Mum's The Word! The Parenting Podcast - BECKY NEVITT: Finding Yourself Post Divorce, First Ever Dates & Fantastic Interiors

Episode Date: July 27, 2025

In this heartfelt and uplifting episode of Mum's The Word, Georgia Jones is joined by Becky Nevitt, better known as @InsideNumber5—who opens up about navigating life as a newly single mum after the end of her 20-year relationship with her childhood sweetheart.Becky shares the emotional rollercoaster of starting over, from going on her first ever date in her 30s to rediscovering herself and finding confidence and joy in unexpected places.They chat candidly about the ups and downs of co-parenting, building a new sense of normality, and how Becky’s passion for interiors and home renovation has played a big role in her healing journey.This is a story of strength, style, and starting again.You won’t want to miss it!A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Mumsword, I'm your host Georgia Jones and today I'm joined by the amazing Becky Neve. Becky Neve is a content creator, interior lover and solo renovator behind at Inside Number 5 on Instagram. After making the decision to leave a 20 year relationship, she found herself navigating life as a single mum to three boys, while rediscovering who she was outside of the roles she'd always known. Now in her 30s, she's building a life on her own terms,

dating for the first time, renovating her new home solo, and sharing the highs and lows, which has opened up powerful connections with women navigating similar chapters. So grab a cuppa, get comfy, and let's jump in to a brand new episode of Mums the Word. So Becky, welcome to Mums the Word. Thank you for having me.

I've taken your studio virginity, haven't I? You have taken my studio virginity. It all looks very, lots of lights, very professional. I love it. Thank you. Thank you. There's your camera, there's my camera. So Becky, for anyone that doesn't know you and who you are, just tell us a little brief overview.

So I have been creating content online probably seven years now actually, and that started as home interiors, renovating what was the family home. Yes. So just sharing that process and over time things have evolved, I've shared more of my life.

I'm a mom to three boys, two of which are taller than me, which I cannot believe. And how old are your boys? They are seven, 11 and 14. Wow. The 14 is six foot tall. Oh!

I just closed my mind. I just can't imagine, because I've got one little boy, Cooper, who's seven. I just can't imagine a day that he's gonna be taller than me and I can't pick him up. You just feel like they're gonna be that little and that size forever. Do you ever think sometimes like they go to bed and you wake up in the morning and you're like, who are you? You've grown. You're a chin. Why are you woken up a teenager?

I don't understand. I know, it is really crazy because they are that little boy for so many years. Oh yeah. And then all of a sudden, they just walk into the kitchen and they're like the size of a man and they come and give you a hug and you think, oh my gosh. Now, your eldest, is he still a cuddler?

Yeah. Great, this is a music for you. He'll probably hate that I've just revealed that. Yeah, your eldest, is he still a cuddler? Yeah. Great, this is a music for you. He'll probably hate that I've just revealed that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. With all of his friends. Exclusive. Yeah, no he is. I think it is boys, they just have that.

That thing with their mom. They're very affectionate, aren't they? Yeah, yeah. And yeah, it doesn't go away. And actually when you get those hugs from your teenage boy, it's like the most precious hug in the world. Cause they're not as often, but they mean so much. Is that it, it comes upon when they stop holding your hand

and they stop sitting on your knee. I mean, I never stopped sitting on my dad's knee, but then I'm a girl, it's maybe a little bit different. I know that we'd have a six foot boy sat on your knee. So forget it. So your, I had a lovely scroll through your page. Our interior aesthetics are very similar. I love my interior.

