Tokyo

Here’s a pig called Malevich showing off his painting skills in downtown Moscow

This chimpanzee named Congo — once a celebrity at the London Zoo — is photographed in August 1957, hard at work on his latest painting

This 13-year-old seal is a very talented artist

Have you ever seen an elephant paint? Well, now you have

Yes, apparently snails can paint, too

Here’s Rembrandt the crow painting a very good picture

And finally, here’s Ivy the dog, from North Carolina, painting a lovely blue piece

See, that made your day a little better, didn’t it?

It certainly cheered us up.

MORE: Pua the adorable baby border collie was born with two noses

MORE: People are using National Dog Day as an excuse to show off their cute pets

Lidl is selling a cordless vacuum cleaner for just £50 as part of its regular special offers programme.

Anyone who knows anything about vacuums knows that this is a pretty sweet deal – especially considering it looks to be a Dyson dupe, an expensive brand with similar products retailing for up to £450.

The Lidl Silvercrest Handhend and Upright cordless vacuum has a very similar design to Dyson’s cordless vacuum cleaners.

The small vacuum body doubles up as a handheld vacuum and has a long stick attachment for floor cleaning.

It also comes with mini tools to get under the difficult parts of your home – sofas, stairs and crevices. Oh, and you can use it out in your car.

Of course, there’s no saying it’ll be as good as a Dyson cleaner – rarely is anything that’s literally less than a quarter of the price of an original product is ever as good – but £50 is a bargain, and if you’re looking for a vacuum but don’t have much money to spare, Lidl has got your back.

Due to being cordless, it comes with a wall mount for storage and charging – and it features a lithium ion battery with a quick charge time, so there’s no waiting around when the carpets need cleaning.

And just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean you have to throw it away if it stops working – as the Lidl vacuums come with a three year warranty – which is actually longer than Dyson’s warranty, which is two years.

So, if something goes wrong, you just need to pop into your nearest Lidl to get it sorted.

If you fancy trying out Lidl’s new vacuum, it’s going to be available in stores this Sunday.

But we suggest heading there super early – because there’s no doubt going to be lots of people wanting to get their hands on it.

MORE: Poundland is selling its own version of white chocolate Maltesers

MORE: Unicorn Cornettos are the most Instagrammable ice creams around

We all know how damaging loneliness can be.

As you get older and move into a care home, it’s easy to become increasingly isolated.

One charity has come up with an unconventional remedy to loneliness in the elderly: chickens.

Crossroads Together, a Manchester-based charity behind the Social Hen Homes Project, gives elderly people living in care homes a batch of chicks to look after.

The initiative, launched earlier this month, gave five care homes in Rochdale a delivery of five chicks each. Residents will take care of the chicks, making sure they’re fed and their health is monitored.

It’s hoped the chicks will give residents a sense of purpose, as well as fighting loneliness and depression.

When the hens are old enough to start laying, residents will be able to collect eggs and make meals.

There’ll be human contact, too, as the project is being delivered in partnership with students and teachers from Hopwood Hall College’s animal management facility, who’ll be on hand to give advice, chat, and check in on the chickens.

Paul Parlby, chief executive at Crossroads Together, said: ‘We’ve all seen the news stories about the numbers of older people who go for weeks without seeing anyone, and I’ve been delighted to see so many initiatives put in place locally in recent years to try and tackle social isolation.

‘These schemes often focus on those living in the community however, but there’s a growing recognition that older people in residential care also
demonstrate worrying levels of loneliness.

‘We’re hopeful that introducing hens to care homes will be catalyst to help bring residents together to create strong communities.

‘This is the first time a scheme like this has been put in place in Greater Manchester, and we’re really excited to watch the chicks grow and see how the residents enjoy caring for them.’

Francesca Hawley, manager of Rosemary Care Home in Milnrow, one of the care homes looking after chickens, said: ‘We’re so pleased with how the chicks are settling in.

‘It’s brilliant to see our residents getting involved with their care and taking such an interest in how they are getting on each day.

‘It has been wonderful to how engaged our residents have been with the chicks since they arrived. We can’t wait to collect our first eggs.’

MORE: Our terrible sleeping habits are making us feel lonely

MORE: Stop what you’re doing and look at these very clever animals painting pictures

MORE: Pensioner explains why he takes his late wife’s photo to the beach every day

A couple celebrated their magical day by having a Harry Potter themed wedding.

Allison and Steven Price are both massive fans of Harry Potter, and wanted their big day based around the magical wizarding world.

They began by first choosing the date, 31 July, as it’s both J.K Rowling and Harry Potter’s birthday. They also sent out invitations in the style of the marauder’s map.

On the day they arrived at their local registry office in a blue Ford Anglia – the same car used by Harry and Ron in the Chamber of Secrets.

Allison, of Aylesbury, Bucks, who fell for her future husband as he ‘looked like Ron Weasley’ said the theme continued throughout the day.

She added: ‘The bridesmaids were sorted into houses and had dresses in their house colours.

