Just As Well, The Women's Health Podcast - Hannah Waddingham on confidence, motherhood, menopause and Ted Lasso

Episode Date: May 12, 2026

In this episode of Just As Well, Claire Sanderson sits down with actor Hannah Waddingham for a candid conversation about confidence, motherhood, menopause and the long road to success. Hannah reflects on why she was never an “overnight success”, the resilience it took to move from theatre to screen, and why she refuses to shrink herself for anyone. She also opens up about raising her daughter with honesty and strong boundaries, navigating body image, and why getting older has brought a new sense of freedom. Plus, Hannah shares her thoughts on wellness, self-worth and what she can reveal about the return of Ted Lasso. Want more from Women’s Health? Join the Women’s Health COLLECTIVE  for workouts, exclusive events and expert advice to unlock your fittest self - Train smarter. Live better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Wayfair, every style, every home. Anna, welcome to Jess as well. Yeah, thank you. And we are coming life from your first woman's health cover shoots. I like that you say first. Oh, we have you back. I'm hopeful for more. How did you find it?

I loved it. I really loved it. I mean, the photographer David was just, I don't mind admitting that sometimes I find it difficult to be photographed by men, which I need to kind of work out and work on a bit because he was gorgeous and collaborative and, you know, there have just been times in the past where it's been fixed and do this and moving away that they would never ask a man to move. So it's been really lovely to have him who's just a soft energy.

I'm really grateful that you guys found him for me. It's quite a vulnerable place to be, I imagine. Oh, it's incredibly vulnerable. With an audience behind the camera as well, which people don't realise. There's quite a few people in that room watching. There's loads of people. And I think that people presume you're endlessly

confident all the time. Which you're not. Part of the reason you're an actor is to be other people, not yourself. Yeah. So that's, and I haven't done one for it because I've been shooting on TED last episode long before that. I was shooting something for Amazon and before that doing a movie. So I haven't done a shoot like this in I don't know how long. So I'm glad it's been you guys that have repopped my cherry.

You came to us. Thank you. You just mentioned how busy you are. I know how busy you are because believe it or not, I first spoke to your management in November 2023 to set this. It was in the Soho Hotel, we went for a coffee, me and your lovely management from New York nearly two and a half years ago. Oh my gosh. I waited patiently for this day.

Claire, I'm honestly very grateful that you circle back clearly like a lunatic. So I'm so flunger on this cover because you represent all that is positive about being a successful woman. But when I was doing my research for this interview, I saw you. you referred to as sort of an overnight sensation because of Ted Lassau on more than one occasion when that is simply not true. You were drafted for years and years. Yeah, it started when I was 21. Yeah. I was West End and Broadway leading lady for 22 years.

So I find the overnight thing hilarious. Because no one that gets into theatre, any theatre person will tell you, no one gets into it for fame or money. You get into it because you love the craft. and it's a vocation. So then the shift into screenwork, for me at the time, was purely because I just had a child, you know, the little love of my life. And I didn't want to be out six nights a week, eight shows a week.

So something had to shift in order for me to, you know, deal with the two balance, the two passions in my life. And I just haven't gone back to theatre yet because I haven't wanted. I even discussed it with my girl the other day. day, you know, I'm keeping off of these lovely things on stage, but her little face drops, you know, she's 11 and a half now, and she wants mummy at home. So it's amazing that I've been so blessed with the screen career that I could never have dreamed of. But that transition didn't come easy for you, did it? You had to knock on a lot of doors that you closed in your face.

Oh my gosh. Yeah, just knocking and knocking and knocking and knocking. And actually, a lot of the time, they would convince me that screen wasn't for me but you have to go away lick your wounds double down, regroup and knock a bit fucking harder

and in your earlier career on screen do you feel that you were type cast as the fun blonde no I well occasionally here and there not not much my thing that I really had a problem with

and I know actors will have experienced this left right and centre, you know, you'll be lulled into something and then the coverage is constantly on the other person. So you feel like you're, you know, glorified reading lines off for someone else. And that's the transition that came for me when I said to my then team, if that's the case, I'm more than happy to not do this anymore and I will regroup, like I said. And, you know, you have to kind of bring yourself back to your zero and just navigate and take a slap, bring your face around again and go again.

