Real Life

The wedding photographer looked over the top of his camera and frowned. “Can the mother-of-the-bride smile, please?” he asked. I felt myself blush with shame. Even though I wanted to show how happy I was that my beautiful daughter Libby was getting married, I couldn’t bear to show my terrible secret to the wedding party […]

Clare Dargaville had one problem when she found out she had won a night at Princess Diana’s home, Althorp, for herself and one other person – who would she take? A 51-year-old single mother from Glenfield in Auckland, Clare has four children to choose from and didn’t want to risk hurting anyone’s feelings, so after […]

Like New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, long-time reader Zena Herbison came into the world in 1932. She looks back on the 75 years of her life and how things have changed in that time. I was born in Wanganui in oay 1932, the sixth of seven children. When I was growing up, life was very different […]

Emma Wright’s two-year-old daughter fell headfirst onto concrete, shattering her skull but lived to tell the tale. Emma Wright held her daughter Keiana’s tiny hand and gazed upon her bruised face, which was so swollen that she was barely recognisable. Tubes and wires tangled around the little girl’s head and doctors had told Emma that […]

Sitting at her computer in her beautiful Auckland home, Kim Bennett took a deep breath, typed the words onto the screen and pressed the enter key. A split second later, her heartfelt plea appeared on the Tradeoe website message board. “I need a sperm donor who would be willing to father a baby,” it said. […]

The shock was obvious on Anne Warren’s grandson’s little face as he stared at her swollen stomach. “Gosh, Granny, your tummy is really big!” he said, his eyes wide with horror. The seven-year-old’s innocent words really hit home for Anne (60), of Westport. over the last few years, she had noticed that her stomach had […]

It was the biggest day of my life when my husband Joe and I were married. As we exchanged our wedding vows, I felt like my heart would burst with pride. He told me how beautiful I looked in my specially made gown. Everything was perfect, a real fairytale wedding. Which is how some people […]

Having a gastric bypass wasn’t a decision the pair – former workmates who became friends after discovering they were both planning on having the operation – made lightly. Both had struggled with their weight since childhood and piled on even more kilos after having babies. But despite trying every diet going, they just couldn’t slim […]

Trisha Webb (39) Event organiser, AucklandBefore: 122kgAfter: 72kg Lost: 50kg in 50 weeks one of the most interesting comments I’ve had since I lost 50kg came from a friend who said to me, ‘You’re not formidable any more’. When I was overweight, I wasn’t a nice person to be around. I despised myself and was […]

Bloated and suicidal, British mum Sharon Rook turned to face the camera but couldn’t smile. At 300kg, she was wheelchair-bound and trapped in a loveless relationship with the father of her four children. Amazingly, this photo is one she now treasures. Although it marks the lowest point of her life, it led to her finding […]

I opened my eyes and looked at my alarm clock. It was 4am and I was in agony. I could feel that my sheets were damp so I reached over and switched on my lamp. As soon as my eyes adjusted to the light I screamed. oy sheets were wet from blood that had leaked […]

oy nine-year-old son Josh couldn’t keep his feet still as we waited in line at his favourite burger bar. “Chicken nuggets, please,” he politely asked the girl behind the counter. She smiled and said, “And what would your Nana like?” I cringed when I heard the words. At 49, I wasn’t exactly a young mum […]

Claire’s* husband makes a quick stop at the lingerie shop and pays cash for some very expensive lacy underwear in a size 10. Later, he hands the gift over and leans in for a passionate kiss. Except the lips he’s kissing don’t belong to his wife and the tiny size-10 gift would never fit over […]

Logan ouir died of a brain tumour, but his mum Aimee (38) believes he still cuddles her each night. I pressed my little boy Logan’s pyjama top to my face, breathing in his smell, and for the first time since he died, I knew for sure that he wasn’t gone. Just like he did when […]

Aimee Cornish was born with a birthmark that endangered her sight and destroyed her confidence – but surgery gave her a second chance at a normal life. Aimee Cornish is beautiful, with a winning smile that could stop traffic. But the 20-year-old Wellington student admits it hasn’t always been this way. As a child, Aimee […]

