Ali Bastian: Entertainment industry is not great place for pregnant women

Ali Bastian has turned to writing after realising the entertainment industry "is not a great place for pregnant women and parents".

The former \'Hollyoaks\' actress has discovered "a deep sense of joy and liberation" from speaking out about her experiences of motherhood, since she welcomed her daughter Isla into the world in March.

She wrote on Instagram: "The last year for me has been such a period of re-evaluation. When I first became pregnant I realised that my industry, like so many others, is not a great place for pregnant women and parents... and like so many other women I had to adapt quickly! I found my way into writing and sharing my experiences and found a deep sense of joy and liberation from using my own voice and stepping out from behind the mask - I hope to do this a lot more in the future! (sic)"

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The 38-year-old actress, who has been writing for website BabyCentre among other outlets, believes "such power" can be gained from people sharing their own experiences.

She added: "Thank you @babycentre for working with me and for all you do for parents. There is such power in sharing our stories."

Ali played Becca Dean on \'Hollyoaks\' from 2001 to 2007, and the Channel 4 soap will revisit her biggest storyline, when the teacher embarked on a relationship with student Justin Burton (Chris Fountain), next week as part of the show\'s \'Hollyoaks@25\' spin-off.

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The soap is to dedicate a whole week to the hard-hitting plot.