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Ashley James

@ashleylouisejames

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Voice for Women | Broadcaster | DJ
🥇No.1 Sunday Times bestseller
✍🏻 BIMBO 💖
🎙️ @thismorning
🤱🏼 Alf & Ada's mama
💌 [email protected]

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I made my ambitions very clear and now the Sunday Times Bestseller chart is here and I can now officially say…

that BIMBO is an instant No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller. OMG!! THANK YOU SO SO MUCH 🩷😭💅🏼

I won’t lie, I was SO nervous to take that call, and I NEVER expected to get Number 1. WOW!! I had made my ambition to be a Sunday Times bestseller so public that I was genuinely scared of failing out loud. We are so conditioned, especially as women, to downplay our ambitions. To be humble. To not want “too much”. To quietly hope rather than boldly declare. 💭

And as human beings, we are terrified of failure. How many of us would love to try something new, a hobby, a business, a career pivot, but we don’t because we’re scared of looking silly if it doesn’t work?

I am so grateful to 25 year old me for quitting my job and living in my overdraft trying to “make it”, while friends were getting promotions, buying houses, climbing ladders. It is so hard not to feel left behind. I have failed at so many things. I have been rejected more times than I can count. But I genuinely believe every single one of those moments led me to this book. 📚✨

I was SO loud about wanting BIMBO to do well that I worried I’d jinxed it. But bestseller or not, I am SO SO proud of it. Proud of the words. Proud of the honesty. Proud of what it stands for. 💖

Of course my ego is happy. I’ve dreamt of this moment since I was a little girl. But more than that, I care deeply about making the world fairer and more equal for women and girls. I care about raising good men. I care about challenging the labels that shrink us. 👑🔥

Every review, every message, every share, whether you have 1 follower or 4 million, it has ALL mattered. 🫶🏼

So not to be a total cringe bag or dish out fake positivity, but please take this as your sign to dream big and do the thing you’ve been putting off. 💅🏼💭✨

WE BLOODY DID IT. 😭🩷

Now… how do we get BIMBO domination in the US? 🇺🇸💄👀 by @ashleylouisejames

Whether she’s urging women to vote using her social platform or calling out misogyny from the ‘This Morning’ sofa, your new Women’s Health cover star, Ashley James, is a feminist force – and her words carry weight.

From navigating new motherhood to building a better relationship
with her body, she tells WH why finding your voice is one of the healthiest goals you can pursue.

Tap the link in the bio to read the full interview.

Editor In Chief - @clairesanderson
Editor - @nikki_osman
Creative Director - @declanfahy
Interview - @laurenelclark
Site Editor - @isaacw1993
Photographer -@matt_monfredi
Stylist -@saskiaquirke
Hair - @michaelgrayhair
Make up - @makeupbymellyj
Photo Directors - @hearstphotodirector @emilybaho
Art Director - @willmatic101
Picture Editors - Sarah Anderson @shanalynch_
Cover Design - @jadecoopercollinsdesign
Social Media Managers - @emilyemmins @isabelleshury by @ashleylouisejames

This weeks cover star is @ashleylouisejames she talks everything from body positivity, motherhood and the reason why she won’t be walking down the aisle🩷

Click the link in bio to read🔗 by @ashleylouisejames

Happy back to school to all the parents who celebrate 😂

Don’t get me wrong, half term was lovely. I loved making memories with Alf and Ada, taking Alf to My Neighbour Totoro (fully recommend) and going to Kew Halloween. But trying to work around the kids while also being present with them is a lot, isn’t it? How are we meant to work as if we don’t have children, and have children as if we don’t have work, when we don’t have enough annual leave to cover all the holidays? (Who am I kidding? Shout-out to the self-employed, who get no paid holiday!)

Every school holiday reminds me of the absolute admiration I have for stay-at-home mums. The biggest patriarchal gaslighting is that they don’t work. Anyone who’s spent a day looking after children knows how relentless it is: the organisation, the quick thinking, the negotiating, keeping everything in your head while overstimulated.

I’ve genuinely told friends who’ve taken time out to look after their children to put it on their CV. I would be lucky to employ a mum who can manage multiple commitments while someone’s asking for a snack, another person’s having a meltdown and she’s running on very little sleep.

