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The UK is home to around 660 different species of spider, and while none of them are poisonous, that doesn’t stop us all being a little bit terrified of the creepy crawlies.

While most of us might run into another room if we spot an eight-legged critter in our homes, one woman is taking more extreme measures.

Estella Kyriacou, 25, is so scared, that she’s installed a tent over her bed as extra protection.

‘Some may call me insane,’ she said. ‘But I think it’s genius.’

The London-based arachnophobe has long had a phobia of spiders, and was horrified when she spotted one in her Clapham flat last year.

She was so distraught, that she even moved into her flatmate’s bedroom for a period of time.

After eventually plucking up the courage to return to her own bedroom, she took drastic measures.

Estella’s first step was to order a mosquito tent on Amazon, but still not satisfied, she has now fixed a tent to her bed for the ultimate protection.

She’s been sleeping under the tent for the past four months – and, she has no plans to change her night-time set up.

Estella, a law student, said: ‘I’ve not seen any spiders since using the tent.

‘But my flatmate, Imogen, and I are too scared of spiders to catch them if they get in the flat.’

Estella does recognise though that when it comes to extreme fear, sometimes it’s best to confront the issue head on.

She added: ‘I don’t really think a psychologist or psychiatrist would be too impressed by it – I know I’m avoiding my fears.

‘But I’m a drama queen – and I’ve been sleeping in it for so long now that it feels normal to me!

‘I know I’m insane – but I’m self aware.’

Arachnophobia is pretty common and there are ways to treat it (though those with the fear might not like the idea).

Exposure therapy is one way to tackle it. In one study, scientists found that people exposed to a series of pictures of spiders for just ten minutes recorded lower fear responses to the creature.

Other options include hypnotherapy, with one therapist claiming he can use hypnosis to cure your fear of spiders altogether.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

The police probably thought I was dead when they found me that day in April 2018.

Tired of driving around aimlessly all day, I’d pulled over into a layby and laid down for a nap in the car.

The next thing I knew, a policeman was knocking on the window. I heard him tell his colleague to stand back as he reached into his pocket, presumably for something to smash the window with.

I wound it down before he could, but I had no idea what to say.

After all, what do you say when you’ve gone AWOL for a day, your name and photo splashed across local newspapers in a missing person’s appeal?

The policemen asked if I was OK and I nodded, my eyes filling with tears of shame and embarrassment.

They didn’t ask why I’d gone missing – I wouldn’t have been able to explain it anyway – and simply took me home in their police car.

Pulling up outside my house, I felt a mixture of emotions – anger at my husband Mark for reporting me missing (I’d only been missing for the best part of a day), shame at how low I’d sunk, and fear for the future.

I know now that severe personal and professional burnout led to that moment, but you don’t always see it happening at the time.

My path to going missing began a year earlier. I’d been promoted to the manager of a new department at the university where I worked. It was what I had been aiming for, but it meant a lot more responsibility and pressure.

I rose to the challenge initially. I realised I enjoyed making important decisions and feeling like I was in a respected position, so I put my all into it. But when Mark and I decided to get married in December of that year, I soon found myself juggling work with wedding planning.

Add to all that raising two young children, you could say life was already pretty stressful.

Soon we were also getting ready to apply for our eldest’s primary school place and weknew our address would influence where he went. Mark and I wanted him to attend a school near where we both worked, so we realised we would have to move – and quickly.

I’d always considered myself a good multitasker, but suddenly the thought of managing a house move alongside my demanding job, the kids and wedding organisation filled me with dread.

My days consisted of frantically ferrying the boys to and from nursery before and after work, followed by evenings of wedding planning and house hunting. I was mentally exhausted, but even when I finally went to bed, I couldn’t sleep as my to-do list raced constantly through my mind.

After our wedding that December, some of the pressure lifted. Then we found the right house and prepared for the move. However, my nerves were still on edge.

My performance at work started to unravel and I became very defensive with colleagues, feeling like my abilities were constantly being questioned. As a result, a month after we were married, I was signed off work with stress and depression.

I tried to take back control by applying for other jobs and I was offered a new role with a different company. Though it was less money, I’d also have less responsibility – a trade-off I was willing to make to try to preserve my mental health.

Come March, I was relieved to hand in my notice and we moved house at the end of the month. But without giving myself time to recuperate, I started my new job straight after finishing the old one.

After just one day I realised I’d made a huge mistake. I felt completely detached from everything and the next day, rather than going in, I sat outside in the car park.

When I went home I admitted to Mark that I felt overwhelmed with anxiety and guilt and we deicded I should ring my GP in the morning for an emergency mental health appointment.

