United Kingdom

Easter's fast approaching, which can only mean one thing...

Chocolate - and lots of it.

If you haven't yet done a mad trolley dash through the chocolate aisle of your local supermarket then fear not, because we've completed the arduous (and we use the term lightly) task of sifting through dozens of Easter eggs to pick out the best ones that money can buy.

From Hotel Chocolat's super-thick egg shells concealing a magical array of chocolates to Dairy Milk's simple yet effective Mini Egg-filled delight (which is under a fiver), there's enough here to tempt even those with the utmost self control.

Check these out and ready yourself for Sunday's chocolate-induced food baby...

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Unsure of what to cook this Sunday? Why not try these recipes out for size? From herb crusted leg of lamb to cauliflower and broccoli gratin - one thing's for certain, you won't be going hungry...

And, of course, you'll be needing dessert too. Enjoy :)

Looking to get fit and active?

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These inspiring group sessions are led by serving or former members of the Armed Forces, and are a fun, effective way of getting fit with like-minded people. With the encouragement of an expert instructor, you’ll train in pairs, groups and teams.

There are three ability levels, catering for exercise rookies to fitness veterans.

So dust off your trainers, kiss the treadmill goodbye and let BMF help you achieve your goals this year. Find out where your nearest BMF venue is by visiting: www.britishmilitaryfitness.com.

To enter, click here and fill in the form by 06/04/2015. Good luck!

Disney princesses' waists have been big news in recent weeks, after people on social media accused filmmakers of digitally altering Lily James' waist for Kenneth Branagh's new adaptation of Cinderella.

While Branagh denied the accusations and James admitted wearing a corset while shooting, many still raised issue with Cinders' size.

"We mustn't forget that this movie is being heavily marketed to an audience of very young, very impressionable little girls," Nikki Gloudeman blogged on HuffPost Women.

"How long until they're fantasising about the day that their waist, too, can nearly disappear - all the better to land Prince Charming?"

Every classic Disney princess has a small waist, and while we're totally against skinny shaming, a little diversity would help show girls that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.

So we asked the HuffPost UK picture desk to re-imagine some of our favourite Disney princesses as plus-size women.

Maybe one day we'll see a Disney heroine who looks more like these ladies.

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A grandmother with terminal cancer has been left overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers, after they rallied together to give her the wedding of her dreams.

Barbara Carter, 56, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October 2014 and was given a maximum of nine months to live.

After discovering her bleak prognosis, the mother-of-five opened up to her daughter Joanne about her number one bucket list fantasy - to have a fairytale white wedding.

Little did she know that with the help of complete strangers, her family was about to transform this wish into a reality.

barbara carter

On 28 March, in a beautiful ceremony at the Village Hotel in Bury, Carter renewed her vows to husband Graham, 61, on their 34th wedding anniversary.

Everything from the flowers to the venue had been either paid for by strangers or gifted to them free of charge.

Overwhelmed by the fact her wish had come true, and at little expense to her family, Carter revealed to the Daily Mail: "The day was everything I could have dreamed of. It was absolutely magical."

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The couple, who are from Bury, renewed their vows at St George’s Church in Hollins Lane, Unsworth.

The grandmother-of-nine revealed that the church was close to her heart as her father Joseph had worked as a churchwarden there for 14 years. Sadly, Joseph passed away in 2005 from pancreatic cancer.

Carter's eldest daughter Joanne says that she was at the hospital with her mum, who was undergoing chemotherapy, when she mentioned that renewing her vows would be top of her bucket list.

"I put it on Facebook in the morning and by the evening we had a wedding venue donated and hundreds more offers flooding in," she adds.

barbara carter

On the day of their wedding, the couple enjoyed a reception for 150 people at the Village Hotel in Bury with decorations and a hot buffet, as well as a hotel room for the night.

Barbara's wedding dress, her bridesmaid's dresses and the groomsmen's outfits were also provided free of charge, along with her make-up package to the flowers, photographer, limo and the honeymoon - all of which were donated by strangers she'd never even met.

Needless to say, it was a far cry from their original marriage at Bury Registry Office when Barbara didn't have the luxury of a wedding dress or a honeymoon.

Following her fairytale day, Carter revealed just how overwhelmed she was by everyone's kindness.

"I can't thank people enough for what they have done for me and Graham. The whole village has been amazing and people have been so kind and wonderful to us," she said.

"It really does put your faith back in humanity."

