Text Link Styles not working in Footer Section

Question

I have a master page with a footer that has three columns of navigation text links inside.
In order to match my design I have created a customer text link style for these links.
However when I preview my site (in muse and browsers) the roll over effect (should show an underline) doesn't work.
I've searched the forums and found that someone else had a similar problem and it was down to them having a paragraph and character style stacked on top of one another. However I have checked this on my links and this is not the case.
NOTE: I have already successfully managed to create a similar style that resides in a side bar navigation panel in some of the sites internal pages and these link styles are working fine.
So, I'm not sure if the file has become corrupt or if I'm missing something that I've done wrong?
One question I have is at which point to you apply the text link style?
1. By clicking on the line of text to select it?
    OR
2. By clicking further into the text box; as if you were editing it, then selecting all of the characters in the word you want to make a link. With the word selected, click on the style name in the Character Panel to apply it?
    OR
3. as with the above example, once you have selected all of the characters in the word you want to make a link. Click on the Hyperlink drop down arrow (from the main toolbar) and choose the style name you wish to apply, from the drop down box 'Text Link Style'
NOTE:
I'm running version v2.3, Build 50, CL 771675
AIR Runtime: 3.5.0.600
UPDATE:
I couldn't wait any longer, so I just deleted the text boxes and styles and re-created them both and they seem to work now. Lot of additional work though that I'd rather have not had to do.

Answer 1

Sorry, I forgot to say, to see how the email link at the
bottom of the page should look please see www.bethhockley.com
Thanks,
Beth