Ellie Downie, Disparities in maternal deaths, Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial

A new report from the women&rsquo;s and equalities committee at the Westminster parliament is calling on the government to eliminate what it calls &lsquo;appalling disparities in maternal deaths between black and white women&rsquo;. Black women are 3.7 times more likely to die in pregnancy, childbirth or six weeks afterwards than white women. Nuala discusses the issues with MP Caroline Nokes, who chairs the committee, and Sandra Igwe, who founded the Motherhood Group to support black women. <br /> <br /> Last year the libel trial between feuding footballers' wives, Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy, gripped the nation. It was a strange mix of glamour, celebrity and amateur sleuthing. Now, the legal tussle has moved from the Royal Courts of Justice to London's West End stage in a show called Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial. Nuala talks to the director, Lisa Spirling, and adapter, Liv Hennessy, to find out how they turned seven days of court transcripts into a play. <br /> <br /> The former European Champion gymnast Ellie Downie is No 4 on our Woman&rsquo;s Hour Power List. This year&rsquo;s list focuses on women making change in the world of Sport &ndash; and Ellie did just that when she spoke out in 2020 about systemic abuse in the world of gymnastics &ndash; contributing to a major independent review into the sport. She retired from gymnastics in January this year &ndash; in order to protect her own mental health. Nuala will be finding out how she&rsquo;s doing now, and what impact she thinks her honesty about her own experiences has had long term.