40ish - Halfords, “Healthy January” and the Highway Code

Episode Date: January 8, 2026

Today on 40ish Lauren faces the ultimate midlife thrill - a trip to Halfords - does she know where her wheel nut key is? Does it exist?  Meanwhile, Nicole is failing the Highway Code and wondering why nobody answers their phone anymore. A listener writes in with a dilemma that perfectly sums up January. She is cheating on her husband - he’s fully invested in the January health kick - whilst she is hiding croissant in her handbag. Add in Drew Barrymore going makeup-free (groundbreaking? discuss), and Lauren finally airing her beef with Billie Eilish and honestly, it’s a full buffet of nonsense, judgement, and solidarity. Email [e-mail] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/40ish.podcast  TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@40ish.podcast Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/share/DVQWb6y2vesgeHEK/?mibextid=LQQJ4d  To order our book HAVE YOU TRIED THIS?” click here  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Have-You-Tried-This-Only/dp/1801293139/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1O7EA4ZF1O5CS&keywords=have+you+tried+this&qid=1699449028&sprefix=have+you+tried+%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-2 This episode is sponsored by London Nootropics Get 20% off at LondonNootropics.com with the code 40ISH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He says, where's the wheel nut? I said, listen, I'm not being funny, but you've known me for three minutes. Do you think, do you think I know the answer to that? I find her so, I find her as annoying as Dream Barrymore. Maybe that's why Drew Barrymore put her son on her video because they're as irritating as each other. Sing up. I was like in the midst of dinner and I get a message. from Laura Mishkorn.

Is it? And I quote. Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the second episode of season five of 40-ish. I'm Nicole Goodman. I'm Laura Mishkan. Season five. Yeah.

I knew that would confuse you. Did you count the seasons? What? Would it have been count them? I don't even know what season we're on. I know you don't. I know you don't. I know you don't. I know.

Or we're on season five. Are we? Yeah. How many seasons did ER have? Oh, now that is a good question. More than five. Anyway. Come on.

What's your most 40-ish moment since I spoke to you the other day? Well, actually, that's not true. Because that's like I'm doing that for the podcast. But actually, when did I speak to you last night? Yeah. So what's the most... What's happened to me since last night? Yeah, in last 12 hours.

Well, I had to... go, I had to go to Halford's this morning. Well, come on, make it sexier. Well, I had to go to Halford's, I went in my brawl. I didn't go my bar because it's snowing. I had to go to Halford this morning. I go into reception. Young guy, very young guy, cool guy with dreads at reception.

Hi, what's your number plate? I'm like, I never know my number plate. I don't know. He says, you are joking. I said, I've only been driving the car four years. I don't know the number plate. He said, you women, though, you know everything. remember everything. I said, do you have any understanding of how much I have to carry in my head

every day? The number plate is of no relevance to me. So I don't know the number plate. I'll go and look at it and I'll come back and tell you. He's giving him a lecture about the mental aid. Yeah, so I come back to tell him, oh, maybe 30. So I come back and tell him the number plate. He's like, which tires need replacing front or back? I'm like, again, I don't know. I'm not a mechanic. Look at them and tell me which ones are bald and which ones are fine. And the ones that are bald change those for the new ones he's like okay I said you know what I'll call my husband just to check because if you

replace the two brand new tires he's going to be really angry so I make the phone call anyway then he says to me and please tell me if you know the answer to this where's the nut screw the wheels

are the wheel nut screw I said what he said where isn't it under you know where they keep the tire and then it's sort of so it's under the boot and where they keep the tyre in the middle of that there's usually like a kit well done Nicole except it wasn't in the

curveball it's an electric car there's no engine so it's not there where would it be where would it be it's in the bonnet isn't it anyway he says where where's the wheel not I said listen I'm not being funny but you've known me for three minutes do you think do you think I know the answer to that

he was like no he said I'll tell you what I'll go and have a look I said that's a good idea because you're a mechanic and I'm not so he goes and looks in the in the boot

do you mind if I look in your boot I said I don't mind at all he said this is a very tidy boot I said thank you he said I've seen all sorts and I'm sure you have I'm sure you have he said it's not in here

I'm like okay he said maybe phone your husband again so I text him I'm like, where's the wheel on the arch? He said, for fuck sake, they're supposed to me mechanics. He said, tell them, it's an electric car in case they haven't figured that out. And it's under the fucking bonnet. I said, he says it's under the fucking bonnet.

