UK man used to spend 7k-a-year on PEPSI before beating 20-year addiction
A supermarket worker who spent £7k a year on guzzling 30 CANS a day for two decades has been cured - after he was hypnotised.
Andy Currie, 41, downed a litre of the fizzy pop every morning and drank a further nine litres a day.
He has sipped an estimated 219,000 cans of Pepsi – and nearly 8,000kg of sugar or the equivalent of seven million sugar cubes – since he first started drinking it in his 20s.
Andy, from Bangor, North Wales, said: “I’ve always loved the taste of a cold Pepsi. Nothing could beat it and I just got hooked.
“I work nights so always liked the sugar rush to keep me going. I’d go through four or five two litre bottles of Pepsi every day.
“Because I work at Tesco I could just buy it straight after work and take it home.”
Andy, who is married to wife Sarah, 39, who volunteers at a garden centre, splashed out £20-a-day on Pepsi – which amounted to around £7,000-a-year.
He added: “It cost me a fortune to be honest. I could have bought a car every year for the same amount I was spending on Pepsi.
“I just needed to have it, as soon as I woke up I’d go to the fridge and pour myself a large glass of Pepsi and just carry on through the day.
“I remember going to weddings and birthdays and while other people had glasses of
champagne I’d be toasting people with a can of fizzy pop.”
Andy decided to take drastic action after he ballooned to 19 stone and his doctors warned him he was at risk of becoming diabetic.
Through exercise and diet he managed to lose two stone but was couldn’t stop drinking Pepsi.
He contacted London-based therapist and hypnotist David Kilmurry, who identified Woody as having avoidant restrictive food intake disorder.
Amazingly, after just one online hypnotherapy session, Andy was cured and drank water for the first time in two decades.
In just four weeks he has dropped a further stone and is remarkably more healthy.
Andy said: “David met me online and hypnotised me for about 40 minutes.
“I don’t know what he said but afterwards I just didn’t want to drink it anymore.
“I’ve still got two cans of Pepsi in my fridge which I was going to have before the
session but didn’t have time.
“I haven’t touched them in a month and don’t plan to. I prefer water now. My wife Sarah says my skin looks better and I’ve got so much more energy.
“I like walking now and me and Sarah are planning to climb Mount Snowdon in the summer.”
David said: “I was horrified at Andy’s disclosure of drinking 10 litres of Pepsi a day.
“That was by far the worst sugar addiction I’ve ever heard of.
“Resigned to addiction, Andy was overweight, anxious and struggled to get his words out because he was so breathless.
“This kind of addiction is very dangerous and puts huge pressure on your vital organs.
“Andy was pre-diabetic and needed to change quickly before heart disease and potential pancreatic cancer took him.
“It became a poison and a crutch to him. Since working with him I am delighted to see him drinking water and healthy drinks.”
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Man vaults over train station wall to flee police
This is the moment a middle-aged man vaulted over a train station wall in a failed bid to flee cops.
British Transport Police were called following reports that a man had hurt a security guard at Laindon railway station in Essex during yesterday evening's rush hour (THURSDAY).
Clambering onto a sign, the man - wearing a black t-shirt and jeans - managed to climb over onto the platform without appearing to pay for a ticket.
He then fixed his glasses as he jumped onto the train tracks and attempted to scarper.
But he was caught by police just a few minutes later.
This video was filmed 12th September 2019.
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Skier rescue woman trapped beneath snow struggling for air
This is the dramatic head cam moment a skier rescued a woman who was trapped and running out of air under the snow after she fell while off-piste.
Will Field, 23, came across the 19-year-old chalet host after he spotted her legs poking out from the snow on a remote rarely-used track.
He rushed to her side and worked around her flailing legs to dig her out in a race against time, at the same time as trying to get her to calm down.
This video was filmed 3rd March 2020.
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Adorable toddlers with Down Syndrome become best friends
Meet Clara and Cutler - the super-sweet best pals who help one another through the challenges of life with Down's Syndrome.
The two-year-olds have been inseparable since Clara's mum Lana Beaton, 39, and Cutler's mum Amy Sanders, 43, brought them together when they were a few months old.
