JESS & PENELOPE ROWE 'WE'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT'

The pair have never been afraid to talk about a difficult topic

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Penelope Rowe giggles when we ask her to describe her relationship with her eldest daughter Jessica. "Hmm, how do I describe Jessica?” she tells Woman’s Day. “Let’s say she makes me laugh a lot.

When she was tiny, she used to clutch onto my skirt and hide behind me when anyone spoke to me. And she’s just developed into this resilient, mature and very funny person,” she adds. “She’s the most thoughtful, beautiful daughter.”

While it’s hard to imagine the jubilant and outgoing Jess ever being shy, she credits her growth to her mother, who told her from a very early age that she could do anything in her life.

“She’s the most beautiful mum, she’s always told us we can do whatever we put our minds to, but it’s up to us to make it happen,” Jess says.

“Mum always gave us the tools to show us that that was possible. And she did that through our close relationship. We’d always be talking. I always knew I could come to her with whatever I was going through.”

AN OPEN BOOK

Jess, 54, and Penelope, 78, are so good at talking, they even spilled their innermost thoughts in a joint memoir, The Best Of Times, The Worst Of Times.