Oh, well. I just love. If you need any tips on interiors, you must go and follow the side number five. It's fabulous. And some of the interiors are just, all of the interiors in fact are just stunning Now question. Yeah, have you always been into DIY or Is this something you have taught yourself? I've taught myself, but I've always enjoyed it

So hadn't said I've just got divorced Right, so you were married. I was married. So Becky was married for Married for 10 years. Yes for 20, since I was 14. Right, so childhood sweethearts. Yeah. Did you go to school together? No, but we were sort of in the same circles. Okay, and for one reason or another,

this has come to an end. Yes. And it was your decision, am I right? My decision, yeah. And the hardest decision I've ever made in my life. How long do you think it took you to kind of come to that conclusion of this is it? I think you can have feelings and thoughts

subconsciously for a long time. And then there's a point that you admit to yourself and you start to have conversations with people that you're close to. You start to have conversations with your partner. And I would say I had to know before I made that decision that I tried everything to make it work because you get married, you have children,

you think that's gonna be your life forever. And there was no big disaster, there was no infidelity, there was nothing big. No. But it just wasn't right anymore. I do feel sometimes when you meet so young, you're not the people you are when you get older. Not always, you know, sometimes it works out really well

and childhood sweethearts grow old and grey together. But yeah, I feel like sometimes when you've met that young, you either grow apart or you grow together, don't you? Yeah, because we go through so many life stages becoming a mom, just all of, we're evolving all the time and we're meant to. And that doesn't always happen at the same time or together. So there was a lot of layers to it,

but I felt like I had to, I gave it 12 months. Right, okay. Of a lot of therapy. Yes. A lot of conversations. And I felt like I almost just wanted someone to come and tell me how do I know that this is the right decision?

Because I was stuck at this crossroads and I thought, if I step in that direction, my life's changed forever and there's no going back. And I don't know what that other side looks like, but equally, I can't stay where I am. Do you feel like, had you not have had three boys, if you were married but no children, do you think the decision would have been a lot easier

and a lot quicker? Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Because it's that, I almost felt like I was throwing a hand grenade into my life. We'd renovated to my previous house. That was our fourth house renovation. Wow. So it was something we we did together when they were babies.

And so we'd built up to my dream home. We'd renovated it. I'd got it exactly how I wanted it. So I had the house, the regular holidays, the family unit. The and I was married to my best friend. Yeah. Yeah. So I had the house, the regular holidays, the family unit, the, and I was married to my best friend ultimately. But- You had the security. The security, everything was,

it would have been easier to stay where I was. But when you know something isn't right and you, I'm very much like, we've got one life. I felt like I would have just been living a lie had I have stayed. So that's what made it such a hard decision because staying was comfortable. Yeah, and easy.

Easier in terms of kind of like the grand scheme of things. Yeah, for the children. But- Did they know, did the kids know that you weren't happy? No. No. So you kind of just, that was a separate thing to the boys. Yeah, I think had I have stayed another year, two years, I think they would have seen it all unravel.

Yeah, yeah. And I didn't want that. No, so you were protecting them in a way by doing it when you did it. Yeah. Yeah. And I think a lot of people stay for various reasons, but a lot of the time it can be the security, the finances, the children. For me, children are happy when their parents are happy.

And that I just had to stay with that thought and know I was making the right decision. So did you, so obviously you said about moving into the, you know, your dream home, building up to that. Are you still in that house or did you have to then move and start? Yeah, so sold the family home, which was really painful. Yeah, I can imagine because I think if you, so that was your fourth house and that was kind of what you were working towards. And then I suppose it's just such a change, isn't it? Yeah, but it's been really, really empowering. I can imagine.

To sell that house, even though I didn't wanna leave that house, I would have loved to have stayed there. I feel like houses are a little bit like chapters in your life and when you move house or you have a baby or you do something big like that, you can close that chapter and then you can move into the next one. So I've bought my first home by myself.

Well done. First time living by myself. I mean, I'm having to, when you've been in a relationship for so long, you just have roles, don't you? Like, I'm now having to learn things and get used to doing things that weren't my role in that dynamic of running a house.

You have to do everything. I have to put the bins out. Yeah, well, put me off. I am the bin putter out there. But anything that involves finances, I let Dani deal with that side of things because my brain does not work that way. Same, yeah.

I'm more practical, I would say. I was like, oh, I've gotta get a mortgage. Yeah. This is like, ah. I mean, I think, God, I just don't know where I would start. So you obviously had to do all that. Was that a scary process? It does feel scary, but at the same time, it feels... I've learned that I've got a strength in me. Yeah.

