FROM courageous campaigners to sporting superstars and kickass businesswomen, our panel of judges reveal the ladies who really show this girl can.
Whether it’s the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, Dina Asher-Smith or Holly Willoughby, we bow down to women who rocked in the UK this year.
Dina Asher-Smith, 24, athlete
We can barely keep up with the brilliant sprinter’s achievements – and it’s no wonder, seeing as she’s the fastest British woman in history.
In October 2019 Dina, from Orpington in South London, bagged the 200m gold medal at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, and set a new British record for the 100m, bagging silver in 10.83 seconds. We expect big things in Tokyo, Dina!
Queen Elizabeth II, 93
She’s our longest-ever reigning monarch (having been on the throne for 68 years, since her coronation in 1952) and never puts a foot wrong, no matter what scandal surrounds her family.
And this year has been a particularly difficult one, with allegations around Prince Andrew and Harry and Meghan’s departure, but the Queen faces adversity with dignity.
Plus, her signature coat dresses with matching hats are a style triumph.
Freya Lewis, 17, student
Freya and her best friend Nell Jones were just 30ft away from Salman Abedi’s bomb as they walked out of the Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017, after watching Ariana Grande perform.
Tragically, 14-year-old Nell was killed. Freya survived and was rushed to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where she stayed for five weeks, undergoing five operations in 11 days.
After being wheelchair-bound for three months, Freya decided to run the 2.5k Junior Great Manchester Run on May 20, 2018, raising an incredible £40,000 for the hospital that saved her life.
At the 2018 NHS Heroes Awards, she received a Young Fundraiser Award from former One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson.
Grainne Teggart, campaigner
As a campaigns manager for Amnesty International, Belfast-born Grainne has fought for the introduction of abortion services in Northern Ireland, organising protests, marches and speeches for the past decade.
She stood by Sarah Ewart, a Belfast woman who was denied an abortion despite doctors saying her unborn child would not survive outside the womb.
Grainne went on to campaign for a change in the law in Belfast’s High Court, and on October 22, 2019, abortion was finally decriminalised in NI.
“From [this] day onwards we’re free, we’ll no longer be treated as criminals for accessing healthcare,” she said.
Jesy Nelson, 28, singer
In September, the Little Mix star bravely talked out about the online trolls who drove her to attempt suicide in BBC3’s Odd One Out.
Jesy revealed how she had sunk into depression amid the daily abuse after the band won The X Factor in 2011, with internet trolls calling her the “fat, ugly one”.
Her mental health suffered so much that Jesy tried to take her own life, before finally learning to accept herself and her body and ignoring the haters.
The documentary helped shine a much-needed light on the escalating problem of cyberbullying.
The Lionesses, England women’s football team
Making it all the way to the World Cup semi-finals in France last year – before they were knocked out 2-1 by the USA – the Lionesses and their captain, Steph Houghton, 31, have injected some much-needed excitement back into English football and inspired thousands of young women to lace up their football boots.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, 34, actress, writer and producer
Finally giving women the sometimes-messy and complex female characters we’ve wanted to see on screen for so long, Phoebe wrote and starred in the fantastically funny Fleabag, which scooped four Emmys last year, co-wrote series one of Killing Eve and was drafted in to write the screenplay for the 25th James Bond film No Time To Die.
Her latest series, Run – which she executive produces and also stars in – hits HBO next month, and will be available to stream on Now TV. We’re waiting with baited breath.
Amika George, 20, campaigner
After founding the #FreePeriods campaign during her A levels in 2017, the North London student forced parliament into action with her petition calling for an end to period poverty with the provision of free sanitary products for disadvantaged teenagers nationwide.
Thanks to her efforts, the government has pledged £1.5million to the cause, and last April the Department For Education announced its commitment to providing free sanitary products across England’s schools this year.
Nadiya Hussain, 35, chef and author
Rising to fame after winning Great British Bake Off in 2015, Nadiya became a national treasure and landed her own BBC cooking series, Nadiya’s British Food Adventure and Nadiya’s Family Favourites.
She also penned a number of bestselling cookbooks for both children and adults, including The Secret Lives Of The Amir Sisters.
As if that wasn’t enough, Nadiya was invited to bake the Queen’s 90th birthday cake in 2016, has also spoken bravely about her crippling battles with anxiety and in 2018 hit back at racist trolls on social media, tweeting: “I’m getting sick of being told to go home… I am home!”
