‘My girls are my world!’

Writer Eimear O’hagan, 36, lives in Melrose, Scotland, with husband Malcolm, 36, and their sons, Ruadhan, three, and Donnacha, 10 months.

She says, “This year’s Love Island has left me speechless at how badly Megan has treated some of the female Islanders – though she’s not the only culprit. I’ve been happily married for four years, but that’s never lessened the importance of my girlfriends. I invest in my friendships – I set aside time to stay in touch, spending around four hours a week on ‘friend admin’. Whether it’s Whatsapp, emails, phone calls or arranging meet-ups, I take my relationships seriously.

“Why? Because I need them. It was my friend Anna who helped me make one of my biggest life decisions – to move 350 miles from London to Scotland to be with Malcolm in 2012. Only another woman would have listened to me talk for hours, over a bottle of wine, in the way Anna did. She knew when to offer advice, when to let me rant and when to refill my glass. She encouraged me to go for it – a decision I’ve never regretted. And I hope I’m there for my friends, too. We’ve supported each other through break-ups, babies and bereavements, and had the wildest nights out as well. We may all have loving partners, but we share an instinctiveness about how each other is feeling, and an unbreakable bond. It’s a closeness no man can replicate. We value each other way too much for any bitchiness. I wish women like Megan realised how vital such a support network is.”