LIFE AS AN EX-STEPMUM

Writer Tess Stimson, 51, reflects on a very special and enduring relationship in her life

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As I settled into the spa chair for my pedicure, I picked up my glass of champagne and clinked it with Nicola in the mother-daughter chair next to me. To time,' I said.

'How d'you think Dad's getting on with the boys?' Nic asked.

I'd left my husband Brent at home with our two boys - Henry, then four, and Matt, one.

'I'm sure he's just fine," I replied. 'Now, do you fancy a seaweed wrap or a massage next?'

The truth is, Nic was actually my stepdaughter, not my daughter.

LIKE A BIG SISTER

When I met Brent in July 1991, I was 25, just eight years older than Nic, his daughter from his first marriage.

When we went out together, people often mistook us both for his daughters, which really tickled him, but I hated it. It made me feel like I was just a trophy wife.