That I kind of knew was there, but it surprised me what I've been able to do. So I get so many women messaging me since I've shared my journey, the fact that I'm getting divorced and women pour their hearts out to me and so many people say I'm here, I know I'm not happy, I know it's not right but I just, I'm so scared to take that step and I felt like that for so long What advice do you give the women that say that? What would you say to them in that sense? Obviously I can only go off my experience But I would say surround yourself with an amazing support circle. Yeah lean on them. You know, you don't have to do it alone support circle, lean on them. You don't have to do it alone.

It's not as scary. I think when you live in something, you can start to feel the edges of how it feels a little bit, if that makes sense. The thought of it, you can think all of these scenarios that are gonna be very difficult, and they are. It is not easy. But when you're in it,

and you've got your tribe of women, for me it's my tribe of women, my mom is my best friend, I've got just the most amazing group of women around me. Strong women. Strong women and my boys, they're watching me and you find a strength and you will be okay on that other side and that's what I just, that's what I was so conflicted on

when I was trying to make my decision is I just wanted someone to say it is okay, you will be okay. I think that's it, you do catastrophize things as well, don't you, of like what it will be like on the other side and as much as you know, probably mentally it's going to impact you in a really positive way. In terms of everything else, it's like, what about this and what about like,

getting a mortgage and being able to afford to do this. And how does my life change? Family holidays and things like that. How were the boys with it all? Did they kind of go with the flow? They all reacted a little bit differently because they're all just different characters, different ages.

I've always been very open with them and I wanted to just try my best to just guide them through it psychologically as best as I can. So I'm a big believer in therapy. That was another thing that just helped me over those 12 months is I am really fortunate to be able to access that,

but that'd be a huge piece of advice is to speak to someone neutral because even though you've got your friends and family, they care about you and the kids and they're just invested in a different way and they're not neutral to the situation. So to sit with somebody, I almost feel like I go into my therapy session

and I'm usually quite good at like unpickling things in my own mind. If I'm just stuck on something, it's like I go in, we get it out on the table, we line it all up and it just makes sense. And I definitely do that with the children. So I will go in and say, oh, you know, this is happening or the children are moving in with their dad's new girlfriend

that kind of thing. And I think how can I support them? How can I guide them through it? So I just very much try, and we never get things perfect, but I just try as much as I can to always look at the bigger picture for them. So they're doing really well.

They're adjusting. So we have the children 50-50. So they're usually four or five nights with me, four or five nights with dad, which works for their ages. They actually would prefer longer at each house. Oh, okay. I see. Because two of them being sort of,

well, my oldest is a teenager. My middle one's about to go up to high school. They would prefer being in one place for a longer period of time. Because it's a bit of a like, oh, I've got to go back and then back again. I've got to move my Xbox. Yeah, well, yeah. Do you know how that's it? It's like, oh, I've got to unplug my Xbox, re-plug it in.

So for them, I know. So for them, I think they would rather longer, but my youngest is only seven. So at the moment, the four nights works. Works. But I think, think again that will just adapt as they all get older. Do you have an insatiable fascination with the paranormal? Are you ready to dive headfirst into the eerie realms of the unexplained? Brace yourself for the supernatural world is about to reveal all of its secrets on the Paranormal Activity podcast. And who better to guide you through this hair-raising journey than myself, Yvette Fielding, renowned paranormal investigator.

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Because one of my best friends, she's 50-50 parenting. And I remember when she first started doing it, she really struggled not being with her little boy every day. How have you found that? It's an adjustment. It definitely is an adjustment. But I think I just try and pick the positives out of any situation. So when I have the boys, I can be fully focused on them. Obviously I'm doing it solo when I've got them.

So it can be, it can be full on. The teenager wants picking up from being out with his mates and the youngest one's trying to go to bed in his pajamas. So it is just, you're a bit more stretched. But I can really devote that time when I've got them. And then I try to frame it so that when they go to their dads, that's my time to fill up my cup. So then I can be the present mom that I wanna be

when they come back to me. So that involves the gym. That has just my biggest de-stress. The gym, spending time with my mom, my friends, dating. That goes in the filling the cup bracket as well. So just sort of doing things for me that I have not had time to do. So I try to do that.