And also, just to let you know, it's an electric car. And he was like, yeah, yeah, I know. I said, okay, I'm just going to leave now. And I'll just leave you to deal with this. You know, I felt very, not so much 40-ish, but more just like, do I, should I know this information? Do I have to know it? I don't really care that I don't know it. I don't even think it's a sexism thing.

I just don't care. I have no interest where the wheel. I have to figure out if there's enough jam in the fridge. I have to figure out when there's only a scraping left of Nutella. I have to figure out every minor detail of my house. I don't care about a wheelnut. I have to figure out how much jam is like. I mean, this is not taxing.

And if you are finding that, if you are finding it taxing. I'm not finding it. It's slightly overwhelming. then we need to have a chat. I'm finally attacking, but I'm just saying, I have to carry a lot of very unimportant stuff. Yeah.

Buy more jam. Or don't. But it doesn't matter. No one's going to die. No one is going to die. But I'm saying the minutiae of shit that as women we have to remember and keep a mental little note of all the time.

This isn't one thing I need to keep a note of. Anyway, that wasn't even my most-futish thing. But you know now. I know now. I know now, yeah. Right. Well, I have been doing, this is also not my fortage thing,

Here we are with it. My daughter is trying to pass her driving test, her theory, right? Been there, done that. So she was doing it on the plane. Yeah. And she goes, oh, look, I got 41 out of 50. I said, is that a bar? She said, no, you've got to get 43 out of 50.

So I said, oh, let me have a go. Let me do one. Yeah. She goes, you won't pass it. I said, let me, I've been driving for a long time. Yeah. Yeah. Let me do one.

Oh, my God. Could you answer them? Absolutely flunked this test. I've got 26. out of 50. That's appalling. It's always about cat eyes. Well, there's loads of questions about cat eyes. Caravans and trailers. There was a lot of questions about caravans and trailers and weights of caravans and what distance you should be driving the caravan if it's got a trailer, if it doesn't have a trailer. Like the most random shit that in the 30 years, the tie have

been driving, have never needed to know this information. Also, having known Daisy a while, No way in hell that girl is ever going on a caravan holiday in her life. Let alone drive one. It's just not. It's just not a lot of hope of hell. Why is that in the highway code? Who cares? And then they're showing me signs I have never seen on a road.

Never. Like what? I don't know. Like a weird colour of a sign with weird arrows on it. And what does this mean? I don't fucking know. And I've never needed to know. And I'm driving and I'm getting by and I'm getting from A to B.

No problem. Everybody is safe if I'm on the road. Like, what is this? What is this? It's a whole thing. I have been through it with two of the kids, the theory test thing. And it is a ball-act. It's really stupid.

It's about like what you can and can't do in a petrol station. I didn't have any of that. E.G. you can't eat. You can't have a sandwich. And you can't light up a cigarette, I assume. Really? Really? Who would have guessed that one? Yeah, but they don't have questions like that on the highway code.

I mean, that's fairly obvious. It's like weights of trailers. The sandwich seems fairly innocuous. And trams. Oh, that was it. That was it. It was a sign for a track. It was just a blue sign.

Yeah. Like a rectangle sign. I've never seen a rectangle sign. Because they usually circle or triangular. Yes, they are. Right. rectangle sign of a tram. What does this mean? And then they give you like, it's all multiple choice, isn't it?

I actually don't know if I got that one right or wrong. But also, isn't it, is it fairly obvious if you're driving your car and then there's a tram line on the road? You'd probably guess. Oh, a tram passes through here. I live in London. There was no multiple choice of I live in London. We don't have trams. They do have trams in Croydon.

