The truth about my relationship with Phil Spencer

I never thought I would read a headline like ‘Kirstie Allsopp’s husband enables upskirting’. Regrettably, this type of nonsense has become a regular part of our life since Ben and his business partner Will decided to rescue an old pub on Latimer Road. There used to be a dozen pubs on this street, but they have nearly all gone. Ben and Will are romantics and are hugely attached to this part of west London, where they have worked together for 25 years. They thought that reviving the pub would be a fun project, but some locals are working night and day to ensure it never comes back to life, lodging dramatic objections to everything and anything. Like most pubs, this one has a basement which needs air, so an application was made to reinstate its old pavement grille, which led to the absurd claim that patrons would spend their days straining their necks to gawp up people’s skirts. I have to admit some of the comments made to various papers were very funny. My favourite: ‘What’s next – a request to reinstall the pillory outside the Tube station?’ Ben is determined to plough ahead.

My 18-year-old son Bay has just taken his A-levels. He is a cheery, easygoing child and he seemed to take a sensible approach to his exams. The same cannot be said of many modern parents. Every year at this time at least three or four friends tell me they are desperately stressed by A-levels or GCSEs, as if they were taking them themselves. My parents were devoted to us but on pain of death couldn’t have told you what exams we were taking or when. I know of parents nowadays who stick spreadsheets to fridges detailing every last minute of their children’s exam season. Where will this end?