Outside Edge (10/01/10)

A heart-warming tale of thawed relations. The Australian 400m hurdler Jana Rawlinson and her English husband – and coach – Chris split up in April after three years of marriage. Jana underwent breast enhancement surgery straight away, as you do. But now she has decided to have the implants removed. "Every time I raced, I panicked about whether I was letting my country down, all for my own vanity," she said, not to mention the difficulty she had dragging herself over the hurdles. And now the couple have decided to get back together – just as soon as their divorce comes through. Jana clearly had something to get off her chest but now they are bosom buddies again.

23 million

The number of stones Brits will shed after an average 5lb weight gain over Christmas. But Hollywood's slimming pill of choice, Capsiplex, made of chilli extract, is now on sale. Burn calories by just sitting at your desk – or on the toilet.

Soft landings of the week

It's marketing but not as we know it. The Cadbury House Hotel's health club and spa in Bristol has landed itself in hot bubbling water with an advert that states: "Advance health warning! When the aliens come, they will eat the fatties first." Meanwhile, Frank Lampard, who last week became the only footballer ever to have been pictured in a Pound Shop, has had a few songs sung about his need to shed a few pounds in the past, so he may not thank the South Korean girl band Kara for their latest hit single written in his honour, 'Mister'. "Chelsea blue is the only one. My eyes are only on Lampard, cute, chubby Frank," they proclaim. Keep watching the skies, Mr Lampard.

Good week for

Geoff Holt, first quadriplegic to sail across the Atlantic, arriving in the exact spot where he was paralysed in a diving accident 26 years ago... Jared Breen, 17, youngest ever player in the World Indoor Singles Bowls Championships... and Curtis Woodhouse, former England Under-21 footballer turned boxer, will contest his first pro title fight against Jay Morris next month.

Bad week for

Gilbert Arenas, the Washington Wizards guard, was suspended by the NBA for bringing guns into the locker room... Andrew Rodgerson, given a suspended sentence for threatening to kill the racehorse Conduit after he had failed to place an accumulator bet worth £55,000 at Ascot on behalf of a syndicate... and Robert Sormanti, a New England Patriots mascot, was suspended after being arrested in a prostitution sting.

Brain drain of the week

American Football is keeping its head down as Congress studies evidence that the sport causes excessive cranial trauma. The NFL is joining forces with Boston University to ask current and former players to donate their brains to help study concussion. Presumably they will be thinking clearly enough to wait until they're dead. Happier news at the Green Bay Packers, whose diehard fan Jim Becker is up for election to their Hall of Fame. Since 1952 he has given blood four times a year to afford tickets, and after 23 years he was told he had a lethal disorder causing excess iron in the blood. The only treatment, it turned out, was to drain the blood periodically. From bad iron to gridiron.

a.tong@independent.co.uk