Sky Brown, 11, skateboarder
Sky is set to become Britain’s youngest-ever Olympian at the Tokyo Games. She’s already won World Championship bronze at the Park World Championships in São Paulo, and at 2019’s X Games, she became the first female to land a frontside 540 – spinning one and a half rotations.
Charlotte Kneer, 49, Chief Executive of Reigate and Banstead Women’s Aid
Charlotte suffered 16 years of violence before finally leaving her husband in 2002. Seven years later, she became a support worker at Women’s Aid, helping give food, clothes, bedding, money and uniforms to victims of domestic violence.
Inspired by these women, she reported her ex-husband to the police in 2010 and he was later sentenced to seven years in prison. In July 2011 Charlotte became chief executive of RBWA.
“One of the most amazing things about doing this job is seeing women at the end of their journey through our refuge,” she says.
“A shadow comes in, and a woman leaves.”
Dame Barbara Windsor, 82, actress
A telly legend, Barbara started out in the Carry On films before playing no-nonsense matriarch Peggy Mitchell for 19 years on EastEnders, but her husband Scott announced in May 2018 that she’d been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s four years earlier.
In 2019 Barbara became an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society and delivered an open letter to Boris Johnson signed by 100,000 people, calling for more NHS funding for dementia care.
Kris Hallenga, 34, CoppaFeel! Founder
Kris’ world was turned upside down when she was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer aged just 23. After being told her cancer was incurable, she founded charity CoppaFeel! in 2009.
The charity – who we joined forces with to raise more than £1million via our Fabulous Challenge Treks with the help of the likes of Vicky Pattison – educates young women on detecting the signs and symptoms, as well as spreading much-needed awareness about the disease, especially among young people.
Lauren Backler, 29, Bowel cancer campaigner
In 2015 Lauren was dealt the devastating blow that her mum, Fiona had been diagnosed with bowel cancer. Despite starting chemotherapy immediately, Fiona passed away in March 2016, a week after her 56th birthday.
Determined to not let her mum’s death be in vain, Lauren started a petition and joined forces with HOAR’s No Time 2 Lose campaign, to have the bowel cancer screening age lowered from 60 to 50. The petition got 445,000 signatures and, four months later, the government agreed to lower the age, potentially saving thousands of lives.
However, more than 18 months on, it still hasn’t made good on its pledge, and so Lauren continues to campaign until changes are made.
Hannah Witton, 28, Youtuber and author
Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at seven, YouTube star Hannah had an ileostomy – an operation whereby the small bowel is diverted through an opening in the stomach – at the beginning of 2018 and has had a stoma bag since.
She now regularly educates and updates her 300k followers on social media and 600k YouTube subscribers about what life is like living with a stoma, and has won praise for her openness.
She also released her book The Hormone Diaries in 2017.
Holly Willoughby, 39, TV presenter
After being spotted at 14 by talent scouts, Holly was signed by Storm Model Management, before landing a job co-presenting Saturday morning kids’ show Ministry Of Mayhem on CITV in 2004.
She’s now the face of morning telly, presenting ITV’s This Morning with Phillip Schofield for the past 11 years.
Last month, she was applauded for handling Phil’s announcement that he is gay with such compassion, while her savvy high-street style has led her to sell-out ranges for Marks & Spencer and Very.co.uk.
Cynthia Erivo, 33, actress, singer and songwriter
London-born Cynthia first made a name for herself playing Celie in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple, which won her the prestigious 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
She’s since gone on to play abolitionist Harriet Tubman in the movie biopic Harriet last year, for which her stellar performance earned her nominations for an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Way to go, Cynthia!
Katie Gee, 24, Assistant surveyor and body-posi campaigner
In the summer of 2013, Katie and her friend Kirstie Trup were victims of a seemingly random acid attack by two men while spending their summer volunteering at a school in Zanzibar.
Both were flown to the specialist burns unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for treatment, but though Kirstie was able to be discharged, Katie had burns all over the right side of her body, and her ear had to be removed.
To date, she has endured more than 60 operations, but has gone on to complete a degree in sociology at the University of Nottingham, travel across America and use her story to challenge traditional beauty standards via her social-media accounts.
“Trauma? It doesn’t have to ruin your life,” she said.
Fearne Cotton, 38, Radio and TV presenter
Mum-of-two Fearne has used her broadcasting platform to speak out about her experiences with depression and anxiety, admitting last year that she used to frequently suffer from panic attacks.
