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A woman has credited Kim Kardashian’s shapewear line Skims for saving her life during a shooting. The 42-year-old Skims founder took to her Instagram Story on Friday 14 July to share a TikTok from Angelina Wiley, a 22-year-old Kansas City resident who survived a mass shooting in Kansas City, Missouri, earlier this year. The TikTok, which was posted on 18 May, went viral this week with more than 1.4m views as fellow TikTokers tagged Kardashian in the hopes that she would see the video. “Kim Kardashian saved my life,” Wiley began the clip. She explained that she was shot “four times” during an incident that occurred on New Year’s Day, according to CBS affiliate KCTV5. “The night that I got shot, under my dress I was wearing a Skims shaping bodysuit,” she said. “It was so tight on me that it literally kept me from bleeding out.” “I recommend it,” Wiley jokingly added. “I’m definitely going to buy some more, I mean I should wear it everyday. It’s like body armour for women.” As she threw her hand up in the air, she said: “Call it fate, or Jesus, but I’mma call it Kim.” In the comments, many people applauded Wiley for telling her story and praised Kardashian’s shapewear line for allegedly saving her life. “If this doesn’t land you a @Skims sponsorship I don’t know what will,” one user wrote. “Now THIS is good advertising,” another said. “Now I’m gonna go buy some Skims.” @honeygxd no but fr, thanks kim ???? #fyp #foryou #gunviolence #kimkardashian #kim #skims #skimsbodysuit #gunviolenceawareness ♬ dream - ? In her Instagram Story, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star wrote underneath the re-posted video: “Wowwww” Wiley revealed in a follow-up video that she was wearing the Skims Sculpt Thong Bodysuit ($68) when she was shot four times. In addition to the gunshot wounds, the incident also left her with a ruptured bladder, a cracked pelvis, and a bullet still lodged in her abdomen. The 22-year-old revealed in a series of videos posted last March that she was waiting for a Lyft around 1.30am when she decided to grab a bite from a nearby food truck. As she crossed the street with her friend, Wiley heard “people fighting” before a man “in a ski mask” began shooting. She has since started a GoFundMe page to raise money towards her medical bills. In an update shared on 8 July, after her video went viral, Wiley said she is in physical therapy but she continues to struggle with her hip and “severe PTSD” ever since the shooting. The Independent has contacted Angelina Wiley for comment. Kim Kardashian founded the shapewear brand Skims in September 2019. Since then, it has become one of the fastest-growing companies and launched Kardashian into billionaire status. This month, Skims was reportedly valued at close to $4bn, according to Women’s Wear Daily. Read More Fans amused at Kim Kardashian discovering ‘new snack obsession’: hummus and veggies Kim Kardashian responds to Kourtney’s claims she copied her wedding: ‘You stole my wedding country’ Kourtney Kardashian says she finds speaking to Kim Kardashian ‘intolerable’ amid ongoing feud Schoolboy almost dies from swallowing magnets for TikTok challenge Woman shares honest review of New York City apartment TikTok mom slammed after making 5-year-old son run in 104 degree heat

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Against all odds, none of which need naming, London’s food scene is still thriving. Proof is in the unfathomable number of new restaurants that open every week in the capital, and the thousands of diners still clamouring for a booking. It’s almost impossible to keep on top of. But, as a professional eater (or, more aptly, snob), here’s a non-exhaustive list of favourites that have sparkled in the past 12 months. Some of our recommendations are as follows. Get elbow-deep in a steaming cauldron of seafood at Brat-famous Tomos Parry’s Mountain in Soho (the only one to earn five stars from us, if the accolade exists). Gorge on goat curry in The Good Front Room, Dom Taylor’s well-earned prize for winning Channel 4’s Five Star Kitchen. Go classic at Paris-abroad eatery 64 Goodge Street or Mayfair’s grandiose 20 Berkeley, an ode to the brilliance of British produce. Or have fun at Papi, the new home for pandemic troublemakers Matthew Scott and Charlie Carr. There’s much more, and surely more to come. Stay tuned (and hungry). Mountain ★★★★★ Brat is back. Well, more specifically, its head chef and co-founder Tomos Parry is, with his new opening Mountain, in Soho. The formula is much the same as what gave the 2018 hit its cult status: wood-fired cooking combining Spanish influences with Parry’s Welsh heritage, plus excellent wine. Well, if it ain’t broke… And it certainly ain’t. Sobrasada toasts with honey and guindilla pepper pray at the altar of salt, spice, smoke and fat. I never thought a bowl of tripe would get people so excited, but apparently it does. A spider crab omelette, its innards submissively oozing out like one of those satisfying TikTok videos, has even the egg-adverse at the table gleefully tucking in. Another in our party, fists to the table, demands bread – baked onsite, of course, the butter organic, cultured, from Cardigan. But among many myriad must-haves, there is one that’s truly worth shelling out for: the Anglesey lobster caldereta (£90 for three to four or £120 for four to five). A steaming cauldron (hence the name) of charcoal-roasted Welsh lobster chunks bathing in a broth made satiny from the velvet crab and grilled salt cod stock. Get elbow deep, don’t wear white, let them demand bread. If turbot put Brat on the map, this is the dish that will define Mountain. And just like that, Brat grew up. There’s no elbow-grazing Shoreditch hipsters here, for one thing. Everything that made its younger sibling over-hyped (my DMs are closed) makes Mountain glorious. Take your friends, take your dates, or both, order the hits, go off-menu for wine, then saunter off into Soho for the evening quite content. 6-18 Beak St, London, W1F 9RD | mountainbeakstreet.com| bookings@mountainbeakstreet.com The Good Front Room ★★★★☆ The lack of variety in London’s melting pot of fine dining cuisines has long been a point of contention and one that hardly needs arguing. Do we really need another French bistro? It’s possible to get bored of bon bons and beurre blanc, believe me. What’s not boring is curried goat that falls apart at the slightest tap of a fork in a sauce as thick as blood, mopped up with still warm roti bread or smeared with fingers or straight-up slurped from the bowl. Can I take a bath in it? Salt cod and ackee (that oddly savoury, scrambled egg-like fruit) fish cakes with confit garlic and scotch bonnet aioli. A single dark rum-caramelised king prawn in a nest of dasheen salad and coconut sambal. Unwrapping a banana leaf like a gift to find ginger marinated sea bream. Even dessert has me salivating at the memory: a toasted spiced bun with sweet blue cheese, sour cherries and plantain chutney. Dessert should always have a hint of savoury. No, I’m not in Brixton. I’m in The Good Front Room at the five-star West End hotel The Langham, chef Dom Taylor’s prize for winning Channel 4’s Five Star Kitchen, in a room with ceilings as high as a church, rubbing elbows with punters more familiar with paying £200 for dinner than under £20. Taylor’s real triumph, though, is his menu, inspired by Caribbean flavours and a south London upbringing, which is the perfect cure for fine dining’s chronic case of aridity in the capital. Curried goat belongs here. It’s also the best possible justification for never seeing a French menu again. 1C Portland Pl, London W1B 1JA | langhamhotels.com/en/the-langham/london/good-front-room | 020 7636 1000 64 Goodge Street ★★★★☆ In a world full of innovations, sometimes it’s nice to revel in the classics. And call me Jackie Collins but is there anything as classic as a vol-au-vent? They’re still enjoying their moment in the sun and it shines particularly brightly at 64 Goodge Street, the newest opening from the Woodhead Restaurant Group, who can be reliably called upon for reliably brilliant eateries. Actually, it’s pretty dimly lit at 64 in a Parisienne sort of way – sans red and white tablecloths – which is precisely the point. To steal a phrase from Diana Henry, it’s hard to eat this well in Paris. The aforementioned vol-au-vent is thankfully not stuffed but exists as an extremely fluffy mopping up tool for the very French sauce américaine. The lobster tail that comes with it might be one of the best I’ve had. Elsewhere on the French classics bingo card are snail, bacon and garlic (need I say more?) bon bons, which are teed up like gooey golf balls. Nicoise makes a rare appearance, but correctly dumps tuna for rabbit. What would a counterfeit French bistro be