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A mum has gone viral after modifying her little girl’s Barbie by adding stretch marks to the doll to normalise “tiger stripes” – using nail varnish. Kate Claxton hit the headlines earlier this year after sharing her experience with postnatal anxiety, which led to her quitting her job as a marketing manager. The 35-year-old mum from Swindon is married to husband Tony, 35, with whom she has a three-year-old daughter [name omitted at case study’s request]. Kate, now a children’s author, has written a book about her “tiger stripes” – and is taking to Instagram to reveal why she drew these onto her child’s doll. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “We're really open with our daughter about the ways bodies are different and I'm keen for her toys and books to reflect this,” the mum told http://NeedToKnow.co.uk . “She loves Barbies and while we do have a diverse mix of dolls, there were none with stretch marks, so I decided to decorate my own! “We'd had a long day of crafts and play to avoid the rain and I needed the chill time. “Once she'd gone to bed, I spent maybe an hour or less making the marks with nail varnish actually. “It dried quickly and I put the Barbie's vet outfit back on to go in the toy box ready for the morning. “I bought a new doll to do this with, just in case I got told off for marking a favourite!” Kate says she approaches conversations with her daughter around beauty and body positivity “honestly and openly” but “worries” about the future. She said: “I don't force it on her but if she ever has questions about bodies, or if I notice her watching or playing with something that allows us to bring it up naturally, I'll always do my best to make it normal. “I think representation is getting much better, but you have to seek these things out for yourself a lot of the time. “I do worry for my daughter heading into a world that still judges girls on how they look and pits them against each other.” Kate was inspired by her own children’s book, My Mum’s a Tiger, and hopes that her creation might inspire Mattel, the brand that owns Barbie, to create a similar doll. She said: “I hate that new mums in particular are faced with the negativity around skin and body changes at a time when hormones and sleep and responsibilities are all over the place. “People have loved the reel on Instagram and lots of people are asking how I did it – I hope that means there will be lots more DIY dolls popping up in toy boxes. “I'd love if Barbie could bring out their own permanently-marked version to show children it's normal and nothing to be worried about.” Social media users have come out in droves to praise the mum for her DIY doll. A subtracted version of her post reads: “… [..] Eliza is SO into dolls and getting them dressed and undressed at the moment that it was important for me to make some modifications to this gal and give her the stripes so many of us cover up. “Let's take what makes us different and instead of trying to hide, let's be more like animals and wear our marks with pride.” “My little girl asks me about my ‘tiger stripes’ every time I have a shower or get changed,” said Sammy. “Love this!! Just genius!!!” added someone else. Ella Lucie said: “Really love this.” “Great idea,” added another person. “Love this! I am one of those who are guilty of hiding my stretch marks but your wonderful book and posts always remind me of why I’ve got those tiger stripes,” said Jessica. “I have SO much love for this and totally agree that @barbie should add them to some of their dolls,” said someone else, tagging Mattel’s brand. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Tony Blackburn has revealed that he had life threatening sepsis and pneumonia after coming out of a two-month stay in hospital. The veteran BBC Radio DJ had pulled out of his Sound Of the 60s UK Tour and accompanying radio show earlier this year after he was taken ill. At the time, Blackburn told his listeners he had a chest infection. Now that Blackburn has fully recovered and has been discharged from hospital, the DJ has revealed that he was actually suffering from sepsis, pneumonia and blood poisoning. “I was doing three a week at one time forgetting that I’m now a little bit older, so I ended up in hospital for two months with sepsis and pneumonia and blood poisoning,” he said on BBC Radio Scotland’s Afternoon Show on Wednesday (23 August). “And I didn’t realise how unwell I was until one day in the hospital my whole family were gathered around the bed. And I thought ‘this isn’t good’.” “A couple of weeks ago I went to see my specialist and he said ‘you are cured’, so that was a nice thing to hear.” After a three-month break, Blackburn has returned to his tour but will be doing one show per week rather than three per week. He said: “I haven’t been doing the [tour] show for about three months because I was told to rest a little bit. Now I’m back in form and we’re selling out.” “I love being with the band and it’s just loads of fun.” Blackburn returned to BBC Radio 2 after Johnnie Walker covered his Sounds of the 60s radio show during his illness and has since launched a new show on Sunday afternoons – Tony Blackburn’s Soul on Sunday on BBC Radio London. Back in May, Blackburn announced that he had been discharged from hospital and was looking forward to broadcasting again. “After three weeks in hospital I have just been discharged and am now at home to have some more treatment by having a daily injection for a few days from a hospital near me,” he said. “Thanks to everyone at the Wellington Hospital in London, doctors and nurses for looking after me. “After my treatment and a rest I look forward to getting back @BBCRadio2 and @BBCLOCALRADIO to doing what I love doing. Just want to thank all my friends for your lovely messages, you are all so kind to think about me xx,” he concluded. According to the NHS, sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection when your immune system overreacts to an infection and starts to damage your body’s own tissues and organs. There are lots of symptoms of sepsis, and those symptoms can be similar to other conditions, including the flu or a chest infection. Read More Former royal chef explains why Prince William and Kate’s children don’t eat with them What we know about the leaked Pentagon documents on Ukraine Bride tries on mother’s wedding dress 30 years after parents’ wedding 4 hacks to get teens off the sofa and get active – as study warns of heart damage Selling Sunset’s Amanza Smith says she ‘almost died’ from spine infection Strictly’s Amy Dowden finding it ‘so hard’ as she shares hair loss update amid cancer

