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Features

<p>Flowers, and chocolates, and cuddles, oh my! The 'high-effort boyfriend' is the latest impossible relationship standard to hit social media</p>

Let's unpack that

Why the ‘high-effort boyfriend’ is the next toxic dating trend

Social media is encouraging women to demand more from their romantic partners. But expecting a man to take care of (and pay for) everything isn’t feminist empowerment – it’s infantilising, writes Helen Coffey

<p>Mills’ very own romcom-esque abode in West Oxfordshire </p>

in focus

Why living in a cosy Cotswolds cottage is nothing like the movies

<p>Kathy Lette is seriously thinking of offering to buy her thirtysomething daughter egg freezing</p>

Health & Families

Why I want to give my daughter an egg-freezing voucher for Christmas

<p>Christmas can be difficult to navigate when you’re missing a loved one</p>

How to get through Christmas if you’re grieving, according to experts

<p>The soaring cost of food has meant one in four working parents have sought help from food banks this year</p>

‘I have a job but still use food banks for our Christmas dinner’

<p>Have yourself a merry little Friendsmas</p>

Why single, child-free women like me should reclaim Christmas

<p>‘For a brief moment, Gen X ruled the creative economy, but it was a mirage, and now it feels like we’re losing the plot completely’</p>

Fifty and out: How Gen X became the biggest work losers

Latest news

More features

<p>A last minute planner roast chicken dinner. Phew. </p>

A simple last-minute Christmas dinner menu that actually works

<p>Librarian Molly Quinn was shocked her therapist used AI without her consent</p>

Health & Families

‘My therapist used AI without my consent’

<p>Timothée Chalamet<a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=cedc331ac025ea34&rlz=1C5GCCM_en&q=Timothee&si=AMgyJEtULK0SKwwDiAHLrI671RJytqVBKmdpG94FLY1HeXcxdStQYWsJe5W3eBKnet0ST-FWLW48ZahoBGdRhrc266Aoro9PhE2QFL14_ZOXQt-cR6iAP4s%3D&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjnoZvjw8eRAxXZUkEAHapSMtkQyNoBKAB6BAgcEAA&ictx=1"> </a> in ‘Marty Supreme’, a film that is rapidly becoming a cultural phenomenon</p>

How Timothée Chalamet is clapping back at toxic men of the internet

<p>On your own at Christmas? You’re not alone: millions of people in the UK are affected by family estrangement</p>

Brooklyn Beckham and the reality of family estrangement at Christmas

Fitness and wellness

<p>Dark showers: Experts say a candlelit bathe before bed could be the answer to an easier night’s sleep </p>

Why experts think we should all be showering in the dark

A growing number of young people are opting to ‘dark shower’, saying it helps them to de-stress and sleep better. Lydia Spencer-Elliott dims the lights and puts it to the test

Why experts think we should all be showering in the dark

A growing number of young people are opting to ‘dark shower’, saying it helps them to de-stress and sleep better. Lydia Spencer-Elliott dims the lights and puts it to the test

<p>Dark showers: Experts say a candlelit bathe before bed could be the answer to an easier night’s sleep </p>

<p>A new report has found serious failings in maternity care across NHS wards in the UK</p>

Health and Wellbeing

The best places to give birth – and what they can teach us

<p>An average of 2,660 patients per day were in a hospital bed with flu last week</p>

Should a young healthy person like me get a flu jab?

<p>Increasing your walking speed, and focusing on walks longer than 10 minutes, can offer increased benefits to heart health</p>

Fitness and wellbeing

Struggle to hit 10,000 steps? Scientist suggests trying this instead

<p>Going sober in December can feel like ’skipping the 10km race and going straight to running a marathon’</p>

Dry December: How I’m getting through the Christmas party season sober

<p>Going sober in December can feel like ’skipping the 10km race and going straight to running a marathon’</p>

Dry December: How I’m getting through the Christmas party season sober

<p>The Korean dish bibimbap</p>

How to eat for immunity for superflu season

<p>While open cup milkshakes and coffee drinks are exempt from the government’s latest sugar tax, their calorific content can still be a problem</p>

How embarrassing is your coffee order?