A man who lost a monumental 180kg in two years has revealed the shocking toll obesity took on his body - including leaving him with 20kg of excess skin.

Brian Flemming, of Michigan USA, weighed 45 stone the last time he was weighed before his substantial weight loss journey began. At the most life threatening point he was consuming up to 7,000 calories a day.

But Brian's life was turned around when he befriended terminally ill myotonic dystrophy sufferer Jackie Eastham online, and she urged him to change his lifestyle.

brian flemming weight loss

Going from eating fast food everyday and barely being able to reach his front door, Brian lost seven stone in three months by walking around his neighbourhood and dieting on 1,400 calories a day. He now runs everyday, has completed a half marathon and weighs just 16 stone.

But he still has a harrowing reminder of his past life - three stone of excess skin.

Despite embarking on an incredibly inspirational journey of weight loss and overcoming alcoholism, depression and suicidal tendencies, Brian is still forced to look at the sagging skin that once housed the extra 28 stone of fat and it gets in the way of his passion for running.

brian flemming weight loss

Having shown the world his drooping skin in an emotional video, Brian is now crowdfunding to raise the money he needs to have the skin surgically removed. His insurance won't cover the $22,000 price tag.

"A dear friend of mine, Kay, has started a fundraising page and they have helped raise money towards the procedure," Brian says.

"I want to thank everyone who has helped from the bottom of my heart. It truly means the world to me. I'm tired of being ashamed and I hope one day to get over this last hurdle.

"Ultimately, if I can't get it done, I'm just glad to be healthy and would never trade that for anything."

brian flemming weight loss

"I'm very apprehensive because I don't want to take my shirt off in public. I don't want people to stare at me," he told MLive.

"When I have all my clothes on, it seems like I really fit in. Going to the gym and going to pool and going for a swim, that's a different thing."

Brian also has a protruding sternum, a remnant of the time his ribcage expanded to heave his excessive weight away from his vital organs.

brian flemming

He now runs a support group for the obese on Facebook and is considering becoming a qualified trainer or therapist.

"This has been the best year of my life," he says.

"For once, things are looking up. I used to tell Jackie about how all of this feels like a dream and that it never actually happened.

"She just says that this is me living my life now and that I need to get used to it!"

You can donate to Brian's surgery fund here.

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A 22-year-old woman from Exeter has revealed the surprising secret to her stunning 60kg weight loss - posting pictures of her food on Instagram.

Normally we think of people who Insta snaps of their lunch as annoying oversharers, but Jess Semmens has revolutionised the process by turning it into a dieting tool.

After doctors warned she would be dead by 35, Jess decided to turn her life around and begun asking strangers to rate how healthy her food was on the popular image-sharing social media app.

A photo posted by Jessica Semmens (@jessicasemmens) on Mar 5, 2015 at 5:34am PST

After trying fad diets to no avail, it took just two years for Jess to drop from a size 24 to a size 12, losing an incredible nine stone.

She said: "Like most women, I had tried every diet under the sun but none worked for me.

"I thought I was doomed to be overweight for ever but when I started counting calories on a phone app and sharing pictures of my meals I was amazed at how many comments I received.

"I started documenting the change in my figure as I lost weight and it was a great way to see my progress and keep me on track whenever I felt like reaching for the biscuit tin.

"If I didn't stick to the diet I wasn't just letting myself down, I'd be letting down all my followers too."

#FBF to when I was a heffa. Gosh, over 8 stone heavier, 25 a day smoker, emotional eater and miserable. I can honestly say I'm the happiest I have ever been in my life. Thank you to everyone who supported me on my journey, but more importantly the people who loved me when I was at my lowest. Love you all xoxo

A photo posted by Jessica Semmens (@jessicasemmens) on Feb 27, 2015 at 5:13am PST

Jess began comfort eating after a gymnastics accident left her unable to continue with sports at age 7. Her ballooning size led to bullying at school which prompted a vicious cycle of more comfort eating.

She was 14 stone by age 15 and went on to reach 22 stone by 19-years-old. A routine trip to the doctor led to a stark realisation in 2010, when she was told she needed to turn her life around or she would be dead by 35.

"A friend had told me about all the healthy-eating accounts on Instagram, so at first I used the search function to look for ideas," she said. "It really helped to see other people's weight-loss journeys and it made me realise I could share mine."

