Feature
Supermums!
Which celebrity mum deserves an award for all-round amazingness? Ali Kirker finds out . . .
The putting family first award
Contender — Fern Britton, who gave up her £750,000 a year job to spend more time with kids Jack, Harry, Grace and Winnie. She’s had other TV projects and her new teatime chat show, Fern, has just started. But will she ever be as high-profile and highly-paid as she was before? Unlikely.
Winner — Fiona Phillips. She had a £1.5 million contract at GMTV, but chose to walk away. “It was the hardest decision I have ever made. I loved the job but I’ve got other responsibilities — my children, a home life and an elderly dad who needs me,” Fiona said. “I realised I can’t have it all. I felt like I was ‘dropping balls’ all over the place.” It later emerged that Fiona’s dad had Alzheimer’s disease and she has since become a campaigner and ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society.
The feisty female award
Contender — The Loose Women gang. On their own, they’re feisty enough. But together? They fight to get a word in edgeways and shout each other down when they disagree with what’s being said. Never afraid to speak about their kids, husbands and private lives, it’s a winning combination that’s got millions of us tuning in every day.
Winner — Joanna Lumley. She’s taken on the government over the Ghurkas and is never afraid to speak her mind, only recently having a rant about young people. “I was taught not to steal, not to shoplift, not to behave badly. We weren’t even allowed to drop litter,” she said. “Nowadays, children find it laughably amusing to shoplift and steal. We allow them to bunk off school and bring in sicknotes.” Whether or not you agree with her views, it’s great to hear her speak so honestly. With a mum like that, son Jamie probably never stepped out of line as a nipper.
The down-to-earth award
Contender — Myleene Klass. It’s only a few weeks since pregnant Myleene was photographed at her less-than-glamorous best with a tissue up her nose after a pregnancy-related nosebleed. She took to social networking site Twitter afterwards to admit she was ‘mortified’ but it only made frazzled mums love her all the more.
Winner — Lorraine Kelly has denounced Botox and was happy to appear on TV in slippers recently after her desert trek for Comic Relief. She’s remained one of the top stars on TV over the past 20 years but she’s as down-to-earth and warm as ever.
The proud to be natural award
Contender — Sally Phillips. The Miranda star is distinctly down-to-earth when it comes to style. “I was invited to the Bafta Awards and didn’t realise it was a big deal so I turned up in a jersey dress, with wet hair and no make-up. I couldn’t believe it when I got out of the car and saw the red carpet and dozens of photographers!” she says.
Winner — Judy Finnegan. She’s been pictured in the papers without make-up and looking distinctly unglamorous several times.
Bad luck? Not according to husband Richard Madeley. “Judy refuses to get made-up if she doesn’t feel like it, just in case she gets her photograph taken and ends up in the papers,” he says. “If she’s only nipping out to the shop, why should she have to get dolled up? I have nothing but admiration for her.”
We agree — Judy’s setting a great example to daughter Chloe that you shouldn’t be a slave to make-up.
The grey haired and gorgeous award
Contender — Jamie Lee Curtis. The American actress must be one of the only women in Hollywood to be grey and proud. At 52, she shows that grey can be great.
Winner — Alison Steadman. The Gavin and Stacey actress proves that you can stick to your natural hair colour whatever age you are. “Last year when I was performing on stage I had to wear a wig. The dresser suggested I let my dyed colour grow out. I didn’t even know what my natural colour was!” Alison explains. “People said they liked it, so I’ve decided to leave it. It’s good to have a change sometimes.” With grey hair that looks this good, who needs the hassle of hair dye?
The curves are OK award
Contender — Nigella Lawson. Supercook Nigella just loves to eat and is rewarded with a fantastically curvy figure. Her mother Vanessa suffered from eating disorders and, as a mum of two teenagers, she’s aware of setting an example. “It’s not that I think it’s good to eat unhealthily, I don’t, but I can see how damaging obsessive dieting can be,” she says. “As a mum I’m quite taken aback how much anorexia now seems to be pretty much equal in both sexes. In many senses it’s normalised because people routinely congratulate one another for eating less or for losing weight. ‘Have you lost weight?’ is meant to be a nice thing to say to someone. So, of course, you don’t have to go very far before that gets to be a celebration of excessive thinness.”
Winner — Coleen Nolan. The Loose Women presenter has released several fitness DVDs and her weight has yo-yo’d between a size 10 and size 20. Currently she’s a size 16 and says she’s come to terms with the fact she’s not super-svelte. “I’m sick of feeling I should disappear from TV because I’m not a size 8. “There’s too much pressure on female presenters to look a certain way,” she says. “I’ve decided I’m going to be bigger and proud. The average sized woman is a size 14-16, after all.”
Coleen’s down-to-earth attitude in a world of diet-obsessed celebrities is refreshing and sets a great example to daughter Ciara — but it will be interesting to see if she sticks to her guns in the coming months, or succumbs to calorie-counting once again.
The granny with style award
Contender — Goldie Hawn. Not many grans get dressed up in gold lamé dresses with matching stiletto heels, but for 65-year-old Goldie, it’s all in a day’s work and what she wore to the British Comedy Awards. Out of work, though, she loves spending time with her three grandchildren and says she can’t wait for the birth of daughter Kate Hudson’s second baby.
Winner — It has to be Lulu. She’s gorgeous, stylish and looks far younger than her 62 years but she’s still a doting granny to 15-month-old Isabella. “My son Jordan and his wife got married, had a baby and opened their own restaurant in the space of 12 months. So they really needed a bit of a helping hand,” she explains. “I am so in love with her. She comes to stay for the weekend and I just jump about with her and do what I normally do. She likes it.”
The growing old disgracefully award
Winner — There could only ever be one mum in this category — Madonna. Although 14-year-olds are supposed to be embarrassed by their parents, spare a thought for Madonna’s daughter Lourdes when accompanying her mum to the Oscars. Imagine the scene at home when Madonna emerged from her bedroom wearing little more than a wisp of lace covering a leotard and announced she was ready to go. As her mum struck a pose on the red carpet, Lourdes was allegedly heard saying, “Mum, do you have to . . .?” and cringeing at her antics. You’ve got to feel for the girl.