‘I took pages from the books to make their flowers and put real flowers in there too, the Gryffindors had red, Slytherin green.

‘The table decorations were all around Harry Potter, they had names like the Leaky Cauldron, the Three Broomsticks, Hogwarts.

‘The table savers were Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans and chocolate frogs.

‘The name placement cards had the unforgivable curse printed on them and every seat had a wand.

‘The cake was also themed with all our favourite professors, our patronuses and our house crests – I’m a Hufflepuff and Steven is a Ravenclaw.’

Allison said she fell in love with the Harry Potter franchise when she was working at a cinema and had to watch test screenings of the films.

She was hooked, and when Steven came for a job interview she hired him on the spot – partly because he looked like Ron Weasley.

Allison, 45, and Steven, 30, were together for almost a decade before tying the knot.

Allison, now a shop manager, said: ‘I prefer the films, but Steven likes the books. I like the way they were adapted for the cinema.

‘I interviewed Steven years ago – he was ginger and we gave him the job because he looked like Ron Weasely.

‘We were just friends then but we stayed in touch. We had the same social circle and we would hang out together.

‘I don’t really know how it happened but we ended up together.’

Their relationship went from one strength to the next and on January 24, 2017, Steven popped the question – with a special ring designed to look like a golden snitch.

Right from the start, the Harry Potter franchise has been a massive part of their relationship, and so it was only right they incorporated it into their wedding.

Allison added: ‘Harry Potter was something we shared.

‘We’ve been together for nine years and our relationship has been fun and we wanted the wedding to be like we are – fun and not too formal.

‘The wedding was amazing, we had the most fun – it was a truly magical day. It was perfect.’

Less

More

MORE: A former train station that’s now a two-bedroom house is on the market

MORE: Lidl launches a new pomegranate and rose flavoured gin

A woman says she has earned over £40,000 by enjoying lavish dates with complete strangers despite having a boyfriend – who doesn’t mind at all.

29-year-old Sheen Hunter charges over £200 to enjoy dinner with people she has met online.

She first started charging for dinner dates two years ago, when she became single.

She has attended over 100 dates and says her time is so valuable that each person is only given a two hour slot.

Sheen, who is also an actress, claims the dates – which she enjoys with both men and women – do not involve sex and that she makes this clear before the dates are arranged.

After coming across the dating site What’s Your Price – Sheen, from Seattle, Washington, aims to go on around one date per week.

She’s been on dates all over the US as well as Mexico and Costa Rica and has received around £20,000 in gifts.

She said: ‘I have earned around £40,000 in total as I have enjoyed over 100 dates and have been given expensive gifts such as fur coats, gold jewellery, clothes as well as all my travel expenses.

‘My current boyfriend, Michael Macdonald, 28, doesn’t mind that I go on dates with strangers as he knows I’m not looking for a new relationship.

‘I love dating people for money, it’s so sociable and it pays the bills.

‘I discovered the website What’s Your Price two years ago and have since enjoyed over 100 dates.

‘I don’t tend to spend more than two hours with each man or woman and will charge up to $300 (£230) per date.

‘I have been to some amazing places, including New York, LA, San Francisco, Florida, Minnesota, Costa Rica, Mexico and Canada.

‘It’s really fun and love enjoying new experiences, I have dated people from Saudi Arabia, England, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Russia.’

Sheen says that due to being in a relationship with Michael, she tends to go on fewer dates these days – but she still tries to squeeze a few in each month.

She said: ‘My current boyfriend says, “I know your process. I’m alright with it as it’s basically just a job and way to make new friends. As long as you’re safe and keep it the way you have, I’ll support you”.’

Sheen says that anyone looking to earn some extra cash for being treated to dinner should go for it.

She said: ‘I’d never used one before but when I realised I could earn money while dating I was using it all the time.

‘I would definitely recommend others trying it if they want to earn some extra cash for enjoying lavish dinner dates.

‘I’ve had a great two years using the dating site and will continue to organise dates in the future.’

MORE: Winning couple who met on Deal Or No Deal get married with the blessing of Noel Edmonds

MORE: Lidl launches a new pomegranate and rose flavoured gin

Reschedule that expensive dermatologist appointment. Finish your latest round of antibiotics. Cancel your online order of the newest full-coverage concealer.

According to a new study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology an acne vaccine could be on its way.

No more worrying about taking pills that mess with your hormones, re-buying that high-end cleanser that you promise actually works or burning your skin with a cocktail of chemicals.

‘Current treatment options are often not effective or tolerable for many of the 85% of adolescents and more than 40 million adults in the United States who suffer from this multi-factorial cutaneous inflammatory condition,’ said lead investigator Chun-Ming Huang, PhD.

Rather than invading pathogens, this vaccine aims to be the first to combat the acne-causing bacteria already in human skin.

The team of clever investigators working with Professor Huang have demonstrated that certain antibodies can reduce inflammation in human acne lesions.

Professor Chun-Ming Huang states that ‘the potential impact of our findings is huge for the hundreds of millions of individuals suffering from acne vulgaris.’

