HOLLY Hagan has revealed she was so overwhelmed after giving birth, she was terrified of going to bed at night.

The Geordie Shore star, 32, welcomed her son Alpha-Jax, now two, with footballer hubby Jacob Blyth, but says the early days of motherhood left her in tears every evening.

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Speaking on her new CBeebies Parenting Helpline podcast with BBC Radio 1 DJ Charlie Hedges, Holly opened up about the unexpected emotional toll of becoming a mum.

She confessed: “I wish somebody had warned me about the baby blues, because oh my God, that hormone drop once I got home from hospital — I was crying for no reason.

“It would get to 6pm, 7pm and I’d just burst into tears. I was scared of going to bed, I didn’t want to be alone.”

The reality TV favourite added: “It was very strange, but thankfully that passed after a week or so. But nobody warned me. I wish someone had spoken to me about that. It wasn’t fun.”

And it wasn’t just the hormones keeping Holly up at night — she was plagued with anxiety over Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and found herself obsessively checking on Alpha-Jax.

“I worried about febrile seizures and all these things you don’t really hear about until you have social media,” she admitted.

“It’s great for advice but it also shows you loads of terrifying stuff.

“I thought SIDS was really common. I was absolutely terrified thinking one day he might just stop breathing. I even used an Owlet sock that tracked his breathing, oxygen and heart rate because I’m such an anxious person.”

Holly also opened up about the challenges of parenting a “high-temperament” child and said it’s taken her two whole years to feel like she’s finally cracked motherhood.

“I’ve made no secret that it’s been a difficult journey with him since he was about four months old,” she said.

“I’m finally getting into the swing of it, but it’s taken a long time. Motherhood completely turns your life upside down.”

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THOUSANDS of households can get up to £600 of free cost of living cash.

The money comes from the Government’s Household Support Fund, which has given councils a share of £742million to help struggling residents.

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Eligibility criteria varies depending on where you live but help is usually offered to those on benefits or a low income.

Eligible households in Richmond, London, will get payments of up to £600 to help cover the cost of food, energy bills, clothes or other household essentials.

Those on Universal Credit or other benefits can apply but you don’t need to be receiving them to get the cash.

How much you will get depends on the number of people in your household and if you have any children.

Households with one or more adults could get grants of up to £300.

Meanwhile, for those with one child the payment rises to £500.

Or families with two children or more can get up to £600.

To be eligible for the grant you must be over the age of 18 and live in the London Borough of Richmond.

You also need to be struggling with the impact of rising cost of food and energy or continue to be impacted by Covid-19.

This could be for a variety of reasons including: 

• Reduced pay or lost job
• Benefits issues, including Universal Credit
• Struggling to afford food, energy costs and other essentials including white goods
• Extra costs as a result of Covid-19

If your application is successful then you will get the grant via a BACS payment into your account or as supermarket vouchers.

For more information on the grant or to apply contact Citizens Advice Richmond by calling 080 82 78 78 73. The lines are open 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.

You can also apply for the grant by completing an online form on the richmond.gov.uk website.

What other help is available?

Portsmouth

Portsmouth residents who are struggling to pay their bills can apply for an exceptional hardship payment worth up to £1,000.

But applications close at 12 noon on June 12 so you will need to act fast.

Applications may also close early if the funds have been used up.

You will need to provide evidence of your income and bank accounts.

You will also need to explain what you have done to improve your financial situation and why you need the help.

The exact amount you receive depends on your household size.

The maximum amount is £800 for six or more people.

One person can get £350, two people £420, three people £500, four people £600 and five people £700.

Households who are considered to have the greatest need can be awarded a further £200, bringing their total payment up to £1,000.

To apply, visit the portsmouth.gov.uk website.

Somerset

Thousands of households in North Somerset can apply for £100 worth of cash to help with the cost of living.

The fund will see more than £2.3million handed out to struggling families, pensioners and vulnerable residents across the region.

As part of this, children across North Somerset will be provided with a food voucher next month.

In total, around 5,200 children who are eligible for free school meals will automatically receive a £100 food voucher in June with no application required.

Hull

Thousands of families in Hull can apply for £200 worth of cash this summer.

The fund will be used to give eligible pensioners £200 to help them cover their costs after the Government made cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment.

Meanwhile, low income families will be eligible for a £40 school uniform grant, as well as food vouchers in school holidays for those eligible for free school meals.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

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Do not assume you’ll receive the same money as siblings in your parents’ will. And if your partner has children from a previous relationship, buckle in for a bumpy ride.

