Inspirational Women

It will always be relevant and always be inspiring to see somebody turning themselves into a warrior.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge

So, Bojo the clown announced his plan to get us out of lock down earlier this week, there were some dissenters, mainly in the world of hospitality, which I totally get and sympathise with however, the general feeling was; finally, we can see a faint light at the end of the tunnel, finally we can stop with the Zoom calls, finally we can get back to the gym, finally we can meet up with friends and family, finally!

Lockdown has been tough for all of us, we’ve had hard days, we’ve struggled with mental health, we’ve missed our social interaction and we’ve missed travel. There are a few things I have enjoyed, even looked forward to though, things I will continue, one of those things is following certain people on twitter, women that have given me hope and inspiration through those hard, dark days, here’s a few people I find put a bit of a spring in my step.

Jesy Nelson

I’m not as huge manufactured pop fan so, perhaps not the obvious first choice however, in September 2019 , the Little Mix star bravely talked out about the online trolls who drove her to attempt suicide in BBC3’s Odd One Out. Jesy revealed how she had sunk into depression amid the daily abuse after the band won The X Factor in 2011, with internet trolls calling her the “fat, ugly one”.

Her mental health suffered so much that Jesy tried to take her own life, before finally learning to accept herself and her body and ignoring the haters. The documentary helped shine a much-needed light on the escalating problem of cyberbullying.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Finally giving women the sometimes-messy and complex female characters we’ve wanted to see on screen for so long, Phoebe wrote and starred in the fantastically funny Fleabag, which scooped four Emmys last year, co-wrote series one of Killing Eve and was drafted in to write the screenplay for the 25th James Bond film No Time To Die – amazing woman!

Amika George

After founding the #FreePeriods campaign during her A levels in 2017, the North London student forced parliament into action with her petition calling for an end to period poverty with the provision of free sanitary products for disadvantaged teenagers nationwide.

Thanks to her efforts, the government has pledged £1.5million to the cause, and in 2019 the Department For Education announced its commitment to providing free sanitary products across England’s schools this year. At the age of 21, a remarkable young, inspiring woman!

Nadiya Hussain

If you follow my blog, you’ll know I love to cook so perhaps no surprize to see Nadiya! Rising to fame after winning Great British Bake Off in 2015, Nadiya became a national treasure and landed her own BBC cooking series, Nadiya’s British Food Adventure, Nadiya’s Family Favourites and literally just before lockdown, Nadiya's American Adventure.

She also penned a number of bestselling cookbooks for both children and adults, including The Secret Lives of The Amir Sisters.

As if that wasn’t enough, Nadiya was invited to bake the Queen’s 90th birthday cake in 2016, has also spoken bravely about her crippling battles with anxiety and in 2018 hit back at racist trolls on social media, tweeting: “I’m getting sick of being told to go home… I am home!”

Fearne Cotton

Fearne has used her broadcasting platform to speak out about her experiences with depression and anxiety, admitting in 2019 that she used to frequently suffer from panic attacks. Making her mental health a priority, Fearne took time out to evaluate her work-life balance.

She has now been an ambassador for charity Mind for the past three years, and is determined to break down the stigma around mental health through her Happy Place podcast and website. Her posts through lockdown certainly spoke to me!

Davina McCall

Ex-Big Brother and Long Lost Family presenter Davina has overcome more than most. In her 20s she battled alcohol and heroin addiction, even admitting she took the drug with her mum Florence. Sadly, mum-of-three Davina also lost her sister Caroline to cancer in August 2012 and split from her husband of 17 years, Matthew Robertson, in 2017.

She’s now been sober for 20 years and has just finished filming the series of The Masked Singer on ITV. She also looks fitter than ever, saying: “[You] need to experience difficulty to learn how to be resilient.”

Claudia Winkleman

After pairing up with Tess Daly in 2014 to become the first all-female presenting team to host a primetime show, Claudia is now one of the highest-paid women at the BBC and has been nominated twice for Best Entertainment Performance at the BAFTAs for Strictly.

Claudia also helped relaunch The National Missing Persons Campaign in 2007 and, when her daughter Matilda, 13, was injured after her Halloween costume caught fire in 2014, Claudia successfully lobbied the government to tighten flame-retardant standards in kids’ costumes.

Just a small selection of remarkable women that have inspired me and kept me going through lockdown!

What’s on this week?