Or if that road doesn't show a clearing, shift over, you know, be a shapeshifter and just keep on finding your patch. But I did say to them, I am absolutely not willing to feed into other people's narrative as much as I'm doing. That has to change. Or one, I'm going to jog on from you. or two, I will just do something else. Because didn't you face a lot of opinions

that theatre people are not on screen? They're separate, they're very different. Theatre people, certainly in this country, back then, just constantly, like being indoctrinated, that you are too big for camera. Well, how about you try and show us not to be, how not to be? and there isn't a reciprocal thing of like

I've often found that they will bring because it puts bums on seats they will bring screen people who with all due respect haven't got a clue the stamina it takes to do eight shows a week there is you know you can be good at singing you can be good at acting

or whatever but the stamina it takes we call it being show fit to be on a stage live certainly in musicals Eight shows a week is not for the faint-hearted. So I'm very proud of both my theatre routes and the people that were around me then continue to be in shows from my generation

and the ones coming up because they are badasses. When you say too big on camera, do you mean physically too big or too big of presents? Facially, facially too big. Their expressions are too big. Yeah, because you have to play to the back. You have to play to the gods.

But all it takes is for someone to go, can you bring it down you know and for many years I just thought I'd been heard so many times too big for camera too big for camera I mean I even had a run in with I wouldn't say who it is in a movie

I had a run in with a director because I heard him say to the choreographer can you get him to bring it down of it and I was like my friend why don't you just tell us to bring it all down a bit you have people here who have done the stage show

for God, months and months and months and months, sweated, you know, wearing underdressing costume after costume, quick changes, all the rest of it. We're intelligent people. Just say, can you bring it down? That's it.

Because it breeds a load of theatre people who think that they can't audition for things. And that's crazy. Do you think that is still there now? I don't know, because I haven't been, I haven't done any theatre since 2013, which is weird. But the thing that's lovely,

you know, the theatre community here in the West End and the whole country are very aware that I will champion them in a heartbeat. My soapbox is never very far away from my feet when it comes to theatre. Which award did you win? And you said, give theatre people a chance. Miami.

I said give theatre people a chance because we won't let you down. we are hardworking people we are all about the craft we're all about character we're all about teamwork and just ask us and we'll get it right for you so you transitioned into TV

one of the reasons was your lovely daughter she's 11 and a half now 11 and a half now and a giant I can imagine she's literally just freaks her legs like a race horse I can imagine well she's likely to be taller than her mum as well I know I did say to her years ago that she's not the until our hands are bigger than mine. Because I thought

there's no chance that her hands are going to be bigger than mine. They are, are they? We've got to rethink that one. Is she a demon at netball in school? She's a demon at netball, football and hockey.

I've got one of those. I've got 10-year-old. And who plays cricket as well. Oh, excellent. Yeah, it's great. Really great. My daughter is about, I'm not quite as tall as you,

but she's about here on me, so five or six, she's 10. So, girls these days. Mine is so gangly. hear her upstairs and there'll be a fud and I'm like, you all right? Yeah, I fell over again because her centre of gravity is like... She's a bit like a baby racehorse or something. Yeah, she is. She is. She's like a baby gazelle. You thought at one point that you couldn't have children who you were told you couldn't have children. I was told I couldn't have children. I went and did a general medical

for a show that I was going into, a TV show. And I think it's really heavy-handed that they would ever do this to anyone. It said, you know, blood group this, blah, blah, fatality load. And I was like, what? And I went down the eastern route. You know, I'd been told by Western medicine that, you know, it wasn't happening

or, you know, take these chemicals to try and make it happen. I'm just saying it worked for me, for a start. I went and had my metals and minerals tested. You know, when you hold the bars and they test your strength with various different bits and pieces, I don't know. And he said that I was really lacking in quite a few bits and pieces and then gave me the most disciplined, detailed, homeopathic stuff.

to take over a month. And my next period never came. Wow. Yeah. So just before you were 40? Yeah, 38. Just going into 39, yeah. Yeah.

