Marianne Kavanagh is an author and journalist.

She has worked for Woman, the Tatler, the Sunday Telegraph magazine and British Marie Claire, and has contributed features to a wide variety of national newspapers, magazines and websites.

She has three grown-up children – a journalist, a stand-up comic and a textiles designer.

She lives in south-east London with her husband Matt and two extraordinarily annoying cats.

photograph by Marzena Pogorzaly