Nothing to be ashamed of, coldsores. Part of life for many many people. BUT. My problem is this: when someone you know gives you a kiss – socially not, like, a pash – and then says “oh, sorry about my cold sore.” This happened to me over Christmas when I bumped into an old school friend on the street. I like to think I’m a fairly tolerant person but I WAS NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS. After doing that ridiculously polite thing and saying “oh, don’t worry”, I spent the rest of the conversation wanting to scratch my cheek off with steel wool. I had to be content with dashing to the nearest public toilet and washing it with soap and a scratchy paper hand towel.

If you, like Kate Cruise, get cold sores, my friend who has a beauty blog and suffers herself, has published her guaranteed ‘cold sore killer’. It involves nail polish remover. Here’s a taste:

Check it out. Try it out. And then kiss anyone you like, even Tom.