I always talk about it because it's there but for the grace of God go I. You know, it could have been very different. I have a lot of friends who haven't been able to have children. And I genuinely appreciate it daily that for me, that was. worked. And you have a little lady at home now and the challenges of bringing up a girl today, I think, are all the more challenging than they ever have been. Yeah, I mean, and as a single parent. How do you navigate that? Because from birth, I have been open and honest and unyielding with my clarity about everything. I mean, even,

the other day, I was very blunt with her about phones and who could be on the other end of the line that she thinks is her 12-year-old pal and who it could be sitting in a dirty, shitty, basement. And she actually went, Mommy! And I went, and I doubled down and made it worse on purpose. You have to because the threat is all too real. What, just, what are they watching on social media? It's very difficult to control as a parent. I mean, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, you have to, but. You have, She's not allowed on any social media. Is she allowed on how to communicate with their friends, WhatsApp? WhatsApp.

And that's it. That's it. But none of the plethora of... Has she literally lost her mind at you, though, because of that. Because a lot of our friends are on it. It's not a subject for debate. I just don't. I wish I had your strength of character.

I just don't... Maybe it's the thing of being a single parent. It terrifies me. She will... I'm not having it. And I give her so many other privileges that if I see... I've got my eyes on her phone all the time and they're linked. If I see that, I said to her, I'm warning you now, you do not want to risk it.

So I'm really, maybe some parents wouldn't agree with that, but I'm not having it because she's 11. So. And has she said, so, mum, when will I be allowed to have it? When I decide you can. I wish I had your strength of character. But why don't you? I are son I have a 14 year old boy as well

and we kept him off Snapchat and what we noticed was he was not being invited to parties you know the parties are starting at school because they set up these Snapchat groups and he was being left out and I think it was last

spring time he was getting very upset that he was hearing about events that he wasn't being invited you're a child you know a teenager but what about speaking you know speaking to the parents and saying, really is my son being excluded because he's not on Snapchat? Otherwise, you capitulate with these things

and before you know it, you've got letting them do a million things that you don't want them to do because we're socially conditioned to follow a pack. It terrifies me things like Snapchat. Particularly, you know, for me personally, the fear exceeds anything else. I mean it's really really positive

Yeah Yeah Well yeah but I mean there'll be plenty of parents that go Oh my God You know she's lucky at the moment And her daughter's doing that Yes I know I am But that's working for me at the moment

It's just not And I'm like if you do any of that You're not even having WhatsApp Take a phone offer Which is the end of their world Yeah we've tried that Yeah And your phone isn't for you taking a million

Posey photos when you're on the coach, because I'm seeing them all. I know. Even my 10-year-old, I find she doesn't have a phone yet, but I look on mine and she's posing and pouting and pretending to be she's on YouTube. Yeah, I keep saying to her. There's the reason why you have a phone on the coach is so that I can talk to you on the coach if you have a problem, telling me when you get off the A3. that's it anything else that I let you have at the moment is a bonus so don't lose your bonuses

I think body image is a really tricky journey to navigate with tweens and I see my daughter looking at pictures of me when I'm done up and I feel like I don't want to be put in unrealistic

images of what it looks like to go to work on my daughter and you must feel Yeah, but they see us in our comfies as well. Like a while ago, it was really cute, actually. I mean, bear in mind that I've never been, you know, I'm not a small woman in any way, shape or form. Do I like to look after myself?