without beurre blanc? This one is thicc and slides under perfectly plump scallops and lentils. Sea bass or saddle of lamb are tempting, but instead we mistakenly tuck into overly salty squab pigeon, which is somewhat rectified by a scoop of ice cream for dessert. Really, it’s the exclusively burgundy wine list that got me through the door. I don’t want to develop a habit of eating my words but perhaps there’s room for one more excellent French restaurant in London. Already in its groove when I visit just a week after opening, 64 Goodge Street could be it. Head chef Stuart Andrew has nailed French food without the faff – just don’t look at the bill and it’s no different to dining in Paris. 64 Goodge Street, London, W1T 4NF | 64goodgestreet.co.uk | 020 3747 6364 20 Berkeley ★★★★☆ Eschewing the kitsch party-restaurant theme that seems compulsory in this part of town, at Mayfair’s 20 Berkeley, executive chef Ben Orpwood and the Creative Restaurant Group promise “the feeling of being in a home, the British Isles your back garden”. Well, if your home is an enormous Georgian-era country manor house in central Mayfair, that is. Navigate this veritable warren and unfold the origami-style menu, though, and you’ll realise this isn’t the same kettle of fish as, ahem, Sexy Fish, Amazonico, Annabel’s or Bacchanalia, to name a few of its noisy neighbours. If the menu is a love letter to excellent British produce, then the language of love is a plump scallop scantily clad in a sliver of lardo, canoodling a hot-in-the-middle black pudding tortellino in a bath of foamy sorrel veloute. It’s the crunch of a deep fried courgette blossom, the slick ooze of the smoky cheese within, a lick of elderflower honey. It’s gently teasing the flesh of a slow-grilled turbot away from the bone, using confit potatoes dribbled in aioli to mop up its juices. We longed for the Herdwick lamb, jutting pink and proud from a tomato fondue, or the brazenly butch rib-eye that prompts sighs of content from a neighbouring table. Alas, bellies full, we allow the Nipperkin bar below and its serious slinger of seriously good cocktails Angelos Bafas (formerly of personal favourite Soma in Soho), to envelop us. First a highball concoction of whisky, meadowsweet, strawberries, Earl Grey and strawberry “paper”, then martinis that don’t mess around, and then… I forget. You know it’s a night to remember when you simply don’t. Mayfair has been calling out for a place like this, and thank god 20 Berkeley answered. 20 Berkeley Street, London, W1J 8EE | 20berkeley.com | 020 3327 3691 Papi ★★★★☆ My visit to Papi, from Hot 4 U’s Matthew Scott and Wingnut Wines’ Charlie Carr, in London Fields, turned out to be a lesson in why pairing your guest with the restaurant is just as essential as pairing Cab Sav with steak. As a not at all cool person, I wanted to bring a cool friend along to cool new Papi – not realising the menu was so heavily seafood focused and forgetting her aversion to anything remotely fishy. At the two-chef counter, within bantering distance of Scott and co, I had a front row seat to all the delicious things we weren’t ordering. A mound of clams drenched in bright, briny red pepper romesco. Huge langoustines, naked but for dashi vinegar and roe. Oysters… sigh. And though I am forced to make decidedly unfishy choices, the food, as the kids say in the part of town, slaps. Rebel coppa with mustard seeds gets us salivating. Hunks of winter tomato (better than summer’s, I’ll be taking no further questions) and shredded shiso leaves are glazed in a holy trinity of kecap manis, black garlic and black vinegar. We lick the plate clean. Scott points out a bottle of the stuff on the counter. I consider necking it. I’m happy to be persuaded out of my resentment for garlic bread when a grilled, fermented (squidgy and cute) potato cake topped with whipped ricotta and wild garlic arrives. If the food is fun to eat, the wine is just as fun to drink (when isn’t it?). For guaranteed great vibes with a dose of nostalgia, you’re in the right place. They’re just as serious about food and wine as they are about a good time. Go hungry, get a counter seat, but, most importantly, don’t take someone who doesn’t like seafood. 