Making her mental health a priority, Fearne took time out to evaluate her work-life balance.
She has now been an ambassador for charity Mind for the past three years, and is determined to break down the stigma around mental health through her Happy Place podcast and website.
Dame Vivienne Westwood, 78, fashion designer and campaigner
Dame Vivienne is largely responsible for bringing punk to the mainstream.
Her celeb fans include Princess Eugenie, who wore three Westwood designs for the pre-wedding dinner, ceremony and the after-party at Kate and Wills’ wedding in 2011.
Not only is Vivienne vegetarian and known for cycling everywhere, during LFW 2019 her models wore T-shirts emblazoned with climate change slogans.
Emily Maitlis, 49, journalist
The Newsnight presenter had the nation gripped last November when she interviewed Prince Andrew about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Emily’s fearless, forensic questioning saw the prince tying himself in knots while denying having slept with 17-year-old Virginia Roberts.
Emily knew exactly when to press him and when to sit back, and the public witnessed an absolute masterclass in journalism.
Davina McCall, 52, TV presenter
Ex-BB and Long Lost Family presenter Davina has overcome more than most. In her 20s she battled alcohol and heroin addiction, even admitting she took the drug with her mum Florence.
Sadly, mum-of-three Davina also lost her sister Caroline to cancer in August 2012 and split from her husband of 17 years, Matthew Robertson, in 2017.
She’s now been sober for 20 years and has just finished filming the first series of The Masked Singer on ITV.
She also looks fitter than ever, saying: “[You] need to experience difficulty to learn how to be resilient.”
Baroness Doreen Lawrence, 67, campaigner
Following the racially motivated murder of her 18-year-old son Stephen Lawrence in south-east London in 1993, Doreen campaigned for years to prove that the Metropolitan Police were not investigating properly because of “institutional racism”.
Since then, she has continued to campaign for justice for victims of racist crime, bringing about reforms within the police service.
She also founded the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, has been selected to sit on panels within the Home Office and the Police Service, and is a patron of charity Stop Hate UK.
Stacey Solomon, 30, TV personality
Since having her first baby as a teen, mum-of-three Stacey is smashing motherhood.
She found fame on The X Factor, won the 10th series of I’m A Celebrity! and is now a panellist on Loose Women.
Stacey launched her second clothing range with Primark last year after the first sold out.
Her 2.9 million followers have made her an Insta star and she uses the platform to champion blended families.
Maggie Oliver, 61, formerly DC for Greater Manchester Police
From her job as a police detective, Maggie resigned in 2012 to expose the now infamous Rochdale grooming scandal, which led to the arrests of 19 men and 47 girls identified as victims.
Maggie’s fight for the victims of child grooming continues, and last year she opened The Maggie Oliver Foundation to help survivors move on with their lives.
Emma Willis, 43, TV presenter
Starting out as a model before being signed up by MTV, Emma is now one of the best-loved and most down-to-earth presenters on TV.
She’s fronted shows such as The Voice UK, Celebrity Big Brother, plus co-hosted The BRIT Awards and C4’s The Circle.
The mum of three, who is married to Matt from Busted, has also supported UNICEF since 2016 and last year she released her own clothing range with Next.
Claudia Winkleman, 48, TV presenter
After pairing up with Tess Daly in 2014 to become the first all-female presenting team to host a primetime show, Claudia is now one of the highest-paid women at the BBC and has been nominated twice for Best Entertainment Performance at the BAFTAs for Strictly.
Claudia also helped relaunch The National Missing Persons Campaign in 2007 and, when her daughter Matilda, 13, was injured after her Halloween costume caught fire in 2014, Claudia successfully lobbied the government to tighten flame-retardant standards in kids’ costumes.
Dame Cressida Dick, 59, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police
As head of the Met for the past three years, Dame Cressida is the highest-ranking police officer in the UK and the first woman to ever hold this title.
To mark her dedication to the police force, she was given a damehood in Theresa May’s resignation honours list earlier this year.
Her partner, Helen, is also a police officer.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson, 27, athlete
One of Britain’s most promising athletes, Liverpool-born KJT won gold in the heptathlon at the World Championships in Doha last year, smashing the British record (set by Jessica Ennis-Hill).
