THIS January, we launched our search for the UK’s most inspirational mothers for our second annual Mum of the Year competition – and the response was incredible.
With over 3,000 entries to sift through, we finally whittled it down to a shortlist of 15 brilliant mums who go above and beyond.
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Then our celebrity judging panel – Good Morning Britain’s Kate Garraway, bestselling author Giovanna Fletcher, The One Show’s Angellica Bell and The Sun columnist and author Deborah James – selected our ultimate mum to win a break for two to Champneys Spa including treatments from the Bronze Collection, and two runners-up, who have both nabbed £250 goodie bags and afternoon tea for two with bubbles.
Charley-Anne Semple, 28, is a stay-at-home mum and lives in Thurrock, Essex, with husband Danny, 30, and children Tyler, seven, and Annabella Rose, five. She was nominated by Danny.
‘My daughter asked why I don’t have autism superpowers like she does’
Danny says “My wife is an amazing mum to our children, who have autism.
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Charley-Anne suffers with her physical health, too, but she never gives up.
No matter how much pain she’s in, she always helps others and is the first to say how lucky she is.
She’s the strongest woman I know.”
Charley-Anne says “It means so much that Danny nominated me.
As a special needs mum, I often feel quite isolated, so it’s lovely that my efforts are being noticed, and I’ll be taking my mum Ingrid, 46, with me to afternoon tea to celebrate.
As a special needs mum, I often feel quite isolated.
Charley-Anne, 28
I met Danny in 2008, aged 16. Tyler was born in 2013 and Annabella Rose in 2015, before we married the following year.
Tyler was the first to be diagnosed with autism when he was four years old.
We noticed he wouldn’t sleep for more than an hour, would spin in circles and hum, had no sense of danger and low sensitivity to touch.
When doctors told us Tyler also has Tourette’s and ADHD, I decided to learn as much as I could to help him.
Annabella was diagnosed at three – she’d line up her toys, get anxious in busy places, and needed a rigid routine.
The Judges
Kate Garraway, 52
The GMB presenter is mum to Darcey, 12, and 10-year-old Billy.
Giovanna Fletcher, 35
The author/vlogger is mum to Buzz, five, Buddy, three, and Max 17 months.
Angellica Bell, 42
The One Show presenter is a mum of two young children.
Deborah James, 38
The author and Sun Online columnist is mum to Hugo, 12, and Eloise, nine.
After her diagnosis, Dan was upset, and asked if it was something we’d done wrong, but I reassured him it wasn’t our fault – autism is in their genetic make-up.
It’s been very full-on. It’s hard when Tyler is screaming in the playground, or we’re in the supermarket and he’s trying to lick things.
It means we get stared at and can’t always go to other children’s birthday parties.
I’ve also had to battle to get the kids special educational needs lessons, and right now I’m at the Royal Courts of Justice fighting to get Tyler a place at a school in Kent, because there are no schools in Essex that can cater for his needs.
I’m in constant pain from my health issues, including fibromyalgia, scoliosis, winged scapula, and Crohn’s disease, so I often use a wheelchair.
Charley-Anne, 28
We can’t do spontaneous things, like pop to the shops, but we make things work by being organised.
In 2017, Danny was diagnosed with Asperger’s, which is on the autism spectrum, and he struggles in social situations.
Recently, Annabella told me she was sad because I didn’t have autism superpowers like the rest of the family, which made me laugh.
I’m in constant pain from my health issues, including fibromyalgia, scoliosis, winged scapula, and Crohn’s disease, so I often use a wheelchair.
I also have insomnia, but Tyler hardly sleeps, so we read stories together.
It’s like my body is falling apart, but our kids bring us so much joy. To me, I’m a normal mum and it’s my children that make me special.”
*To find out our amazing Mum Of The Year winner pick up Fabulous magazine in the Sun on Sunday this weekend.