Yes. Am I obsessed with that? Absolutely not. So she sees me eating crisps, eating chips, eating you, and we'll go for a burger. And I will always make sure we do that. when Mattel asked to make a Barbie doll of me and they said what outfit would you like

I chose a beautiful gown that was really stunning Tony Ward gown and she had my daughter had made a cardboard clutch so I chose that outfit because when I went to the Saga Awards I took that clutch so it meant that that was going to be immortalised as my Barbie clutch

she said Mommy, can't you be comfy in your PJs that you've had for, I've had them like 15 years, a knacket old pair that have holes and I've re-stitched that and a knackerel top and no makeup on, she went because that's when you're your most beautiful. So she sees all of it all the time. And I take her to things like this, but then I'm also, you know, she sees my down days as well and I push all of it on her for her to see all of it. This is what I mean about I don't hide anything from her.

She and I have talked about periods. We've talked about babies, all of it, in quite a lot of detail already. So now she just goes, oh, right. It sounds like you have a wonderful relationship. We have an epic relationship, yeah, really epic. You mentioned that you're not a small woman. You are, your statuesque, you're 5 foot 11, 6'4, 2,

in heels. 43-inch hips. Absolutely, goddess sat next to me, I have to say. You look spectacular in that dress. But I've read that you have been in some productions or films where the male actors have asked you not to wear heels and you confuse. Do you know what I say? Good luck with that, my friend.

Stand on a fucking box. But at what point did you have the confidence to say that? I've always had the confidence to say that. I think I've always had that thing. maybe it was instilled by my parents, nothing is worth capitulating to somebody else's inferiority complex. Good for you.

I'm just not having it. I'm not having it, and I wouldn't expect any friend of mine, male or female, to be told by somebody else that you need to diminish your light in any way for them. Boost your own light.

Amazing. You could make a T-shirt. Boost your own light. But when you're, You know, I am the height I am. I'm not going to apologise for that. You know, I am not a fan of a kitten heel, Claire. On the red carpet, you wear proper ones that I absolutely couldn't walk in.

I'm a four-incher or nothing. Are you like Harry Bradshaw? Can you happily traips around in those all day, every day? Yeah, but my lower back has been in uproar for many years. So what does wellness look like for you these days? I do, I am careful with what I eat in the main. I'm not a, you know, lettuce and air kind of person. I like good fresh food.

I don't really like processed food. I don't agree with that. And I try and limit my girl all the time with that. I'm an horrific crispaholic, and I have to keep that in check because I could go at a maxy bag of 12,000 packets of crisps in one, and hoover them down like a truffle hound. What flavour? All of it.

Mainly, S&B. It has to be like the better quality brands. Oh, no, no. I like a cheap, like often a cheap supermarket-owned brand, one that takes the roof off your mouth. You know when you get a bit sore and there from crisps? Yeah. Lovely.

I'm not a crisp gal, but I like you. No, no chocolate. Terrible for it. I love chalky. I love dark chocolate. No, I'm much like your crisp. A dairy milk. Oh, dairy, yeah, it's the milky...

Dairy milk. Only dairy milk. Advent calendar chocolate, I'll eat that. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Terrible. I really miss crisps and chocolate when I'm in the States. Sorry, guys. It's wrong to sugar there, isn't it? It's not the same.

Everyone goes mad for Hershey's. Oh, no, I'm not. That's not for me. No, that's not for me. If anyone from the team goes over to the US and they come back with it, oh, you've brought Hershey's back. No, I like an old-school, Crunch. Yes.

Maltisers. Oh, taking all the chocolate off and leaving the thingy, yummy. Mini eggs. Delish. Yeah. I've got to stop. We could sit you all day now. Delish.

But I like that about crisps. I could bore you senseless about crisps. I went. And the cheaper and nasty butter. I went to a health clinic in Austria last week, which was... Ooh, lovely. Well, you say that. They starved me.