How have you found dating then? Because obviously, and I know, sorry, I keep revert back to one of my best friends, but it's a similar thing. She, when she first started dating, she was like, should I put on the dating apps that I've got a child? I was like, yes, because you do. That's your life, and if they don't like it, they can lump it.

You know? How did you find out navigating all that? Because it is a bit of a minefield. Yeah, for me, I'd never been on a date in my entire life. Oh, of course, you were 14. I was 14, yeah. Oh my God. So, but it was quite exciting.

It's very exciting because I think it was almost like a bit, not an experiment, that sounds wrong, but just something I've never done. It's very exciting because I think it was almost like a bit, not an experiment, that sounds wrong, but just something I've never done. Brand new. I really like to push myself out of my comfort zone with things, so I feel like that's where we grow, that's where we just learn about ourselves. So I kind of like the challenge of it,

of putting myself out there. I was someone when I was married, we used to watch like first dates and I would go, oh my God, I could never do that. I would be so shy, I would just be so awkward. That's how I thought I would be as a data. And actually, I think if you get in the right mindset of I'm a mom of three, I do not get to get dressed up

and go out all that often. Well, I do now, but when I was- On your four days. Yeah, on my four days. But when you're in the thick of that kind of motherhood years when they're really little, you don't go out much. So to be able to get dressed up, head out, be in a nice wine bar.

I love getting to know people. I just, I find it really interesting just learning about people. I love psychology. So just the psychological side of dating is just fascinating. So I just, I don't put too much expectation on things. I don't bring too much fear of previous experiences.

I just try and be in the moment and enjoy it. So that's kind of my approach. Great. And I love it. Good, brilliant. I'm so glad you're enjoying yourself. I mean, it's about bloody time. I feel like, do you feel like you've almost come

into a new era of your life? Definitely. Like, this is a date in me. Yeah, my friends love all the stories. They're like, oh, we can live vicariously through you. But it is fun. It's nice getting to know people. And just, but just being able to do more

with my friends as well and do things with my mom. I just have that time that I didn't have before. I think that's it as well. Like even if you're in a happy marriage, you do get into a bit of like a routine of just being in every night. Yeah. Because they're in.

Yeah. Then you're in. Yeah. Then you sit and you watch your series and that's kind of it. And you don't go out and do those fun nights out because you kind of, it's almost like you've gone into like your responsible section of your life. Yes. Where you've got children,

you've got a husband, you know. And there's no harm in doing that. I actually saw someone's Instagram, someone reposted this girl. It was such a good reel that she'd done. And it was her drinking, you know, out partying, drinking. And it was like, this was me three months ago. And then it cut to now and she's like, and this is me now.

And it was her still doing the same thing. And she was like, there's so much pressure on you living your best life is you eating clean, exercising every day, being in bed by 9 p.m., waking up at 6 a.m. for your morning cleanse. And that's kind of like what is goals. And she was like, my goals are like going out with my friends.

She wasn't getting wasted every night, but she was going out, she was going to a nice restaurant, having drinks, doing all these things. She was like, I'm filling my cup up. That's me living. And it's needed. As a single mom, you need that time to fill up your cup

and then you can pour that into the kids when they're there. But I think it comes partly from distraction. I know you said, how am I finding not being with them for those days? It is a distraction. I think I fit about two weeks worth of plans into my four days every single time. Like, go, go, go.

I'm just not at home. I'm just here, there, and everywhere. Whether it's work things as well, like traveling for work, I do all of that on those days where I haven't got them. So it's busy. And I think that maybe will start to subside a little bit. I think it's when you first get divorced,

you are just doing all the things and you're distracting yourself in some ways. I think there is an element of distraction, definitely from what I've seen from my friend, but I think also at the same time, it's needed. And it's a nice distraction. It's not kind of like a I'm avoiding life.