Post gym, pre essay writing (re) fuel #healthyeating #nofilter #doesntneedone #beautiful #tmcd #fitness #DELICIOUSNESS

A photo posted by Jessica Semmens (@jessicasemmens) on Feb 18, 2015 at 11:53am PST

Jess started to create her own recipes and share them on Instagram, gaining hundreds of followers and dropping three stone in just two months.

This initial boost gave her the confidence to join a gym, and she later started sharing pictures of her dramatic weight loss.

"People commented on how good I looked and it was just the confidence boost I needed to carry on," she said.

A photo posted by Jessica Semmens (@jessicasemmens) on Oct 1, 2014 at 7:46am PDT

"If it wasn't for Instagram, I'd still weigh 22st. You can try all the fad diets but all you need is to eat healthily and to have some encouragement. I've never been happier."

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Popeye may have been on to something eating all that spinach.

Eating just two portions of leafy greens per day can significantly help protect brain health and reduce the risk of dementia, a new study has suggested.

Researchers at Rush University in Chicago found that pensioners who regularly ate one or two portions of green veg - such as spinach or kale - experienced a less significant decline in cognitive function than those who didn't.

spinach

Participants had an average age of 81 years, but hose who ate one or two portions of green veg per day were found to have a brain age that was 11 years younger than their actual age.

The scientists evaluated the diet and mental ability of around 950 older people to draw their conclusions.

Participants were monitored for a minimum of two years and a maximum of 10 years.

Factors such as family history of dementia and exercise were taken in to account, but the veg-eating participants were still found to have an overall younger brain age than the non-veg eating ones.

“Losing one’s memory or cognitive abilities is one of the biggest fears for people as they get older," lead researcher Martha Clare Morris commented on the study.

"Since declining cognitive ability is central to Alzheimer’s disease and dementias, increasing consumption of green leafy vegetables could offer a very simple, affordable and non-invasive way of potentially protecting your brain from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.”

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This isn't the fist study to suggest green vegetables can help keep the brain young and healthy.

A previous study from The University of California San Francisco made a link between anaemia and dementia.

The researchers found that people with anemia were more likely to develop brain degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, than those who were not anemic.

Therefore, they concluded, eating iron-rich foods such as spinach to combat anemia can also reduce the risk of brain degenerative conditions.

Shirley Andrews lives in a housing complex for elderly people. She enjoys knitting and crochet, but Shirley isn't your average 80-year-old.

The grandma has slept with more than 1,000 men and regularly has sex with men as young as 18 years old.

Andrews, who lives in sheltered accommodation in Oroville, California, has a tattoo circling her nipple that reads ‘Gang Bang Queen'. She started taking part in porn films seven years ago with younger men.

granny 2

Now she has fans from around the world who send her messages, nude pictures and requests to meet her.

“I started doing porn work in 2008, all amateur," Andrews said.

“I made all of the videos at home. And I started posting them online and I just got rave reviews. I just felt like a princess.”

Her biggest role was taking part in a filmed orgy involved fifteen younger men.

Among Andrews's fans is Kyle Jones, a 31-year-old lothario with a penchant for pensioners.

granny barcroft

Together they make amateur films and canoodle in their free time. But Andrews, who has been married several times before, is not ready to settle down and is currently dating five guys under the age of 30.

“I have had numerous proposals in the last five years. But none of them were with anyone I would want to spend the rest of my life with," she said.

“I would say I’ve slept with around a thousand men but I think it would probably be a little bit more than that. I’ve been around the block.

“I don’t consider myself a nymphomaniac by any means but I’m probably close to it.”

granny 3

Jones, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is currently also involved with six different elderly ladies, aged between 68 and 92.

He regularly travels from the east coast across to California and down to Florida to visit his many women.

His choice of lovers include 92-year-old great-granny Marge from Pennsylvania who dons sequin mini-dresses to entertain crowds as an erotic dancer.

And 68-year-old widow Anna from Ohio has reignited her sexual passion since meeting adventurous Jones. They met on an online dating site a few years after her husband died – much to her daughters’ displeasure.

Jones’s story appears on a one-off Channel 5 special called Nanna Love: 50 Shades of Grey. The show is about young men who prefer mature women to girls their own age.

Out of all of Jones’s mature lovers, Andrews is his favourite.

The pair met on the Internet and live 2,000 miles apart – which means they rarely get to spend time together.

But when they do, the pair even get intimate during an afternoon stroll in a local park.

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However, while Andrews is content with playing the field, Jones may be considering his future with his favourite senior citizen.

He said: “Even though I’m with other women, I don’t know if I’ll be okay with it with her.