But when I woke up the next day, on 11 April 2018, I was in no state to call the doctor.

I felt like I was no longer in my body. I was completely disengaged from my life – I didn’t know who my family were and everything felt wrong.

I refused to contact the surgery and Mark was, understandably, furious that I’d gone back on my promise to get the help I needed. But I didn’t care. In fact, I didn’t feel anything. I just wanted to disappear… so I did.

Pulling on my shoes, I grabbed my car keys and walked out of the house leaving my purse and phone behind. The last thing I heard as I shut the door behind me was Mark shouting at me to stay. I ignored him.

I drove aimlessly around my local area all day and I only stopped every now and then to lie down or sob. At one point I even thought about taking my own life – it was a comforting idea – but thinking about my family stopped me.

Around dinner time I was woken up from a nap by the police, who took me home.

I explained to Mark that I had just wanted to escape all the feelings of failure and the weight of expectations for a while. I also admitted to the thoughts of ending it all.

Eventually, after a lot of talk and tears, I agreed to get the real help I needed.

I started counselling and was prescribed medication and I also had a long discussion with Mark about delegating more household responsibilities to him and letting go of control. Truly, every little thing has helped.

I’ve since returned to my love of writing and started a copywriting business. I’ve also learned what my signs of deteriorating mental health were so I know if it begins to happen again.

Of course, I’ll never forget that day – it was my rock bottom. But with working mothers 28% more likely to experience burnout than working fathers, it’s clear this is something we as a society need to get a handle on.

Now I want my fellow working mothers to know it’s OK to get help. I failed to spot the signs before it was too late but you don’t have to.

This article was first published February 8, 2024.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

Share your views in the comments below.

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OnlyFans star Lily Phillips, known for sleeping with 101 men in a single day, has announced she’s pregnant.

The sex worker shared her news on Instagram, posting a photo cradling her bump, with the caption: ‘The secret is out, baby Phillips 2025.’

Another image captures two pregnancy tests side-by-side, with the digital test reading ‘1-2 weeks’, suggesting Lily has been keeping her news under wraps for quite some time.

Meanwhile, a black and white video clip shows Lily smiling, along with the caption: ‘It’s official.’

It’s unknown if Lily, 23, is dating, although she told Metro back in October that being in a relationship wasn’t a priority for her.

‘I currently don’t date,’ she said. ‘That’s out of choice, just because I know the dating scene would be hard with me doing this.’

Now though, it seems Lily is turning her attention to motherhood — although her announcement hasn’t completely been met with heartfelt congratulations.

While some followers have wished her the best, a larger number are claiming the reveal is a ‘stunt’ for ‘marketing’ and ‘attention’, with others branding her pregnancy ‘fake news’.

One wrote: ‘This is not real,’ while another added: ‘I’m here for all the gullible comments.’

Last month, Lily was pictured at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, wearing a revealing black bodysuit that showed no signs of a baby bump, which naysayers have cited as ‘proof’ that she isn’t actually expecting.

There’s also the suggestion that the announcement could be a publicity stunt to promote Lily’s recent appearance on the Pillow Talk podcast, where she spoke about her plans to collect men’s semen in a large jar.

Within an hour of Lily’s pregnancy announcement, the podcast posted a collaborative video with the OnlyFans star on Instagram, reusing her announcement clip along with the caption: ‘Congrats Lily who the f**k is the dad?’

It’s a question fans are sure to want answered.

Musician Kenny MacDougall has been among the first to claim to be the father, posting on Instagram with the hashtag #PhillipsMacDougall2025 – but he’s been known to pull publicity stunts before.

Kenny recently claimed to have won a competition to sleep with Lily – and shocked followers when his alleged girlfriend accompanied him to the set. However, the young woman later revealed to Metro that it had all been a stunt to promote some of their own content.

Some commenters are also keen to point out that to fake a pregnancy is undeniably cruel, with @emjanei saying: ‘So many women are desperate to be able to have children and can’t.’

However, to brand the OnlyFans star a liar during her pregnancy could be equally damaging.

How Lily’s journey into motherhood might impact her career is currently unknown – although her plans to have anal sex with 60 men seemed to have stalled.

It was thought that the stunt was in response to rival OnlyFans star Bonnie Blue’s latest feat, where she claimed to have broken the unofficial sex world record by sleeping with 1,057 men in 12 hours. Lily had been making plans to be the first to hold the record, but after being pipped to the post by Bonnie, a feud has since sparked between the two.

However, with no update given on Lily’s latest challenge, which was set to be completed on January 21, questions have been raised as to whether it went ahead or if her pregnancy has put her plan on pause.

Metro has reached out to Lily and her team for comment.