Oh, okay. I will rephrase that. I live in northwest London. They don't have trams in central London. And they don't have trams in the parts of South London that I've been to or East London or West London. But not everyone driving is in London No, but that's what I'm saying There should have been a multiple choice

Can't answer this, I live in London There's no trams Right? So why am I going to know? But that could also apply to like sheep on the road Deer on the road But hold on But you're taking your test in London

You are But you're not, yeah It doesn't mean you live there And you're only going to drive there You could live in Gloucestershire You're right Do they have trams in Gloucestershire? I don't believe they do

Or sheep Definitely have sheep And deer Cattle issues point is Yeah You failed Failed

And the other point is Back to your point And I'm going to link this all together I don't really care I just don't care Should we get onto a dilemma Yeah Do you want to do the disclaimer first

Yeah Go on then Should I do it for memory Go on Before we jump into your dilemmas We are not doctors Or healthcare professionals So if there is an issue

That you are seriously struggling with, please contact a qualified expert. You see, that's the sort of thing that has to stay in your head more than caravan issues. Do you know what I mean? And the nut bolt or whatever it is.

What's it called? Nutscrew. Will nut something? You know, there's going to be men listening to his shouting, like literally shouting. It's going to be like, oh my God, I can't believe

she doesn't know what will not screw is. Actually, no, he could, does he know? I don't know what fun. I asked James, he knew. He knew. Yeah, cool. James, 100%

new. James is very alpha. James, like, what do you mean don't know your number plate? I don't know my number plate. I think a lot of women don't know their number plate. I just go on my pay by parking out. That's what I do. But like, also my kids remember their number plate, the number plates of like our old cars.

And Ollie remembers the number plate of his mum's first car when he was like five. I'm like, no, that's just weird. I remember my phone numbers. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. But that's because we only had one home phone number and you would recite it a million times.

Yeah. Yeah. But I don't know Daisy's mobile number And I don't know Lily Rose's No, I don't know my kids Yeah, I know Ollie's But that's because I needed to know it years back

And it's the same number Yes But that is ridiculous I don't know my own children's phone numbers I don't know your phone number No I mean that is ridiculous We should learn each other's phone numbers

Should we in case of emergency Well it would be a good thing to know It's probably more important than the number plate It's probably And the nutball And the caravan Yeah We'll make that on year's resolution.

What a great resolution that is. Here is the dilemma. You're ready? Yep. Hi ladies. Happy New Year. Happy New Year to you too. My husband and I are both 42 and we made a pact to really do January properly this year.

No booze. Healthy dinners, early nights, the whole smug package. He was so pleased. He immediately bought cheer seeds and started saying things like, We're really committing together as a team this time. The problem is I am absolutely not committing at all. I make a smoothie every morning and then when I get to the station, I buy a toasty. I talked about how full I am from a salad from lunch.

I did have a salad, but I also ate crisps in the car like a raccoon. I have even poured wine into a mug and told him it's herbal tea. Oh, no. Why is she doing that? This lie came out of my mouth so easily that it scared me a bit. He meanwhile is thriving. He's lost two pounds. He's sleeping better.

He keeps saying, doesn't it feel great to be so healthy together? And I nod while quietly thinking about the croissant I hid in my handbag. I don't actually want him to fail. I just don't want this or the joyless misery of pretending that a square of dark chocolate is a treat. If I confess, I look like an unhinged liar who has betrayed our agreement. And if I continue, I risk. becoming a really good liar. Do I come clean or do I ride this lie out until February?

Thank you, Hetty. I mean, the answer is very obvious, isn't it? Carry on lying. No. Definitely. No. Yeah. No.

What? Sort it out. Just sort it out. Hettie, hiding quassons in your handbag and eating toasties after your breakfast. Sort it out. Come on, you owe it to yourself. To be a bit healthier. You shouldn't be, she shouldn't be hiding wine in her mug or

herbal tea. That's not okay. She might have just been desperate for half a glass. But that's like worrying behaviour. It is. Is it? Yeah. If you were hiding, if you turned around to me and said, oh, I haven't told Olly this, but I'm really drinking wine in my mug and he thinks I'm drinking a peppermint tea, I would say, Lauren, I think there's an issue. If it was 11 o'clock in the morning on a Tuesday, yeah. She didn't say what time it was.

