'BREAST IS BEST'- IN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH NHS MAGAZINE

27 Jun 2005 04:00 AM

"I am so excited to be pregnant again!"

Pop sensation Jamelia talks exclusively about her surprise pregnancy and the joys of motherhood, only in the Summer 2005 issue of the NHS magazine Your Life!

Also in Your Life! Summer 2005:

- Strictly Come Dancing star Jill Halfpenny reveals how she foxtrotted her way to fitness

- Actress Amanda Holden reveals her secret weapon (it's fake tan)

- Coronation Street's Candice (Nikki Sanderson) discusses living with asthma

- And sexy footballer Joe Cole has a message for the ladies: ''Girls who smoke make me choke!"

Plus plenty more gripping real life stories, including 'From Brownie to Junkie' - the story of what happened when an angelic school girl got caught up in the world of hard drugs (you won't believe the 'before' and 'after' pics). And for anyone who thinks that being a gymslip mum is an easy ride, read 'Diary of a Teen Mum', a touching account of a 15 year old who went from partying to pregnancy to Pampers.

Letters to the magazine and independent research have shown that the magazine really can change people's behaviour - for example, prompting them to give up smoking or take up exercise. It also helps readers to know that the people they see on the telly have health problems too, so this issue contains lots of celebrity interviews and features.

The magazine's publication follows growing concern that many young women simply ignore or throw away traditional NHS leaflets. Your Life! engages readers with celebrity interviews and fascinating real life tales, which aim to educate these women about vital public health issues such as binge drinking, teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

There are 40 localised issues of this 36-page magazine. Local NHS Primary Care Trusts use the magazine as a platform to highlight the health priorities in their area - from teenage pregnancy to local stop smoking services. Each issue includes an 8 page supplement featuring locally sourced case study interviews and information and contact details of local NHS services that readers might not otherwise be aware of.

-Ends-

Notes to editors:

1. 40 PCTs have taken part in the Summer 2005 edition of Your Life!

2. The summer 2005 edition is the fifth in the series of Your Life! magazine. Earlier editions featured interviews with Ms Dynamite, Girls Aloud and Lorraine Kelly.

3. Dr Foster publishes Your Life! on behalf of the Department of Health. Dr Foster is an independent company publishing healthcare information. The company has published guides on hospitals, maternity units, complementary therapists, fertility clinics and breast cancer.