Main content

Actor Lupita Nyong'o

Actor Lupita Nyong'o, jockey, Bryony Frost, cervical screenings, #EndFGM activist Nice Nailantei Leng'ete and author Eleanor Anstruther.

In less than 10 years Lupita Nyong鈥檕 has starred in a number of high profile and award-winning roles. Her latest project 鈥楿s鈥 is a thriller-horror, directed by the Oscar-winning Jordan Peele. Lupita joins Jane to discuss skyrocketing into fame and the impact of being an African woman in Hollywood.

Bryony Frost is the first women to win a grade one race at the Cheltenham Festival. She鈥檚 23, from Devon and the daughter of a Grand National winning jockey. She has won over 100 races and made over a million pounds. Her win is thought to be a significant day for sporting equality but she鈥檚 quoted as saying, 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter whether you are a boy or a girl. I live by the metaphor about looking up the mountain.鈥

After official figures revealed the number of women going for smear tests had reached an all-time low, there was a campaign aimed at encouraging women to go for the tests which look for the early signs of cervical cancer. Not surprisingly, more women went for testing鈥ut the Guardian reports this morning that the service is in meltdown as scientists have been leaving. Kate Sanger, from the charity Jo鈥檚 Cervical Cancer Trust, explains why.

As a Maasai child in Kenya, Nice Nailantei Leng鈥檈te accomplished something remarkable: she refused to undergo her culture鈥檚 ritualized female genital mutilation. As an adult, she has gone on to negotiate with village elders, who traditionally have not worked with women, and convince them that alternative coming-of-age ceremonies will be healthier for girls and better for communities. Nice joins Jane to talk about her escape, and how her work has saved an estimated 15,000 girls around Kenya from the cut, as well as from child marriage.

Author, Eleanor Anstruther鈥檚 father, Ian, was sold to his aunt for 拢500 because his mother was in terrible debt. After hearing his story, Eleanor wanted to know more about how and why this had happened all those years ago, so she began some research and then wrote about it. Her debut novel is 鈥楢 Perfect Explanation鈥 .

Presenter: Jane Garvey
Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Interviewed Guest: Lupita Nyong'o
Interviewed Guest: Bryony Frost
Interviewed Guest: Kate Sanger
Interviewed Guest: Nice Nailantei Leng'ete
Interviewed Guest: Eleanor Anstruther

Available now

48 minutes

Follow us on Instagram

Get all the pictures, videos, behind the scenes and more from Woman鈥檚 Hour

Podcast