Those are the key warnings from Sam Grice, founder of Octopus Legacy, who’s dished the dirt on the most explosive family feuds he’s witnessed after a client’s death.

He tells Metro some of the most common inheritance conflicts can be avoided with a little planning. So, get ready to talk about death.

What is a will, and why are they important?

First things first, each person’s will is unique to their situation. Typically, it specifies how an individual’s property, money, other assets and possessions should be divided among beneficiaries. Bear in mind, ‘beneficiaries’ doesn’t always mean family members or children. They could be charities or organisations.

If a deceased has minor children (those under 18), a will can also name a guardian to care for them.

In order for a will to be valid, it needs to be signed by the testator (the person who makes the will) in the presence of witnesses. Beneficiaries, spouses or civil partners are exempt. It also needs to meet legal requirements, including being a voluntary act, and the testator being of legal age.

While dying with a will can still cause issues (as you’ll later find out), not having one in place can lead to legal complexities. Plus, likely disputes about who should inherit your estate.

‘Communication before the person dies is so important,’ stresses Grice. ‘We always encourage the people writing their will to discuss its contents with the beneficiaries while they’re still alive.’

What are some of the most common conflicts?

Below are three situations that Grice sees time and time again in his line of work. Unfortunately, he says it’s often unintentional mistakes that cause huge fallouts.

Blended families

Unmarried partners, usually a second relationship after a marriage, can spark family rows. Typically, only if they were residing in the partner’s home, and it wasn’t under joint ownership.

Grice explains: ‘What can often happen is that someone writing their will will gift their property to their children.’ Legally, this means that the deceased partner would have to leave, as it’s now in the ownership of the beneficiaries. Aka the kids.

Granted, in normal circumstances, we like to think that people aren’t that harsh that they’d boot a grieving partner out of their own home. They’d at least give them some time to find somewhere else to live, before putting the house on the market.

However, Grice says that sometimes, the deceased’s children and the second partners may not have the best relationship. Whether the animosity is due to them being the reason their parents split up or just not clicking in general, it can lead to ‘heated debates.’

There are ways of avoiding this unintentional mistake, says Grice. ‘As a solicitor, we’d recommend the testator set up certain types of trusts that allow the partner to live in the home while they’re still alive.

‘We see this a lot with ageing couples,’ he explains, adding: ‘We’ve had a situation where that partner hasn’t left the home, which led to an escalation of events that got quite messy.’

Not explaining the wishes in advance

‘Due to a lack of communication before a death, people often don’t explain their will in advance,’ says Grice. Meaning, the testator won’t sit down with the beneficiaries and read it, leaving them unaware of its contents until it’s too late.

‘The reading of the will is sometimes the first time people receive its information,’ he notes.

Cue potential family secrets causing chaos: ‘We often see people listed in the will that others didn’t know about. For example, an affair, or a second relationship that wasn’t disclosed to the person’s family while they were alive. But, have received a gift or some money in the will.’

‘Not explaining wishes in advance – even though there are some things that should be discussed before a death – can cause so many problems.’

Grice knows of people that were expecting to receive the entirety of an estate only receiving a little bit of inheritance. Imagine the shock of finding out that your mother or father had left some of their cash to someone you didn’t even know existed…

Sibling rivalry

Sadly, this is the most common form of inheritance drama. According to Grice, it can present itself in multiple ways. Firstly, it could be that children aren’t gifted the same amount in the will.

‘There’s an assumption that all children will get an equal share of the estate,’ explains Grice. ‘But what can often happen in life is that parents will start to gift things to each child before they die.’ In the parents’ minds, Grice says they then try to balance that out in the will.

For example, if one child was gifted an expensive holiday overseas because they couldn’t afford it, the other child may receive the vacation amount in the will, alongside whatever else they’ve been left. But, this may not be disclosed to the children before the death, which can cause sibling conflict.

‘Another one involves the executor,’ says Grice. This is the person named by the deceased to manage the will according to its instructions. The executor will do most of the work and will usually be either the oldest child or the one who is better with money, according to Grice.

‘But it doesn’t always go to plan,’ he says, explaining that an executor can make decisions that the other siblings don’t agree with, or feel left out of.

‘If you had two children, and there was a disagreement between the beneficiaries, then the executor is the one who can ultimately make decisions, and that can lead to conflict,’ he says.

Grice notes that these rows normally revolve around sentimental items, like engagement or wedding rings. ‘Unless it’s listed in the person’s will, executors can get involved,’ he adds.

