Last New Year’s Eve, Liam was a single bachelor attending alone. Now he has a girl and two kids. It must feel like whiplash to those who have followed him over the years. Since the season started back up, me and the kids have tried to attend a few games, always ending up on the big screen – much to Jack’s amusement. I was surprised that when our faces flashed for everyone to see, we were met with cheers.

Liam has always warned me that people online will have a lot to say whenever he posts about our family, but it seems those worries were not completely necessary. Our situation might not be adored by all, but it seems overall that we’ve been welcomed with open arms.

Luckily, I’ve built up a much thicker skin over the past year. I no longer care about what others think – the fans, my distant mother, Michael. They don’t matter.

Cassie remains cautious. She cares enough for the both of us. She has let us know she has passed along strict orders to delete any unsavoury comments about me or the kids tonight. God bless Cassie. Not that I would see them myself anyway. It proved a lot easier to shut down my personal social media accounts. I only use the business one for Bloom and Blossom these days and as I never post pictures of myself on there, fans don’t really link it to me.

I think back to the worries I had just a few months ago, and I want to laugh. I want to go back in time and shake myself. I was doing exactly what my mother wanted – living for the approval and opinions of others, rather than myself and what I really want. Now I’ve finally taken the plunge, shown the world who I am and what I want, and it wasn’t nearly half as scary as I expected. The world continued to spin, and I continued to be happy.

Before long, I am finishing up my make-up. I’m no expert, but I know the basics. Tonight, I am pushing my skills to the limit. Red lip and winged liner to carry on the vintage feel of my dress, but I have brushed some silver glitter on my eyelids to match my silver strappy heels. I haven’t worn heels in over a year so my bag is packed with plasters as well as baby wipes.

Every time I try to help with the kids I get waved away by Liam letting me know he’s got it. I don’t doubt it, but I still feel a little out of control and guilty. Here I am pampering myself, leaving him to get himself and two kids ready and one of them is a wiggling baby. I know it’s ridiculous – I mean, if he couldn’t handle it he would let me know.