Charlene McKenna has experienced a very bittersweet year, having received one of the greatest additions to her life, and losing another, all in the space of two weeks. The actress felt great joy when she finally got to welcome her first child, a baby girl called Martha, in April, alongside her husband Adam Rothenberg The […]
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Choosing a name for your baby can be extremely overwhelming, with the thought that if you get it wrong or change your mind there’s no going back, so we are here to help! The pressure attached to finding the right name is absurd, similar to meeting ‘the one’- you are expected to know right away, […]
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TESCO shoppers have been raving about a mould spray that helps remove the substance in minutes.
It is more common for households to face issues with mould over the winter, as increased humidity and colder temperatures can lead to growth.
However, savvy shoppers have praised a spray found in Tesco that you can pick up for £5.25 or £4 if you have a Tesco Clubcard.
Hg Mould Spray 500Ml has received glowing reviews from customers, and claims to destroy “all moulds immediately and easily”.
One buyer said it was “absolutely amazing” and got rid of the mould in her bathroom in just 20 minutes.
While another said: “Used it on horribly mouldy window sealant. Left it for 30 minutes.
“Wiped it off. All mould gone and the sealant was back to gleaming white again.”
A third said the product works in “no time” and a fourth said it helped get rid of mould in “no time”.
The product can also be bought at supermarkets like Asda for £5.25 and from B&Q for £6.25.
It appears to be the cheapest from Tesco because Clubcard holders can get it £4.
Always remember to compare prices when shopping online between different stores.
This is a brush-on gel which should be left on trouble areas for up to 30 minutes before rinsing and then wiping with a cloth.
Shoppers have also raved about the Kilrock brush on mould gel, sold for just £3.99 in Dunelm.
You can do this by surfing different store websites and selling “cheapest items first” when browsing products.
Or you could compare supermarket prices by looking on the comparison site Trolley.
Experts say that if you see any sign of damp or mould in your home, you should address it before it becomes a bigger problem.
The issue is usually caused by cooking, showering and drying clothes indoors without adequate ventilation – and it can be made worse by a poorly maintained, cold house.
You should keep your windows slightly cracked open, and open them more when showering.
If condensation forms on windows, wipe them down to stop mould from forming and spreading.
Make sure you run any extractor fans if you are showering or cooking in a windowless room.
Not heating your home enough can also cause problems.
If you can, you should keep your house heated to between 18C and 20C.
Mould is more likely to grow during the winter months.
Olivia Young, Product Development Scientist at Astonish revealed exactly why this is.
“Unfortunately, mould is a common problem many people face during winter. It thrives in conditions that are warm and damp, so your bathrooms are likely to be the most affected place.
“That said, during the colder months most rooms in your home could be vulnerable to mould growing.
“This occurs primarily from condensation that builds up on your windows when you’ve got your radiators on.
“If you think about it, when windows and doors are closed, there’s not much chance for the air to circulate and the moisture to make a swift exit.
“This build up is what can cause dreaded mould to make an appearance, especially in bathrooms, as it creates that warm and wet environment that is a breeding ground for mould.
“If left untreated, not only is it unsightly but it can also pose a serious risk to your health, so it’s really important you treat it.
“The key to tackle mould is to act fast.
“Try to come into as little contact with it as you can. So, grab your gloves, tie up your hair and get to work to remove any signs of mould as soon as you notice them.
“To keep mould at bay, there are some simple solutions you can introduce throughout home.
“The first is keep it ventilated. Yes, even in the cold winter months try to leave your bathroom window open for at least 10/15 minutes post shower or bath. This will get rid of any excess moisture quickly preventing mould gathering.
“If you’re having a repeat problem with mould in one particular area, it might be because the humidity levels are too high. You can get a dehumidifier that will help keep the levels low and reduce the risk of mould returning.
“The golden rule to remember when dealing with mould is the quicker you can treat it, the better. If you leave it, it will only get worse so never ignore it!
“To successfully get rid of mould every time, I recommend opting for the UK’s No 1 Mould & Mildew Remover, that effectively removes mould and mildew stains almost instantly, with no scrubbing necessary.”
A ‘SUPERVAN’ is set to be unveiled and it’s expected to rival Ford and Vauxhall with the price tag.
Chinese brand Geely is gearing up to release a pure-electric van that can go for 250 miles on a single charge.
The Farizon SV has been “designed specifically to meet the needs of European fleets”.
It will offer a payload capacity of 1,800kg and will come with a choice of three battery sizes, weights and heights.
The vans are expected to go on sale in the UK in early 2025 and will be marketed by Geely’s official distributor Jameel Motors.
The price of the Farizon SV is yet to be revealed but Auto Express has estimated the starting price will be around £30,000.