She didn't. Did she? You're right. She didn't. But I think it's just they're both off the booze. So they obviously have had dinner. No, they're not just off the booze. They're eating healthy dinners, she said.

Yeah. They're eating healthy meals. I think unless she actually has got an alcohol issue, I think, you know, it's okay to sneak a little bit of wine in the mug. A little bit. What's your problem with it? She's not being healthy or that she's lying? Well, mainly that she's lying because her not being healthy is up to her.

And also because he is in like this. blissful ignorance thinking that they're doing something and they're connecting over something together bless him he's like loving the whole partnership and collaboration yeah she's deceiving him and that's just not cool and also and also her lie is just really self-destructive it is really self-destructive but isn't it also a bit like when people say don't please don't think about a pink elephant and then all you can think about is a pink elephant you know she's basically self-sabotaging on purpose. She's rebelling against herself. And that's really self-destructive. And the only person that's going to miss out is her because she's not going to feel better for it. She's going

worse for lying and worse for eating all that shit and drinking the wine. But maybe she's also worried that if she comes clean, he's going to go yeah, fuck it. It is boring. Let's go back to our old ways. And she feels like he's doing really well, which she obviously is. That's not why she's doing it. She's just rebelling against herself. She just doesn't want to go on a diet and she doesn't want to stop drinking. I understand that. Everybody understands. Yeah. But at the same time, listen, for me, I always feel so much better cleaning my act up and like stopping the booze and stopping the sugar and just getting back into healthier habits. For me, it just works a treat. So I'm always happier to be healthier than I am the other way. It just makes me feel so crap. So I don't really get the self-sabotage on this. I mean, I've tried this with Ollie. I always say like, let's not drink in the week. Let's just drink on a Friday and a Saturday. He's like, okay, great idea. And then I'll make something red meaty, like a bolognaise or a steak or something.

He'll be like, do you want to just have a small glass? No, because it's Wednesday. Oh, but you've made such a nice dinner. Just a small one. Don't make me drink on my own. And then you're either like, no, drink on your own and feel bad about it. Or you're like, oh, all right, then. Yeah.

Because, you know, you don't want him out on a limb. And also you do really want the wine, but you've made the agreement. So it's a bit of a, it's a tough call. It is a tough call. I understand that. I don't have that with alcohol. I have it with like sugary things. Right. And I try and encourage him. And I'm like, come on. Just have a tonic water. And we'll save the red wine for Friday. Yeah. He wants what he wants. I always thought that he'd drunk less than you did. He does drink less than I do. But I'm drinking less and less and less the older I get. It's so dull.

Is it? Oh. Painful. This is interesting, right? That we automatically assume that. that not drinking equals boring or dull. But why? Because I actually think, really, that I am much more dull and much more boring when I've been drinking. Because it makes me feel lethargic.

It gives me a headache. The buzz lasts for about maybe 10 minutes at most. And then I just feel shit. And then I'm just drinking water to try and combat the effects of the alcohol. It's not the being drunk bit, and it's not even the buzz bit. It's just the kind of,

what is the word I'm looking for not routine but like the nice moment of making the drink and the big thing of ice and the pouring but you can have that moment without the alcohol I know what you mean but I drink water I don't drink fizzy drinks or anything like that

I think that's a real conditioning I really do it's a conditioning that in order to enjoy socialising or to enjoy a meal more the alcohol adds to it but really it doesn't i mean i had one drink just one on friday and i didn't even have wine with dinner i just had one martini pre-dinner no wine and i haven't had a drink since and that's

absolutely fine for fine about that and i might have a drink when friday comes around again but it's the same thing because i just am not feeling great when i drink yeah why am i can do that to myself what's the point i have to be up early i have to come here do my thing like i don't want to feel crap? No, and I went through a stage where alcohol just made me feel so, well, I was feeling anxious anyway. And then if I put a glass of wine or a vocatonic on top of that, the next morning, the anxiety was so bad. Like, why would I, again, you're going back into self-destructed territory. What's the point? Ritual, that's the word I was looking for. It's the ritual. But now we have a new little ritual in the evenings where after dinner sometimes, because Oli has a