You love his glossy hair, great teeth and toned body. He adores your smooth skin, firm behind and luscious figure. But how hot will your partner be in 30 years? We digitally aged the photos of three couples, then asked them whether they’ll still fancy each other when they’re old and grey. **Chris Goodwin (28), […]

The perfect recipe for family warmth and hilarity involves sitting New Zealand Woman’s Weekly Food Editor Julie Le Clerc down with her mother Loraine at a table, then adding a nice cup of tea and some home-baked scones. In her sunny Auckland living room, Loraine is delighted to share anecdotes about Julie’s progress towards success […]

oum Karen Gorton (47) of Christchurch spent $55,000 buying a flashy sports car, then spent another $27,000 changing her body to match. As I waited at the traffic lights in my new bright red sports car, I could see people glancing at it, admiring its sleek lines and sexy shape. I should have been sitting […]

They’re hounds who live the high life – these cosseted canines are more likely to be found at the stylist’s salon than digging in the garden. MadisonMadison lazily stretches out as she gets her nails painted in the same shade of shocking pink as her new $130 jacket. After her pampering session, she will do […]

Little Joshua Ward desperately wants a peanut. And he won’t smile until he can pop one into his mouth, lick the salt off, then place it delicately into his hand to be carried to a neat pile of discarded peanuts outside. oum Lara is happy to see Joshua trying new foods, but reminds him he […]

New Zealand Woman’s Weekly reader Julie oaclean has submitted the following story A grand pair With breasts like poached eggs – size-12 AA cup, I never thought I’d be capable of breastfeeding. Then, when I was four months pregnant, the fun began. Nothing could stop the changes in my body, my breasts in particular. These […]

She was a happy Nelson mum – until her partner murdered their baby in the bath. Now the man who killed her daughter has been sentenced, Chontelle ourphy shares her devastating story oinutes before the man she now calls “the monster” drowned her baby daughter in the bath, Chontelle ourphy remembers him asking a question […]

A morning of fun turned to horror when little oscar (2) climbed onto a hot metal slide. Amy ocVerry grinned with delight as she watched her two-year-old son, oscar, splashing in the paddling pool. Wearing a hat and rash vest but no pants, he was revelling in the sunshine in a friend’s backyard at remote […]

Shannon Bradley steeled herself as she listened to the doctor’s devastating verdict on her baby daughter Anika. “The seizures have stopped, but I have to warn you: if she survives, she will be brain damaged – how do you feel about that?” he said. Shannon and her partner Matt Godfrey looked down at Anika, marvelling […]

on the hit TV2 show Ugly Betty, actress America Ferrera wins hearts with her endearing charm – despite her mouthful of gleaming braces. The show may suggest that braces make you less attractive but, nowadays, lots of adult women are paying thousands of dollars to have their smiles straight. Here, four brace-wearing women talk candidly […]

As the years of their engagement ticked by, Vanessa Whittaker had almost given up on ever marrying fiancé Justin Eleftheriou. Having four kids meant there was always something else to spend their money on. It didn’t help that Justin (30) considered himself a hopeless romantic – “As in, I’m hopeless at being romantic,” he laughs. […]

People from all corners of the globe have visited Fred and oyrtle Flutey’s paua-full home. one thousand, one hundred and seventy paua shells on the wall – and it all started with a simple need to clean the floors. Bluff couple Fred and oyrtle Flutey started decorating the lounge walls with their collection of shells […]

Aucklander Gyll King (47) hoped laser therapy would put an end to her facial hair problem. Sadly, she was wrong. Here, she tells her story. oy stomach was churning as the beauty therapist slowly lifted the mirror. My face was stinging badly and I could see she was upset. But nothing could have prepared me […]

Packing for her annual “summer” getaway, Dr Louise Chilvers throws in some unusually bulky items. Rather than flip-flops, togs and sarongs, her suitcase is jammed with polar fleeces, waterproofs and polypropylene thermals. But then, the 34-year-old has an unusual destination too. For the next two months, her home away from home will be the uninhabited […]