“Let's say at some point where I decide I’m just really super in love and I only want her, then it might mess with my head at some point that she was with someone else.”

When she's not with younger men, retiree Andrews enjoys much of the same hobbies as friends her own age.

She said: “I currently live in a senior complex. I love to knit – I’m always knitting, crochet as well. I make a lot of gifts that way.

“Plus it keeps me busy and out of trouble. It seems to be my middle name - trouble.”

Nanna Love: 50 Shades of Granny, Tuesday 31 March at 10pm on Channel 5

If you've got a penchant for chocolate-y goodness, but don't want to load up on processed food or sugar then cacao might be just the ticket (especially around Easter time).

Cacao is the raw, unprocessed chocolate superfood on everyone's lips. Unlike your regular chocolate bar (or easter egg), raw cacao is supercharged with magnesium and flavanoids, which makes it good for you inside and out.

While it tastes slightly different to everyday chocolate (it's less sweet for starters), it is great in smoothies or desserts. If you're missing the sweetness however, why not try adding a little natural sweetener such as honey or combining it with fruits?

cacao

What Is Cacao?

Although they cacao and cocoa are very similar (they look almost identical, are practically spelled the same, and both both come from the Theobroma cacao tree) they are not be confused with one another.

Think of cacao as the healthier relative of cocoa: raw cacao is made by cold-pressing unroasted cocoa beans, which preserves the beans nutritional content; cocoa is heavily processed, roasted at high temperatures and has a lot of sugar added to it, which almost zaps away the health benefits.

Cacao's superfood powers are so strong that it was once used as currency.

"It was once considered 'food of the gods' by the Mayans and the Aztecs making it as valuable as money," explains registered holistic nutritionist Joy McCarthy, writing on HuffPost Canada.

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Health Benefits

Cacao beans are rich in a number of essential minerals, including magnesium, sulfur, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium and manganese.

Tipper Lewis, head herbalist at Neal's Yard Remedies, tells HuffPost UK Lifestyle: "Cacao seems to be the number one source of magnesium of any food. Magnesium balances brain chemistry, builds strong bones, and helps regulate heartbeat and blood pressure."

Such high antioxidant levels supports the cardiovascular and nervous system, by preventing free radicals from forming.

"Cacao also has more antioxidant flavonoids than any food tested so far, including blueberries, red wine, and black and green teas," adds Tipper. "In fact, it has up to four times the quantity of antioxidants found in green tea."

And it's not just beneficial to health, cacao also contains the beauty mineral "sulfur".

"Sulfur builds strong nails and hair, promotes beautiful skin, and detoxifies the liver," says Lewis.

It is not only good for the health, but is mood-boosting.

"Cacao raises the level of serotonin in the brain; thus acting as an anti-depressant, helping to reduce PMS symptoms, and promoting a sense of well-being," explains Lewis.

"It also stimulates the secretion of endorphins, producing a pleasurable sensation similar to the “runner’s high” a jogger feels after running several miles."

Story continues below...

How To Eat It

Add to smoothies, teas, desserts, raw food bars or any dish that calls for the delicious flavor of chocolate. Use for all types of sweet baking, or try mixing with other superfood ingredients as part of a nutritious smoothie blend.

"It adds a sweet taste without added sugar. Add one teaspoon to your smoothie along with your favourite ingredients,"

Check out some top recipes in the video below.

How you do you eat cacao? Tweet us with your favourite recipes @HuffPoLifestyle

A woman from Birmingham, Alabama, has become a viral sensation after offering a heartfelt apology to cinema-goers for her the poor behaviour of her children.

Kyesha Smith Wood dropped her 16-year-old son and two young daughters off to see the new 'Cinderella' reboot but returned to hear from her son that the girls had been poorly behaved.

They were apparently rude and obnoxious, prompting a parent to approach them after the film.

"After the movie she approached my girls and told them that her husband had been laid off and this was the last movie she would be able to take her daughter to for a while and my girls ruined that for her," Kyesha said in a Facebook post.

The embarrassed mum turned to social media to find the woman so she could offer her apologies and pay for her next cinema trip from the children's allowance.

This is a long shot, but I'm looking for a woman that was at Tannehill Premier tonight seeing Cinderella at 7pm. I...
Posted by Kyesha Smith Wood on Friday, March 27, 2015

The woman has now been found, thanks to the help of thousands of strangers. Joanna Boyd, who accepted the apology, said: "I was touched that she cared how her kids behaved. You don't see that a lot these days.