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Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

‘She was so small, and she was so mighty, and she did that all on her own,’ says TikToker Kaleigh, in between sobs.

‘Was she proud of herself?’ she asks, unable to contain tears.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Kayleigh was commenting on a great story of tragedy over triumph — and in a way, she was, but not the kind you might expect.

The story currently capturing the hearts of social media users actually centres around a tiny anglerfish, aka ‘possibly the ugliest animal on the planet.’

This tiny fish was filmed by researchers in Tenerife, swimming towards the water’s surface.

What makes this so unusual, is that anglerfish live in the depths of the ocean, thousands of metres below where this one was sighted.

In fact, they even have a special structure on their heads called a ‘lure’ which glows in the dark.

There are 200 species of this type of fish, but the one caught on camera, a black seadevil, has never before been seen so close to the surface. Black seadevils are known to live as deep as 6,500ft under the sea.

There are varying theories for why this little fish was so far away from home. The researchers in the Canary Islands think it could have been swallowed by a predator who brought it to the surface, or perhaps it got trapped in a rising column of warm water.

But, for TikTokers, the fish with a face only a mother could love is a symbol of ‘revelations, change [and] awakening’. Yes, really.

What are people saying about the anglerfish?

The clip has been shared and stitched far and wide, causing rather emotional responses from viewers.

‘I hope she knows a bunch of humans are so proud of her,’ wrote one commenter.

While another described her journey as ‘swim[ing] in light that she didn’t have to make by herself.’

And a third added: ‘I will never trust a person who doesn’t get emotional over this fish. This is now the basis of all my friendships.’

Others were bawling over the tragic fate of the now-famous creature. Local Spanish outlet, Marca, sadly confirmed the fish died, which seemed to make her final swim even more poetic.

‘I saw a comment that said “And for my last day, I think I’ll go see the sun” and I was sobbing!’ read one comment, which received 66k likes.

Others have felt defensive over the fish being labelled ‘ugly’: ‘It’s really upsetting that people keep calling the anglerfish ugly. She was just a girl who wanted to see the sun.’

Not since Nemo have people been so in their feelings about a fish — so what’s going on?

Why are people crying over an anglerfish?

We spoke to Dr. Nivedita Nayak, a psychologist and psychotherapist, who has been following the viral anglerfish video.

She says that, perhaps surprisingly, people are seeing themselves in the little anglerfish.

‘The anglerfish has spent its entire life in the deep, dark ocean, a place of survival and isolation. Now, it is swimming toward something brighter, something unknown, even though it will not survive the journey.

‘That moment feels deeply human. It speaks to endurance, resilience, and the idea of moving toward something greater, no matter the cost. Many people see themselves in that struggle, and it resonates on an emotional level.’

She also shared why this response has been so strong among women in particular.

‘Women often relate to stories of persistence and transformation. The idea of pushing forward even when the future is uncertain, leaving behind a difficult past, or embracing change despite fear mirrors real-life emotional journeys.

‘The way the fish moves toward the light looks like a choice, and that is what makes it feel so meaningful.’

Dr Nayak also pointed out how emotional connection is amplifying this reaction online.

‘When people see others crying over the video, it reinforces their own emotions. The more women relate to it, the stronger the emotional response spreads.

It becomes a shared experience, a moment of collective understanding, which is why a simple video of a fish can feel so deeply moving.’

Meanwhile Dr Norma Scevoli, a chartered counselling ssychologist, tells Metro.co.uk that symbolic imagery can trigger strong emotional reactions, often mirroring our struggles and desires.

‘This video is not just about a fish; it can symbolically represent resilience and the struggle to achieve something meaningful and great, no matter the cost. It is something that many women can identify with, to fight for the light, to be independent, even when it is not clear where the journey will take them. It can be viewed as mirroring personal growth, stepping out of one’s comfort zone and taking control, embracing uncertainty and change, even when it is scary.

‘The fish’s ascent to the surface can be seen as a last statement of rebellion, hope or escape – something that can resonate with those who have ever felt trapped or have longed for more.’

Brb, we’ve ran out of tissues.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

Flu-ridden, I went to a high street pharmacy chain to stock up on paracetamol, Lemsip and Calpol.

It was January and I had never felt so ill in my life. In fact, we were all sick – my husband, four-year-old, and I.

But when I got to the checkout, I was refused my purchase. The teenager on the till told me that I’d gone over the mandated two painkiller packet allowance.

I’d encountered this rule the previous summer when filling my family’s first aid kit for our two week holiday. So I’d specifically made sure I only had two boxes of painkillers this time – one ibuprofen and one paracetamol, a drink so I could take it immediately, Strepsils and Calpol.