Amy, a school teacher, and stay-at-home mum Lana knew each other growing up in Grand Forks, North Dakota, but were never close friends until they both welcomed children with Down's Syndrome within months.
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Husband living with dementia reconnects with his wife thanks to a 'Music Memory Box'
A husband living with dementia who doesn't speak has finally been able to reconnect with his wife - using a combination of sights and sounds in a 'Music Memory Box'. The 'Music Memory Box' is a kit which families fill with objects, photographs and music once significant in the lives of dementia sufferers. The technology within the box then enables songs to be played by moving the objects into the centre of the space. The combination of sound, a tangible object and photographs of the particular memory have seen incredible reactions from patients who otherwise struggle to communicate - including those living with dementia or similar conditions.
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Moment tourists meet a crow which bizarrely asks bypassers 'You alright love?' - in Yorkshire accent
This is the hilarious moment a 'wild' crow bizarrely greeted tourists with ‘Y’alright love?’ ... in a Yorkshire accent.
Lisa and Mark Brooks were on a day trip to Knaresborough Castle, North Yorkshire, when they spotted the chatterbox chirping away as they walked the grounds.
Stunned mum-of-two Lisa, 43, took out her phone to film the extraordinary moment.
The 34-second clip shows the pied crow fiddling with a twig before hopping onto a wall to greet the cuople with the endearing phrase ‘Y’alright love?’.This is the hilarious moment a 'wild' crow bizarrely greeted tourists with ‘Y’alright love?’ ... in a Yorkshire accent.
Lisa and Mark Brooks were on a day trip to Knaresborough Castle, North Yorkshire, when they spotted the chatterbox chirping away as they walked the grounds.
Stunned mum-of-two Lisa, 43, took out her phone to film the extraordinary moment.
The 34-second clip shows the pied crow fiddling with a twig before hopping onto a wall to greet the cuople with the endearing phrase ‘Y’alright love?’.
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Conjoined twin girls share a single heart
Doctors are caring for these conjoined twin girls who have been born sharing a single heart.
The one-day-old girls are joined from chest to stomach and are currently under observation at a hospital in Cuttack in the Indian state of Odisha.
Weighing just 8lb 8oz, they are alive and doctors aren't yet sure if they will be able to separate the pair, following their birth yesterday (1).
Parents Renubala and Pradeep Behera are yet to name the girls, who are now being looked after at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute for Paediatrics.
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Only known video of a famous seagull with an arrow through its head
This is the only known video of a famous seagull - which has flown around Scotland for weeks with a bolt through its head.
It was filmed by astonished Elgin local Lynn Docherty - before she chased it round her garden with a washing basket for around 10 minutes.
Charity volunteer Lynn, 46, called Scottish SPCA yesterday (3) at around 9.50am when she saw the injured gull outside her house.
Though the bird flew off, Lynn said it had visited her garden every day this past week.
She said: "The bird's become a bit of a legend. It's been at my house daily. this week.
This video was filmed 3rd October 2019.
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A Shar Pei puppy who had her front paws CHOPPED OFF is enjoying a new life in Britain
A Shar Pei puppy who had her front paws CHOPPED OFF by cruel thugs in Romania is enjoying a new life in Britain.
Tally, thought to be have been around eight months old when she was subjected to the act was found chained to a tree stump in a town outside Bucharest.
She was unable to stand up due to her injuries, but began wagging her tail as soon as she saw the person who rescued her.
Tally, a Shar Pei mix, was fostered in Romania before being brought to the UK in a two-day journey to Scotland, and now lives with a foster family in Ayr, South Ayrshire.
Despite her limited mobility, determined Tally still tries to jump up on the sofa like any other dog - and manages to get around on her stumps.
This video was filmed 25th October 2019.
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Meet the baby name consultant raking in thousands advising parents on the perfect baby names
Pandemic Zoom calls and being online so much is behind parents choosing more nicknames for their babies, expert reveals.
An baby naming expert has shared views on 2022's top baby names so far - and spotted some surprising trends.