Acne vulgaris is just the scientific term for the word we use to describe the long-term skin condition acne. Acne occurs when hair follicles are blocked with oil and dead skin cells to create often painful inflammation that often is extremely hard to combat.

This vaccine could lessen the psychological burden on adults and adolescents due to self-esteem issues, while also reducing hard to deal with side effects that can come from extreme acne treatments, ranging from skin dryness to depression, suicidal thoughts and increased risks of birth defects.

Don’t get your hopes up too high just yet. The effects and side effects of this vaccine cannot be confirmed until rigorous large-scale clinical trials have been carried out. Which, sadly, could take up to 10-15 years to complete.

The need for continued research into this method of treating acne is crucial and has been stressed by the commentary of the study.

Professor Emmanuel Contassot wrote: ‘While addressing an unmet medical need and providing an appealing approach, acne immunotherapies that target P. acnes-derived factors have to be cautiously designed to avoid unwanted disturbance of the microbiome that guarantees skin homeostasis.’ More research has to be done into whether or not these antibodies will react badly to our skin’s natural structure.

That being said, many dermatologists, especially Professor Huang, seem positive that the vaccine could be a step in the right direction for acne sufferers everywhere.

So, maybe don’t reschedule that appointment with your doctor or dermatologist just yet, and remember to pick up your next prescription. But sit tight, clear skin seems to be in the not-so-distant future.

MORE: When does squeezing spots or scratching your skin become dermatillomania?

MORE: Maple syrup might be the next big thing in skincare

Finding your dream wedding dress can be tricky.

What neckline do you fancy? What fabric? What colour?

But when you find a dress that doubles as storage for prosecco, all other requirements fade away. It’s perfect.

That dress isn’t just a boozy daydream – it’s a real thing, as shown by bride Kelly McMillan, who wore the prosecco dress on her wedding day.

Kelly overlaid her dress with a metal frame that holds 50 glasses of prosecco (or champagne, if you’re fancy). She’s now decided to rent the frame out so other brides can experience the joy of being a human drinks trolley.

Kelly had the frame made for her by David Wright, a blacksmith from Edinburgh. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to make it happen at first, then gave her the hand-crafted 30kg steel frame as a wedding present at her reception.

The frame is designed to create the shape of a ballgown – it’s even been painted white – and uses curtain hooks as the glass holders.

It’s a heavy contraption, so Kelly couldn’t stroll around or dance while wearing the frame, but there’s a wide opening at the back to allow the wearer to easily slip in and out.

‘It was fantastic, it’s much more personal than just sticking a table full of prosecco and letting guests grab one,’ said Kelly.

‘You just stand in it while they grab a glass and you can speak to them. They were loving it, everyone loved it because it was different.

‘We had little messages and plaques hanging from it and it made it really special.’

Kelly now hopes to hire out the prosecco-holding frame for £100 a session.

‘I asked the hotel if they wanted to keep it, but they didn’t have the space,’ says Kelly. ‘I didn’t want to leave it behind or just having it sitting in the house.

‘I hope other brides will be able to enjoy it themselves too, I don’t want it to go to waste.’

So if you’re keen, you too can act as a drinks table at your wedding. Or just rent the frame for personal use on a Saturday night. No judgement here.

MORE: Couple have stunning Harry Potter themed wedding

MORE: You’ll soon be able to drink your G&T with strawberry and lime edible straws

MORE: You’re drinking Prosecco from the wrong glass – here’s why

When a grey cat – now named Bob Marley – was dumped at the front door of Douglas County Animal Care & Services shelter in Nevada, his fur was so matted and filthy that workers couldn’t tell what kind of animal he was.

He’d been abandoned in a carrier, dropped outside the shelter with no explanation.

His container was too small for him to comfortably turn around.

It was only when shelter workers took the top off the box that they realised a cat was inside. That cat was severely overweight, covered in a layer of tangled fur and dirt, and in pain thanks to the weight of his coat.

He couldn’t move. Staff describe him as ‘imprisoned’ by his coat.

‘I’m guessing that wherever he was, he had his food and water right in front of him,’ shelter supervisor Liz Begovich told The Dodo. ‘There was just no way for him to move.’

There was no way the cat would get better without a haircut.

Workers took Bob Marley to a vet who sedated him then gently shaved away 4.5lbs of furry dreadlocks. The transformation was pretty astonishing.

But sadly, shaving away that mound of fur didn’t solve all of Bob Marley’s issues – he was still unhealthily overweight. That’s something that’ll take time, exercise, and a healthy diet to fix.

Thankfully, the cat has found a loving family prepared to give him the care and attention he needs.

‘This boy has such a loving personality and he is enjoying his ability to move freely again,’ wrote the rescue centre on Facebook.

‘He will make a wonderful addition to a new home.’

Now he’s had his dreadlocks removed, sweet Bob Marley is able to walk and play again – so that excess weight will drop off in no time. You go, Bob Marley.

MORE: How to tell if your cat loves you

MORE: Do cats sweat?

MORE: Pua the adorable baby border collie was born with two noses