MUM'S THE WORD

Presenter and former Made in Chelsea star Ashley James speaks out about the aspects of motherhood we can be too shy to discuss

- LYDIA MORMEN

As a mum of two, broadcaster and DJ Ashley James often shares the highs of motherhood with her social media followers, but that doesn’t mean she shies away from tougher topics.

Now, Ashley – who has son Alfie, three, and daughter Ada, one, with her partner Tommy Andrews – has teamed up with wellness brand Naydaya for its End the Dry Spell campaign to get women talking about intimate dryness.

Research by the brand shows that 82% of women have experienced intimate dryness, which can occur during postnatal recovery, with almost half admitting that they were too embarrassed to ask for help.

“The more I’ve started talking about intimate health online, the more women are reaching out and opening up to me. Some of these women have been living with issues for over a decade, because they weren’t confident enough to seek help or they don’t know that there is help out there,” Ashley tells us.

“That’s why I push past the discomfort and shout really loudly about these things, because until we break the stigma, people won’t have the confidence to ask for help.”

Here, the star talks about why it’s high time to end this taboo and start making women’s health a priority.

Ashley, can you tell us a bit more about the End the Dry Spell campaign?

“The myth is that dryness only happens to older women, but that’s just not the case. For me, it was a postpartum side-effect.

“I feel as though women’s health issues are so deeply entrenched in stigma and taboo. I’ve had two babies and people still refer to genitals as ‘down there’, as if they don’t even want to say ‘vulva’. How are we meant to fix things if we can’t even talk about them?

“There were lots of aspects of my post-natal recovery, whether it was prolapse, a pile or intimate dryness, that made me feel really angry and frustrated. Why should I be embarrassed because it makes people feel uncomfortable?”