Grice concludes: ‘Even though they’re not legally allowed, we often see the partners of the children get quite opinionated through the process as well, and that can cause sibling arguments.’

Bottom line? Get that will sorted, people.

It’s a first-world problem but, while I’m at a chilly, damp Twickenham Studios on Valentine’s Day, I can’t help wishing the team from The Gold had invited me on set a couple of weeks later.

When the Bafta-nominated first series finished, several of the criminals who had stolen and laundered the bullion from the 1983 Brink’s-Mat heist – at the time, the biggest robbery in British history – were behind bars, yet DCI Brian Boyce and his compact task force were realising that half the gold remained unaccounted for.

The second series rejoins the money-laundering trail in the late 1980s as it splits between the UK and the Isle of Man and the sunnier climes of Tenerife (which also doubles as South America and the British Virgin Islands).

‘We’ll be filming in Tenerife for eight weeks,’ grins Hugh Bonneville, who returns as the dogged, incorruptible Boyce.

‘It’s a much bigger canvas this time – we shot in some buildings in London that clearly were built on Brink’s-Mat money for season one, but this time you see the money leaking out into Tenerife and the tax havens.

‘You begin to realise it funded drug imports and the beginnings of the ecstasy boom in the UK. The ripple effect of this one event in November 1983 is remarkable.’

I watch on as Boyce subjects a quivering suspect to a fearsome grilling – with retirement drawing near, the copper clearly intends to leave on a high, and Hugh clearly relished the opportunity to talk to Boyce himself, now in his mid-80s but still a formidable figure.

‘Brian took me and [series creator] Neil Forsyth out to lunch as we were starting season one, so I reciprocated after it had been on. He likes to talk about the old days and took me through his entire career: he was on the squad that knocked down the door to get Ronnie and Reggie Kray!

‘He was very courteous and thanked us for respecting the way they went about their work, which was very heartening. You get the sense he was a good leader who absolutely relied on teamwork.’

Boyce and his team – returning coppers Nicki Jennings (Charlotte Spencer), Tony Brightwell (Emun Elliott) plus maverick newcomer Tony Lundy (Stephen Campbell Moore) – have two main quarries. One is Charlie Miller (Sam Spruell), a minor villain briefly glimpsed in series one waiting it out in Spain for the dust to settle. Now, though, he’s back to claim his stash from its Cornish hiding place.

‘It’s a cat-and-mouse chase around the world as Charlie tries to use his ill-gotten gains to go legit, to be taken seriously and become a financial player,’ says Sam.

‘He has a strategy and he’s very determined – no matter what goes wrong, he will make the best of it. He just keeps going despite the knockbacks, and as an actor I could relate to that, even admire him for it.’

Miller, Sam concedes, doesn’t quite have the capacity to realise his aspirations, and brings in Joshua Maguire’s crooked lawyer Douglas Baxter to assist him. ‘Baxter is the brains and has that class confidence and access Charlie lacks,’ says Sam. ‘They spend a lot of time being cross with each other, a bit like Laurel and Hardy.’

Boyce’s other prime target is the returning west-country gold smelter John Palmer (Tom Cullen) who, in contrast to Miller, works alone and is sitting pretty as the self-styled ‘King of Tenerife’.

‘Since he successfully defended himself in court [in season one], Palmer has a sense of freedom,’ explains Tom.

‘He’s fitter, happier and wearing nicer suits. He can grow into his wealth now and enjoy it, having been driven all his life to better himself after growing up in immense poverty. Not a nice person, but fascinating to play.’

Palmer’s improved physical condition, though, is undermined by a deteriorating psychological one.

‘Palmer has this innate confidence,’ explains Tom. ‘He’s always assessing every option, like a chess player. But other factions are moving in on his empire so he’s cutting deals and making alliances along with having to juggle his wife, children and mistresses, which comes with its stresses for him.

‘I don’t know how he had the energy for it all! The gold is infecting him as greed and power become complete obsessions.’

The problems only mount as Palmer starts to sink into cocaine addiction – an experience, laughs Tom, almost as trying for the actor as it was for the character.

‘The fake coke is pure glucose, and it absolutely f**ked me. We did one scene, the last of the day at about 8pm, where I had to snort this humongous line in Palmer’s private plane, which is just ridiculous – everything in it is gold. I think I fell asleep about 1am.’

He wags a finger at me – a final warning in a cautionary tale for the ages. ‘Don’t do glucose, kids!’

The Gold season 2 begins at 9pm on June 8 on BBC One.

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