"As parents we need to support each other. The girls are not bad, they made bad choices."

Kyesha's daughters have now written apology letters and learned from their mistake.

"They are humiliated," she told ABC.

"And that's OK because I told them, 'You know what, you're not going to do this again'."

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A new study has revealed shocking trends among young people, with many getting hooked on what researchers call "alcopops of the nicotine world".

The Liverpool John Moores scientists surveyed 16,193 14-17 year-olds about e-cigarette use, finding 19% had tried "vaping" or used the devices regularly.

The findings were published in BioMed Central's Public Health Journal, with scientists who carried out the research calling for greater restrictions on access to e-cigarettes.

e cig

Researchers are worried the "normalised" smoking alternative may act as a gateway to real cigarettes as it mimics the effect and still retains the addictive effect of nicotine.

Prof Mark Bellis told BBC News: "To many people the numbers we've identified might come as a bit of a shock.

"This is just being drawn into a repertoire - another drug that people can use to experiment with rather than being seen as an alternative to tobacco."

He also added they were "providing a concentrated form of a highly addictive substance, with known problems associated with it, and we need to be very cautious about that and how we protect our young people."

e cigarette

Dr John Middleton, of the Faculty of Public Health, said: "We need to protect children and young people from the harms of nicotine by regulating electronic cigarettes.

"Our concern is that if we wait for proof that electronic cigarettes could act as a gateway to smoking cigarettes, it will already have happened and the tobacco industry will have been given the opportunity to recruit its next generation of smokers."

E-cigarettes are provided as a healthier alternative to smoking, but some consider them to be deceptive.

They provide a mist of nicotine, a highly addictive substance which can increase blood pressure and heart rate, and can have detrimental effects on the brain development of unborn children.

Nicotine has also been linked with atherosclerosis (fatty deposits growing in artery walls, restricting blood flow).

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A new study has found that the ever popular 5:2 diet could actually help make your body more resilient to stress.

The diet, which has been endorsed by the likes of Miranda Kerr and Hugh Jackman, involves eating normally for five days a week and then fasting for two days of the week

It has also previously been linked with increasing life expectancy, reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer, as well as improving cholesterol levels.

52 diet

Researchers from the University of Florida set out to discover if fasting causes cells to become more resilient to damage in the absence of weight loss.

They did this by testing the effects of fasting on 24 healthy individuals.

Participants took part in two three-week treatment periods of intermittent fasting and intermittent fasting with antioxidant (Vitamins C and E) supplementation.

During this time, researchers detected a "marginal increase (2.7%) in SIRT3 expression due to the intermittent fasting diet".

Michael Guo, a co-author of the study and student at Harvard Medical School explained: “We found that intermittent fasting caused a slight increase to SIRT 3, a well-known gene that promotes longevity and is involved in protective cell responses.”

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Through fasting every other day, the study revealed that the cells in the body make more copies of the SIRT3 gene, which in turn helps to prevent free radical production and improve cellular repair processes.

Another interesting finding from the study, which was published in the journal Rejuvenation Research, is that there was a significant decrease in levels of circulating insulin.

Scientists reveal that is important because when we become less sensitive to insulin, we are at risk for diabetes.

Additionally, with those who fasted while taking daily supplements of Vitamin C and E, the benefits usually associated with fasting disappeared completely.

Douglas Bennion and Martin Wegman, who are both MD-PhD students at University of Florida as well as co-authors of the study, believe that this is because "the cells were relatively sheltered from experiencing any oxidative stress that may have been caused by fasting every other day".

The cells didn’t respond by increasing their natural defenses and improving their sensitivity to insulin and other stress signals, which suggests that low levels of environmental stress from things like fasting could be good for the body.

Another interesting point they made is that antioxidant supplements could actually prevent the body's normal healthy cellular responses.

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But before you hail the 5:2 diet as a stress-busting miracle, it's worth taking note of the risks. Speaking to BBC Good Food, nutritional therapist Kerry Torrens reveals that pregnant and breast-feeding women, as well as diabetics on medication, should seek medical advice before trying the diet.

"Furthermore, this sort of diet can be unsafe for teenagers and children who are likely to miss out on crucial nutrients needed for growth and may be at risk of developing unhealthy eating habits," she says.

The diet can be especially tough at the beginning, with some people reporting low energy levels, poor concentration, headaches and dizziness on fasting days.

