In this week’s Difficult Women, Rachel is joined by Investigations Editor at the New Statesman, Hannah Barnes. Hannah led BBC Newsnight’s investigation into the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust’s Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS). Her work helped lead to an extensive NHS review, and was nominated for an array of awards. Hannah is also the author of Sunday Times bestseller Time to Think: The Inside Story of the Collapse of the Tavistock’s Gender Service for Children, which was shortlisted for both the Baillie Gifford Prize and the Orwell Prize. Hannah tells Rachel about the challenges that come with reporting on complex and contentious issues.

Cindy Gallop is a true Difficult Woman: born in Buckinghamshire, raised in orthodox Brunei by a formidable “tiger mother,” and destined for marriage and motherhood. Instead, she became the founder of MakeLoveNotPorn, a radical platform challenging porn culture by showing real, consensual, emotionally honest sex. Fiercely single, unapologetic about dating younger men, and committed to designing her life entirely on her own terms, Cindy has spent decades dismantling the myths around sex, relationships, and what women are meant to want.

This week's difficult woman is the reality TV star Jazz Saunders, much loved for her kind, down to-earth nature, close friendships and fiery rows on Made in Chelsea. Jazz came out as bisexual on national tv and we have watched her in the first lesbian relationship of the whole series. We discuss all of this and we also hear from Jazz's mum Elyse. Enjoy!

If you love Difficult Women, we think you'll love All Talk with Iain Dale. In this podcast, the broadcaster brings his acclaimed, incisive insight on current affairs as he speaks with high profile media and political figures. This episode is an interview with US political commentator former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan about the art of speechwriting and working in the White House with a man like President Reagan.

Listen to Iain Dale All Talk on Global Player.

This week’s difficult woman is Holly Tucker MBE. Nicknamed ‘Holly hurricane’ when she was growing up, she is one of those women who really do appear like they ‘have it all’. She co-founded the online marketplace Notonthehighstreet in 2006 and later founded Holly & Co, a purpose-led company supporting independent businesses. Rachel and Holly talk about balancing a career with family; the death of the high street and how to save it and, of course, Holly’s most difficult moment.

This week’s difficult woman is Penny Mordaunt, former Conservative minister for Women and Equalities. You may know her for holding the sword at the King Charles’ coronation or running against Liz Truss in the Conservative leadership race. There is much more to Penny than this however. She does not fit the posh Oxbridge stereotype that surrounds the Conservative party. Growing up in Portsmouth, she lost her parents at a young age and cared for her brother whilst he was ill. Her journey into politics is unconventional and frankly fascinating.

This week’s difficult woman is the global health expert Devi Sridhar. She tells Rachel how she became committed to improving public health after losing her dad at a young age and seeing the ‘medieval process’ of chemotherapy he experienced. She also shares some secrets on how to live forever…

This week’s difficult woman is the athlete, Dame Denise Lewis. She won gold in the Heptathlon in the 2000 Olympics and has continued to light up our screens with her punditry ever since. Denise is now the president of UK Athletics and is fighting for people not to experience the injustices that she did. Rachel and Denise discuss her tumultuous journey through motherhood and how she carved out a career after the gold.

This week’s difficult woman is activist Gina Martin. Gina fought to make upskirting a crime in 2017 after a man took a picture of her crotch at British Summertime festival. What followed was a long fight to make this a crime. In 2019, she achieved this goal, and the Voyeurism Offences Act was passed. Gina and Rachel reflect on this landmark victory and the urgent changes still needed to end the harassment of women and girls.

In this week’s episode of Difficult Women Rachel is joined by Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes. Kelly won double gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, racing to victory in both the 800 and 1500 meters at the age of 34. The conversation rarely stays on the track, however. Underpinning Kelly’s dazzling athletic achievements is a tumultuous childhood in which she spent 5 years in care and experienced ‘a fear of abandonment’ as a result. Kelly opens up about learning to stop caring what others think and how that shift transformed her life just two years ago.