RuPaul is the undisputed queen of self-confidence — and he shares his tips for learning how to love yourself in the new issue of Us Weekly.
21.05.2023 - 10:43 / ok.co.uk
13 years ago Katie Banks was diagnosed with a a life-threatening condition called autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Affecting up to one in every 1,000 to 2,500 people in the UK, it's believed that between 30,000 and 70,000 people in the UK are living with the condition, according to the NHS. Here, mum-of-two Katie, who lives in Swansea with husband Richard and youngest daughter Oli, tells her story...
“‘Congratulations on your pregnancy,’ a well-meaning older lady calls over to me. I’m standing on a bus, in Greece, on holiday with my husband Richard. I simply nod and smile but she then makes a big deal of telling a passenger to give up their seat for me.
I’m mortified. It’s a situation I’ve become oddly accustomed to, but I’m not preparing to bring a child into the world. I have autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) – a condition that could ultimately kill me.
I have a cyst in my kidneys that will continue to grow until there’s no kidney left. It causes my stomach to protrude. And my kidney, which is meant to clean my blood and rid my body of toxins, will soon be completely unable to function.
I’ve learnt to hide my visible symptom – the swollen stomach – with baggy clothes in the winter. However, in the summer months, especially on holiday, it’s more difficult. Plus, I still want to wear nice things and feel pretty.
I have to accept the dirty looks I get for ordering a glass of wine while looking pregnant. It was 2010 when I was told my body, and more specifically my kidneys, were betraying me. My mum had ADPKD and as it’s hereditary, I thought it was sensible to get checked out, despite feeling healthy at the time.
RuPaul is the undisputed queen of self-confidence — and he shares his tips for learning how to love yourself in the new issue of Us Weekly.
Britain’s News Channel that, according to an industry insider, “the next James Bond won’t be white.” Ariel in the Disney remake “The Little Mermaid” was also mentioned as a white character who had been recast as nonwhite.“And I thought that was a little bit more of an odd fit,” Cuomo went on. “But if you were going to play to the global palette, wouldn’t he, and if it’s for America, wouldn’t he be Latino? And if it’s for the world market, wouldn’t he probably come from Bollywood? I mean, why is there this expectation that he has to be a Black actor?”“I don’t think there’s an expectation that he has to be a Black actor. The idea is that he has been White for six iterations and there is no problem in opening it up to other people,” Mystal responded.
Last year, the Scottish Government announced that 19 projects supporting people with neurological conditions were to benefit from a third round of funding. As part of a five-year neurological care and support action plan, innovative projects which harness new techniques and technology will be helped with £1million commissioned for work across Scotland.
Time is running out for people to buy credits to plug any gaps in their National Insurance (NI) record for any missed years of contributions from as far back as April 2006. The UK Government extended the deadline from April 5, 2023 to July 31, 2023 after the original deadline saw a surge of people trying to contact the Future Pension Centre phone line, but unable to get through.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently shared details of a new ‘private beta trial’ for Attendance Allowance claimants. The service is currently only being offered to 60 people each week who start a new claim for the State Pension age disability benefit through certain channels.
Award-winning singer Dua Lipa was present at the Hay Festival on Sunday. The “Levitating” singer wowed the audience by being open about how “persistence” had led to her success.
You'd think that the Desert Island Dumpling were an Affleck's Palace staple with how busy it is. But the quaint little vegan café drenched in Simpson's memorabilia is just over a week old - and it's already a hit.
Car insurance customers face a growing divide between those paying monthly and annually, according to Which? The consumer group said those customers who can often least afford to pay "over the odds" may end up paying around an extra £300 on average.
Brits who are staying in the UK this May half term could enjoy better weather than those jetting away to popular holiday destinations, the Met Office has explained. Last week northern Italy was hit by severe floods following heavy rainfall, while thunderstorm warnings were issued for parts of Spain.
With a new trailer and a single from the film by pop icon Dua Lipa out today, anticipation for Greta Gerwig‘s “Barbie” is at an all-time high. But there are still under two months to wait before the blockbuster hits theaters, so brace yourselves, cinephiles: plenty of more “Barbie” stories on the way.
The latest figures from the Scottish Government show there are estimated to be around 850,000 people with hearing loss in Scotland and of those, 70 per cent are over 70. It is projected that figures could double over the next 20 years, with a delay of up to 10 years before people address their hearing loss.
The risk of dementia increases the younger people develop diabetes, new research has found.
Newly updated research has discovered that during the ongoing cost of living crisis, people in the UK claiming their State Pension entitlement only just break even despite a record-breaking increase to weekly payment rates in April. The research, conducted by pension advisors Almond Financial, looked at the uprated State Pension in comparison to the average cost of living in the UK.
Florence Pugh knows certain people weren’t impressed when she made her move into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Vicky Pattison has woken up after spending the night in a tiny tent at the Chelsea Flower Show to raise awareness about homeless young people. The Geordie Shore star, 35, is an ambassador for the Centrepoint charity, which supports young homeless people, and ditched her home comforts for the night to sleep outdoors in a tiny orange tent.
There's a pizza place that popped up in lockdown that has people queuing around the block - and the story behind it is quite something.
Miley Cyrus scored a hit single earlier this year with “Flowers” but don’t expect the former Disney star to sing it on tour anytime soon. The singer seemingly has no desire to go on tour and singing in front of thousands of fans.
Johnny Depp. A man who sued his ex-wife for defamation – and won – after she wrote a column in which she claimed to have been a victim of domestic abuse. A man who sued a British newspaper for calling him a ‘wife beater’, but lost his libel case after the judge found the article ‘substantially true’.
A weekly injection to fight against obesity may help people to shed weight fast, according to a new study.
Ed Sheeran, Adele and Harry Styles are among the UK’s wealthiest people under the age of 35, according to the 2023 Sunday Times 35 under 35 Rich List. All three musicians were listed as having wealth higher than £150 million after seeing success in both the UK and the US. Sheeran and Adele both claim spots in the top 10 of the under-35 list – Sheeran, 32, in seventh place with an estimated wealth of £300 million.