‘Calpol counts as one of the painkillers,’ he told me.

It was either Calpol for my teary four-year-old or paracetamol for my sick husband. I exhaled and tried not to cry. I was hot, tired, and my throat hurt.

‘Sorry, we all agree that Calpol should be allowed,’ he added in solidarity. But there was nothing he could do so I didn’t complain.

It was devastating because it was hard enough just summoning the strength to get out of bed and leave the house. And now I wasn’t allowed to buy what I came in for?

The NHS medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis has said that this winter flu season is on track to be one of the worst we have ever seen. It’s definitely the worst I’ve ever had.

From the very start of this flu, every day was harder than the last. I went to bed expecting to feel better by the morning, but to my horror, somehow, I woke up each day feeling even worse than the night before.

Downstairs in the kitchen, I could barely hold myself up to pour a mug of tea. I propped my elbow on the kitchen counter and lifted the same kettle I used every morning, only with no strength left in my body, it was a stone heavier. Everything felt impossibly hard.

The whole family was down. The house had fallen to ruin. So I had to venture out to stock up on essentials for the weekend – and that’s when I was refused. 

This best practice guidance was developed by the Government – specifically, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency – to stop ‘stockpiling’.

But by law, the number of pills per over-the-counter pack is 16. That means that a box would last my husband and I one day if we had two pills four times a day.

So it was either go around all the stores collecting them in microdoses, or come back every day to replenish. I put back my husband’s medicine, necked mine with a drink bought in store and carried on to every supermarket and pharmacy I could walk to. 

It’s crazy because they must know that consumers of Calpol are not old enough to go and buy it themselves. They rely on caregivers to purchase it, who often need to buy medicine for the whole family.

What about families with two, or three children? I only have one and it’s hard enough getting the medicine we all need.

As a family, when one child gets sick, everyone does. And if you don’t all catch it at the same time, you slowly go down one by one. You take turns in getting sick, indefinitely, on a loop, all winter.

This winter alone, we’ve had colds, flu, a diarrhea bug, Covid-19, and a chest infection. I’ve personally had tonsillitis twice in the last two months, and one allergic reaction. On top of that, there are school WhatsApp messages about chicken pox, and viral rashes in the class constantly.

So some level of stockpiling is necessary – especially in the winter term and during flu season.

The thing is, I thought I was doing the right thing by not going to the doctors and asking for a prescription. This is because the official advice on the NHS website is, you don’t need to go to the GP for cold and flu.

There’s nothing they will prescribe that you can’t buy over the counter yourself, and it costs the NHS more than it costs you. And as any parent will tell you, they really mean it.

They won’t give anything for a cold, flu or virus. It’s not worth taking a poorly child out of bed for.

So I shouldn’t go to the doctors for a prescription, and I can’t buy it myself either?

The NHS also advises you to stay inside if you have a cold or virus – to stop spreading. I would love to be able to stay in bed and bunker down for a week, but I’m not allowed to ‘stockpile’ medicine – and anything more than two items is deemed unsafe.

I do understand the logic of limiting purchases in an attempt to minimise the chance of ‘accidental or impulsive overdose’.

But I could walk into Tesco and start stockpiling vodka and that would be fine. There are no limits. I could buy 10 litres if I wanted to, with a crate of wine on the side, which I feel would be far more unsafe.

At the end of the day, these rules aren’t in line with any other policies we have, and consumers shouldn’t be babysat when it comes to purchasing everyday, over-the-counter medicines they need.

If the Government isn’t allowing access to these medications via the NHS and requires consumers to buy it from pharmacies and supermarkets themselves, then they need to remove the two box rule.

It’s either that or put it back on prescription and have doctors decide how much we need – not supermarkets or shop assistants.

I don’t want to risk being in this situation again, so I actually have, ironically, started stockpiling for the next bug that takes my whole family out. Albeit, one packet at a time.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

Share your views in the comments below.

A mum of eight who insisted on taking her life-threatening ectopic pregnancy to full term has given birth to a daughter.

Alex Gooding gave birth on February 4 to baby Chloe Marie via c-section, before undergoing a hysterectomy.

The Christian, anti-abortion mother, from Arizona, sparked controversy when she first announced her intentions to continue on with her pregnancy, against medical advice.

Alex had a caesarean section ectopic pregnancy (CSEP) – the rarest type – where very few pregnancies survive. It means the embryo has implanted in the scar tissue left from a previous cesarean section. It has a high mortality rate for the mother and baby.

Alex was told the devastating news at just five weeks pregnant and was advised to terminate.

But the 33-year-old insisted that ‘a baby is a baby no matter how small’.