It's more of a I'm throwing myself into life a little bit. The positive distraction. Yeah, the positive distractions. Yeah, yeah. Being able to go to the gym and, because I love that, it's just such a space that I've really grown and discovered me. I think when you're a mom and you lived the baby, toddler years and I think that started

when my youngest started school. I didn't expect for my life to have this big shift. But I'd always had a baby or a toddler at home. And then he started school and I thought, oh, there's a bit of time for me. I discovered the gym, I started my account, and maybe that's where my big change and evolving started. And then subsequently, you know.

Did you feel like you were kind of evolving in your life? Yeah. A bit differently. Yeah, I think there's always a lot of layers to things. And, but ultimately it's, I just had to know that I tried everything. Yeah. And I knew it was the right decision. And I've never questioned my decision. Ultimately, I just had to know that I tried everything and I knew it was the right decision

and I've never questioned my decision. Even though it's tough, it does not come without its challenges, navigating co-parenting and all of that kind of thing. It's not a smooth journey. And I don't think it ever is going to be. I think even if you're like, Bezzy mates with your ex-husband,

I still think it's never quite smooth. There's always gonna be bumps in the road. Yeah, there's navigating the new relationships. Like I was speaking to a lady a few weeks ago and her ex-husband has now got a new girlfriend. They do not have a good relationship, different person. They do not have a good relationship, different person. They do not have a good relationship and she's really struggling with that new part

because she doesn't want her daughter to almost get, you know, have another woman in her life. I was like, you've got to remember, that's never gonna be her mommy. You're always going to be her mommy, ultimately, and that's kind of what. There's a lot of things, isn't there, too, that come up, and there's a lot of emotion,

and at the heart of co-parenting, it's your children. So it's gonna be emotive, and it's going to be tough, and you're not always gonna agree on things, just like when you're married. You don't agree on everything. Absolutely, nothing changes. But I think if you can just always try as much as you can to just keep redirecting onto the amicable road

and having the children as the focus, that's just what you just have to keep coming back to. Yeah, ultimately you do, don't you? Yeah. And so obviously you, so the renovating journey you used to do with your ex-husband, and now you are very much doing it by yourself. Yes.

And so, this is going to sound extremely sexist, but a father figure in your life that has been there, because as much as I think I'm a very strong independent woman, the minute Danny left when he was away on a TV show, there was a leak and I was literally like, oh my God. And I sat there and I cried because I felt so useless. And I was like, how do I not, the ripe old age of 38, how do I not know how to stop a leak or where the tap is that I need to turn this bloody leak off? And I was furious with myself for not knowing these things. Yeah, there's definitely things I don't know. So I think with... I have my dad, he's not like one of those DIY dads.

Oh okay, right. My dad is, so I'm lucky in that sense. But if I phoned him, he'd be like, we'll phone somehow. I'll help you, yeah. Somewhere, I'll get the plumber. Yeah. But I think for me doing this by myself, even though I've renovated, because we did all the renovations ourselves on the previous houses. So I've learned as I've gone along, a lot of skills and things.

So it will just take me forever to renovate this house because I am just fitting it into the pockets around everything else that's going on. But slowly it would just become my home and my aesthetic and interior. So I'm so excited. I have such a vision. But I purposefully bought a new build.

Right. Actually, I thought it was a new build. I could, because I saw on your Instagram, the front of it, and I was like, that looks like a new build, which really confused me, because the inside, you've done quite, you know, it's quite country, this kitchen. So was your old house a new build as well?

My old house was, it was about 20 years old, but it was built in Georgian style. So it had all the features, the lovely sash windows, tall ceilings, whereas this one is more of just that typical new build. Everything's just, you know, builder basics. So all white, gray carpet. Just everything's very, just new build, just an empty shell.

