'If my gut was telling me there was no chance, it might be different. The pressure has been unrelenting for Hollie, 46, and Archie's father, her 56-year-old former husband Paul Battersbee.
It's one of the reasons I am here.' The Daily Mail has spoken to Hollie over the course of these last few agonising days, witnessing first-hand the tension and stress that has accompanied the to-the-wire legal submissions, the raised and dashed hopes. 'Based on my own childhood I was determined to be as good as a mother as I can possibly be and I feel like I have done that to the very best of my ability. 'I know I've done a very good job being Archie's mum,' she says. As she approached 'the end' as she called it, the stoicism she has maintained for four long months finally deserted her, and the tears fell steadily. 'Everything.' Who could deny it? Week in, week out, as one legal battle has followed another, Hollie has tried everything to try to keep her beloved 12-year-old son Archie alive. 'I know I did everything I could,' she says. That much at least has been a comfort for Hollie Dance in these last desperate couple of days.