very sweet tooth, and I don't, so I don't do desserts or chocolate. anything but he wants something i will make a chai so we've got the proper chai like concoction that i bought from some very posh place and you mix it and you put a bit of sugar in and the milk and then it's like a really nice ceremonial yeah that kind of thing so i'm trying you know to do that instead i do that with a ninja creamy yeah you do yeah i love my ninja creamers after dinner and also it's like this mark of my day is done everything's cleared up i've finished work for the day. I now get to sit on the couch, watch some TV with my Ninja Creamy. Nice. Because normally I would do that with a glass of wine, but I'm not doing that anymore. Yeah,

yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's breaking those habits, isn't it? And it doesn't take long. Three weeks, honestly. But you have to want what's on the other side of it. Like for this, for the, the woman writing in, she has to want feeling better, looking better, eating better, more than she wants that quasson that's hiding in her bag. I don't think she does want it. I think that's the thing. I don't even think she's got to the point where she's acknowledged what she wants. She's just rebelling. She's just rebelling. I would actually say, play it through to the end of January and then say to him,

do you know what? I'm done with this and like don't say you've been lying but kind of come clean. And if he carries on amazing, because he sounds like he's doing really well. He's on a good path. She doesn't want to like distract him. And I get that. No, that's not why she's doing it. That's got nothing to do with it.

She should just tell her you shouldn't lie to him. It's not nice. It's not right. It's not right. But it's only about her. She's not lying about anything terrible. No, but he thinks they're doing something together and they're not. So what would she say to him?

Listen, I know we were doing this whole healthy january thing together, but actually fuck it. Don't want to. Not actually fuck it. Actually, I've been really shit. And I've tried to do it, but I can't. And I need some inspiration. Help me.

And then he can help her. That could be quite bonding, couldn't there? It could be. Yeah. There you go. Because at the end of the day, it's better for her that she's on the health kick with him. Also, if they are going to do it, it's nicer to do it together.

It's easier to do it together. And then you're accountable to somebody. Nicer. Let's go to a break and come back with some news. Drew Baramore is embracing aging. I love Drew Barrymore. Do you? Yeah.

What do you love about Drew Barrymore? Oh, I love it. Don't you ever see her show? I don't actually watch her show. I just see her clips on socials. I find her intensely irritating. What is irritating about Drew Baramore? Everything.

What? The over enthusiasm, the expressions, the climbing all over the sofa, the touching of her guests, the pouring at them. Like, no. God no. No. Yeah, she's not for you. She is. Not for me.

So if we got invited on the Drew Barrymore show, you'd say no. Well, I would say yes, but I'm telling you now, you can sit nearest to her on the sofa. Done. Because I don't want to be like, oh, I would fawn all over her. Groped and poured by her. You would sit there all uncomfortable. I would sit there cross-armed and cross-legged as far away from her. But then you would come across badly.

I don't want to be touchy-feely with Drew. You don't want to be touchy-feely with anybody. Correct. Even Ollie. The only person you're not. The only is Beber. I love to be all over Beba. Yeah. But that's it.

I am like Drew Barrymore with Beber. Yeah, I will climb over the sofa to light on her furry body. Bury my face in that fur. Oh. Anyway. Anyway. She, on Wednesday, December the 24th, the actress and television host, who is 50? Because we were talking on the show the other day about who turns 50 in 2026.

Yeah. She shared a vulnerable makeup for her. video on Instagram and in the clip which was set to an instrumental version of Billy Eilish's song

what was I made for I am obsessed with that song She got an Oscar for that song I literally turn the radio off when that song is on I can't stand Billy Eilish I cannot abide her just sing up

sing up a little bit stop whispering into the microphone I find her so I find her as annoying as Drew Barrymore maybe that's why Drew Barrymore put her song on her video because they're as irritating as each other.

What was I made for? Sing up. Sing the song. Stop fucking muttering. I can't stand it. She won an Oscar for that song. That song won an Oscar. And a bird one, the bird of a feather one, also intolerable.

Intolerable. I am not a fan of Billy Eilish. Anyone listening at home who feels like maybe it's not about Billy Irish and Drew Barrymore? No, it is. No, it isn't. No, it is. I don't like either of them. No, no.

