Deborah Ross

Deborah Ross writes the "If you ask me..." column for i. She also writes for The Daily Mail.

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If you ask me...six weeks to get a beach body? My simple plan will work faster than that

May is definitely the “six weeks to an amazing beach body” season, as decided by the International Committee for the Continuing Torment of Women (based in Geneva)

Top of the crops: Michael Bolton on critics, crooning and why the mullet had to go

He was famous for power ballads and that hairstyle – to the derision of some. Now Michael Bolton is a humanitarian with a short-back-and-sides. But will our interviewer ever get a word in edgeways?

Don't we all dream of a Ukip wonderland?

For so many, life was far more pleasant in Ukip's imaginary heyday

A Government review of pension drawdown rules could leave many retired people out of pocket

If you ask me...there are some other people who could hand you back some cash, Iain Duncan Smith

IDS’s suggestion that wealthier pensioners should, in an effort to help the economy, hand back their fuel allowances has resulted in quite the hoo-ha. I can’t imagine why

Forget about ‘ethical’ labels for clothes. We need ‘unethical’ ones

£3 t-shirts would come with a label stating: “Made by Bangladeshi girls, aged nine, in unsafe conditions for 1p a day. Enjoy.”

Want to be really unfit? Try these simple exercises

The fact that it’s now known that Andrew Marr suffered a stroke while working out on a rowing machine has to mean there has never been a better time to give up exercise

If you ask me...I’m sorry, but I can no longer hide my admiration for Lady Thatcher

If only there were some opportunity to commemorate the legacy of this great lady - a 'Thatcher Day', for instance - I know exactly how I would celebrate

Drinking in the disused car park: are you up for Teenage Studies?

Teachers say Gove's reforms to the curriculum won't reflect teenage experience. But do we really want that?

Gerard Butler: 'I know some things I will take to the grave'

He may be a ‘fantastic-looking cutie-pie’ and is rumoured to earn $20m per film, but he is still haunted by his dark past.

Were you injured and would like to claim compensation? Get over it!

Just so you know, pretending to have put your back out is, research shows, much less inconvenient than actually putting your back out

Day In a Page

'There is a battle going on inside us that is never discussed'

Masculinity in crisis?

'There is a battle going on inside us that is never discussed'
Have US shock jocks gone too far?

Have US shock jocks gone too far?

An incendiary remark from Rush Limbaugh may be the beginning of the end for outspoken right-wing US broadcasters
The ‘Beverly Hills’ of Surrey pays more income tax than big cities of the North

The ‘Beverly Hills’ of Surrey

Elmbridge pays more income tax than big cities of the North
Heavenly Bodies

Heavenly Bodies

Michael Landy's artistic marriage made in heaven... and hell
'He will always be a friend': Jackie Stewart backs Polanski

'He will always be a friend'

Jackie Stewart backs Roman Polanski
The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act

The price of pacifism

From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.
'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond

Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond

To millions, Jason Isaacs is one of Harry Potter's arch enemies – but his wife prefers him as a Scottish TV detective.
Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?

Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?

Thomas Hodgkinson spent a week at the tiny platform off the Suffolk coast to find out.
Not a bad bone: Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

If you ignore cutlets and ribs, you'll risk missing out on some delicious and easy meals, says our chef.
The experts' guide to summer: From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz

The experts' guide to summer

From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz
Sex, drugs and fast cars: The legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Early glimpses of Ron Howard's film Rush suggest it will portray Hunt as a high-living lothario, with an insatiable appetite for partying.
Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation when using drugs and alcohol. It was hurting my life'

Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation'

The next Vanilla Ice or the next Eminem? Macklemore doesn't have a record contract – but he does have the UK's biggest-selling single of the year.
Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Sri Lankan cuisine is light, sunny, wonderfully spiced – and so easy to cook from scratch. Just as soon as you've broken into the coconut, that is.
Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Doctors are hailing the revamp of a Bath neonatal unit, where babies sleep more and feed better, as the model for patient care
One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

Epecuen was submerged under 10 metres of water in 1985. Now the floods have gone – and 83-year-old Pablo Novak has moved back in