Her triumph came after years of defeat and heartache, including a series of injuries and the death of her dad in 2017, before she came back stronger than ever. Watch out Toyko…
Bobbie Cheema-Grubb, 53, High Court judge
Bobbie was born to Indian Sikh Punjabi parents who came to the UK from India in the ’60s.
Growing up in Leeds before studying law at King’s College London, she went on to successfully prosecute retired Church of England bishop Peter Ball for sexual abuse in 2007.
Her appointment as High Court Judge was announced in October 2015, making her the first Asian woman to serve in this position.
Dame Judi Dench, 85, actress
A national treasure, Dame Judi won the 1999 Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance as Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare In Love – as well as being nominated for the award six more times.
Plus, she’s nabbed 11 BAFTAs, seven Olivier Awards, two Golden Globes and a Tony Award.
And she’s still working at the age of 85, playing Commander Root in Artemis Fowl out in cinemas later this year.
Dame Mary Beard, 65, academic
Professor of classics at the University of Cambridge, Dame Mary is the UK’s best-known classicist and was awarded an OBE in 2013.
The classics editor of The Times Literary Supplement, where she also writes a regular blog titled A Don’s Life, has also presented numerous brilliant TV documentaries, including Shock Of The Nude.
Priti Patel, 47, Home Secretary
Priti has served as the Home Secretary since July 2019, becoming the first woman of ethnic minority to hold the office.
Most recently, she announced a post-Brexit shake-up of our immigration system, while also encouraging businesses to invest in British workers.
Susanna Reid, 49, TV presenter
Our cover star is breakfast TV’s golden girl.
Her shock defection from BBC Breakfast to ITV’s Good Morning Britain has paid off in spades.
Despite waking at the crack of dawn, Susanna handles volatile co-presenter Piers Morgan with aplomb, while he has taught her not to be scared to voice her opinion.
Susanna shows age is no barrier to success and has also managed her split from partner of 15 years, Dominic Cotton, with dignity to ensure that it did not impact on their three teenage sons, who they continue to co-parent.
Sharmila Nikapota, 50, founder of Cure EB
When her baby daughter Sohana was diagnosed with the genetic disorder EB – an incurable skin condition causing blisters, open wounds and skin loss – Sharmila had never heard of it before.
But after seeing her daughter, now 17, grow up in constant agony, she was determined to do something about it.
In 2011 she set up the charity Cure EB. Since then she has raised millions for research into the condition and has worked closely with scientists at Kings College, London, who believe they are close to a medical breakthrough.
Giovanna Fletcher, 35, author, vlogger and presenter
The mum of three is married to Tom from McFly, has 1.3 million Instagram followers and is patron for CoppaFeel! Gi is also the author of children’s and adult books as well as Sunday Times bestseller Letters On Motherhood.
She also launched podcast Happy Mum, Happy Baby, which has had an amazing 7 million downloads to date and recently featured the Duchess of Cambridge.
On the show, Gi has been heralded for her honest portrayal of motherhood and the reality of her post-pregnancy body, bringing comfort and advice to mums across the UK.
Louise Redknapp, 45, singer
Singing her way into the spotlight in 1993 as a member of Eternal, Louise later put her career on the backburner to bring up her two boys, Charley, 15, and Beau, 11, while also supporting then-husband Jamie Redknapp’s football career.
After reaching the Strictly final in 2016, she split from Jamie, later saying she’d “lost herself” in her marriage.
Proving it’s never too late to go after your dreams, Louise has since starred in West End musical 9 To 5, and had a Top 10 hit with her first album in 20 years Heavy Love.
Adele, 31, singer and songwriter
Londoner Adele graduated from the Brit school in 2012 and has become one of the most successful and cherished British artists in history, winning nine BRIT awards, 15 Grammys and even the Oscar for Best Original Song for the James Bond theme song, Skyfall.
Since her divorce from charity entrepreneur Simon Konecki in April 2019, the mum of one has bounced back, losing 7st, and is set to release a new album later this year.
Ruth Davidson, 41, politician
Ruth is known for her straight-talking wit and likeability, having served as the leader of the Scottish Conservative Party for eight years, standing down in August last year.
In April 2018, she was also named in the TIME 100 Most Influential People List, the same month that she announced she was three months pregnant after undergoing IVF with her partner, Jen Wilson.
We also love that her book Yes She Can: Why Women Own The Future is addressed to every woman out there.