I'm not my people. I think what's happening is that I hate everyone. You hate everyone and everything currently. You do. I tell you who I really like. You sent me a message yesterday saying, and it was quite out the blue. I was making dinner. Yeah.

I was like, in the midst of dinner and I get a message from Laura Michigan. And I quote, you have to put it in context. There wasn't any context. There wasn't any context. Oh, I sent you a video. I said, we should do this. Yeah, it was a video of a woman in a...

No, but I didn't mean that. I meant the narrative, because I've seen it a few times. You have to explain to the listen to sound like. There's this viral thing. There's this trend going on Instagram, TikTok at the moment, where a woman... Well, I've only seen it when they're in swimwear. Right.

We can do something else. And there was a woman, she was walking down to the sea. This isn't the one I sent you. And she was going for a swim in the sea. and what she told her husband to do while she was doing that. He was to film her and then he was supposed to, like, narrate

as if he was a commentator at the Olympics. Right. And swimming was her sport. And swimming was her sport. Right. And it was very, very, she was tripping all over it. She was crashing in the ways. It was very funny.

Right. And then I saw another one yesterday of a woman doing it in her living room and getting her husband to do the same thing. She was pretending to be an ice skater, wasn't she, in her swimsuit, pretending to ice skate around her house. And he was narrating.

as if she was doing an Olympic skating. So you sent me the video and you said, we should do this. I didn't mean in the swimming costume. I meant more, when you do something silly or I do something silly and the other one narrates it. And I was like,

you are so welcome to get in your swimsuit and I will narrate, but that is a hard no from me. Right, but that's not what, and then about 10 minutes later, and I was like, right, and then about 10 minutes later, I'm in the midst of dinner

and I see a message pop up from you. And it said, I think I've lost, I'm worried that I've lost my sense of humour. Yeah. I mean, after your little rant about Billy Arlish and Drew Barrymore, which by the way, like, it's just not, it's just, who cares? I know I'm relaxed and I've been in Thailand for three weeks and it's a lot easier to not care about this shit. But, I mean, maybe you have lots of sense of humor. It could have happened.

I like that little one that does espresso. What's her name? Sabrina Carpenter. See, I really like Sabrina Carpenter. I really like her. It's catchy. You can sing along. I like the lyrics. She's very peppy. She's cute. That's a pop star. I don't want some moody mutterer. That song, what was I made for, makes me cry. Does it? I can't tell you, I find it haunting and beautiful. And I just love that song. It's like one of my favorite songs.

Are you saying that she's the Kate Bush of this generation? Well, she is the Kate Bush of this generation, but I was never that into Kate Bush. Me neither. I did have a friend who used to dress up with Kate Bush and do dancing and singing her in the living room. Yeah, I loved it. When she did that, I loved it. Oh, that you liked. That I did like, yeah.

That was good. We could do that. But I don't have sense of humor anymore. Maybe not. Where's it gone? I don't know. Where has it gone? It was better when I was drinking.

Maybe that's where it's called. Oh, you're fun bobby. Oh, no. You're fucking fun bobby. Is that all happened to him? Yeah. Why he was no longer fun. yes because he had a drinking problem so she took so then he went sober for monica yeah oh yeah and then she couldn't

and he was like dull as digital she like walking and go hi hi he was really depressed yeah and so then she started drinking oh do you think that might happen with us you know i remember the fun bobby storyline no i just totally remember fun bobby but i didn't remember that that was why um your fun bobby okay great brilliant anyway i was talking about drew barram roll yes can i get through it without you having another round I don't know, maybe. She's taking her makeup off. Good for her. Barrymore sported a bare-faced look

showing off close-ups of her skin and making faces at the camera. I mean, it's a bit sad that in this day and age this is considered revolutionary, isn't it? That a woman's just... It's just her face. Yeah.

The star wore a casual outfit of a t-shirt, hoodie and jacket while her hair is pulled back into a messy bun. Aging is a privilege, she wrote over the video. It's not something to fear. I mean, I'm not.