Oh, no. See, that's not health. No. It's not health. Health is my mind. and body, helping each other out. Yeah, not eating enough, being a bit miserable on your own. I'd be an absolute asshole, though.

I didn't love it, I've got to be honest. But when they did all the testing on me, they said, right, you can't have gluten. I was like, right, okay, well, I've kind of been told that about trying to time. And you shouldn't have glucose. And I was like, oh, now. Now we're not friends anymore. Oh, bye, bye, bye, bye. Yeah, yeah.

I don't think. sitting here now I don't think you would have cope there either to be honest and there wasn't many crisps there to be honest no I mean I could be in a retreat as long as I can have I'm not gonna I will not have like naughty junk food but if I'm going to a retreat I don't want you to go and you can also not have X Y and Z no yeah especially like some people are there to lose weight

but if you're not there to lose weight like just give me food yeah I mean I'm a big believer that sugar is I mean sugar really is especially when you reach your like perimenopause menorum, sugar. I know sugar man because you and I are a similar

age so I imagine we're going through I'm just turning 48 so you're... I mean we're not that so I'll be 52 in July oh well you know but I love it yeah I'm loving it why do you love it because I give absolutely zero shits anymore

but you strike me someone who never gave any shit Oh, I did more. In my, yeah, in my 20s and my 30s, I was always kind of, you know, wanting people to think the best of me and blah, blah, blah, blah. Whereas now I am far less like that, and I try and keep my own barometer. And if you don't like me or don't like that,

then off you pop. Because as a woman, that kind of firm boundaries can sometimes be construed as arrogance. Especially as a Brit. But that's that, yes. But I would say in terms of your ability as well in this industry, as a Brit, arrogance can be, you know, a sense of self and a sense of worth can be misconstrued as arrogance. And you just have to walk that line because you have to have a bit of that to get on.

You have to have a bit of that to apply for the job you're doing. We all do. And P.S., what's wrong with that? What's wrong with knowing your own worth? And going, oh, no, pick me. I'm better than them. What's wrong with that? I don't get it.

I've never understood that. Why do you think it's women that suffer more with imposter syndrome? Because we're societally conditioned to be like that. And I hope that we're not breeding our girlies to be like that. I told my daughter the other day she was doing something at school. And I just went, why would you learn that? that part of it and not that bit as well. Or they told us you don't have to.

No, learn that part as well because maybe the others haven't learned that and you've got an upper hand there. You have to try and find your way, don't you? And I'm just trying to encourage her to do all of it instead of hiding your light under a bushel. You don't have to be some show-off

or overly gregarious and in people's faces, but show up and be proud of who you are. I think the next generations coming through do have more of that. that I think our generation, children of the late 70s, 80s, didn't. No, he didn't. And body confidence. I know you've mentioned that you've always felt quite confident in your body,

but that's pretty rare, I would argue, for someone born in the 70s brought up in the 80s. Yeah, I think quite a lot that comes from. My mum was 5'10. My dad is 6 foot 2, and we were always taught to stand up straight. and I'm hoping that I'll be a good role model for my girl because my mum would always wear heels. She was an opera singer, first at Covent Garden Royal Opera House and then the English National Opera.

So she would always be in corsets and bustles and wigs. And so she had a stature herself. So as a little girl watching, I saw that. My dad has always been an immaculately beautiful tailored suit. and I would hope that Kitty sees that I don't shy away from my size ever. I'm really glad that a lot of my girlfriends are quite tall and curvy. So every time my girl, you know, there's been two times when she's just been a bit self-conscious about things like first going back into a swimsuit after not being in one for a while

and seeing the changes in her own body. And I'm just all over her saying, you are completely perfect and delicious. And is mommy, I always say is mommy skinny? Is mommy small? Is mommy self-conscious? And I say to her, sometimes I will feel self-conscious, but then I work that much harder

to make out that I'm not to combat it. Because my daughter, bless her, she's the image of me. If you were to see pictures of me at that age, she's my twin. We literally look identical. But she also has the body shape I did at that age, which is taller than her friends,

curier than her friends. my girl is. And I have to work really hard to talk about your strong like mummy. Yeah. She sees me lifting weights. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I have to really be careful how I talk about my body in front of her because in my upbringing, it was the Slim Fast era, the, you know, the, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, yeah. And it wasn't a healthy representation of women's bodies. And nor did my mother, bless her, she's no longer with us, set a positive example for me. I always remember her being on a diet. I mean, it is easy for us to go, oh, my this, oh my that, can't do it in front of your girls. No. You can't do it.