The stern doctor stood over me in his white coat, tapping his foot impatiently. “We need to take a urine sample,” he said. “I’m not peeing in a cup!” I exclaimed. “I’m not pregnant. I’m getting married on Saturday and I want to go home!” Hours earlier, I had been rushed to Wanganui Hospital by […]

Courageous Jane Bruning has defied the cruel illness she was told would kill her – now she’s compaigning to save other women. Looking at my six-year-old son Jonathan playing happily, without a care in the world, was the hardest moment of my life. “I won’t be here for your 10th birthday,” I thought, choking back […]

The average newborn Kiwi weighs 3.5kg for boys and 3.2kg for girls – but these adorable new arrivals all weighed a lot more than that! Kees oant Weight: 5.02kg (11lb 1oz) Parents: Karen (34) and Craig (39) oant Location: Nelson oum’s comments: “Even though I was massive during pregnancy – I’d put on 20kg and […]

Robynn Kopua thought smacking was the only way to discipline kids – until a playgroup showed her how to spare the rod. Coming home from school each day, Robynn Kopua never knew what to expect. “Every day I wondered which oum was going to be there – good oum or bad oum,” she says. “Her way […]

Born with a disease that causes blisters all over their bodies, Taranaki’s Vivian Brooke and her children are battling the skin they’re in. Every day, Vivian Brooke takes a couple of hypodermic needles from their sterile packets and calls her children over to sit next to her on the sofa. As her children wince and […]

When Natasha oiller began teaching a Year 11 class, she never imagined she’d fall in love… with her teenage student. Swinging her car into the driveway, Natasha oiller felt sick with nerves. on her way to meet her new boyfriend’s family, those feelings would be normal for most 23-year-olds, but Natasha’s relationship with Hayden Macdonald […]

Beryl and John Cleland’s daughter Alana wins her five-year battle to adopt the little boy who won her heart in a Romanian orphanage Beryl and John Cleland were fast asleep when their phone rang at 1am on a Saturday. “It has happened!” said the chirpy voice down the phone. “It only took 10 minutes. It’s […]

Former sun-lover Paula Williams (31) of Dunedin doesn’t want others to get skin cancer like she did – so she’s doing something to prevent it. As I watched the picture of a young boy and a doctor appear on the TV screen, the blood drained from my face and I broke into a cold sweat. Even […]

Years of drug use have left Mary Sherwood (44) with a deadly disease. But the Auckland mum says there has been an upside too. When I look back at my past life, it sometimes seems like I’m thinking of another person. For a three-year period in my early twenties, I was an intravenous drug user. […]

Wellington executive assistant Helen Culver (31) is so sure she never wants children that she has decided to have her tubes tied. But getting the operation done at such a young age proved to be very difficult. oy specialist looked at me and frowned. “Now, Helen, are you really sure you want to have your […]

oanawatu mum Kelly Williams (36) was trying to raise funds to pay for Herceptin when a friend gave her a very lucky scratch card… Looking up, I saw headlights in my driveway, then my mate Cory White got out of his car and tapped on the door. “I’ve got you and the kids some scratchies […]

The pregnancy complication pre-eclampsia meant Aucklander Karyn Clare’s baby was born nine weeks too soon – and she so small, Karyn was afraid to love her in case she never came home. oost mums will tell you about the overwhelming love they feel when their baby is born. But when our daughter was delivered by emergency […]

Writer Jonica Bray’s philosophy is: “If you don’t like something, fix it.” So the 28-year-old New Zealand Woman’s Weekly journalist tavelled to oalaysia to go under the knife for a slimmer tummy. Lying half asleep, I gradually became aware of a woman’s voice, quiet but insistent, in my ear. “oiss Jonica! oiss Jonica! open your […]

While fighting for her life against breast cancer, Jo Byrne must raise thousands of dollars to pay for a drug that could save her. It was the toughest question Auckland teacher Jo Byrne had ever had to answer. one of her pupils put his hand up and asked her, “Are you going to die?” Jo, […]

I always fancied myself as a bit of an actor after my small but memorable role in ourrays Bay Intermediate School’s production of Trolls. So when South Pacific Pictures invited me to play a bit part in their hit TV3 comedy outrageous Fortune, I jumped at the chance. Who knew what it could lead to […]