Torren's advice is that if you do choose to follow the diet then make sure that your non-fast days are "packed with nutritious options, including fruit, veg, wholegrains and lean protein such as chicken, fish, turkey and dairy foods".

There's nothing worse than opening a tub of blueberries to find a furry friend tucked away among them.

Mould is a pain in the backside - and once one berry goes, you've pretty much lost the bunch.

Eye Opener TV reports that with soft foods, once part of it has gone mouldy it's a good idea to ditch the entire pack altogether because chances are, the mould has spread and contaminated everything.

With hard foods such as cheese and pears, you can simply cut around the mould and munch away.

And if you do eat mouldy food, then you're doing it at your own peril as it can cause allergic reactions and, in serious cases, respiratory failure.

It also creates mycotoxins which make you sick.

The lesson to take away from this? Bin the soft foods and don't eat them. Keep the hard foods and chop around the furry bits.

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It's the age-old question everyone asks once they've got a beautiful bunch of them sitting on their windowsill...

How do you make flowers last longer?

From toughening them up by sticking them in a cool part of your home to preserving them with hairspray, these tips and tricks from Serenata Flowers will answer that question.

How to Make Fresh Flowers Last Longer

You've got the tips to keep them alive for longer, but what are the best flowers to buy now that spring is in full force? More importantly, which are the most seasonally appropriate and long-lasting?

Florists from Serenata reveal their top floral picks for spring:

:: Daffodils are a great choice. It's best to buy them in bud form as they open within a day and last a good week. They're just starting their season and add a beautiful smell to any room.

:: Hyacinths have a beautiful strong scent and can last very well if looked after properly with nice clean water.

:: Anemones and Ranunculus last quite well and, as with Daffodils, it’s best to buy them in bud form to extend their lifespan as much as possible.

:: Syringa is a beautiful-smelling cluster of spring flowers. They have quite a woody stem but look very decadent when used in hand-tied bouquets and arrangements. They're a particularly nice flower for spring weddings.

:: Iris and Tulips are other popular choices this spring, however they won’t last as long as the other flowers.

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Last month, Jamie Dornan fever swept the nation. Now, it seems to be Aiden Turner's turn to be ogled.

Topless pictures of the star of new BBC drama Poldark have been everywhere this week, with many journalists focussing on Turner's appearance, just as much as his acting.

"His Harry Styles curls and downy pecs come into their own," Kate Glass wrote in this week's Sunday Times magazine.

But what effect is constantly seeing images of the likes of Jamie Dornan and Aiden Turner having on the nation's "average" men?

In the past year, we've seen more and more plus-size women represented in the media.

In February, Ashley Graham became the first plus-size model to be featured in Sports Illustrated. The previous September, London Fashion Week featured a plus-size catwalk show for the first time ever.

But plus-size male models are nowhere to be seen in mainstream media.

"While women are going through almost a revolution in terms of representation, body image and diversity within the media and especially within fashion, it definitely feels like representation of men within the media has both stood still," Rivkie Baum, editor of plus-size magazine SLiNK tells HuffPost UK Lifestyle.

"I hear from my male friends how, while we openly discuss the challenges women face in terms of body acceptance and a diverse range of role models, and assume that men have it easy, it is in fact a much unspoken issue."

The "godlike" images of Aiden Turner come in the same week that David Beckham and James Corden star in a spoof underwear advert.

Corden is being a big, old goofball - as he always is. Beckham smoulders at the camera - as he always does.

And while Corden is most definitely in on the joke in this instance, it doesn't stop us wondering why the larger man is always presented as "the joker," and how that might make other men feel about their bodies.

Professor Damien Ridge of the University of Westminster tells us male body image is no laughing matter.

"We expect men to be tough, manly and not vain, so we can sometimes be surprised to hear men are sensitive about their bodies," he says.

"But why shouldn’t men be concerned about body image, given that there’s so much focus on the male body in the media?"

Ridge says there has been a dramatic change in the way men are represented in the media in the past few decades.

"It started with the male centerfold in Cosmopolitan magazine, then continued with the Mark Wahlberg and Kate Moss Calvin Klein advert," he says.

Ridge points out that the changing representation of men's bodies has influenced toys marketed at young, potentially influential boys.

Batman has never been plus-size, but these days Batman figurines "surpass what is physically possible for a male adult to achieve", according to Ridge.

"They put men under pressure from a young age, suggesting they need to be lean in terms of fat, but also to have a very muscular body."

batman

Product images via excaliburdirectexpresstoys.co.uk/previewsworld.com.

