Welcome to Women’s Health

Most weekend mornings, you’ll find me ferrying one or the other of my two children to their various sporting activities. From football to cheerleading, rugby to swimming, I’m busily driving around my home city of Winchester being taxi mum. And there’s one constant. In the background, loud enough to sing along to but not so loud it becomes yet another irritating noise in an already hectic small space, BBC Radio 1 is playing. My daughter

Nell, six, particularly loves belting out her favourite songs (she’s a big Lizzo fan) while busting out some moves, as Zak, nine, looks on with a withering slant that only big brothers can bestow.

And in between the tracks are the gorgeous, comforting, lilting northern tones of DJ Adele Roberts. She has a knack for making you feel like she’s talking directly to you or that she’s old pals with the people who send in shout-outs.

I’m generally more of a Radio 2 gal these days, but Adele is my go-to weekend listen and, after following her on Instagram and seeing how gorgeous, funny, kind and devoted to her equally gorgeous girlfriend Kate Holderness she is, I loved her even more.

So I was knocked sideways when during one of my IG scrolls last autumn I came across a post by Adele saying she was in hospital after being diagnosed with bowel cancer. It felt like a close friend was sharing their bad news.

I watched with concern but immense awe as she updated her audience about her various treatments, which culminated in having to wear a stoma (now and forever better known as Audrey) and undergo endless rounds of chemotherapy, with such positivity. And I listened to her first show back on the radio, mid-treatment, when she emotionally told her listeners how grateful she felt to be there and thankful for all the goodwill she’d received.

I knew then that she should be on the cover of Women’s Health.

Adele has refused to let cancer define her and is an example to all of us. Even during chemo, she’s navigated working out and has been working throughout, being her normal, beautiful, genuine self. It’s not often I dedicate my editor’s letter solely to the cover star, but Adele deserves it. I met her and

Kate for lunch recently and I came away wishing they were my best friends. Adele, you are brave beyond words. You told me shooting this cover changed your life. Enjoy every minute of it when it’s on the shelves and look back in years to come and say, ‘I did that!’ There’s plenty more to get stuck into in this issue, but turn to page 30 to read Adele’s incredible story first.

As always, I hope you enjoy the issue. Until next month...

Claire Sanderson Editor-in-chief

Follow me on Instagram @clairesanderson