We're not like, also, she's not breaking barriers here, but I just thought it was interesting. In the, before you go back into the rent, can I just finish the article and then you can run away. In the caption, the Drew Barrymore's show host added, Aging is a privilege that I will never take for granted. Celebs and fans alike are praising Barrymore in the comments section. We need more of this. An English actress and podcaster Giovanna Fletcher shared, yes, a thousand times, yes, with four, five, six, exclamation mark. how lucky we are to be alive to do all the things

another comment read heart heart heart aging as a privilege but promised to no one it's so sad that people could be so cruel when we start to look older and age women when women start to look older and age not men men are allowed to age remember totally yeah totally they're just silver foxes

we're just invisible crones that's the difference well I don't feel like a Invisible Crone. We're not at Crone age yet. Also, we still wear

makeup. I'm about to be 50. Okay, you keep saying this. Well, I am. In a year. It's a year. It's a year. You say it like it's like

next month and I've forgotten your birthday. But I haven't forgotten your birthday. I really even know what I'm buying you for your birthday. For your 49th. Hold on. Hold on.

We had a little deal last year. What was the deal? Because our birthdays are like three weeks apart. Yeah. That what we were going to do every year, I thought it was going to be a tradition

that we would go to a show. Okay, I haven't bought it. I just had the idea. But I'm down with that. Please, can we see the producers? No, I hate the producers. What? This is what happened last year

and we couldn't agree on and go and see a show. I fucking hate the producers. Hot. It's my favourite film. No. It's why my son's called Max. No.

Yes. The Alice's still come to bloom. No, I don't like the producers. Oh my God, okay. There's enough. There's enough. We'll find something to go and see. Okay. Okay, deal, deal.

I'll take it out my basket then. Anyway, so ageing as a privilege according to Drew Barrymore. Are you excited about this impending 50th or worried? Because it's been mentioned a lot. Twice, I know. So I don't really know what's going. I don't know. I haven't figured it out yet.

Or is it just like, I'll just say it as much as I can. And then by the time it gets here, it won't be a surprise anymore. Yeah, I always do that. I always age up. I always age up. Do you? You're just normalizing it? Is that it?

I've got like a couple of close friends 50ths coming up. I've just been for a walk with my friend and we, our birthdays are two weeks apart, well, hers is the day after yours. And she was like, we need to start thinking about our 50s because we have a lot of similar friends. She's like, would you do a trip? So we've just been talking about it.

I don't know, it just feels omnipresent. Does it? Okay. And fucking hell I'm going to be 50. How is this even? I can't even go there even in my head. head. I can't even go there. I just can't. It feels so, so much older. But that's weird because your husband's older. How old is Ollie? He's 56. We actually, I couldn't remember how old he

was in his birth. I had to ask his mum. He's 56. Right. Yeah. But he is very, very cool with age. And I was with him when he turned 30, 40 and 50. And he made zero fuss about any of those things. He's like, so what? I was born. It's just an age. I feel how I feel. It's absolutely fine. It's just a number. It doesn't matter. He's really fine with it. He has no problem with it. Neither does Drew Barrymore. Good for her. But you know the thing is, Drew Byromor, I don't get the feeling that she wears like a ton. She's not like a very done up person. Neither is Giovanna Fletcher. No. So her going makeup free to me doesn't sound like a revolution. I would like to see someone who is always fully made up go make up free and then really see

their face. Well, what Pamela Anderson did. Yeah. That was. And now she just doesn't wear makeup at all. When I say shocking, I don't mean in a bad way. I just mean it was shocking to society because she was... But isn't that ridiculous? And I think in 10, 15, 20 years time, we'll look back on that and think, how ridiculous that we were shocked that someone was brave enough to walk the red carpet with a bare face. I think it's because she was the dolly bird of the 90s.

That's why it was so powerful that she did it. Yeah. Drew Barrymore, she's quite, you know, dressed down. So for me... Well, she's very down to earth. Yeah. Yeah. Any meltdowns for yourself this week?

Yeah. You say that with great conviction. Yeah, because I was thinking about it this morning, right? Yesterday I walked the dog, or the day before, I don't know. And I just got back from holiday. Yeah. And I sort of went through my list in my favourites. Favorites what?

