“Illegal abortion in Northern Ireland has been a huge stain on the United Kingdom. It was just outrageous that women didn’t have the same rights to health services across this country. Lack of access to abortion is a health issue and a really serious one that women can die as a result of.

What Stella did, pushing through the Northern Ireland bill, was brilliant because she spotted a chance. While everyone else was arguing about Brexit she realised that there was a great opportunity to force Northern Ireland to move the legislature into the 21st century. In a way I wonder if the fact that no one was really paying attention is what managed to help her get it done: she sneakily got women’s rights through the back door. That’s something women have had to do a lot through history.

We have had to take our chances and – given the way that change worked, which wasn’t with a vote or fanfare – women know not to expect praise for everything they do. Most women who we look back on now as heroes of feminism were absolutely reviled and hated during their lifetime because they were arguing for things that went against the social morals of the time.

It’s only now that we look back and think what amazing women they were, and it’s tragic that only after they’re dead do we think they are great. But we need to remember that if you’re fighting for your rights, people are not going to like you. And, if you’re doing it because you’re hoping people are going to say, ‘Wow you’re so wonderful’, you will not get very far. You have to be prepared for people to be really horrible. And I think that Stella is.”

These are the women who won 2019