How do I form a healthy relationship with my stepchild? Parenting SOS with Cilla Appeaning

This week Giovanna sits down with the incredibly talented Annabel Scholey! You’ll know Annabel from Rivals and, of course (the Happy Mum team’s personal favourite) The Split. But behind the scenes, Annabel was navigating the end of her own marriage, alongside balancing her acting career and raising her daughter. Annabel opens up to Gi about the moment she knew her marriage was over, and talks about the grief that came with accepting she doesn’t have the ‘traditional’ family unit she once planned. You can catch Annabel in Winter on ITV now, and Rivals Part 2 arrives on 11 November. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you’ve spent so long holding everything together that you simply can’t anymore? This week, Giovanna sits down with former Editor-in-Chief of HELLO! Magazine Rosie Nixon to talk about the breakdown that became the catalyst for transforming her life. Rosie opens up about motherhood, the pressure to keep going and the guilt that can come with admitting you’re struggling. Rosie’s book, The PRO Method: Pause, Reflect & Organise, is available now! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trigger warning: this episode includes discussions around bereavement and cancer. If you feel this may be a difficult listen, please choose another episode x Giovanna is joined this week by her good friend and CoppaFeel! co-founder Maren Sheldon. Maren opens up about navigating first-time motherhood alongside her twin sister Kris's incurable breast cancer diagnosis. and shares the honest, sometimes heartbreaking, and often unexpectedly funny realities of parenting through grief. The new edition of Kris Hallenga's memoir Glittering a Turd, featuring new material from Maren and a foreword by Dawn French, is out 24th September.  Head to CoppaFeel! for more helpful information and resources xx Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the hilarious Maddy Lucy Dann joins us for a chat about becoming a mum for the first time. Maddy tells Gi what it’s really like balancing life as an A&E doctor with pregnancy, including navigating night shifts while expecting, and how becoming a mum has changed the way she sees her work. She also opens up about sharing her aspects of her life online, including the criticism she faced over a breastfeeding video, and the reaction to her viral discussion of Bonnie Blue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Happy Mum, we are joined by strong, inspiring and incredible mother of two Sophie Derry. When Sophie's daughter Odette started vomiting on car journeys and having headaches, doctors initially put it down to travel sickness. An eye test changed everything, revealing a brain tumour that would lead to emergency surgery and fifteen further operations over seven months. Before the family could catch their breath, Sophie's younger daughter Eliza was diagnosed with leukaemia. Sophie opens up to Gi about what it's like to face childhood cancer not once but twice -- the fear, the exhaustion, and the moments of hope. If you’d like to show your support for some of the charities that have been there for Sophie, you can find links to them below: PASIC  https://www.pasic.org.uk When You Wish Upon a Star  https://www.whenyouwishuponastar.org.uk Young Lives v Cancer  https://www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.