The mum announced the birth on Instagram, saying: ‘The biggest relief was this moment.’

She added: ‘Her little life was worth every second of pain, fear and sacrifice.’

However, the risks to Alex and Chloe throughout her pregnancy can be underestimated.

According to the NHS, until recently, it was considered too dangerous to continue with a pregnancy of this kind. But there is now ‘some research available showing that these pregnancies can sometimes progress to term’.

Speaking to Metro, Dr Lawrence Cunningham explained the risks.

‘Scar tissue is not designed to support a growing pregnancy,’ he said. ‘Instead, it can lead to severe complications such as uterine rupture, massive haemorrhage, and even maternal death. The risk is heightened because the pregnancy can grow into the bladder or other surrounding organs.’

But Alex’s strong religious beliefs meant she continued with her pregnancy.

She said on social media: ‘The maternal-fetal medicine [specialist] I went to immediately after my first midwife ultrasound told me I needed to terminate.

‘He told me that I would die and he already called the [gynecologist] and they would meet me at the hospital asap.’

Despite the ‘crushing’ news, she made it to 33 weeks, giving birth a week earlier than planned.

Alex knew there was a high risk of haemorrhaging and that she would likely have to have a hysterectomy.

‘My daughter Chloe was born screaming… then I was put to sleep for a four hour surgery to have a hysterectomy to save my life,’ she explained on her Instagram page @growinggoodings.

She was wheeled to the NICU to see her baby after the procedure. ‘We both made it to the survivor side of a high risk pregnancy,’ she added.

Although Chloe needed support to breathe and had to be fed through a tube, the mum said, after everything they’d been through together, ‘it was worth it’.

When Alex announced on Instagram that she was going to be continuing with her ectopic pregnancy, many on the internet were stunned by her choices.

@calaveraqueen24 wrote: ‘Don’t understand why you would risk your life with seven other children who need you.’

Another, @mthomper, added: ‘Curious if you will share how you processed or weighed the risk to your own life leaving all your children with continuing this pregnancy? I can’t imagine having to make that decision.’

Other followers have raised the abortion debate that continues to cause tensions across the USA.

Since Roe V Wade was overturned in 2022, 20 states including Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, ban or restrict abortion. Many of these states ban the procedure at six weeks or earlier. Some, but not all, have exceptions for cases of rape or incest.

While the termination of an ectopic pregnancy is not categorised as an abortion, they have become part of the debate. Confusing legislation has raised questions in terms of care for women with ectopic pregnancies, and doctors have even been known to withhold treatment due to their beliefs.

Two women in Texas have filed federal complaints against hospitals who they say refused to treat their ectopic pregnancies.

But Dr Cunningham, who is also medical contributor at Help & Advice, explained that, in his experience, the standard treatment needed for ectopic pregnancy is termination.

‘This is to prevent life-threatening complications,’ he said. ‘Treatment options typically include medication, which helps the body absorb the pregnancy tissue, or surgical intervention to remove the ectopic tissue.

‘The choice of treatment depends on the size and location of the pregnancy, as well as the patient’s overall health and future fertility desires.’

For Dr Cunningham, a decision to continue with a CSEP could lead to ‘catastrophic outcomes’.

‘While there are rare cases where both mother and baby have survived, these instances are not common and come with significant risks,’ he explained.

‘Any decision to continue should involve a multi-disciplinary medical team to evaluate the risks and manage the pregnancy closely.’

For Alex, she says that it’s through ‘prayer, love and support from family and friends, that every day I’m strengthened and encouraged. I’m okay.

She added: ‘I’m grateful for my team. I’m grateful for their expertise and their dedication to continually getting better in this field. My pregnancy gave them more data on how to provide quality care that supports the end goal of living babies and living mamas.’

Do you have a story to share?

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Lying in my hospital bed in June 1994, I was on a knife-edge. I had no idea what would happen.

I was 38. I’d just had a bone marrow transplant to treat my leukaemia; and I was waiting to see whether my body would accept the new bone marrow I’d been given.

I didn’t know whether I’d live or die, or if I’d see my wife or children again. Nor did I know that I’d end up becoming good friends with my donor.

I’d only gone to the doctor four years before because I had a small rash under one arm. It wasn’t itchy or painful, just irritating.

My doctor was on holiday, but a locum gave me some cream and did some blood tests, just in case.

A few days later, I got a call saying I needed to go into the surgery.

‘Listen,’ my doctor said, when I went in. ‘You need to have other tests – but it looks like you’ve got chronic myeloid leukaemia [CML]’: a rare type of cancer, affecting the bone marrow and white blood cells.

Hearing those words was like a thunderclap, and I felt very lost in the following days.