1F Mentmore Terrace, London Fields, E8 3DQ | papirestaurant.com | 07961 911 500 Portrait Review by Lucy Thackray ★★★★☆ It’s possible that you’ve never paid much attention to London’s gallery and museum restaurants, but once you start looking for them, there are many. They’re not the edgiest joints in town, nor somewhere you’d drop in for an impromptu bite. Instead, what they’re great for is a gift – an art fix and a posh lunch or dinner as a day out. I have such a food-and-art pairing in mind when I take my dad to The Portrait, the new Richard Corrigan restaurant at the National Portrait Gallery, the final touch to a major three-year renovation of the gallery that finished in June. It certainly is a glow-up, but the light and minimal design lets the view (which is pretty spectacular) and the food do the talking. Here’s what it has to say: instantly intriguing things about artichoke with crab mayonnaise and kombu, “snails bolognaise” over conchigliette, a duck heart vol au vent, pig’s trotter with borlotti beans and something described only as “cauliflower, yeast, seeds” (we skip that one). Much of it is what you’d expect from Corrigan – earthy flavours from the UK and Ireland, plenty of fish and veg, but with a few curiosities thrown in. With dainty-portioned mains at £22-32, there are no bargain bites, but the style of food and the option of set menus (£28 for two courses, £35 for three) feels nicely suited to an exhibition ticket as a present or treat. A meal here can be as good value and restrained or lavish and decadent as you make it – surely true of any day out in the capital. The Portrait Restaurant, National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London, WC2H 0HE | theportraitrestaurant.com | 020 3872 7610 Read the full review here Llama Inn ★★★☆☆ That a pisco sour isn’t the first thing on the menu at Shoreditch’s new modern Peruvian restaurant Llama Inn suggests they might be doing things a little differently. The first cocktail on the list is actually a gin “mini-tini” (a trend I shan’t be supporting) with a blue-cheese stuffed olive, which I’m sure would have made for an interesting aperitif had they not run out of blue cheese on the night. Starting my meal with a shot of brine isn’t my usual modus operandi. Ceviche, anticucho and saltado do abound elsewhere, though, with welcome (and some less so) twists. I’m repeatedly recommended the summer fruits ceviche as the best thing on the menu, though I can’t fathom why as vinegary slices of nectarine and melon leave quite a lot to be desired. They should instead recommend the two anticuchos, the cabbage and the octopus, which are chargrilled to perfection and drizzled with delights: sweet miso on the former, spicy-sour on the latter. We swerve the “un poco de todo” (a bit of everything) section on account of two of the four dishes containing pork and my non-pork-eating guest not being swayed by bok choy salad or courgette stew (an oversight that needs correcting). Instead, we’re stunned by the whole fish patarashca, which comes with a quaffable fruity-spicy curry sauce. But for the Gram, you should get the lomo saltado – a mound of stir-fried beef and fries to be wrapped in scallion pancakes. The NYC outpost might have earnt a Michelin Bib Gourmand, but London’s version might struggle to compete. That said, where Llama Inn ever so slightly misses on food, it makes up for in vibes. The hideaway terrace is a romantic spot to while away the last hours of summer. Better to stick to the theme and order a pisco sour. Llama Inn, 1 Willow Street, London, EC2A 4BH | llamainnlondon.com | reservations@llamainnlondon.com Zapote ★★★☆☆ Modern Mexican isn’t typically a catchline that gets me going. Haunting visits to Chiquitos and Wahaca as a teenager haven’t placed the cuisine high up on my list of frequent cravings. There’s a lot of bad tacos out there. But at Zapote, the brainchild of Mexican chef Yahir Gonzalez and hospitality veteran Tony Geary (you can thank him for Sketch), I’m prepared to eat my words… and a fair few tacos. The tortillas are knocked out fresh every day for the purposes of mopping up smooth and zingy guacamole, surfing under yellowfin tuna and spicy crab (piquant, fishy, delicious), and hosting beef tartare, which comes with a side of roast bone marrow in case you felt the bread-to-meat ratio was off. Arguably its best role is in a basket alongside thick slices of just-charred lamb neck on a smoked aubergine and tamarind puree. Some are hits, others are misses. Cutting a single tortilla in half to share with my date in full view of an open kitchen full of chefs seems like sacrilege, though. Stray