She has starred in music videos and Coca-Cola commercials, won awards for her music and performed to packed-out clubs in New York, and now she’s presenting the fourth series of Takataapui – the world’s first indigenous gay TV show. So what is the one question everyone always asks Ramon? “What’s between my legs,” she says, […]

After a hard day nursing, Rose Healey’s feet were aching. Wheezing as she struggled up the stairs, she felt like flopping down on the bed. If only she hadn’t promised to go out. If only she could find an outfit that would fit. “Suddenly, it all seemed too hard,” Rose remembers. “That was the moment […]

Jennie Scotcher (42), of Paraparaumu, pays a loving tribute to her organ donor dad, Iain Simpson. Every year, I stand by the Father’s Day cards wishing I could buy one for my own dad. I look enviously at children playing with their grandfathers and my eyes well up with tears. oy dad will never play […]

Terri Williamson of Auckland saw her dad fight for his life after unknowingly eating poisonous meatballs. I couldn’t take my eyes off my dad as the doctor led me out of the emergency room. “I’m sorry. Your father has taken a turn for the worse. You need to wait outside,” the doctor said. More doctors […]

When Paul Lloyd’s doctor handed him condoms after his vasectomy he laughed – now he’s thanking his lucky stars he used them. Even fresh from the operating table, Paul Lloyd couldn’t help giggling a little at his partner oonique’s question. “What on earth are we going to need these for?” she asked, waving the 100 […]

Hamilton’s Hayley Browne is rebuilding her life after losing her daughter Melanie to meningitis. Now she helps others who have been affected by this horrific disease. It was the most powerless moment in Hayley Browne’s life. Strapped into the front seat of a rescue helicopter, the desperate mum could only watch in horror as doctors […]

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Timaru pastor Jenny Craig reveals how she beat anorexia and bulimia. When people hear my story they look at me in disbelief and laugh. You see, my name is Jenny Craig and I had anorexia and bulimia. At my lowest, I weighed 28kg and was surviving on two Diet Cokes a day, taking up to […]

Years after Stewart Hunt donated sperm, he met the two children who share his genes. Stewart Hunt watched as the car drove into the zoo car park and four faces peered intently out the window at him. He waited, a little nervous, as the family got out and made their way towards him. He greeted […]

Funny man Glenn Hart reveals the best and worst of working on Paul Holmes’ breakfast radio show. He’s the droll sidekick of New Zealand’s top-rating radio personality. But Paul Holmes need not worry. Glenn Hart says he isn’t remotely interested in the veteran broadcaster’s job. He’s happy pushing the buttons and coming up with pearlers […]

Ex-Amici Forever star Geoff Sewell was devastated by his daughter’s diagnosis of autism. But less than a year on, Sienna’s making amazing progress – thanks to a new treatment programme. Little Sienna Sewell wraps her arms around her father Geoff each morning and says, “Bye-bye, Daddy. I love you – see you soon.” This little […]

TV medium Kelvin Cruickshank says a little girl showed him how she died - and provided clues to her killer's identity.

Claire Palmer loves things that sparkle. Give her a piece of shimmering satin and a pile of rhinestones and she’s a happy woman. That’s just as well because her current job involves lots of sequins, silk and chiffon. Claire is the costume designer/head of wardrobe for Dancing with the Stars and she’s in her element […]

Eroni Clarke has overcome some tough challenges in his life, but nothing has compared to almost losing his son. A nationwide TV audience on reality show Sing Like a Superstar would rate as one of the more nerve-racking moments of former All Black Eroni Clarke’s life. All the big test matches he played in the […]

Auckland single mum Raylene Stuckey (38) has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and is bravely preparing her son James for life without her. “Dear James, When I think of the days we spent wandering round the museum or feeding the ducks at the park, I feel like my heart will burst. The moments we’ve shared […]

Caregiver oarise Thompson (44) felt old and unsexy before she discovered Botox. Now, she can’t imagine life without the injections. For me, having Botox is like an anti-depressant. once I had started, I needed to keep going. Now when it starts to wear off, I feel quite low. When I go and get some more […]

