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Woman's Hour

Women's Prize winners, Weight, T20 World Cup, Mental healthcare

Woman's Hour

BBC

Society & Culture

4.1 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 12 June 2026

⏱️ 58 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Last night, two debut authors received the Women’s Prize for Fiction and Non-Fiction, each worth £30,000, respectively. Anita Rani speaks to the two winners, novelist Virginia Evans and Lyse Doucet, known to listeners as the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent.

Last week, Hannah Murray, who played Gilly in Game of Thrones, told Anita that during the final season of the show, the papers wrote she was pregnant - when she wasn't. Hannah said that maybe this was the only acceptable way for a woman in the public eye to gain weight. Following a strong listener response to that item we discuss if there is a right way to talk about women’s weight. Anita is joined by Alex Light, a body confidence activist and author and Dr Dolly Van Tulleken, food policy researcher, policy consultant and visiting researcher at the MRC epidemiologist unit in Cambridge University.

England is hosting the 2026 T20 Women's World Cup this summer, and England and Sri Lanka launch the competition with their match at Edgbaston today. This is the first time that 12 teams will competing for the World Cup trophy – an increase on previous years. Anita talks to Melissa Story, a cricket player for Gloucestershire and a commentator for BBC’s Test Match Special, about how the tournament works, the players to watch - and the matches we can’t miss.

This week the Royal College of Psychiatrists launched its first ever Women’s Mental Health Strategy. It was instigated by Dr Lade Smith, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists who chose women’s mental health as a key focus when she took up her post three years ago. As Lade steps down from that role, she joins Anita to talk about why she thinks that the women’s mental healthcare is in crisis and her vision for improvements.

When bride-to-be Kayley Stead was left alone at the altar on her wedding day in 2022, she did what few would think to do - she let the wedding continue. Kayley's photos of enjoying her wedding alone, including the speeches, the first dance and cutting the cake, went viral. Other women congratulated her for celebrating herself and still enjoying the day. Four years on, she's found love again - she's engaged! - and she says she wants her wedding to be "a big party." She joins Anita.

Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rebecca Myatt

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.

0:07.5

From that crazy viral video to bizarre trends that are taking over our social feeds.

0:12.7

We investigate the stuff you're scrolling through in our brand new podcast, top comment.

0:17.9

I'm BBC correspondent, Mariana Spring.

0:20.2

And I'm investigative reporter Matt Shea.

0:22.0

Every week we look at the stories spilling out from our screens and into real life.

0:26.0

To work out what's actually real.

0:27.9

And what's not.

0:29.2

Top comment.

0:30.4

Listen on BBC Sounds.

0:33.8

Hello, I'm Anita Rani and welcome to Woman's Hour from BBC Radio 4.

0:38.8

Good morning and welcome to the programme.

0:41.9

Leis Ducet and Virginia Evans.

0:44.3

Both winners of the Women's Prize 2026 announced last night,

0:48.6

both here post-party to share their joy.

0:52.1

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has launched its first ever women's mental health strategy this week.

0:57.6

We'll be discussing what they're suggesting with the president of the college.

1:01.6

Women's cricket.

1:02.8

The T20 Women's World Cup, to be more specific, is being hosted by England and begins today in Edgebaston.

1:08.9

There may be googly chat in the programme later.

1:12.2

What would you do if you were jilted at the altar?

1:15.3

Well, Kaylee Stead carried on regardless and had a solo wedding and party

...

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