Here in the RK office we always welcome anything that eases the guilt of working mothers and this morning's news brings word of a survey showing that working mums are the healthiest of women in the UK.

According to a study by UCL's Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, mums who work, and have steady relationships, are the least likely women to be obese – 23% in the final tally. Unfortunately the news isn't as good for long term housewives; some 38% of those are likely to be obese, according to researchers. So the stress, and guilty, of combining work with motherhood apparently keeps the bulges at bay.

Dr McMunn who led the research said: 'The study shows women who combine employment with motherhood and partnership do end up healthier. And it gives the message that the long-term health benefits of being a working mother outweigh the short-term stress.'

Controversially, Dr McMunn suggested that stay-at-home mums might be more likely to be overweight because they took less exercise and overate, sometimes eating their children's left-overs.

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