from the tacos, however, and Zapote comes into its own. The scallop ceviche, that so overdone dish, here shines with persimmon, orange and grilled corn. Sweet white crab and black bean pozole, served in the shell, initially confuses the palate, then develops in flavour like a polaroid of old Mexico. Baby artichokes that cut like butter are also very good, served with a dollop of pipian verde, that bedrock mole. Wash it down with a Mezcal margarita and you’ll be saying, “Wahaca, who?!” If the food could do with some finessing, so could the setting. A backdrop of terracotta walls, murals and cacti fails to make the extraordinarily large space, formerly occupied by the ill-fated St Leonards, feel as intimate as its menu. When they say there’s a “bar area”, what they mean is they’ve just cordoned off some of the tables with a little curtain. There’s simply more they could do with the space. And yet, where most middling dining experiences put me off a return visit, there was just enough mystery that I could be tempted back. 70 Leonard Street, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 4QX | zapote.co.uk | 020 7613 5942 Epicurus Review by Kate Ng ★★★☆☆ Camden has long been known as the spiritual home for misfits. It’s also where punky pair and Israeli chefs Shiri Kraus and Amir Batito have opened their restaurants, The Black Cow and the newer Epicurus, just minutes away from each other. Like its older sister, Epicurus takes its culinary cues from across the pond – this time putting an Israeli twist on the all-American diner. The punny menu includes delights such as the “Oof Gozal” – chicken wings coated in a yellow Amba mango and Scotch bonnet sauce. Despite the fearsome chilli, these wings are barely spicy, favouring the flavour of the Scotch bonnet over the heat. They are incredibly moreish and the fact that your fingers end up being absolutely covered in sauce is only an invitation to get licking. You should also definitely get the “Papi Chulo”, a mix of crunchy deep-fried okra and soft padron peppers covered in spices that come with a lemony-garlicky-chilli aioli for dipping. Another honourable mention goes to the Epicurus single decker burger, which is also available as a double. It contains some of the richest, fattiest ingredients I’ve ever seen between buns, like bone marrow aioli and Baron cheese, and it does border on being a bit too unctuous. Boy, am I glad there’s no calorie counts on this menu. Is it worth elbowing your way through the thronging crowds of Camden Lock Market to get to Epicurus? I think it will be. Never mind the cheap tat and endless boba tea shops, head to Epicurus for a tasty escape. Unit 90, The North Yard, Camden Stables Market, NW1 8AH | epicuruscamden.co.uk | 07843 199560 Read the full review here Casa do Frango ★★★☆☆ Just a few months ago, I was touring the Algarve on the trail of authentic piri piri (I know, it’s a hard life). Days were well spent gorging on the local speciality of reverse-spatchcocked chicken brushed thrice with chilli oil and glugging local vino verde. It rained most of the time, if that helps. Back in London, though, and similar offerings are slim but the weather is much the same. Portuguese, alongside Spanish and those other misunderstood Mediterranean cuisines, and particularly the food of the Algarve is not well represented in the capital. Except at Casa do Frango, which literally translates to “chicken house”, and is strictly Algarvan. Say no more, I’m there, at their newest location in Victoria, to be precise. Don’t expect mind-blowing, out-there cuisine but do expect a truly authentic taste of the Algarve. The perfect order looks like this: order something drenched in their secret recipe piri piri oil to start (the prawns will do) and dip hunks of sourdough into it because… obviously. The main event is the piri piri half chicken (also comes in oregano or lemon and garlic for the spice intolerant/wimps out there). Shred that between two of you along with the African rice – with chorizo, plantain and shards of crispy chicken skin – and a salad, then finish with a chocolate mousse, an Algarvan classic found in most chicken houses. Stay within these strict parameters and you’ll understand why millions of Brits flock to Portugal’s southern tip every year. There’s various other things on the menu and seasonal updates but let’s not pretend like you’re here for anything other than chicken. Like