Editor's letter: How an Instagram spat built bridges - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Life Editor’ s letter How an Instagram spat built bridges By You Magazine - May 16, 2021 Every Friday afternoon, we preview Sunday’s cover of the new issue of YOU magazine on our Instagram page @youmagazine. On this particular day back in March our cover star was Amanda Holden, and the accompanying lines read ‘Naked cooking! Bikini selfies! Amanda Holden on sticking her fingers up to the “rules” of being 50’. I thought it summed up her energy, her humour and attitude to ageing with tongue-in-cheek irreverence. Not everything has to be deep, right? Within minutes of posting it, one Instagram follower put me in my place, when she commented: ‘Isn’t there more to women than cooking and selfies?’ Well, of course there is, I thought. Heaven help me if I’m supposed to represent every single thing about women in a few words on a cover. This line referred to the particular things Amanda had to say in her interview, in a variety-packed magazine. Feeling a bit mischievous and ‘Friday-ish’, and before I could govern myself to rise above it, I replied: ‘No, we had a meeting – and it was decided that was all women were about.’ I added an eye-rolling emoji. The Instagram user shot back that my headlines were ‘old school’ and just when I was about to leave it, for fear of getting into an argument I’d regret, she said something I could never have predicted: ‘If you want a story about a mother ripped apart from her child by international child abduction laws, do contact me.’ Clearly, that was far too intriguing to ignore. I contacted her immediately via a private message. And the story Tracy Glover told me, which you will find here, absolutely broke my heart. Isn’t life so fascinatingly unpredictable at times? Just when I was about to dismiss this interaction as a small scuffle with another troll, I found myself talking to a rounded human being who was somehow dealing with unspeakable pain, through every moment of every day. I can completely understand how, in a weak moment, watching the world carry on enjoying a bit of fun and frivolity had got to her and she lashed out. A few days later, Tracy thanked me for listening to her and then apologised for being ‘obnoxious’. But I didn’t think she had been. She was critical, but wasn’t rude or abusive. I told her that I don’t know if I would be able to get out of bed every day if I were her. Let’s be honest, this story doesn’t exactly show me at my finest hour either. I do my best not to become embroiled in internet spats but I also had a moment of ego-bruised weakness. I work hard on this magazine, and I will tend to take the criticism personally. So I took the bait. It’s probably the one time I’m glad I did, because it’s resulted in us bringing to you an important story. It’s also a powerful reminder of that famous saying: ‘Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.’ I think everyone should know about Tracy’s battle because it’s one that she – and her daughter – should not be suffering at all. Editor s picks A few things I’m coveting this week Summer dress perfection. Dress, £138, Dilli Grey, anthropologie.com Because barbecues can be chic too. Napkins, £10 each, humphriesandbegg.co.uk Practical, not to mention adorable. Bag, £90, aspiga.com RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Everything we know about The Crown season 5 Aldi s exercise equipment is on sale with up to 50% off The best Halloween events for 2022 across the UK Popular in Life The You magazine team reveal their New Year s resolutions December 31, 2021 Susannah Taylor The TLC tools your body will love January 23, 2022 How to stop living in fear February 6, 2022 Susannah Taylor My pick of the fittest leggings February 27, 2022 Women’ s Prize for Fiction 2022 winner announced June 17, 2022 These BBC dramas are returning for a second series June 30, 2022 Susannah Taylor gives the lowdown on nature s little helper – CBD April 17, 2022 The baby names that are banned across the world April 27, 2022 The Queen has released her own emojis May 26, 2022 Sally Brompton horoscopes 27th June-3rd July 2022 June 26, 2022 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved