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'Never do a man's laundry, and don't scrimp on swimwear': 16 women - including Kate Hudson and Beyonce - reveal the best advice their mums ever gave them

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Mums are always ready with advice and hugs - Actress Goldie Hawn, left, told her daughter Kate Hudson to 'be happy'

Mums, eh? Those wonderful, generous women who carted us around for nine months inside their bellies, then for a few more years in a pram.

Always ready with encouraging words, loving hugs, and even the odd piece of unsolicited advice (not to mention occasional £20 notes), our mothers are fabulous.  And with Mother's Day falling this Sunday, it's time to tell them so.

To mark the occasion, we're paying tribute to all the lovely mothers out there by revealing the best juicy nuggets of advice given to 12 women – some of them famous, some of them not, by their mums. 

Happy Mother's Day, Mums! We love you all bundles.

Actress Kate Hudson, 36, was told by her actress mother, Goldie Hawn:  

'Be happy. And if you can't be happy, get drunk and then you'll really be happy.'

Ellie Dobson, 33, mother of two, Dorset, was told: 

'If he seems too good to be true, he probably is. And you WILL get a boyfriend – everybody does!' 

Ellie, who is now married, says: 'My mum later revealed she wasn't 100 per cent confident about the boyfriend part at that point.'

Catherine Mcpherson, 36, advertising executive, Cape Town, was told:

'Have pets, not children.' 

Catherine (who doesn't yet have any children but is longing for a dog) says: 'Thanks a lot Mum!'

Zoe Blaskey, 32, yoga teacher and new mum, London, was told: 

'Never start ironing for a man - it's a slippery slope.  And remember to moisturise your neck every single night.' 

Zoe says: 'And to this day she has zero wrinkles!'

One mum advised her daughter never to start ironing for a man, as 'it's a slippery slope' (file image)

Audrey Hepburn was told by her mother Ella van Heemstra: 

'Manners, don't forget, are kindnesses. You must always be kind.' (Extracted from How to be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life)

Hepburn said: 'My mother was born in 1900 and had had herself a very strict, Victorian upbringing, if you like. So, she was very demanding of us – me and my brothers.

Jessie Huth, 33, screenwriter, Bristol, was told:  

'Don't scrimp on spending money on swimwear: it's the least you'll ever wear in public.'

Seinfeld and Veep actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 55, was told by her mother, Judith Bowles: 

'Keep a sense of humour about life'  

Julia says: 'My parents divorced when I was eight and whenever I felt down, my mum would remind me that a sense of humour gets you through just about anything.'