Food features

<p>Generation X, such as Oasis’s Liam Gallagher, were the first generation to have UPF feature heavily in their diets from an early age</p>

Fitness and wellbeing

The food Gen X is addicted to – and why it could be killing them

<p>A bowl of yoghurt and fruit – once hailed as the breakfast of the health-conscious, now caught in Britain’s food-policy crossfire</p>

Why your yoghurt isn’t as healthy as you think it is – or is it?

The best new no and low-alcohol drinks to try now

<p>Humble no more: beans have gone from back-of-the-cupboard staple to the food world’s hottest ingredient</p>

Fitness and wellbeing

How bean fibremaxxing became the secret to better gut-health

Recipes

<p>A hearty reminder that autumn salads can be every bit as comforting as roasts</p>

Autumn recipes to cook now, from squash to apple pie

<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

<p>Slow-cooked beef goulash – rich, smoky and perfect for soaking up with dumplings or crusty bread</p>

How to make classic Czech beef goulash

Life Stories

<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’

<p>Mohammed Nayef Salem is 18 and has been training as an entertainer since he was 12</p>

‘I’m a clown in a war zone – it’s an incredibly important job’

<p>Lauren Bateman, who received under-eye filler from a woman without medical qualifications</p>

‘I got under-eye filler – then felt like my face was going to explode’

<p>Rachael Doman and her husband Paul with their three children</p>

‘I went from zero children to being a mum to three kids overnight’

Independent TV

<p>Serving the masses at Christmas can be a mission (Alamy/PA)</p>

Doctor’s advice to beat bloating this Christmas

Nikki Sanderson announces pregnancy with Anthony Quinlan

Kate teases ‘special duet’ at Christmas carol service

Dog walker has best reaction to surprise Prince William meeting

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 December – 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

<p>Laying the table to an art form to showcase your festive flair</p>

How to elevate your Christmas dinner with stylish tablescaping

Organise the home with these must-haves (Mustard Made/PA)

9 stylish storage solutions to clear the clutter

Pantone’s Colour of the Year – Cloud Dancer, is a captivating shade of white (Pantone/PA)

How to style Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2026 – Cloud Dancer

Royal Family

Ex Royal butler shares crazy Christmas memory with William and Harry

<p>The King and Queen with the royal family in Norfolk on Christmas Day in 2024 (Aaron Chown/PA)</p>

King Charles’ former butler lifts lid on Royal Family Christmas

<p>Meghan and Harry address changes to staff as their Archewell company is renamed</p>

Harry and Meghan address staff cuts at their non-profit organization

Women

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

Vote in our Independent Women poll: Have you had the ‘superflu’?

<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>After 18-years of marriage Jane moved to Marrakech for a new beginnning </p>

The brutal truth about my first post-divorce Christmas

<p> (L to R) Steve Carell as Nick, Kerri Kenney as Anne, and Tina Fey as Kate Netflix’s The Four Seasons which examines at marital upset in midlife</p>

Why ‘walkaway wives’ are leading the charge in midlife divorce

Lovehoney has launched a sell-out advent calendar range

indy100

news

Kate and Charlotte perform together on the piano for royal carol concert

Kate and Charlotte perform together on the piano for royal carol concert

news

Charity busk draws hundreds to Dublin city centre

politics

Joe Rogan says Trump is 'losing it' over latest plaque stunt

politics

Gov. Landry appears to contradict Donald Trump over Greenland envoy

news

Hundreds brave the cold to make a splash for charity

news

Hundreds brave the cold to make a splash for charity

politics

White House slammed for hosting AI live stream of Trump checking his 'naughty list'

tv

Heated Rivalry episode five just tied a TV record set by Breaking Bad