Taylor A. Humphrey, 34, works as a baby name consultant and doula running her business, 'What's In A Baby Name'.
She rakes in thousands every year advising expectant parents on the perfect names for their little ones.
As BabyCentre reveal 2022's top 100 baby names so far, Taylor spotted how this year's list has been impacted - by the PANDEMIC.
She said those countless Zoom quizzes, virtual drinks and family Facetimes during lockdown have changed the way people have been naming their little ones.
Taylor, from San Francisco, California, said: "I'm seeing a major trend towards using nicknames as first names.
"Perhaps as we spend more time online, connecting with friends, family and colleagues via URL, our sense of formality is diminishing.
"That seems to be reflected in our linguistic and onomastic choices."
The list - comprising of 100 boy and 100 girl names - sees Muhammad and Lily top for each categories.
But Taylor noted that the list only reflects the first six months of the year, and things could change by December.
But she explained that nicknames being used as first names was a clear pattern - likely as a result of lockdown Zoom calls.
She said: "For girls, you see diminutives such as Evie (Eve), Sophie (Sophia), Gracie (Grace), Lottie (Charlotte).
"For the Boy's Top 100 list, you see a great many more diminutives being used such as Theo (Theodore), Leo (Leonardo, Leonard, Leon), Charlie (Charles)."
But the naming expert also noticed some other trends emerging from the list.
Taylor identified that for girls, names with roots in mythology and nature were very common.
"Names like Matilda, Isla, Freya, Luna, Aurora, Willow, Poppy, among others, all contribute to a delightful sense of whimsical, ethereal femininity," she said.
"Even names like Grace, Nur, Maeve, Olive and Rose, which are among the very few one-syllable names found on the top 100, add to this playful, mystical aesthetic."
But for boys, parents are "gravitating towards two-syllable, sturdy, masculine names" - unlike in the US, where gender-neutral monikers are becoming more popular.
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Heartless yob gets caught on CCTV destroying a disabled five-year-old's hydrotherapy pool
This is the moment a heartless yob was caught on CCTV destroying a disabled five-year-old's £10,000 hydrotherapy pool - by filling it with PAINT.
Evie Carr was born with a condition which means she may never be able to walk unaided - but is remarkably able in the pool, thanks to the warm and therapeutic water.
But parents Jonathan and Michelle Carr were left heartbroken after a vandal crept into their garden at night and filled Evie's pool with black paint.
The criminal was caught on a security camera, and now the family from Blidworth, Notts., are appealing for anyone with information to go to police.
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House-proud mouse caught on camera tidying garden shed
A homeowner puzzled as to who was mysteriously tidying up his garden shed late at night was astonished to find the culprit was a HOUSE PROUD MOUSE. Stephen Mckears, 72, first noticed objects moving in his shed a month ago and asked his neighbour Rodney Holbrook, 70, to help him get to the bottom of the mystery. The retired electrician noticed plastic clips appearing in an old ice cream tub filled with peanuts which he keeps to feed the birds before more objects began to accumulate. Questioning his sanity, Stephen emptied the tub each night, scattering the nuts and bolts across his shed, only to discover the mess had been cleaned by the morning. After weeks of finding large screws, plastic leads, nuts and bolts neatly filed away, the pair decided to set up a trail camera to uncover the mystery guest.
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Mum in hysterics filming her baby boy driving their puppy crazy by playing with his new dog toy
A young mum captured the entertaining moment a cockapoo got jealous of his best mate's new toy.
Abigail Johnson, 24, had bought her son Charlie, 18 months, a new toy of a miniature barking dog on 25 September.
She gave Charlie the toy to play with in their living room in Portsmouth but had no idea she'd receive such a boisterous reaction from their puppy Lola.
Lola, 5 months, stared suspiciously at the new toy before flying into a fit of jealousy at the attention Charlie was giving the fake dog.
This video was filmed 25th September 2019.
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Distressing moment helpless dog tries to catch up with cruel owner who had abandoned him
This is the distressing moment a helpless dog tries to catch up with his cruel owner who had abandoned him in the street.