In fact, a couple of times, I don't mind admitting. On holiday last week, I did say a couple of negative things about my body, and my girl was like, mommy, indignant about it, because she hadn't heard me do that, and she got me back. and really doubled down. You've done a good job with her. Yeah, I'm really pleased that she was outraged that I was being unkind about myself.

Good for her. Yeah. You've done a really good job with her. So you're turning 52 shortly, so you and I are probably in the throes of the perimenopause. I think I'm probably nudging more into menopause. How are you navigating that? Really, really well now.

I felt like, For the first part of last year, I felt like there was like a glass screen in front of me and I was a bit the other side of it. But I've been doing a lot of kind of research about my hormones and what I should take, what I shouldn't, what I should eat, what I shouldn't. And I do feel like I'm back in the room,

which I'm really relieved about. Yeah, it's a fog, I would describe it. Jesus. The perimenopause fog. Oh my God, I don't even know how I remember. I could like be looking at lines all day, come back to it and go, oh, that's nine hours, I'm never going to get back.

Yeah. It's really shocking. Yeah, faces. Really shocking. I went to my son's parents' evening last night, and my husband was talking to a woman, and he was talking to her very much like we both knew her. Oh, God.

And I had no idea what this woman was. Oh, God. And then when we walked off, Dan said, that's no, no, do it. And I was like, no way. Like, I completely had not registered who this woman was. No, she's a perfectly nice one. She's just one of those sort of like generic

There you go, you just said generic Is she just, what we're getting to, she's just a bit bland Well, she's just, you know, those identical middle class lines She's one of those She's not listening. Don't you blame it on your menopause.

But it's happening more and more that faces, people talk to you like they know me and I'm thinking, I've got no, and you have to style it out then. Yeah, you do. Until you kind of fact find your way. I don't know what you mean. So have you adjusted your diet

getting the low sugar you mentioned. Yeah, far less sugar. And, you know, I'll have one piece, talking of sugar, one piece of toast instead of two. Yeah. I love toast. I love toast. I can't have gluten now, but I do love toast.

Yeah, but it all, it does add up. It really does. Wine, can't have as much wine. No, but I've gone off it. Have you not, so you still, no, I've gone off it. I love it. I love it. Do you?

But yeah, I just can't have as well. Champagne's the worst one for me. I bloat like I'm seven months pregnant. That's a new thing. Yeah. Yeah, I didn't have that a while ago. So I want to talk about Ted Lassau. Ted Lassau is one of my all-time favorite shows.

Is it? I absolutely love it. I only got a good taste. It's such a warm, it's a show about forgiveness, love, feminism. I love it. And a fun story.

story. We first started watching it when my son was 10, he's now 14, and I know that is not age appropriate but he loves football. So we were fast-forwarding through some of the more saucy and then we were in the kitchen and he walked in going, Wanker, Wanker!

And we need to stop him watching it to last. But it's a friendly use of the word wanker. It is, it is, but when your little blonde cherubic... That's really funny. I love that show and it is coming back. The writing is phenomenal.