Like on my iPhone, I've got a list of favorites, like, the people that I speak to the most often. Yeah. Like my mom, my dad, you, my sister, my kids, my husband. Like, there's, you know, the people that I speak to. Anyway, went through all of my friends No one answered the phone No one ever answers the fucking phone Maybe they're at work

It was a Sunday Oh, okay, no then And it was like midday But I must have phoned Six people Nobody picked the phone up Including you, you never answer your phone I did call you back on Sunday

We did have time of conversation I know you called me back But nobody ever answers the phone No one answers the phone I see. What is that about? Did you feel like a bit of a knoby no-mates? No, I didn't, actually.

What did you feel? I felt irritated that no one answers the phone. And by the way, I also don't answer the phone. You do? Most of the time. Not all the time, but a lot of the time. That's my meltdown. Okay.

What's yours? Did a loft clear out of Christmas, two days. In the loft cleared everything out. Very cathartic exercise. Didn't go to the dump. Obviously, only only went to the dump. found a set of photos from my honeymoon in there and also a lot of photos of when I was very young

like 16 and a lot of my friends and now Josh is friends with these friends kids so I called him into the loft and I was like guess who that is this was like a boyfriend an ex-boyfriend of my friend he's like I don't know I'm like that's blah blah's dad he's like oh my god he's got so much hair because now he's bald Yeah.

I was like, yeah. Anyway, all these photos of all these people and Josh was loving it. Anyway, then we found like this old fur coat. So he's sitting in the loft with me inside the loft and he's wearing my fur coat and we're looking through all these old photos. I'm like, oh my God, Josh, these are my photos of being on honeymoon with Dad. So we're talking nearly 25 years ago and we're looking through all the honeymoon photos. He's like, oh my God, Dad looks so young and his hair's black and da-da-da-da. And then we found a whole load of them where I wasn't wearing any clothes.

And at this point, Josh was like, okay, I'm done now, took the fur coat off, left the loft, couldn't look at me, couldn't look at me for the rest of the day. Were you naked? I was naked. Posing. No, no, no. Caught unawares. And I sort of realized when we were younger, generally, and it was honeymoon and like holidays before we were married. How many photos Ollie took of me constantly catching me in a state of undress or in bed or whatever?

And I went downstairs, I was like, you know, you used to be obsessed with me. like obsessed with me every pack of photos you're sneaking in to catch me without my clothes on and there's all these naked and then I thought

oh my God we had these photos processed like in boots yeah yeah you know they weren't on a phone

no they were on a camera roll and then you sent them to the chemist and then a week later you got your photos and I only realized they probably didn't look through

it because why would they care why would they care but also what was that what was that so I became a little fixated with looking at these photos of my own nakedness in my 20s, early 20s. Wow, I wish I'd really appreciated it

as much. Yeah, but you'll say that when you're in your 70s about now. I probably will. Yeah. But, you know, sorry for upsetting my son, but also. But maybe you should learn, take that and appreciate where you are now. I probably should. Yeah. Because in another 25 years, I'd be like, wow. Yeah. But he's not. also I'm assuming he's not photographing you naked these days he certainly is not trying to catch me unaware no no no that's the thing about 25 years of marriage is no one is sneaking around the corner to try and catch a glimpse of you

we've got a quick listener meltdown are you ready it's from Priya she says hi ladies not a joke although I do understand if you laugh I am currently having to wear a neck brace for an injury I sustained brushing my teeth It's only January I am only 45 years old What hope do I have

But this is the same as what happened with you and your shoulder I wasn't even brushing my teeth I was asleep At least brushing your teeth is an activity Not really It's not really It's called hygiene I mean Priya I'm so sorry

I'm sorry Priya Welcome to your 40s And I would say that it's all downhill from 45 That's when things really started to go South What a depressing note Maybe you could play Billy Elish Over the top of this

Just to bring down the mood A little further Now I just fall down I used to know But I'm not sure now And then I'll start crying What was I made for? and I'll hide a cross one in my handbag

On that note We will be back on Tuesday With the brand new episode Please keep your messages coming in Hello at 40-ish dot care.uk And we will be back after the weekend Have a great weekend everyone Bye