And have you noticed that “Why have kids if you’re just going to get someone else to raise them?” is only ever thrown at mums? Dads are expected to work and childcare is just part of the deal. When mums use childcare, suddenly it’s “Why have kids if someone else is going to look after them?” Some parents choose to stay at home, some go to work, and lots do both. We should be able to make those choices without being judged.

I didn’t get maternity leave, but I still had this idea that motherhood would make me a lady of lunch. Turns out I’m more of a lady of overstimulation 😂

Shout-out to single mums and stay-at-home mums. You really are some of the hardest workers in society and you don’t get nearly enough praise. Some people work nine to five; you work 24/7.

And to the schools and teachers who have them back after half term: you are my heroes ❤️

Content idea from @flaviawainwright 😂❤️ by @ashleylouisejames

I was too overstimulated and busy to plan a Halloween outfit this week, but let’s be honest, every day is a horror show in 2026. 👻 by @ashleylouisejames

Anyone else notice how easily a woman’s valid reaction can be dismissed by calling her hysterical or crazy? It feels like a quick way to make a woman shrink, doubt herself and ignore her own boundaries.

Whenever a man says his girlfriend is crazy, I wonder what happened and why everyone focuses on her reaction instead. The “crazy ex-girlfriend” trope helps men avoid accountability, while making women think twice about speaking up or holding boundaries.

The history behind “hysterical” is dark. It comes from hystera, the Greek word for womb. For centuries, doctors believed the womb could cause illness. In 1859, one physician claimed that a quarter of the women he studied in Paris hospitals suffered from hysteria, a diagnosis broad enough to cover women’s pain and distress. How convenient that women could be labelled irrational or unwell just as they began to challenge the limits placed on their lives.

Elizabeth Packard’s story has stayed with me. In 1860, her husband had her committed to an asylum after she expressed views he disagreed with, including her opposition to slavery. She spent three years there before fighting to prove her sanity, then campaigned for the rights of married women and people confined in asylums. Women were locked away, subjected to invasive treatments, and had their opinions treated as proof that something was wrong with them.

The “crazy ex” trope feels like a form of patriarchal gaslighting when you consider that leaving a male partner can be one of the most dangerous times for a woman, yet women are still dismissed as crazy when their emotions might be telling them something important. We learn to distrust our reactions and make ourselves smaller rather than risk being labelled hysterical.

It’s my biggest ick when I hear people use “hysterical” or “crazy” to brush off a woman. I’m loving this series and have really enjoyed all your messages. Once you learn the history behind phrases embedded in everyday language, it’s hard not to hear them differently. For me, these words bring to mind the devastating oppression women have faced throughout history. What word or phrase should I tackle next? ❤️ by @ashleylouisejames

You’ve all been asking for more videos with @nickferrarilbc, and today even @ruthlangsford and @dermotoleary were asking about them, so the pressure is on 😂

In all seriousness, Nick is so good at these. In another life, he’d have been a brilliant influencer. 🤳 @thismorning by @ashleylouisejames

Good news guys: the tooth fairy found her way to Belfast 🧚🦷✨🌈

A little bit of my camera roll recently. Finally made it to Belfast to see a friend as well as my sister and nephews. 5 under 5 is absolute carnage, wow! But I loved Belfast, even in the storm! Thanks to everyone who recommended W5 - we also went to softplays and a great swimming pool with a lazy river! We all got very excited to see a whole rainbow - after the storm comes the rainbow, literally. I just want to send so much love to anyone in the trenches right now with health or young kids. I still can’t believe how little society respects stay at home mums because you guys are truly doing the lords work! I’m just in awe of my sister. ❤️

I also got to go on Big Brother - the Group Chat on such an important episode where I got to speak about the Omar and Rihanna situation and the women’s Aid statement! I have been loving Big Brother this year (and also hating it because of the bullying) - Twinks / Sam to win. ❤️

Alongside loads of cool work things I’ve also got to celebrate a 30th (@bymellymakeup ❤️) and a 50th (@catdeeley ❤️)- I just really need to decide what to do for my 40th. I am feeling SO much pressure - I think maybe because I didn’t have a wedding and feels like you only get a big birthday every ten years. but I also really want to redo my kitchen. Is that the most fortieth sentiment ever?! Would love any inspo for parties / trips / etc…

Anyway I’ve just landed into London and have to try to manoeuvre 2 sleepy babes, but I’m on @thismorning tomorrow.