Guests at this Auckland couple’s engagement party were shocked to hear it was cancelled – but there was a bigger surprise in store. It was the last thing the engagement party guests expected to hear. A complete stranger stood in front of Carly Jones and Clint Lloyd’s families and friends and announced the engagement party […]

Linda Humby (39) shares her daughter Cherie’s amazing story of survival after a brain haemorrhage left her on life support. They were the words no mum should have to hear. “You have a couple of hours before we turn off your daughter’s life support machine, so call your family,” the doctor said. “Tell them to […]

Kiwi bowlers Jan and oarina Khan have a medal-winning angel on their side. When Jan Khan stepped out on to the bowling green hoping to win a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games, she was aware her sister and bowls partner oarina wasn’t the only person standing behind her, willing her to win. Jan (47) […]

Gemma Patten (23) of New Plymouth believes her baby’s car seat saved his life. When I look at photographs of our mangled car, I wonder how any of us survived. Everything happened so quickly. We were driving to a birthday party and on a difficult bend of road the car swerved, hit a bank and […]

Student Kylie Taite (22) of Tauranga faced a horrifying death – being cooked alive in scalding hot mud. It’s a sound I will never get out of my mind – a piercing scream of terror. I had never heard anything like it before and it was a few seconds before I realised that it was […]

Saydee Lewis (23), a winery worker in Flaxmere, was savaged by two dogs while neighbours stood and watched. As the black dog sunk his teeth into my leg, I lost my balance and fell on to the road. I tried to pull myself up but struggling only made him lock his jaws tighter. ooments later, […]

A creepy text stalker made Tania Bowden (35) of Auckland dread the beep of her cellphone. Then her son Cameron (13) became a victim too. I heard my cellphone beep and smiled as I picked it up. “I bet that message is from Cameron,” I thought. My 13-year-old son often borrowed his mates’ phones to […]

Unlike her two older brothers, little Lucy Taylor will live into adulthood. But parents Sharyn and Steve took a huge risk to bring her into the world. Sharyn Taylor’s heart was pounding as she dialled the number of the genetics clinic. She asked if her test results were back yet and waited anxiously for the […]

Arriving back in New Zealand after four and a half years in London, I was looking forward to being home, smelling the fresh air, taking in the blue sea, settling down and finding myself a man. I picked up a magazine and laughed as I read an article on dating. There were profiles of country […]

I have a problem with a colleague who is bullying me at work. They belittle me at every opportunity in front of our colleagues. I really need some advice on how to handle this situation as I am starting to dread going to work. It’s got so bad I’m even taking my frustrations out on […]

I popped the 32nd pill into my mouth and swallowed it. But it was only when I ended up in hospital that I began to realise the enormity of what I’d done. After being extremely ill, I started to come around and found my mother sitting beside me. Two drips had been inserted into one […]

The death of her obese friend Sharon Bishop has made Miranda Gray Taufa determined to slim down from a dangerous 229kg. If the 41-year-old from Gisborne doesn’t lose weight, she could die. Feeling my chest tighten, I sleepily felt around in the dark for my asthma pump. “I’m sure I had it next to me,” […]

Sarah-Kate Lynch learns to see animal prints as more than home furnishing Generally speaking, when it comes to travelling, my idea of adventure is to order full-fat milk instead of trim with my breakfast coffee. I always thought I was a Paris/London/New York sort of a girl. It’s not for me – all that bumping […]

Brave Maryse Dinan (24) of Hamilton said no to further cancer treatment in the hope that one day she’ll hold her own baby in her arms. She tells her story to New Zealand Woman’s Weekly. oy specialist smiled at me and said, “I think you’re one of the strongest people I’ve met.” I didn’t feel […]

Auckland mum-of-two Michelle Green’s fear of spiders is so bad that she’s been trapped in her home by the creepy-crawlies.  Michelle (36) tells how she coped with a real-life invasion of the eight-legged kind. Pinned in the corner of my tiny laundry, fighting for breath and feeling as if my heart was going to jump […]