It was also the worst possible timing. My wife and I had 18-month-old twins, and my business partner and I had just re-launched The Ivy restaurant.

I was referred to John Goldman at Hammersmith Hospital, who did some tests, drilling into my hip, that confirmed I did have CML.

My two sisters were tested to see if they’d be a stem cell match for me, but neither was. So I went on the Anthony Nolan register for donors – and that was the start of my four-year wait.

In the meantime, I was put on a drug called Interferon, which effectively stabilised my white blood cells. I felt like I had a hangover all the time, and I’d get very tired, but I was able to continue life as normal.

I put my diagnosis to the back of my mind a lot. But at night, I’d come home and self-administer the Interferon with a needle so then I’d go to bed thinking about it.

Nobody really knew how long it would take to find a donor, but then, one day, John said we had one, adding it was the best chance we had. ‘At this stage, you need to grasp the nettle’, he said.

In order for the bone marrow transplant to take place, my own bone marrow had to be killed off with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It took five days and they were brutal.

Once my bone marrow was gone, I was neutropenic, which meant I had no resistance to any infection.

My children couldn’t come into my hospital room. Instead, they’d use the telephone that was outside my room and I’d talk to them that way.

I eventually asked my wife not to bring them; it was easier for me not to have them there at all, knowing I couldn’t see and hold them.

In the days before my transplant, I wrote to my donor to thank him for his selfless action. I didn’t know if it would work, but I wanted to extend my gratitude to him anyway.

I had no idea who he was, as Anthony Nolan keeps details on both sides anonymous, but they passed on my letter. 

When the time for the transplant came, I was connected to a bag of bone marrow and I lay in bed all night while this thick, gravy-like substance dripped into me.

Finding out it had ‘taken’ was a magical moment.

For a long time I was terribly, terribly weak, but six months later I was starting to feel like my former self.

And, of course, there was a new friendship blossoming.

My donor replied – anonymously – joking that he’d had a pint of Guinness before his donation, and that he hoped that would allow the strength of his bone marrow to do some sort of magic inside me.

We continued to write to each other. We didn’t tell each other about our lives, because we couldn’t disclose our identities; but we’d say innocuous things, like ‘I hope you’re well’.

After 18 months, I asked the team at Anthony Nolan if my donor and I could meet. Stewart was OK with it, but the team had no idea how to arrange this. It turned out only 2% of donors and recipients end up meeting.

In the end, my wife and I went to meet Stewart and his wife at the Anthony Nolan offices in Hampstead. We’d booked lunch at a restaurant, but we never made it because we were talking so much. We did go for drinks later that evening, though – and the friendship was firmly forged.

The bond we formed was utterly unique – without Stewart, I quite literally wouldn’t be here. We were both very aware of that from day one – it’s a very strange and powerful thing – and it created a connection between us immediately.

It wasn’t just he’d saved my life, though; it was also very easy and natural, and we instantly realised we actually enjoyed each other’s company.

We had children of similar ages; we were both in business despite having never been to university; we came from similar backgrounds and had so many other parallels in our lifestyles. Oddly enough, we also have very similar handwriting!

We have remained friends since that day.

We regularly met up for dinner and Stewart took me for an excellent curry in Leicester’s ‘golden mile’.

We visited each other’s homes, and Stewart even become great friends with my wife’s brother who lives nearby. We went on holiday together and our children became very close; it was like family.

And then, when Stewart’s wife became pregnant, we sealed the roles officially. Stewart asked me if I’d be godfather to their little boy.

I was absolutely delighted. 

My wife is now godmother to their little girl; and, as Stewart’s a dog breeder, we’ve since got dogs that he’s bred.

Last year, it was 30 years since the transplant; so we all had a big lunch together. Now all our children have children so it was a mad day, with dogs and grandchildren and babies.

These days, Stewart and I don’t see each other that often – we’ve both got family commitments – but it’s the sort of friendship where, no matter how much time has passed, we can always pick up where we left off.

He’s a fabulous guy; after all, he saved my life.

I’m in good health now, and I remain eternally grateful to Stewart and to the treatment I had.

The best part of it all, really, is the fact that I’ve been in the lucky position to help others. In 1999, chef Peter Gordon and I developed ‘Who’s Cooking Dinner?’, a glittering dining event where guests enjoy food prepared by mystery celebrity chefs to raise money for Leukaemia UK.

Over the years the annual event has raised over £8million; with the aim of developing kinder, more effective treatments.

I am now honoured to be Patron of Leukaemia UK and am looking forward to continuing to support their incredible work – so that more people with leukaemia can have the chance and the opportunity that I did.