It is. And the writer's room, yeah, I mean, the daddy is Siddakis. Everything goes through him. Ultimately, his, is the magic pixie dust that he sprinkles before the cameras go up. You just think, oh, God, I forgive you for, you know, changing things right up to the last second. Because he's just got an unbelievable. feel for it and having people like Brett Goldstein and Brendan Hunt on the writing team and they are like you said about the the comments upon feminism they are those chaps that triumvirate of chaps

are staunch feminists and it comes out yeah in the writing doesn't it because Rebecca Welton and Juno's character mine and her brain partner key le key really, they're the two main female protagonists. There are supporting females that come in and out, but you two are the main characters, yet you never feel overwhelmed by all the men that you're surrounded by. No, both on camera and off in that. If you think about when we first started shooting that,

it didn't even cross my mind that we were very dominated by male energy. At all, ever once. So many people say, you know, what's it like being in a really male show? I'm a bit like, am I? Because you just don't get a sense of that at all. And the writing has been so incredible from day one, the entire writer's room. They're just absolutely at the top of their game. What can you tell us about the next series?

There's more girls in it. I've heard a rumor. Yeah, no, it's a known fact that it's a women's team. It's a women's team. Yeah, our Lady Greyhounds. And there's people in it and footballs. And that's all I can tell you. Is it your most favourite project that you've been part of, would you say?

In terms of it being an amazing calling card for me as a woman who's six foot two in heels, it has been the most fulfilling role I've ever played because I was literally talking about this the other day with somebody. It doesn't happen every day that, you know, a front-footed, strong, long, not small woman is allowed to run loose on a vulnerable sometimes, funny, sometimes, tragic sometimes, you know, a harridan sometimes. Wrong.

Sometimes I get to do all of it in one scene. And that is absolute gold-done. Because it's achingly funny to head lasso, isn't it? It is a comedy but with such rich undertone. Unbelievable heart. Yeah, unbelievable heart. And I love that they have completely created every single person and they've managed it with this season four that's just coming out now.

Absolute, complete nutter. You know, like what's one of those things called with the ball bearings that does that? What's that called? You know what I mean? It feels like. Yeah, it feels like season one was, you know, a version of that with the characters on that and how they move. And we're just continuing it on now.

What they've found in this new group of female actors, I just, I said to them all, I was like, you must be feeling pretty, fucking smug, that you found another outstanding gaggle. I love that it's women's football as well. Women's House were big supporters of women's football and have been for years. Before it became cool to like women's football right away as well, we've been putting lionesses on the cover

for the last six years. So I love that there's now this mainstream show with big stars about the game. Jason Stadakas is really obsessed with all women's sports. So I think it was a natural conclusion that that would happen.

I love the fact that the women's football is unbelievably. I mean, you think it was a given that it would be a team. But I think the women play Monica too. So have you got any cameos from any famous? I can't tell you. I can't tell you. Claire? You minks. Oh, I hope you do. I can't tell you that. I am terrible. They don't tell me very much because it's just like

oops out of my face. before Ted Lassau you have Ride or Die that's your next project Tell us a bit about that I've exec produced it with Octavia Spencer Her production company And Amazon

And I play Judith Burton Who is an assassin Of some 32 years But her best friend Octavia's character Debbie doesn't know that And thinks that I'm a forensic accountant

and she finds out and, you know, too much shock and sadness and dismay and anger from her, but also with great hilarity. It's a ridiculous pairing. So this is quite a physical part then? Oh my God, quite a physical part.

I mangled myself senseless because I went, oh, I'm going to do, I'm going to do the majority of my stunts. Right. Yeah, I didn't think that one through. You know, covered in bruises. Oh, my God. Just mangled.

Just mangled. But also really satisfying to play and push myself. And, you know, there's one point where my character is really the worst for wear. And I said to our DOP, our director of photography, I'm totally cool with you not lighting me because I look so extraordinarily shit anyway. Please just leave me to it. And he's the Spanish guy who was like, really? And I went, yeah, because I just, I think it's great to see me.

not always like dolly in a pencil skirt you know so this role I literally look at sometimes like I've been dug up can you watch it back or do you just let it go out into the ether? No I can I actually I'm happier watching you know scenes like that

back yeah to check that I've done it justice the whole looking glamorous and whatever it is that's you know lighting and whatever but getting it right when it's meant to look like I've had X Y and Z happen to me, then I'm at the monitor checking.