Ford E-Transit and Vauxhall Vivaro Electric vans both range from £50,000 in price.
Farizon says the SV has undergone “a rigorous one-million-mile testing and development programme” and claims it will meet every European standard, “including in durability, safety and sustainability”.
Breaking the mould, the SV has dual-redundancy drive-by-wire for braking and steering.
This important safety feature means that if either fail, there will be a back-up in place.
Three sizes will be offered to UK buyers, the smallest being 4,990mm long and 1,980 high.
The mid-size will be 5,490mm long and 2,180 tall and the largest will be 5,995mm long and 2,500mm tall.
All three sizes will be 1,9800mm wide.
A CAR expert has picked out five hot hatchbacks that mix good performance with practicality – all for less than £5,000.
YouTuber Jonny Brighton of Cars With JB recently uploaded a video highlighting his top picks for drivers looking for something compact and sporty.
Jonny claims that petrolheads don’t need to spend a fortune to own something rare and cool.
That much is plain with the Suzuki Ignis Sport, which he says comes with rally-style aesthetics, including Recaro grey seats with yellow mesh.
Under the bonnet, the Ignis Sport has a surprisingly large 1.5-litre inline 4 engine that’s capable of 107 bhp.
With that, it can go from 0-60 mph in 8.9 seconds.
While prices range from £2,000 to £5,000, Jonny added that fewer than 500 are left in the UK.
More common is the VW Lupo GTI, which is slightly beefier with a 1.6-litre motor that makes 123 bhp and hits 60 mph in eight seconds.
Priced from £4,000 to £5,000, the early 2000s model comes with a cult following, with wider wheel arches and aggressive looks.
With the Golf models getting larger and larger with every generation, for many, the Lupo GTI is considered the spiritual successor to the Mk1 Golf GTI.
Much rarer is Jonny’s third pick, the Abarth Punto Evo.
Featuring a turbocharged 1.4-litre engine with 162 bhp, it does 0-60 mph in 7.6 seconds.
Finding one under £5,000 might be tricky, seeing as they’re considered collectibles, with Jonny stating a good price for one would be between £4,500 and £5,000.
Designed by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro, the brains behind the likes of the original VW Golf through to the Maserati Ghibli and the DMC DeLorean, the small tourer is worth snapping up – if you know where to find one.
Another great Italian hot hatch is the Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio, which boasts the classic Alfa design on the outside with carbon-backed bucket seats and DNA driving modes inside.
Powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged inline 4 engine, it can hit 60 mph in around 7.3 seconds – all for a price between £3,000 and £5,000.
His final pick is the Mazda 3 MPS, with a much heavier 2.3-litre turbocharged engine capable of a frightening 256 bhp.
Known as the Mazdaspeed 3 in the US and Mazdaspeed Axela in Japan, the Mazda 3 MPS can be yours for around £3,000, through to £5,000.
BBC sitcom Outnumbered, which followed the daily chaos of the Brockman’s and their three precocious children, became one of Britain’s best-loved comedies.
Now the popular show is back for a Christmas special, with actor’s Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner returning as Sue and Pete Brockman and the children.
But as the new trailer drops this weekend, it seems that there is one catch: the children- Ben, (Daniel Roche) Karen, (Ramona Marquez) and Jake, (Tyger Drew Honey) are now adults.
Written and directed by the show’s creators Guy Jenkin and Andy Hamilton, the special which airs on Boxing Day, follows the Brockman’s managing the demands of their grown up children, under the roof of their downsized home.
The harassed duo find that they still need as much parenting as when they were kids, as they gather their offspring, including one grandchild to celebrate a traditional family Christmas.
But it seems there’s some unwelcome tidings on the way, as they struggle with how to break to the news to their children.
The hit series first aired in 2007 and ran until 2014.
A one-off Christmas reunion special was broadcast on 26th December in 2016, so this year will be the first on screen get together in eight years.
Initially the show garnered critical acclaim for being partly improvised by comedy stars Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner, who also worked from scripts, where the children were given last minute instructions.
The series was praised for its realistic portrayal of children and family life and has won several awards including The Royal Television Society, the British Comedy Awards and the Broadcasting press guild awards.
Ahead of the special, the core cast members reflected on behind-the-scenes memories from their time filming.
Hugh Dennis – who played dad Pete – told why they didn’t take any mememtos from the set.
He shared: “We couldn’t really take anything from the set as it was filmed in an actual house, it was someone else’s house so we couldn’t really steal some of their things.”
Meanwhile, the conversation turned to their characters’ clothing throughout the show.
As actress Claire Skinner revealed that most of the clothes worn by her character Sue had been her own.