CCTV footage captures the callous behaviour of the owner, who takes a white and black Staffordshire bull terrier from a car and leads it to the other side of the road.
He then runs back to the car while the faithful dog follows him, only for the owner and driver to drive off - leaving the dog desperately chasing the vehicle.
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Man throws £110 takeaway in the air after slipping on black ice
This is the moment a man threw £110 worth of takeaway in the air after slipping on black ice - before picking it up and eating it moments later. Conrad North, 38, had ordered 23 dishes from Indian takeaway The Spice, ahead of a Saturday night evening with his six friends. Having placed the order and told it would be an hour for delivery Conrad decided to beat the wait and collect the order instead. CCTV footage outside his friend’s home in Basingstoke, Hampshire, shows Conrad shuffling in the snow before slipping on a strip of black ice, hitting his head on a car and hurling the two takeaway bags in the air.
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Surgeons separated 3-day-old conjoined twins in painstaking operation
This is the moment surgeons took a celebratory selfie - after successfully separating three-day-old conjoined twins in a painstaking operation. The baby girls - which are yet to be named - had a combined weight of just 7lbs and were joined at the tummy.
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Baby born without limbs due to rare genetic condition is enjoying normal childhood, says mother
A mother has recalled the heartbreaking moment she was told her baby would be born without all four limbs - but went ahead with the birth and now has a thriving boy.
Jasmine Self, 24, was five months pregnant with her son RJ Wilson when an ultrasound revealed his arms and legs weren’t developing in the womb. RJ has a rare genetic condition, called tetra-amelia, that is characterised by the absence of all four limbs and can also cause severe malformations of the body’s organs.
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Driver narrowly avoids crashing into a toddler
This is the terrifying moment a van driver narrowly avoids ploughing into a toddler - after the tot steered his tricycle into the middle of a busy road.
Steven Ashby, 39, was on his way to work when he was forced to swerve out of the path of the young child.
He managed to avoid the little boy, who was pulled back to safety by an adult who had been walking a little way behind him.
Steven, a carpenter, said: "I saw this coming further back up the road as I have a child about the same age and I know how unpredictable they can be.
"I slowed down as I approached him but it still shocked me as he came out into the road.
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Pregnant Rihanna spotted shopping for luxury baby clothes in LA
Pregnant Rihanna has been spotted shopping for luxury baby clothes in LA.
The billionaire singer, 34, was seen at high-end Couture Kids in West Hollywood last week (24/3).
Rihanna and an assistant were snapped searching for accessories for her child, which she is expecting with her rapper boyfriend A$AP Rocky, 33.
Baby clothes available from Couture Kids range from a basic bodysuit for $14 (£10.65) to exclusive Couture Kids gift baskets for up to $3000 (£2281).
Other luxury items are also available, such as a Burberry baby changing bag for $1250 (£950.62).
Susy Ce, 43, an organic influencer, saw the singer and entrepreneur in the shop and quickly snapped some pictures.
She said: “I was so excited to see beautiful Rihanna. I was in West Hollywood on Robertson Boulevard when I saw her. She was very relaxed and confident and she looked flawless."
Rihanna announced her pregnancy at the end of January when she was snapped out and about in New York City A$AP Rocky.
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Couple who got hitched 24 hours after meeting say they're "inseparable"
A couple who tied the knot just TWELVE DAYS after matching on a dating app described finding one another as a 'Christmas miracle.' Sarah and Paul Edwards said the lead up to their wedding was like the '12 days of Christmas'. They felt such a strong connection for one another, they decided to meet at Gatwick Airport in full wedding attire before flying to Las Vegas to get hitched. The lovebirds said they 'did not break eye contact for a moment' while they were saying their vows. Mobile minister Roland August wed the pair in front of the Bellagio fountains where they had their first kiss.
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Baby born with marvellous head of thick black hair
Proud mum Georgia Robinson, 22, couldn't believe her eyes when little Tia was delivered weighing 9lbs on June 18 with hair all over her head.
