The day before Cosmo's Ultimate Women of the Year Awards is rather like going into labour. You know it's going to hurt, but something you really love will come out of it.
With our seventh awards taking place tonight, I'm seriously excited - but, like any expectant parent, nervous too. My team have put months and months of hard work into the event - from securing a new venue (the glorious V&A), to shortlisting nominees, chasing celebrity guests and filling goodie bags. Right now it's the really hard part - we're at that stage where we have to put our hands up and admit that we've done everything we can to make it brilliant, but there are certain things we cannot control. Extreme weather being one of them.
While Hurricane Sandy has clearly not had anything like the devastating effect on us that it has on millions of New Yorkers, its arrival has caused some problems. Our Ultimate International TV Actress, Melissa George, is currently stranded in New York, but has tweeted her disappointment.
Leona Lewis, a previous winner, who was excited to be performing before the awards, has been struck down by tonsillitis. And two massive global stars - whose agents have been trying day and night to make their schedules work with ours - have regrettably had to bow out. Add to that the annual trauma of table plans, spray tans and support pants. Not forgetting the eternal dilemma: are these heels too high to walk in?
On the upside, today we're shooting two attendees for our spin-off title Cosmo Body which we'll use next year - and the early images look stunning. The rest of the guest list is amazing and I know it's going to be a very special night.
The Ultimate Women of the Year Awards are the only ones which celebrate both stars and remarkable real women. For me and all our celebrity attendees, meeting true Cosmo heroines makes the evening so humbling.
This morning I was up at 5am to sit on the Daybreak sofa with Stephanie Kercher, my Ultimate Editor's Choice winner. Five years ago this week, Stephanie's sister Meredith was brutally murdered while studying in Perugia, Italy. I was inspired by Stephanie's tremendous dignity and courage throughout her ordeal. She lost her sister in the cruelest way imaginable and gave up everything to support her family and liaise with the police and authorities. She's been involved in setting up a fund to help their fight for justice and other families who, god forbid, find themselves in similar situations. Stephanie's an amazing woman.
Straight after Daybreak, it was off to the V&A for a Sky News interview. I wasn't the only one getting excited. Radio One DJ Nick Grimshaw was counting down the hours on his Breakfast Show too! Daybreak, Sky News, X Factor, ITN, Reuters, MTV, This Morning, Global Radio, Unique, Capital and Radio One are all going to be on the red carpet later. I can't wait to celebrate tonight with my fellow judges for the awards - Katie Piper, Alesha Dixon, Karren Brady, Professor Green, Cosmo's Irma Kurtz and Dr Linda Papadopoulos, and our host for the evening, Fearne Cotton.
Alesha, Karren, Fearne and Katie are all previous winners and totally get the buzz of these awards. Also on the panel is Kristin Hallenga who won the Ultimate Campaigner last year for her breast cancer charity CoppaFeel! Kristin was diagnosed with the illness at just 23 and has been told it can't be cured, but is an inspiration to everyone.
For now coffee and adrenalin are my new best friends. By 1.30am I expect to be exhausted, in my own bed and happy. Cosmo turned 40 this year and it's going to be our biggest and best Ultimate Women ever. Well, until we start working on next year...