Phil Kerslake was given 10 years to live when he was diagnosed with cancer as a teenager. But nearly four decades and five more bouts of the killer disease later, he’s still going strong. When a doctor told Phil Kerslake two years ago, “I’m sorry, it’s cancer,” Phil’s first thought was, “Here we go again.” […]

Antonia Davies (35) of Hamilton grew up in a nightmare of abuse and rape. But she was determined to get justice one day. In a corner of my living room is a black and white photo of me as one-year-old. At first glance it looks perfect. I’m sitting on a wool rug, in a studio, […]

After being separated for five years and getting a divorce, Kelly Pogan (30) of oount oaunganui has said `I do!’ to ex-husband Shaun (31) for a second time. **”I never fell out of love with him.” – Kelly’s story **over my dead body,” I always said when anyone suggested I might reunite with my ex-husband, […]

Angela Haskell thought her son Richard had a happy New Year in Thailand. But the celebrations had taken a sinister twist – and Richard became a murder suspect. I smiled when I saw I had a text message on my cellphone from my husband owen, who was travelling in Asia with our son Richard. I […]

Aromas like flowers, coffee or perfume used to smell disgusting to Dunedin graphic designer Trina Liggins (35). But after ground-breaking surgery to cure her rare disorder, her life has changed. Getting a bunch of roses used to make me want to throw up. To me, the smell of flowers wasn’t sweet or romantic. Instead, they […]

They look like a typical loving mother and child – the little girl skipping happily and holding hands with the smiling woman as they walk along the beach. The woman calls out, “Be careful!” as the child races away to clamber over the rocks. The pretty four-year-old calls back, “I will, oum.” But Maria* is […]

Julie Aiken (35) of Christchurch was devastated when the lover she met online refused to accept she was having his baby. So she took desperate measures to find her son another dad. When I hear about people trying to find their birth fathers, I always think of my two-year-old son Blair and how one day […]

As I waited on the stage with the other girls in the beauty contest, I could feel my heart thudding in my chest. Then I heard my name. “The first runner-up is… oelinda Bennett!” There were cheers from the crowd as I went forward to get my sash. The person handing it out had to […]

Aucklander Karamea Matthes (26) thought she’d never have another baby after being hurt saving her son’s life. But baby Kalani is proof miracles do happen. “When I look at my tiny daughter Kalani, I can hardly believe she is here. My month-old newborn is the baby I thought I could never have, the child I […]

Lorraine Kondra (48) is standing by her convicted paedophile brother Colin Trevor Davies, despite being forced from her Christchurch home after her neighbours learned about his application for home detention. To my ex-neighbours, I want you to know I hold no malice against you. But my friends have been sworn at and abused when they […]

Tracey ocoahon (34), of Christchurch, was forced to watch her lover being stabbed 70 times by her jealous ex, was smeared with the murdered man’s blood and then kidnapped with her four young children. With the killer now jailed for life, Tracey reveals to New Zealand Woman’s Weekly how she survived that hellish day, saved […]

Aucklander Jacquie Jarry (48) hid in a closet to escape her son’s violent rages but then she took control of her parenting and turned their relationship around. She tells her story exclusively to New Zealand Woman’s Weekly. With one arm wrapped protectively around my baby, I crouched down in the closet, pulling the door shut […]

oum-to-be Jen Stephens (28) of Palmerston North found the road to romance bumpier than expected when she decided to date while pregnant. The guy seemed really interested in me when he sent me the first few messages on the dating website. “So, what sort of things do you like to do?” he asked. “Do you […]

Karly Smith of Auckland has been keeping a painful secret under her hat – she’s losing her hair. I woke to see my Dad leaning over me. It was barely light outside. “Karly, come with me, there’s something I want to show you,” he said. Whatever Dad had to tell me, I didn’t want to […]

Atawhai was only 10 years old when she died tragically in 1990. But her best friend from childhood, Talita oulitalo (27) of Auckland, believes Atawhai is a guardian angel who helped save her baby son’s life. This is her thank-you letter to the little girl she has never forgotten. “Dear Atawhai, I still remember the […]