Having played a married couple onscreen for seven years, actors Hugh Dennis and Clare Skinner were confirmed to be in a real life relationship following the show’s ending in 2014.
In an interview Dennis said: “I am very very happy, we are so very happy.” While Skinner described their romance as “a lovely little life surprise.”
GAGGED, handcuffed and her legs bound with rope, tears sprang to 15-year-old Kara Robinson’s eyes as she desperately scoured her captor’s flat trying to figure out an escape plan.
The school girl had endured unimaginable suffering – forced into a car at gunpoint, then sexually assaulted and tortured for 18 hours by evil rapist and kidnapper Richard Evonitz, 38.
If that wasn’t bad enough, she would have been even more petrified if she’d known Evonitz was already a serial killer – responsible for the rape and murder of at least three other young innocent girls previously.
The odds were undoubtedly stacked against her.
However abducting brave Kara, now 38, would prove to be Evonitz’s downfall, as she would miraculously escape and consequently bring an end to the monster’s reign of terror.
And how she did it was also remarkable.
Putting aside her terror and panic, Kara memorised even the tiniest details to help identify her attacker, even remembering the serial number on the inside of the plastic container he had forced her into.
For Kara it was a chance encounter on June 24 2002 that changed her life as she knew it.
She’d spent the night at her best friend Heather’s house, and they had plans to go to the lake that day after completing some chores.
Kara started to water the garden while Heather took a shower.
However when going out into the garden Heather discovered the hosepipe was still running – but there was no sign of Kara.
Speaking on Hayu documentary, Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story, Kara’s mum Debra says: “I was at lunch and I got a call from Heather and she told me Kara was missing. She said she was in the front yard and [then was] gone.
“Heather was completely hysterical. She knew Kara would not just walk away.
“When I was driving to Heather’s house I just really knew something bad had happened. I could feel it in my heart.”
Recalling the events of that morning, Kara says: “I was outside watering the flowers and I noticed a car on the way out of the neighbourhood.
“It was a green trans am – such a cool car. I kept watering the flowers and I saw the car come back into the neighbourhood.
“A guy gets out of the car. He said ‘hey, how are you doing? I have these magazines’ and then he asked if my parents were home.
“I told him this was my friend’s house… and said her mum’s not home right now.
“At that point the man asked if he could give me the magazines.
“When I said yes he leaned in to give them to me and as he was leaning in I felt a red flag somewhere in my head.
“At the same time… I felt a gun press to the side of my neck.
“He said ‘if you scream I’ll shoot you. You’re going to come with me’. I think I felt a moment of terror but I knew I just needed to do what he told me to do.
“I looked in the back seat and there’s a giant plastic storage container. He said ‘get in the container’.
“At that point my brain shut off my emotions. I just went into survival mode.”
Heather called her mother, who reported Kara, who lived in Lexington County, South Carolina, missing to the local police.
Once in the car, Kara was trapped inside the storage container, unable to see where she was being taken – but she knew her life was in danger.
Kara says: “I thought he was going to assault me and that my life could possibly be at risk if I did not take action.
“I knew I had to be my own victor and that I had to save myself.
“I had to get as much information about this person and my surroundings as I can so that I can escape and so that I can identify this person when I do.
“One of the first things I locked into my brain was a serial number on the container itself.
“We drove for a little while [then] he took the lid off the container and he told me that he was going to restrain me and he put a gag in my mouth… handcuffs around my wrists and rope on my feet.”
September 9 1996: Evonitz abducted Sofia Silva, 16, from the porch of her home.
Her body was found a month later.
May 1 1997: Evonitz abducted sisters Kristin Michelle Lisk, 15, and Kathryn Nicole Lisk, 12, from their front garden.
Their bodies were found five days later.
June 24 2002: Kara is kidnapped and held captive and repeatedly assaulted for 18 hours by Evonitz, but miraculously escapes.
June 27 2002: After a high-speed chase Evonitz shoots himself, dying immediately.
August 2002: Spotsylvania County Sheriff Ronald Knight announces that Evonitz was responsible for the crimes.
Once they arrived at Evonitz’s flat, he snuck Kara in under the cover of darkness.
Kara recalls: “He opened the container and told me if I promised not to scream or yell he would take the gag out of my mouth.
“I looked around and noticed we were in a living room.
“There was a wall with some small animal cages, fish, lizards. There was a guinea pig, there was at least one bird.
‘He told me to come with him and we went through a door. Inside the bedroom there was a big blanket hanging above the bed with a wolf on it.
While I was being assaulted it felt like something that happened to someone else. I shut off my brain and left my body.
Kara Robinson
“He told me he was going to tell me what the rules were going to be while I was there.
“The first rule was that he would always have a gun nearby and I had to listen to what he said or there would be consequences.