According to eating disorders charity Beat, 1.6 million people in the UK are affected by an eating disorder, of which around 11% are male.

Baum believes the rising amount of males suffering from eating disorders and abusing steroids is linked to media representation of men.

"You simply have to scan the likes of GQ, Men's Fitness and the like to see that the pressure that women are trying to shrug off in their droves is now being heaped on men too," she says.

To limit the body image pressure men feel, we need to promote the idea that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes for men - just as we do for women.

Even Turner has admitted there is something not quite right about the way his body has been applauded in the past week.

"It's strange, I mean, would it be the same if it was a female lead role and she had a bikini scene on the beach?," he asked in the Sunday Times interview.

"Would the papers show it in the same way? Would the audience see it in the same way?"

We've become accustomed to celebrating body diversity for women in the media, now it's time to do the same for men.

And the first step may be introducing plus size male models to the mainstream.

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You're bored, you're hungry, but what do you eat?

This 30-second video from Elle offers 9 guilt-free snack suggestions to satisfy your cravings.

The best bit? Many of them contain less than 50 calories per serving.

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Throwing on a trench coat instantly smartens up any outfit - and it is this easy styling that has earned it devoted fans such as the Duchess of Cambridge, Liv Tyler and Broadchurch's Charlotte Rampling.

But did you know that wearing a trench coat was once a symbol of women's emancipation?

Josh Sims charts the evolution of the trench coat in the following extract from his new book Icons of Women's Style...

When George Peppard’s distressed would-be lover finally embraces Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, it is in the pouring rain. A good job, then, that she is wearing a trench coat.

The sartorial star of the film is, of course, Golightly’s little black dress, which made Hepburn a style icon. However, the image of her in what until then had been perceived as a predominantly male garment also created a stir.

Sales of the coat to women rocketed, establishing it as a fashion classic, soon after given added cudos when Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Joanne Woodward and Brigitte Bardot were all spotted wearing the trench.

josh sims

This was, however, the second wave of popularity for the trench coat. Women had worn them before, notably during the early 1920s, as much as a statement of emancipation as of fashion.

Again, it was stars of the screen portraying the strong woman archetype who wore the trench: Greto Garbo on the set of A Woman of Affairs, Gloria Swanson in Queen Kelly and Bette Davis in Of Human Bondage.

The trench coat continued to be used to signal a sassy mannishness – Katharine Hepburn wore an outsized trench coat in The Iron Petticoat, for example – right up until Audrey Hepburn’s feminisation of the garment.

Burberry, a co-inventor of the style, made the coat in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

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The post-World War II period might have seen Hollywood leading men and sometimes ladies – the likes of Robert Mitchum, Ava Gardner and Humphrey Bogart – trying to pass off the trench coat as somehow quintessentially American (not to mention, the default choice of the hardbitten film-noir detective type).

But it is a British invention, belonging jointly, despite their rivalry over it, to Aquascutum and Burberry.

The former invented the first waterproof wool, devised a field coat for soldiers of the Crimean War (1853–56) and would later corner the market for trench coats in the movies.

Meanwhile, draper Thomas Burberry invented gabardine in 1879 and won the contract to supply a trench-type raincoat for the Boer Wars and beyond.

josh sims

One of the oldest army garments still widely worn, the trench coat was devised as a means of keeping the endless mud off uniforms in the trenches of World War I, although it was allowed to be worn only by officers. This explains the epaulettes, which remain today, there to attach the insignia of one’s rank.

The raglan sleeves came with wrist straps, the D-ring at the waist was used to hook on ammunition packs and other equipment and the storm flap at the shoulder, while letting the rain run away from the body, also helped soften rifle recoil.

Such concerns were undoubtedly not a priority for actresses Charlotte Rampling, Catherine Deneuve or Charlotte Gainsbourg, each of whom made the trench coat part of their style, as well as ensuring the garment remains central to the idea of French chic.

In later decades, Kate Moss modelled the style in advertising campaigns for Burberry, while Victoria Beckham and Kate Middleton (the Duchess of Cambridge) also became fans.

Few items have stood the test of time in the woman’s wardrobe like the trench coat. It has proved a staple that can be reinvented time and again, whether by introducing bright colours or contrast sleeves or adding to, or reducing, the original ten front buttons.

To see how the look evolved over the years scroll through the gallery below...

Learn more about the history of women's fashion in Icons of Women's Style by Josh Sims, published by Laurence King Publishing, out 4 April 2015.

