Family Life Is My Priority

Katie Piper on motherhood, mums behind bars, the importance of being kind to yourself and the joys of being a Loose Woman

- ALISON JAMES

Katie Piper OBE may be an author, broadcaster, honorary Doctor of Health Science, and founder and trustee of the Katie Piper Foundation, but she's also a devoted mum to Belle (nine) and Penelope (five).

While she enjoys her work, filming three separate stints in the US over the past year in order to make her five-part UKTV documentary series Katie Piper's Jailhouse Mums made her realise how much she missed her girls and her husband, Richard.

"The girls were at home with Richard and absolutely fine, but although I Facetimed whenever I could, it wasn't the same," she says.

"I also still felt pressure to keep up with what was going on at their schools, and be present on the school mums' Whatsapp groups, talking about PE kits or whatever! 

"Lockdown made me realise that I needed to prioritise family life, and working so far away made me realise the importance of being present as a mum. The six-hour time difference was tricky - plus I was jet-lagged.

"I was exhausted and felt bad because I felt like I was spreading myself too thinly. I knew I had to concentrate on one thing at a time and not beat myself up about it."

This, it has to be said, is something we women tend to do! How can we stop giving ourselves such a hard time? Katie (39) reckons the best thing to do is treat ourselves as we would do a loved one.