“He also told me while I was there I was going to have to call him daddy.
“He started asking me questions… When he asked me about my boyfriend and about my family and my friends… I kinda broke down a little bit into tears.
“It was very real for me in that moment I may never get to see them again.”
Over the course of 18 hours, Kara was held captive and repeatedly sexually assaulted at the hands of her captor.
She says: “When I started crying my abductor told me to lay down in the bed and I could just feel panic in my whole body.
“I knew what was coming next. I knew what this man’s intentions were for me.
“While I was being assaulted it felt like something that happened to someone else. I shut off my brain and left my body.
“After that we went into the bathroom and he made me take a shower.
“That’s when I noticed some hairspray, I noticed feminine hygiene products. I noticed a hairbrush with long red hair in it. I just remember thinking there was a woman that lived here.”
She was right – however at that time his wife was on holiday at Disneyland with his mother – and had no idea the man she married was a monster.
Kara knew she had to play a strategic game if she was to get out of this alive, saying: “I knew that if I was easy to get along with he would be more likely to let his guard down at some point.
“When it was time for dinner… I said ‘is there anything I can do while you’re making your food?’ and I swept his kitchen.
“I used that as an opportunity to get close to his refrigerator where there were magnets that had his dentist information.
“Gather information, wait for him to be complacent, escape. I said it over and over again.”
Later that night he took Kara into the bedroom, and made her get back into the container while he made a call.
She says: “When I got out the container he told me he was going to give me a pill for my anxiety.
“I was assaulted multiple times but there were a lot of things that happened during that time.
“He made me sit down in front of the TV and watch a tape [with explicit sexual content] and describe what was happening.
“I was 15 years old. I was seeing things I didn’t really know how to describe. There were things he asked me to do I didn’t know how to do.
“The things that were happening to me were any person’s worst nightmare.”
Early the next morning, Kara was finally gifted her chance, and was able to free herself from the restraints used to tie her to the bed.
She says: “I opened my eyes and the first thing I noticed was there was just a sliver of early morning light. I just instantly was hit with this thought – this is it, this is your time, lets go.’
“My biggest fear was I was going to wake up my captor.
“I slowly just slid out of the bed to the side. I put my shorts on, and went to the front door. My heart was beating so fast. I put my hand on the knob and I [knew] this is my moment to escape.
“I just ran. I saw a car driving across the parking lot and I just ran straight for the car. There were two men… I said I was kidnapped by the man in that apartment [and] I said take me to the police station.”
Arriving at the police station, Kara says: “I held my arm up to show him my handcuffs and I said ‘my name is Kara Robinson, I was kidnapped and I escaped my captor.”
The police took Kara back to the apartment complex, and based on all the information she had gathered, the block’s maintenance manager was able to help identify which flat she’d escaped from.
However, by the time authorities arrived, Evonitz had fled to Florida, calling his sister and confessing to killing someone and committing “more crimes than he can remember.”
I was really, really angry. I just wanted him to sit in a court room across from me and look in my eyes and know that picking me was the greatest mistake he ever made.
Kara Robinson
Inside his apartment, police found sex toys, a revolver and a locked chest containing underwear and newspaper clippings about the unsolved murders of three girls.
Sofia Silva, who disappeared from her front porch in September 1996 aged 16, and sisters Kati, 12, and Kristin Lisk, 15, who were abducted from their home.
Sofia’s remains were found a month later in a creek, while sisters Kati and Kristin’s bodies were found in a nearby river.
They’d been raped then murdered, each missing their shoes and underwear and neither case was solved – until Kara’s abduction.
Forensic evidence found at the crime scenes matched evidence found inside Evonitz’s home, and two of Kristin’s fingerprints were also discovered inside the trunk of Evonitz’s car.
Police tracked Evonitz and after a high-speed chase Evonitz then shot himself, dying immediately on June 27 2002.
Upon hearing about his death, Kara says: “I was really, really angry. I just wanted him to sit in a court room across from me and look in my eyes and know that picking me was the greatest mistake he ever made.”
Finally, in August 2002, Spotsylvania County Sheriff Ronald Knight announced that Evonitz was responsible for the other murders.
One officer recalls: “We recovered homemade tapes where he filmed himself masturbating and fantasising at the same time talking about the crimes he committed.”
For her help in solving Silva and the Lisk sisters’ murders, Kara received $150,000 in reward money, and met the families of the victims.
“It was one of the most important things that’s ever happened to me,” she previously told People magazine.
“Because it brought home the importance of what I did. Because I felt like, ‘Wow, I’m actually giving these families something that they never would’ve gotten without me.’
“Just the closure of knowing that the person responsible for their daughters’ [deaths] is no longer here.”