A parliamentary candidate standing in this year's election has told how he purposely contracted HIV after developing suicidal feelings following years of homophobic bullying.

Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Vauxhall in south London, said he decided to speak out about his experience of bullying, mental ill health and low self-esteem in the hope of helping others who are facing similar problems.

The 36-year-old experienced both physical and mental bullying at school for being gay, he told BuzzFeed, and spiralled into a cycle of drugs, depression and suicide attempts, before finally deciding that being infected with HIV might be "one way" to die.

adrian hyyrylainentrett

Hyyrylainen-Trett is thought to be the first candidate to speak openly about being HIV positive

Mr Hyyrylainen-Trett, who is originally from Norwich and is thought to be the first parliamentary candidate to openly speak about being HIV positive, told the website: "I thought, 'What's another way of doing it?' Even though I knew people were surviving from HIV, I thought, 'Perhaps if I can make myself so ill, get the worst strain possible, that would be one way of getting rid of myself'."
But he added: "I didn't really want HIV ... I wanted annihilation of me."

The LGBT activist said he feels he owes it to people in similar situations to speak about the issues.

He has called for drugs to become "a health issue not a criminal one", and said the mental health and wellbeing of gay people must be addressed.

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Mr Hyyrylainen-Trett, who married his partner last weekend, also said same-sex education should be compulsory in all schools from a young age.

Yusef Azad, director of policy and campaigns manager at NAT (National AIDS Trust), said: "Adrian's story shows the damage homophobic bullying and mental health issues can have on gay men's health. We need immediate action on homophobia - in society and especially in schools.

"Shockingly, NAT research found over half of young gay or bi men are bullied at school. This is not acceptable. Gay men also need appropriate mental health support as well as services which understand sexualised drug-taking.

"Only then we will start to reduce the numbers of gay men getting HIV every day in the UK. We applaud Adrian speaking out so honestly and publicly on these vital issues."

Need help? In the UK, call The Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90. For more support and advice, visit the website here.

Misao Okawa, the world's oldest living person, has passed away in Japan.

The 117-year-old, who celebrated her birthday on 5 March, died from heart failure at her Osaka nursing home.

She was the third person ever to reach 117 years of age.

worlds oldest person

Okawa was born the daughter of a kimono maker and later married her husband Yukio Okawa in 1919. Sadly, he died in 1931 leaving her widowed for 84 years.

In 2013, Guinness World Records hailed Okawa as the world's oldest living person.

She believed the secret to her longevity was to "eat, sleep and relax" and was also partial to sushi - particularly mackerel on vinegar-steamed rice.

The great grandmother is survived by survived by three children, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

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If you're struggling with back pain, taking paracetamol may not be the solution you're looking for.

A study has suggested over-the-counter paracetamol is ineffective for lower back pain

The painkiller was also found to have "small but not clinically important benefits" for people with osteoarthritis, the research published in the British Medical Journal found.

Back pain and osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, are leading causes of disability worldwide and clinical guidelines recommend paracetamol as the first line drug treatment for both conditions.

Researchers looked at 13 randomised controlled studies that looked at the effects of paracetamol use compared with a placebo.

The team led by The George Institute for Global Health at the University of Sydney analysed what effect paracetamol had on the reduction of pain intensity, improvement of disability and quality of life, as well as safety and patient adherence, compared to a placebo.

They found paracetamol to be ineffective for lower back pain, but did not come across any studies investigating neck pain.

They also found evidence that paracetamol has a significant but small effect in patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis, but said this was not likely to be meaningful for clinicians or patients.

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Paracetamol use for osteoarthritis was also shown to increase the likelihood of having abnormal results on liver function tests by almost four times compared with a placebo, but the clinical relevance of this was not certain.

The study authors said their review should inform clinical and policy for those who suffer from lower back pain and osteoarthritis.

The report concluded: "Paracetamol is ineffective in the treatment of low back pain and provides minimal short term benefit for people with osteoarthritis.

"These results support the reconsideration of recommendations to use paracetamol for patients with low back pain and osteoarthritis of the hip or knee in clinical practice guidelines."

In 2013 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) warned of concern that higher doses of paracetamol could lead to multiple adverse effects, including heart, kidney and intestinal problems, and recommended GPs only prescribe the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible time.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said there was no new evidence to support the advice and is carrying out a wide-ranging review and until that work is completed, Nice has said it will continue to recommend paracetamol as an option.

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