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Features

<p>Jennifer Aniston as pregnant Rachel Green in ‘Friends’</p>

France is sending reminders to 29-year-olds like me to have children

As France launches a 16-part plan to tackle its dwindling birth rate, Lydia Spencer-Elliott argues that sending pointed postal reminders to procreate to her generation definitely isn’t the answer

<p>Mia Drennan started GLAS in 2011 with £6,000 and has turned it into a £1bn business </p>

How I started a billion pound business

<p>Dogs behaving badly: Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston in 'Marley & Me'</p>

Is it okay to get rid of your dog when you have a baby?

<p>Anne Hathaway’s character in The Devil Wears Prada leaves her prestigious job for her wellbeing</p>

‘I took a £20,000 pay cut to be happier’

<p>Protesters campaign to decriminalise abortion in 2023</p>

Abortion rates are rocketing – the reasons behind it make total sense

<p>Poster boy: Johnny Depp in an advertisement for Dior Sauvage</p>

Dior Sauvage: How the world’s most popular cologne became a red flag

<p>Outdated: A speculum used in smear tests that was first invented in the 1840s</p>

Health and Wellbeing

Why has a less invasive smear test alternative taken so long?

More features

<p>Influential friends such as Peter Mandelson came to Jeffrey Epstein in search of loans – but often great wealth isn’t quite what it appears</p>

The Epstein files and the dark games rich people play with money

<p>The gems on Margot Robbie’s face in this scene were inspired by sweat</p>

Did Wuthering Heights just set the biggest beauty trend for 2026?

<p>Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo are ‘platonic partners’ </p>

Why two single 40-somethings moved in together as ‘platonic partners’

<p>Once the symbol of restraint, the salad has become lunch’s most ambitious – and expensive – offering</p>

£15 salads: When did eating lunch at your desk become so expensive?

Fitness and wellness

<p>Your sleep type is likely to have implications about your health</p>

Fitness and wellbeing

New research identifies five kinds of sleeper – which one are you?

A new study reveals that sleep types are more varied than simply larks and night owls – and questions the link between rising early and better health, finds Harry Bullmore

Fitness and wellbeing

New research identifies five kinds of sleeper – which one are you?

A new study reveals that sleep types are more varied than simply larks and night owls – and questions the link between rising early and better health, finds Harry Bullmore

<p>Your sleep type is likely to have implications about your health</p>

<p>Regular exercise is vital for health and longevity, but a smarter approach is needed as you age, according to coach Patrick James</p>

Fitness and wellbeing

Nine golden rules for strength training after 50, according to experts

<p>Remember their names: Jessica Brady, Danielle Leslie and Nina Lopes - their legacy lives on</p>

Health and Wellbeing

The women who died of cancer but are still helping thousands

<p>Alice Smellie (left) with Mariella Frostrup (right) on the Menopause Mandate Walk in 2024</p>

Health and Wellbeing

Will taking HRT help with the menopausal dementia risk?

<p>Simple lifestyle changes deliver immediate results, including lower inflammation, less pain and improved energy levels</p>

Fitness and wellbeing

Do these six things for immediate fitness results, says top coach

<p>Simple lifestyle changes deliver immediate results, including lower inflammation, less pain and improved energy levels</p>

Fitness and wellbeing

Do these six things for immediate fitness results, says top coach

<p>ChatGPT has shown itself to be a nifty training companion, but fitness experts say it falls short of providing a ‘PT in your pocket’</p>

Fitness and wellbeing

I used ChatGPT to plan my workout – then asked trainers to review it

<p>Swerving ultra-processed foods in favour of whole foods can help your body function better, according to Dr Owen Kavanagh</p>

Fitness and wellbeing

Four things you can do to reduce inflammation according to the experts

Food features

<p>Michelin stars are awarded on the plate, but the decisions behind them are shaped by far more than what happens on the pass</p>

How can a one-star hygiene rated restaurant have a Michelin star?

<p>Dry doesn’t mean joyless – many of the lowest-sugar wines are also the most balanced and expressive</p>

How much sugar is actually in your wine?