According to the mum-of-two, midwives at Burnley General Hospital, Lancs., said they had never seen a newborn like her.
Now, less than a month later, Tia's rapidly growing hair has already gone over her tiny ears - and Georgia has no intention of cutting it anytime soon.
A brilliant selection of photos show the baby's luscious locks, including one of her alongside four generations of her family.
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Baby giraffe takes its first steps moments after being born
This is the adorable moment one of the world's rarest species of giraffe takes its first steps - just days after being born. The Rothschild’s giraffe calf looked unsteady on its feet as it clung to its mother's side in their enclosure at Woburn Safari Park, Beds. Keepers said the unnamed six-foot tall calf is "happy and healthy" and is making itself at home under the eye of "experienced parents", Savannah and Casper. Tom Robson, acting deputy head of reserves at Woburn Safari Park, said: “We are all thrilled with the new arrival and can’t wait to see the calf grow and integrate with the other giraffes.
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World's oldest mum, 74, gives birth
A 74-year-old Indian woman has become the oldest mum in the world - after giving birth to TWINS.
Erramatti Mangayamma has waited 60 YEARS to have children with her 80-year-old husband, Rajarao, a farmer.
But she is now the proud mother of twins after undergoing IVF.
Erramatti, from the small Nelapartipadu village in the Eastern Godavari district of India, was given the all clear for IVF treatment at the Ahalya Hospital last year.
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UFO-like treehouse appears in Finnish forest
A UFO-like treehouse has appeared in a Finnish forest.
The otherworldly creation has been built by a firm usually known for making high performance electric cars.
Swedish company Polestar constructed the micro space tree house, dubbed KOJA, based on a design by Finnish designer Kristian Talvitie.
The concept received an honourable mention in the 2021 Polestar Design Contest, so the company decided to bring it to life to mark the launch of the 2022 contest.
Built in the village of Fiskars, an art and design hub in southwestern Finland, KOJA is the first submission from the competition to be realised in full-scale.
A response to the contest theme of “progress”, KOJA is described as redefining sustainable travel by reducing the need for travel in the first place, yet still brings people closer to nature.
Koja is a Swedish word meaning “hut” or “den”, and the interior of the treehouse offers a simple space for hanging out in nature.
Attached to a tree trunk just below the canopy, the design maximises the treetop view with a panoramic glazed façade.
Accessed by a rear staircase, there is one room forming a U-shape around the tree trunk.
Conceived as a lounge or basic sleeping area, there are no amenities, although users can visit a nearby standalone bathroom in the woods.
“We were fascinated by the idea and how it translates our brand values into a different environment. That was key for us, and we were so impressed that we decided to build it,” says Maximilian Missoni, Head of Design at Polestar.
Described as “a rich, immersive experience in a natural environment,” KOJA connects to the growing micro space trend and the tree house is accessible for people who would otherwise take a much longer trip to experience the wilderness.
“Most designers look at design from a user perspective,” says the designer of KOJA, Kristian Talvitie. “I also look at things from the environment’s perspective. There should be a symbiosis between the design and where it’s encountered.”
To translate the design into reality, Kristian Talvitie worked closely with the Polestar Design team in Gothenburg, Sweden, and with colleagues at Finnish design agency Ultra.
Created from sustainable and durable materials such as locally sourced wood and wool, KOJA blends in with its natural environment and at the same time creates an eye-catching contrast.
KOJA is part of the ‘House by an Architect’ exhibition during the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale, open from May to September 2022.
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Gran lucky to be alive after being savagely mauled by two dogs
A gran-of-three is lucky to be alive after being savagely mauled by “killer” dogs which bit her left hand down to the bone. Jill Jones, 62, has been left disfigured and in constant pain following the dog attack on December 30 in broad daylight. She was walking her beloved cockapoo, Charlie when she glanced over her shoulder and spotted the ferocious-looking dogs - suspected to be a Pitbull cross-breed - creeping along the pavement behind. The loose dogs stalked the pair for several yards before pouncing full-speed on Charlie and pulling him every which way “like a ragdoll”, biting his ears, neck and legs.
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