So how do you achieve that sort of separation between one's natural gut instinct is to look your best, and then just being so free that you can go, just make me look like an absolute... I prefer it. I prefer not having to think what I look like. When I was younger, my mum used to just go, because I played a series of theatrical roles

that weren't glamorous or pretty or whatever. And my mom used to complain to me and go, can't you do these roles when you're older? You just look lovely for a while. But I don't find it as fun. I like being broken down and not being me. Because it's the whole point, isn't it, that you're taking people on a journey.

So I'm really looking forward to people seeing me in a very, very different light in Ride or Die. And that's on Amazon Prime. Yeah. But before we finish today, and thank you so much for being on the cover. Did you want to give me your suit? Is that what you want to do before?

You really do not be right on the sheets, don't you? I do. I think I need to wear more red. It's great. It's the cut and everything. Anyway, what were you saying? We have some quick fire questions. Oh, look, I said only this always gets me into trouble.

Oh, no, they're not too bad. Come on. Me and my co-host, Gemma, I would normally have a co-host today. She sends her apologies. But we've been inviting ourselves for dinner at all our guests. Right. Houses. What are you going to cook us?

Fish, fingers, chips and peas. Oh, good. No, you just try harder. That's why I feed my kids. Not having that. That's the first time I'm being here. What's wrong, fish, fingers, chips and peas? It's just I associate it with kids' kids food.

Why? I eat it now. Well, good for you. Look, it's a nice standard of fish finger. There are certain meals that I now associate so much with children. Like, Spagball, can't eat that. Sochid and mash, can't eat that. You are missing out.

I do a very nice San Martanao. tomato pasta with tiny little diced up shallots in it, it's really lovely. Is that all right? That's perfect. But I do do it really take it really slow cooking and an aggressive

amount of parmesan in the sauce and afterwards. And the pasta, you can trust with me, I was within Italian for 10 years, the pasta will be al dente. Otherwise, it's like slop. Lovely. So we'll go for that one, not the fishing English. Okay. Oh, just so demanding.

You go into a desert island for an entire year and you can take one thing and it can't be your daughter. Oh, what? No, that's cheating. It can't be my daughter. No, no, it has to be an item. What are you going to do? A phone to talk to her.

Okay. I don't care about lip glosses, clothes, whatever. If I couldn't speak to my daughter, I would genuinely rather kill myself. That's a lovely answer. We've had some funny answers. to that one and yours is lovely. Just contact with my girl. What's the last thing that made you belly laugh?

Is it very boring to say, my girl, she's at a really funny age where her filter is just not developed yet. And she's got to that age where she's realizing that she's funny and she's quite sassy and yeah, she really makes me laugh because some of the things she comes out with are quite a shock at the moment. Coffee or wine, I think I know the answer to this. wine because it has a medicinal quality as well. Are you a red, white or rosary gal?

I'm an all of it. All of it. Depending on the weather. Mix it together, why not? Finally, what's one thing someone listening or watching today can do to make themselves feel a little bit better? Put the radio on and dance like no one's watching. Yes. What's your favourite track? I love Bruno Mars. Yeah.

I absolutely love Bruno Mars. I really do. I love 70s disco I don't really have like one style more than another in the morning I love, there's one track that I always listen to and that's Paul McCartney and Wings Good Night Tonight In the morning I like the bannalalal la la la it just gets me

gets me going in the morning Yeah Well Hannah thank you so much for joining me It's being a joy And thank you so much People listening love your cover shoot Well, thank you for circling back as much as you have since. Two and a half years of perseverance.

Oh, I love it. You see? Perseverance. Get there in the end. But thank you for joining us today. You're so welcome. Thanks, Claire.