I said, minds won’t be blown but a good time will be had. The wine is also decent – strictly Portuguese with some great Douro Valley reds but the wonderfully acidic world of vino verde, particularly their exclusive Boa Pingo, is worth a visit. Sir Simon Milton Square, London, SW1E 5DJ | casadofrango.co.uk/victoria | 020 3943 7777 | victoria@casadofrango.co.uk Read More The dish that defines me: Michele Pascarella’s Neapolitan ragu Seven super simple recipes for each day of National Rice Week Three healthy recipes to get back on track after summer Is bottomless prosecco going to be killed off by climate change? Budget Bites: Three ways to pimp up university student classics Epicurus: American fast food meets the Middle East in Camden Market

Ice-T has revealed that his seven-year-old daughter, who he shares with wife Coco Austin, still sleeps in the same bed as her parents. On Tuesday’s episode ofThat Moment with Daymond John podcast, the 65-year-old opened up about his relationship with his child, Chanel, while making the revelation about her sleeping habits. “I was there when Coco was pregnant, I went to the hospital and Chanel still sleeps in the bed with,” Ice-T, whose real name is Tracy Lauren Marrow, said. “So I’m so much more connected to her than my other kids. But it’s been a beautiful thing.” He also spoke candidly about his two older children, Letesha, 47, and Tracy Jr, 31, whom he welcomed with previous partners. He explained how he’s more present in Chanel’s life than he was in Letesha’s since he was so young when he first became a parent. “I think the difference with Chanel and my other kids is I’m very conscious of this baby,” he said. “I had my daughter when I was in high school, I was ripping and running. So it was presents over presence. I wasn’t there.” The musician confessed that when he welcomed his son, he was extremely focused on his career. “My son Ice happened right when I was becoming Ice-T, I’d never been famous before, this was a whole new thing, so I’m distracted by that,” he said. “Chanel, I’m comfortable, I’m in a cruise pattern.” The hip hop artist also acknowledged how welcoming Chanel changed his perspective on everyday life and made him “want to live forever”. “It made me create new goals. ‘Cause you got bread, you could start slowing down. But nah, not that new baby,” he said. “It’s the best gift I could ever get.” His comments come two months after he talked about becoming a parent for the third time during an interview with E! News in March. Ice-T explained how he’s been encouraged to stay healthy because of Chanel. “When Chanel was born, all of a sudden I got more healthy, I’m in shape. Because you can start to slow down—I can’t start to slow down,” he said. “I’ve got grown kids. Now I’ve got a new daughter and I’m so focused with her. It’s just amazing. It’s a great thing. And you’ve gotta have a reason for living, you’ve gotta have motivation. Chanel is my new motivation.” Ice-T’s parenting comments come months after his wife was hit with online backlash over her parenting habits. In September 2022, fans criticised a video on Austin’s Instagram in which Chanel took a bath in a sink. At the time, Austin took to Twitter to address the criticism, writing: “Wow just Wow! Here we go again! Giving my lil girl a bath in the sink went Viral? SMH! People,you gotta know by now that I’m an unconventional mother. I do what works and is easier on me. Some may want to take some pointers rather than rag on me!” Ice-T isn’t the first celebrity to open up about his children’s sleeping habits. In July 2022, Clueless star Alicia Silverstone revealed that her 11–year-old son, Bear, still sleeps in her bed. That same month, Kristen Bell said that her and Dax Shepard’s children had “graduated” and started sleeping in their own rooms, after previously sharing a bedroom with their parents. Read More Billie Eilish reveals she slept in same bed as brother and parents until she was 11 due to separation anxiety Actress Alicia Silverstone reveals she still sleeps in same bed as her 11-year-old son Kristen Bell says she no longer shares bedroom with her two children: ‘They now sleep in their room’ Mother shares horrifying moment she found ticks living in her daughter’s ear Apple Martin hilariously reacts to Gwyneth Paltrow’s candid dating confessions Heidi Klum faces backlash for lingerie photoshoot with 18-year-old daughter Leni