So for me, that's perfect for this renovation because I can put my stamp on it, but I know everything's new. And with you going back to like saying about leaks and things, I know the boiler's new, the fences, and we've got like just silly things, the electric. So I just thought that those things that can, one,

take up a huge amount of budget if you unearth them in an older property. But secondly, I don't have to worry. You know, the bones of the house is gonna be pretty stable. It's just then I can put all of my, pack the character into the new build. So I wanna take it from just being a very blank canvas and really show how you can make it

just have soul and character. So adding in like coving and panelling and painting, bringing in all of the warmer colors. So there will be no corner of that house untouched. I love it. What about garden? Are we gardener as well? Garden, I wish I was better with exteriors.

I have the vision and I see it, but me trying to, the amount of times I have gone to the garden center and thought, right, I'm gonna buy hydrangeas, I'm gonna buy this, I'm gonna plant it all and I will be out there watering them for like a week and then...no. Go on. Yeah, go on. So, I need to improve on my exterior. Okay. But that will definitely be a project for probably next year.

Okay. So, we've got a journey to come on with you there. Yeah. So, have you started anything yet? So, I started with the children's bedrooms. Right. I feel like that just felt...because we were moving out with the children's bedrooms. I feel like that just felt Because I was moving out with a family home Yeah, I wanted them to have their space and for it to feel like home big question

Yeah, are you letting them have any say in the design of their bedroom? I don't know whether I could allow Cooper yet to, cause he probably want it red or something. Exactly so, so my youngest Harry, he had the most beautiful bedroom at the old house. It was like very scandi and paneled it. Like I loved his bedroom and the new house, he said, I want a bunk bed. I thought, okay, we can do a bunk bed.

Yeah. I said, no, I want the walls black and purple. Oh God, oh no. My sister did a similar thing when we were younger. Mom and Dad allowed it, I'm like, are you okay? I mean, saying that, my bedroom was yellow, turquoise, and bright pink. You have these ideas as kids, don't you?

Yeah, yeah. And I feel like I want him to be involved in the creative a little bit, but I'm like, can we just do a green? Yeah, can we neutralize that ever so slightly? So I managed to sweet talk him around. So we've got beautiful sage green walls now, which is lovely.

I love that, yeah. So yeah, he's fine. The older boys are more, they have more of an opinion. But I think because their bedrooms are very like industrial style and they've got their gaming setups and LED lights. So I'm just trying to work with them with how they want it to be.

And so it's just making their spaces feel like it's home. Like when they come back to me from their dads, they can go up to their rooms and that feels like their space. Yeah, like a little sanctuary for them. Yeah, so beyond that I'm then rolling out and doing room by room, slowly but surely. What would be after the boys rooms then? So it's kind of gonna be the snug, hall stairs and landing. And then I have a little spare

bedroom which I'm gonna turn into a dressing room. Great. Because I am drowning in stuff. and I have a little spare bedroom, which I'm gonna turn into a dressing room. Right. Because I am drowning in stuff. So a single woman, you can have a room purely for you and your clothes. Perfect. So that's the priority. Yeah, that is the priority.

Well, I'm gonna keep watching because I'm currently renovating. Oh. We're renovating our house at the moment. So I will be watching you like a hawk. I'll be like trying to get inspiration from you. It has been so lovely talking to you, Becky. Thank you for having me.

Just to end, just any words of advice that you would give to women that are entering into that new chapter of their lives, what bit of advice would you give them? You're gonna be okay. Oh, don't make me cry. I'm a crier. I'm a crier too. We'll cry together You're gonna be okay. Oh, don't make me cry. I'm a crier. I'm a crier too.

We'll cry together. It will be okay. You're gonna be okay and lean on your support circle. Yeah. And you're stronger than you think you are and you will be all right, that would be my advice. Beautiful final words, Becky. Thank you so much, it has been a pleasure.

Thank you for having me. That's a wrap on another episode of Mums the Word. Thank you so much for joining us today as we were joined by the amazing Becky Nebit. Don't forget to leave us a review, follow us on socials at at mums the word underscore pod and subscribe to our YouTube channel, just search mumstheword. Until next time, I'm Georgia Jones and this has been Mums the Word. And we'll be back with another episode, same time, same place, next week.