*As told to Izzie Price

This article was originally published January 30, 2025

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Being mid-period on Valentine’s Day is far from ideal, especially as many women say they neither feel sexy nor enjoy period sex.

it can really dampen the mood if your romantic night in is plagued by cramps and mood swings.

But women are looking to delay their periods ahead of the big day.

As a result, there has been a surge in searches for norethisterone tablets – a drug that can postpone your period.

But is it safe to temporarily halt your period, and can it affect your health?

How does the period delay pill work?

GP Neel Patel, who works for Lloyds Pharmacy Online Doctor, said: ‘Norethisterone is a medication that an individual can start taking three days before their period is due.

‘Three tablets a day are then taken for the time you wish to delay your period.’

Norethisterone contains progesterone, which stops the lining of the womb from shedding, in turn delaying your period.

The drug can be taken for a maximum of 20 days at a time, which would stop the period for 17 days. Once you stop taking the tablets, your period should arrive two to three days after.

Norethisterone is a prescription medicine in the UK, as it can interact with other medications and can cause adverse side effects, so you can’t buy it over the counter, and should consult your GP if you’d like to take it.

What are the risks of taking a period delay pill?

Most women will be able to take this pill, however Dr Patel warns you shouldn’t use it if you have a liver problem, have or have had angina or a heart attack, or have a personal or a significant family history of blood clots.

Some other possible side effects include: sore breasts, feeling sick, and headaches.

Anne Henderson, a consultant gynaecologist and British Menopause Society advanced specialist, adds that the ‘high dose’ of progesterone could leave you feeling low or anxious.

Finally, this is not a contraceptive pill, and should not be used to prevent pregnancy.

Taking back-to-back contraceptive pill packets

According to Dr Patel, it’s ‘common practice’ to take two packets back-to-back to avoid getting your period. However, it’s always worth consulting your doctor – or you can call 111 – if you plan to change the way you take it.

‘If you take the mini pill, otherwise known as the progestogen-only pill, you will be taking a pill every day anyway,’ Dr Patel says.

‘Some types of combined contraceptive pills, such as Synphase and Logynon, also contain a different mix of hormones in each pill, these are known as phasic pills.

‘If you are taking a phasic pill brand you should consult with your doctor before attempting to delay your period.’

Dr Henderson adds that taking three combined pill packets back to back is actually the most common method of delaying your period, known as tricycling, a practice says she often reccomends.

‘It’s not harmful at all,’ she explains. ‘These pills have been used for period delay for decades without any issues. The pill simply shuts the ovaries down meaning you don’t ovulate, so there’s no harmful effects when you don’t bleed.

‘As soon as you stop the pill you’ll start to ovulate and for most women your cycle will return as normal. There’s no evidence that it will cause early menopause, low egg reserve or fertility problems.

‘The benefit the pill has brought to women’s lives far outweigh the downsides, I’ve seen that for the 35 years I’ve been a doctor.’

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Just when you thought we were getting somewhere with wellness over thinness, strong over skinny, retailer Next proves we’ve barely moved the needle.

An advert for the company’s power stretch denim leggings has been banned by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) for the appearance of the featured model’s ‘unhealthily thin’ legs.

And they do look shockingly, impossibly slim. Seeing the advert for the first time, I was fixated on this seemingly impossible feat of human genetics. Then I was angry that women are expected to look like that. Then I was just tired and disappointed.

According to the judgement, Next confirmed digitally altering the image ‘so that the leggings were brought further down towards the model’s ankle’, but the overall ‘setup was selected to maintain focus on the product’.

As a result of the pose, camera angle and styling, the ad was deemed ‘irresponsible’ and therefore ‘must not appear again in its current form’.

As soon as this decision was handed down, righteous clamouring in defence of the ad began: ‘isn’t that anti-thin?!’ ‘She’s just slim’. ‘If this ad is being banned then why not those depicting people who are obese?’

Because it is a false equivalency. Obesity is not a mental health condition, whereas eating disorders such as anorexia are the most fatal of all mental illnesses.

Yes, some women are slim but for the vast majority, the only achievable way to this type of favoured thinness is starvation.

And thank god for the ASA, frankly, for offering some protection to those of us who would otherwise be none the wiser that the images they are seeing are altered.

I know firsthand the toll this can have.

I’ve had anorexia on and off since I was 16; the worst bout in my mid-20s lasted three years and resulted in out-patient psychiatric treatment.

The impact has been devastating: physically, I’ve been left with digestive and bone issues as well as chronic anemia. My hair started falling out. Psychologically, anorexia dominated my life and led to depression and despair.

But the impact of eating disorders extends far beyond the individual. It affects friends and family who can’t breathe because of the panic and fear about their loved one’s health and survival – my mother used to dream about my death.