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I do a lot of activities alone. Not because I don’t have any friends or family who love me and share similar interests, but I’ve grown to enjoy my own company and stepping outside of my comfort zone. The first time I took the plunge was when I went to the Apollo Theatre in Victoria, London, to watch the iconic Wicked The Musical alone for my 21st birthday. I hated it and silently cried throughout the interval, watching people converse with their loved ones. But it taught me several lessons and I have since stopped thinking twice about going anywhere alone. Now, you’d happily find me at the cinema, gig, concert, restaurant, on a solo travel trip and yes, even the theatre, alone. For those thinking about it, but still need convincing, here are some of the reasons why you should try doing activities alone this summer. Increased independence and confidence Apart from learning to appreciate the peace that comes from silence, you could also start learning a new skill or invest in a talent, such as playing an instrument or knitting. “Trying out activities alone can boost your independence and confidence,” said Natalie Viglione, a life, business and spiritual coach who runs Team Gu and the Disrupt Now Program, which helps people and their businesses. “It’s an opportunity to rely on your own judgment and decision-making skills, which can make you feel empowered and more self-assured.” You learn more about yourself It may be easier to coast through life, but taking the time to be self-reflective to learn more about who you are – your likes, dislikes, values and how you are in uncomfortable situations – will provide you with great insight, direction and depth. You might discover new things and experience personal growth along the way too. “The lessons are endless, because the opportunities are too,” said Radha Vyas, CEO and co-founder of group adventure travel company Flash Pack. “Outside of the safety net of your friends and family, you are more open to meeting others, making new friends and creating new connections. The fear of loneliness dissipates almost immediately. Taking on new adventures and experiencing new things [like] solo travelling is life-affirming, and also brings with it a triumphant sense of achievement.” Making new friends Making new friends as an adult isn’t straightforward. But doing activities alone will provide you with countless opportunities to meet people who have similar interests as you. Using solo travelling as an example, Vyas said: “People often feel nervous to travel alone for fear they will be lonely or feel isolated. I’ve travelled solo a lot and have met others at every stage of my journey. “In fact, it’s often hard to have time alone. I think that’s the beauty of travelling solo – you are more open to meeting others and, as a result, wonderful and interesting new friendships form.” Reduced stress and improved mental health There’s a difference between doing activities alone and being lonely. For Lowri-Dowthwaite Walsh, a senior lecturer in psychological interventions at University of Central Lancashire, some people may be more reluctant to spend time alone, because we are often told that we should be with other people. “We are social creatures and tend to crave companionship. We are also aware of negative messages and stereotypes around solitude,” said Walsh. “Some people feel a sense of loneliness when they are alone and may not spend a great deal of time in their own company. Introverted individuals may be more used to being alone than extroverts.” But Walsh goes on to explain that throughout the centuries many philosophers, artists, poets and spiritual leaders have advocated for solitude. “Spending time alone enables you to get to know yourself better. Being alone with one’s thoughts and feelings deepens the relationship with oneself. It also allows for more spiritual and philosophical reflection. Being alone in nature has also been shown to improve wellbeing.” Walsh recommends journaling as a good reflective activity that can be done alone with plenty of time and space. Going for a walk in nature, doing some crafting or painting are also valuable ways to spend time by yourself. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live How to make your summer tan last longer Why do I get sick when I go on holiday? As Katie Boulter takes Wimbledon by storm, we look at her best on-court fashion so far