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Irina Shayk has shared details about her co-parenting relationship with ex Bradley Cooper. The supermodel, 37, opened up about sharing custody of her six-year-old daughter, Lea, with the Silver Linings Playbook star in an interview with Elle published on 8 November. In the interview, Shayk revealed that she and Cooper always put their daughter first, despite their busy schedules. “We both take Lea everywhere with us. She’s super easy,” she told the outlet. Shayk went on to recall how her daughter sat and drew in a colouring book for an hour while she was working out. When the mother-daughter duo then went to a Michael Kors fitting, Lea drew the designer a “kitty cat” and he “gave her a bag” in return. The Russian-born model admitted that she and Cooper, who grew up outside of Philadelphia, both come from “normal backgrounds” far different from Lea’s childhood in New York City. However, Shayk revealed that neither of them have hired a nanny for their daughter, so as to give her as regular an upbringing as possible. “Looking at my daughter now, she’s growing up in a completely different environment,” Shayk said. “She lives in the West Village. She went to all these countries in two months. But we want her to know the value of stuff. We want to show our daughter: ‘You have to work hard to get something.’” Even when Cooper is away shooting a film, Shayk admitted that they “always find a way” to make their co-parenting schedule work for both of them. “He’s the best father Lea and I could dream of. It always works, but it always works because we make it work,” she said. The supermodel previously admitted in March 2021 that she “never understood” the term co-parenting. “When I’m with my daughter, I’m 100 per cent a mother, and when she’s with her dad, he’s 100 per cent her dad. Co-parenting is parenting,” she told Elle at the time. Although the former couple split in 2019 after four years together, they’ve remained close for the sake of their daughter. In August, Shayk and Cooper took their daughter on vacation together to Italy. In a post shared to her Instagram Story during their getaway, the model shared a black and white snap of The Hangover star lying in a kayak on the water. The pair also posed for a photo together on another family vacation in August 2022. In the smiling image, Shayk and Cooper could be seen smiling for the camera and feeding a group of pigs, as she rested her head on the actor’s shoulder. While Shayk has been open about her co-parenting relationship with Cooper, she was not as quick to address rumours she’s dating retired NFL star Tom Brady. “No comment,” Shayk told Elle, when asked about her rumoured love interest. The model maintained that she chooses to keep certain aspects of her life private, including who she’s dating. “I share my work stuff because I decided to keep my personal life personal,” Shayk said. “That’s why it’s called personal, because it’s something that belongs to me. If one day I feel like I want to share it, I will.” Back in July, Shayk and Brady sparked romance rumours when they were spotted together in Los Angeles. In photos obtained byPage Six, the pair were photographed in a car, with the former quarterback sitting in the driver’s seat and smiling at Shayk in the passenger’s seat. One photo also appeared to show Brady’s hand placed on Shayk’s face while they were at a stoplight. A source claimed to People that the rumoured couple “have been in touch for a few weeks” and that “there is a spark” between them. “There is an attraction, the source claimed, adding that Shayk and Brady “have never been involved romantically before”. Just last month, however, insiders told the outlet that Brady and Shayk’s rumoured relationship has “fizzled out” since the summer. “Irina was very attracted to Tom. She liked dating him. It excited her,” one source said. "They had fun travelling to see each other. In the end, it kind of just fizzled.” “They both keep having obligations, and it was getting more difficult to be in the same city at the same time,” they continued. “Irina has nothing but great things to say about Tom.” A second source added that “there’s no drama” between Brady and Shayk following the split. Meanwhile, Cooper is currently romantically linked to fellow model Gigi Hadid. The two first sparked romance rumours in early October, when they were spotted having dinner together in New York City. Cooper and Hadid, 27, were later photographed taking a stroll in the Big Apple - where the actor could be seen sporting a pair of Ellen Degeneres-branded boxers peeking above his pants waistband. Read More What is silent reflux? Salon owner with incurable cancer who lost hair in treatment makes customisable wigs Should we end daylight saving time? Doctors think it’s bad for our health What is silent reflux? Salon owner with incurable cancer who lost hair in treatment makes customisable wigs Should we end daylight saving time? Doctors think it’s bad for our health

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