Nicola Adams, 37, former boxer
Officially the UK’s most successful female boxer ever, Nicola Adams became the first-ever female (and first-ever openly LGBT) Olympic boxing champion at the 2012 Games, before going on to win again in Rio, both in the flyweight division.
Although she retired from the sport last year, Nicola still remains an active part of the boxing community, helping train and inspire youngsters to get active across the UK.
Katharine Birbalsingh, 47, education reformer and headteacher
Often touted as Britain’s strictest teacher, Katharine is the founder and headmistress of Michaela Community School, a free school established in 2014 in north London.
Her no-excuses policy – including detentions for such things as eyerolling – has earned her a formidable reputation.
In 2017 she was included in Anthony Seldon’s list of 20 most influential figures in British education.
She’s also editor of the book Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Teachers: The Michaela Way.
Betty Macintyre, 70, midwife
Over the last 50 years, Betty, from Oban in Argyll, has delivered hundreds of babies, some in the most remote parts of Scotland and many in the most extreme circumstances, including on a lifeboat, in a horse box, on a pier, abroad on a car ferry and even in a helicopter.
Thanks to her incredible work, in 2018 Betty was awarded Hero Nurse of the Year by the NHS.
Kate Middleton, 38, Duchess of Cambridge
As well as being mum to the future King of England, Kate continues to use her position in the royal family to champion mental health charities, including initiating the Heads Together campaign, which aims to raise awareness and provide help for people affected by these issues.
She’s also spoken about her own challenges as a mum, admitting she still gets “mummy guilt” for not always being with her three children.
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, 50, politician, TV presenter and former athlete
Born with spina bifida, Baroness Tanni is one of the most successful disabled athletes in the UK.
Over her career she’s won 16 Paralympic medals for wheelchair racing, including 11 golds, held over 30 world records and won the London Marathon six times between 1992 and 2002.
After retiring in 2007, Tanni became a regular sports presenter on the BBC coverage, and was made a Life Peer back in March 2010.
Dame Helen Mirren, 74, actress
She’s one of the few performers who’s achieved the Triple Crown of Acting – winning an Oscar for her performance in The Queen, the Tony Award for Best Actress in play The Audience and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress four times.
Dame Helen also recently admitted that she thinks it’s more fun to “grow old disgracefully.”#icon
Camilla Parker Bowles, 72, Duchess of Cornwall
Since encountering survivors of domestic violence at SafeLives in 2016, Camilla has been a staunch supporter of abuse victims. Last year, the Duchess wrote a letter of support for the first ever Stand Up To Domestic Abuse Conference in Wales.
Earlier this year she also gave an impassioned speech during a reception for SafeLives at Clarence Hall, saying: “With each story that is told, the taboo around domestic abuse weakens and the silence that surrounds it is broken, so other sufferers can know that there is hope for them and they are not alone.”
Jane Garvey, 55, radio presenter
Jane’s was the first voice on BBC Radio 5 Live when it launched back in 1994, and she now hosts Woman’s Hour on BBC Radio 4, as well as a podcast with Fi Glover.
She was one of the organisers behind the open letter from some of the BBC’s biggest female stars, calling on the corporation to “act now” on the gender pay gap. And they did.
Many female presenters, including Jane, had their pay increased, while some male stars faced cuts.
Libby Clegg, 29, Scottish Paralympic athlete
Having been born with a deteriorating eye condition known as Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy disease, Libby is registered blind and the mum of one will one day lose her sight completely.
However, she doesn’t let this hold her back, winning two golds at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games and taking part in this year’s Dancing On Ice.
Michelle Elman, 26, campaigner
With scars from childhood surgeries including a punctured intestine, obstructed bowel and a brain tumour, Michelle wanted plastic surgery to “fix” her appearance.
But in 2015, to address the belief that people with scars can’t wear bikinis, she decided to post a picture on Insta wearing one, showing off her scars along with the hashtag #Scarrednotscared.
Michelle campaigns for body positivity to her 157k Insta followers, while her TedX talk Have You Hated Your Body Enough Today? has been watched over 50,000 times.
Myleene Klass, 41, singer
Trained pianist and former member of pop group Hear’Say Myleene is now a much-loved media personality and mum of three.
Her world was turned upside down with the end of her marriage to security guard Graham Quinn, but she continued to raise her girls and work, and has now had a baby boy Apollo with PR guru and dad of two, Simon Motson.
Her posts on social media about blended families are an inspiration to many.