<p>This week, Just Eat announced the launch of an AI voice assistant designed to help users decide what to order</p>

Menu anxiety? No problem – AI is here to choose your dinner for you

<p>Boadi cooks the way he trains – focusing on protein, recovery and whole foods rather than meat or ultra-processed shortcuts</p>

Fitness and wellbeing

How to still build muscle on a plant-based diet

Recipes

<p>This cauliflower and potato coconut curry sings with freshness and zing</p>

Ryan Riley’s recipe for joy: Cauliflower and potato coconut curry

<p>‘What is more joyful than something delicious and comforting that can be whipped up in half the time than it usually is?’, such as a French (pickled) onion soup</p>

Ryan Riley’s recipe for joy: French (pickled) onion soup

<p>A thrifty twist on minestrone from Tom Kerridge – proof that a clear-out can still taste like comfort</p>

15 soup recipes from Tom Kerridge, Fearnley-Whittingstall and more

Life Stories

<p>For someone with RSD, a perceived slight can feel physically painful</p>

‘How rejection sensitivity dysphoria almost killed me’

<p>Model Katy Morgan was silenced by an NDA</p>

‘The ‘boob god’ surgeon tried to silence me after surgery went wrong’

<p>Lorraine Stanley put on a whopping seven stone with surgery - and now regrets it </p>

Why losing three stone made me more miserable than I was before

<p>After having five children of her own, Charlotte Johnson-Daniels decided to help childless couples and become a surrogate in 2022</p>

‘I’m a surrogate – but I don’t want to make money from a baby’

Latest news

Independent TV

Ruth Langsford makes rare relationship admission

Coronation Street star shares ‘crippling’ health struggle

Dr Amir Khan shares ‘need to know’ warning over omeprazole use

Dianne Buswell gives glimpse of baby boy’s nursery as due date nears

Deals

<p>Enjoy luxury garden decor at without the pricetag at Garden Trading</p>

Enjoy 25% off all homeware and garden at Garden Trading

<p>These are the best ways to save at M&S right now</p>

M&S discount codes for February – how to save 10%

Up to 50% off luxury bags and jewellery at Aspinal of London

<p>Enjoy the best of Jacamo with these deals</p>

Save more than 25% on fashion, tech and gaming at Jacamo

Design

Set the stage and bring the joy of the circus home (DFS/PA)

Master the FunHaus aesthetic with circus-inspired decor

Floral patterns and love slogans send the right romantic message (Oliver Bonas/PA)

9 whimsical ways to add an air romance into your home

Happy hues for more is more (DFS/PA)

9 ways to channel pops of colour in the home

Royal Family

<p>As a constitutional monarch the king is in an impossible position when it comes to supporting the calls for his brother to testify to congress</p>

If Prince William can speak out about Andrew, why can’t the King?

Watch: King Charles heckled again over Andrew links to Epstein

<p>His mother’s protection shaped Andrews sense of invulnerability and left Charles to pick up the pieces (Victoria Jones/PA)</p>

Queen Elizabeth protected Andrew for years and others paid the price

Women

<p>Vote in our weekly Independent Women poll</p>

Poll: Were you shocked by the latest photos of Prince Andrew?

<p>‘Rather than a constructive conversation, it is more like an argument about who is doing more jobs’</p>

‘I have never been happier’: Readers on life after divorce

<p>Independent Women: Sign up to Victoria Richards’ weekly newsletter </p>

Independent Women: Sign up to Victoria Richards’ weekly newsletter

Dating and Relationships

<p>Some couples had spent tens of thousands on a single day</p>

‘No need to waste thousands on one day’: Readers on no-fuss weddings

<p>There’s a wide range of options out there, so, you’re bound to find something to suit </p>

Best sex toys for men 2026, tested by an expert

<p>Joe Alwyn dated Taylor Swift for six years without putting a ring on it</p>

Are you being ‘future faked’ by the person you’re dating?

indy100

politics

Even Trump wasn’t watching Turning Point USA’s alternative Super Bowl halftime show

Even Trump wasn’t watching Turning Point USA’s alternative Super Bowl halftime show

showbiz

Hidden angle shows Bad Bunny dancing to Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl cameo

viral

Was the wedding in Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show real?

gaming

Marvel's Wolverine release date 'leaked' by PlayStation

celebrities

Jake Paul turns off Super Bowl halftime show - but there’s a problem with his reasoning

celebrities

Jake Paul turns off Super Bowl halftime show - but there’s a problem with his reasoning

gaming

FPL Gameweek 26 preview: Every player you need to think about

science-tech

Winter Olympics sparks backlash over AI intro