My ability to perform at work suffered, therefore so did my colleagues and the children I worked with at the time. I relied on valuable, already over-stretched NHS resources to get better.

The origins of eating disorders are both personal and complex but mine was absolutely influenced by the 90s and 00s trend for extreme thinness. Being (an American) size zero was lauded.

Celebrities were shamed – in magazines, with red circles – for any ‘unsightly’ bulge. The ‘heroin chic’ aesthetic was rife from the runway to through the high street – and perhaps Next’s now-banned advert is proof that it is making a stealth return.

But when extreme thinness is promoted as an ideal – and that is what we are talking about, not just slender, they-could-use-a-sandwich physiques – women suffer. Everyone suffers, really.

Men are not immune from being bombarded with imagery of idealised bodies, whether that’s chiselled, gym-honed musculature or slim torsos and faces. Online fitness coach and influencer Tom Trotter recently posted to his 620,000 Instagram followers about his battle with body dysmorphia.

Realistically, though, it’s women and girls who are both targeted and impacted by this constant, gnawing, idealisation of thinness.

Nostalgia for Y2K is plastered across social media. Ozempic-slimmed bodies are everywhere, never more so than during the music, TV and film award show season we are currently in.

Celebrities, including those whose fan base demographic is young women, are out promoting their productions with protruding collar bones and impossibly tiny waists. Skinny jeans are back (again).

In the post-magazine heyday era, we no longer need to actively buy a publication to be told that thin is good, or right, or desirable, we merely need to open our eyes. You can barely touch a phone or see a side of a bus without being affected.

Maybe, we could just about overlook the size 0 models walking down the rarified fashion runways – models are paid to be thin, the fashion world has a concerning obsession with skinniness, we know.

But when Next – wholesome Next! Beloved by nans and mums! Revered for its inclusive sizing! – is promoting a super-thin aesthetic, it’s a sign that the runways have a trickle-down effect.

Digitally altered adverts are nothing new. Brands including L’Oreal and Gucci have, in the past, faced similar ASA bans for adverts featuring overly air airbrushed faces and ‘unhealthily thin’ models respectively.

A cursory scroll through Instagram reveals a legion of filtered, tweaked and elongated women who apparently represent what we want to see because that is what we are told – by brands and influencers – is the definition of thriving and success.

A single, banned advert for Next leggings may not seem important but it is the latest indication that history is repeating itself. We seem to be encouraging another generation to grow up ashamed of their bodies and hateful of their looks; we are driving yet more people towards physical and psychological ill-health with which our beleaguered health system will struggle to cope.

It’s easy to think about ‘women’ as a homogenous group who should know better, or somehow try harder.

So let’s think about it like this: it’s our mums, it’s our sisters, it’s our daughters, who sob themselves to sleep because they think they look wrong. Who, despite their abilities, kindness, humour or intelligence, do not think they are valuable because they are not thin.

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A woman in her early 30s developed a kidney infection after her menstrual cup blocked urine flow.

She had to visit the doctor after noticing blood in her wee, as well as having pain in her tummy in pelvis which lasted around six months.

The anonymous woman’s case was detailed in the BMJ yesterday, because this is not a common occurrence.

It shows that women need to be better informed about the potential complications and correct use of the cups, the paper’s authors suggested.

The woman had been using a menstrual cup to catch blood during the days of her heaviest period flow, which she emptied every two to three hours.

Three years earlier, she had needed a kidney stone removed, and thought it may be something to do with this.

A scan revealed no sign of kidney stones, but did reveal a swollen right kidney and ureter —the tube that carries urine away from the kidneys.

Her menstrual cup was also visible on the scan, right next to the opening of the ureter into the bladder.

She was asked not to use the cup until a follow-up scan a month later.

When she went back, the symptoms had gone completely, leading doctors to conclude the cup was the culprit.

Menstrual cups, which are inserted into the vagina during menstruation and can be washed and reused, are bought as an eco-friendly alternative to pads and tampons.

They can be an incredibly helpful option, especially when disposable products are not available, such as for those living in poverty in rural areas.

As the study says, they are generally safe, with few issues reported.

However, the possibility of issues arising is something users should be aware of.

Study authors said: ‘Presently, menstrual cups can be bought and used without clinical advice from a health professional, which emphasises the importance of detailed and clear patient information material.’

They said there had only been a few similar cases reported.

In three cases, the women still kept using menstrual cups after getting advice on positioning and one choosing a smaller size, and none of them reported having problems again.

‘Correct positioning, along with choosing the correct cup shape and size, is important to prevent negative effects on the upper urinary tract,’ the authors said.

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