Night loves ❤️ by @ashleylouisejames

Welcome to the pink room 💗

OMG, I’m so happy to have a pink room in my home again. Tommy did say he liked every colour apart from pink, but then he remembered the very important phrase “happy wife, happy life”. And now he loves it too. 😉 joking he loves it because it feels more like an old-school plaster shade than a very pink pink.

This is our guest room, for when family and friends come to stay, or when we all need a really good night’s sleep. It’s been a bit of a storage heap since we moved in a couple of years ago, so we’re slowly turning it into a warm, welcoming space, especially for our parents.

The walls and ceiling are North Down Drift by @coatpaints , with the darker Lovelane on the wooden skirting, and Pink Ground by @farrowandball on the doors and windows. The massive lamp is a gorgeous one from @pookylights , who have basically taken all my money. I’ve spent more on Pooky than I have on my children at this point. 🤪

Above the bed is Cactus County by @sammylittle.art, and then there’s also a giant glittery photo of me, because apparently every room needs a giant photo of me. 💅 I still have more art to hang but I need to wait to finish the carpentry first.

We still have curtains and wardrobes to put in, but I’m so chuffed with how it’s coming together, especially the new carpet. The old one had been completely destroyed by moths, and I’m hoping to run this carpet through the whole upstairs eventually, as and when I can.

Any questions, let me know. I’m enjoying these reno videos and seeing it all come together💗 by @ashleylouisejames

ad GIVEAWAY OMG! ❤️ I’m so happy to be able to give away one of these amazing Out’n’About Nipper Wagons to one of you.

I’m so happy Out’n’About have agreed to do this! Anyone who knows me knows I love a festival with the kids. I once made the mistake of getting a cheapy wagon and spent the whole festival getting it stuck and trying to find shade for the kids, while looking enviously at everyone else gliding across the field. I remember thinking, “Oh, so that’s the wagon we need!”

I’ve loved Out’n’About for years. I had their single running buggy when Alfie was born, then their double as soon as Ada arrived, and now we have their wagon. I thought we’d only use it for festivals and the occasional trip to the beach to see Tommy’s parents, but we use it ALL the time: pumpkin patches, shopping trips, days out and whenever little legs get tired. The kids still think it’s a treat to ride in it.

The big wheels make such a difference on grass, messy festival fields and sand. I lay the seats flat when the kids want to stretch out. It also has a sunshade and rain cover, which come in handy in all sorts of weather. There so much storage space too!

🎉 HOW TO ENTER 🎉

✨ Follow both @ashleylouisejames and @outnabout_official

❤️ Like this post

👯 Tag your friends who would love to win too!

✨ Each tag counts as one entry, so tag as many friends as you like for more chances to win!

🇬🇧 Open to UK residents aged 18+ only. UK delivery only.

🍀 Good luck! 💕 by @ashleylouisejames

Can Twinks ever win over Rochelle? 🤔 #BBUK by @ashleylouisejames

how many of us have joked about becoming a spinster? I know I definitely used to. And underneath the joke is actually a genuine fear of being single and of not being chosen by a man.
We’re taught from such a young age that being with a man is something to aspire to, that a woman on her own, especially in her late 20s or 30s, is someone to pity. How many of us have been at a wedding and been asked, with a pitying look, “Are you still single?” Even when the person asking is in a deeply unhappy relationship, it can feel as though we’re more comfortable with a woman being unhappy with someone than happily on her own. How many of us joke about older women being desperate as they’re running out of time.
That’s why I wanted to focus this second episode of Weaponised Words on “spinster”. We’ve evolved so much in our rights and freedoms, but the language is so embedded in our vocabulary that it still shapes what we fear and what we expect from women. A Women’s worth is still so often measured by marriage and babies, as though those things prove we’ve been loved, chosen and successful.
My research for this script has reminded me how many incredible women lived outside marriage and motherhood, and achieved extraordinary things. Yet we still seem to hear more about women’s relationship statuses than their achievements. With men, it often feels the other way round: we hear what they did, rather than whether they married or had children.
And the history of “spinster” makes that all the more striking. It began as the name of a profession through which women could earn their own money, yet became something to fear, a warning about life without a man. We’ve seen the same weaponising with feminism, which is so often made to sound ugly or undesirable, as though the worst thing a woman could be is someone men don’t want.
I used to make that joke too, and I’m interested in what it says about the world we’ve grown up in, and how easily we’ve learned to put men at the centre of our sense of worth. I hope you enjoy this one. ❤️ by @ashleylouisejames