How do I tackle a friend who's been badmouthing me?

I'M A woman in my late 30s and feel very hurt by the way a friend has behaved. We first met at a mother and baby group when our daughters were only a few months old and they're both eight now and go to the same school.

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Dear Coleen

Recently, I'd noticed this friend had backed off a bit and wasn't as available to meet with our daughters or go out with me in the evening for a drink.

She'd make excuses about being busy, although was still cheerful and sweet on text.

But I heard from someone else that this friend had been kind of trash-talking me to a couple of the other mums, saying she wasn't keen on her daughter hanging at ours because I feed them rubbish and I also use bad language! I feel so judged and badly hurt that she could say these things after being friends for so many years.