Just As Well, The Women's Health Podcast - Rita Ora on Sleep, Supplements, Strength & Longevity | Just As Well

Episode Date: March 10, 2026

Rita Ora joins Claire Sanderson on Just As Well following her Women’s Health cover shoot to talk all things wellness, strength and longevity. In this honest and energising conversation, Rita shares how turning 30 changed her approach to health, why she now treats her body “like an athlete,” and the routines that keep her feeling strong on stage and off. From strength training and heated sculpt classes to red light therapy, hyperbaric oxygen, fasting and collagen coffee — Rita opens up about what she’s tried, what works for her, and what she’s ditched along the way. She also speaks candidly about how her mum’s breast cancer diagnosis shaped her health mindset, managing health anxiety, and why balance — not perfection — is the real goal. Plus: Rita’s exact morning routine Her sleep setup (including the gadget she swears by) Why she prioritises lifting weights Cold plunges vs heat therapy Supplements she rates (and the ones she questions) Fasting and gut health Brain health and peptides Her comfort food confession And the one piece of advice every woman needs to hear ✨ “Don’t feel guilty if you eat something you love.” Subscribe to Just As Well for more conversations with inspiring women on health, strength and feeling your best. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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You'll find the same regular prices online as in-store. Many promotions are available both in-store and online, though some may vary. Hi, I'm Gemma Atkinson. And I'm Claire Sanderson. And I'm quite jealous at the minute, because, We have our podcast just as well. And Claire interviewed Rita Orra recently, who's on the cover of women's health,

looking insane. Is she fabulous in real life? Oh my goodness. Really? She is so beautiful. Yeah. Takes you off guard. Beautiful.

Everyone on the shoot were commenting on just how fantastic she looks. But also how warm and lovely and down to earth and funny she is. We all fell in love with her. Her mum and dad turned up to the shoot as well to watch their girl because she had flown in from L.A. shortly before. So they thought they'd take an opportunity to come and see their daughter. It's so, so sweet. So we had a proud mum and dad on the shoot

and the mum was sort of getting quite involved in telling Rita when she looked amazing. And it was really lovely. But the episode itself, I absolutely loved. Now, Rita is very... into her wellness. And she's like you actually. She reminds me of you that she's her green juices and her red light therapy.

She's into all the weird and wonderful, all the way and wonderful treatments and practices that you can do. So you will, in particular, love this episode. I cannot wait to listen. So please, not only by the magazine that Rita's on, you can listen to her interview here and you can like and subscribe to Just as well.

Thank you very much. Hello, welcome to Just as well, Rita, Aura. I'm excited. Yeah. And we are not in our normal studio today. Eagle-eyed viewers might notice that this is a little bit more luxurious than our house of hers studios. We're actually in a very nice stately home in West London. Just to be clear, I did not request this.

You're not that much of a madam then, you're seeing my daughter. It's just so insane where we are right now. I mean, it's like history of, I don't even, there's so much happen. in this state, isn't it? So much detail. We have an audience of portraits all around us. And it really is quite incredible. And the reason for us being at this location

is we have just shot your woman's health cover. I'm excited. It's such a compliment. It's such an iconic magazine. Oh, thank you. And I must say you looked absolutely fantastic. Thank you. Well, you had a great team.

And I think that also, it just, really felt natural and just super kind of, it was like oozing just, I guess, me, who I am. So it was really nice to have a team that just sort of elevated that. Brought that to life. So when I was speaking to your management in preparation for today, they said to me, Rita could talk all day about wellness. Yes, I can. And the things that she's tried and she rates.

And then your wider team this morning laughed and said, you're the healthiest person we know. when you, I don't know, you made some comments about being on the cover of women's health, and they said, oh, you're the healthiest person we know. So you have that reputation then? I think of the last sort of five years I'm pretty proud to say that I'm definitely a health-obsessed person. And I take that as a compliment, actually. Yeah, it's a lot. It's for me, I look at it as like a hobby, but also a bit of self-care.

So. But in your job, it's a very physical job, you're performing, singing, while doing a workout because that's really what you singers do. It's cardio. You need to be in shape for that and you need endurance. And also you need to feel confident to do things like today. Yes. To have your picture taken.

Yeah, you just need to feel strong, you know. And I think all of that is figuring out a formula that works for you. You know, I know everyone's different. And so I think I started really getting into my physical health in my 30s. when I turned 30. I noticed that I was just not as, you know, my consistency on stage was starting to get weaker

and I just was thinking, oh, that's weird. And yeah, I guess something just clicked and I started to focus on what I was eating and my cardio. It was more just so to avoid getting sick, like on the road. That's kind of where it started, you know, with aircon and like, you know, you're always traveling, you're tired,

your immune system is low. So I was just trying to figure out all the ways I could just avoid getting sick. So I could put on the best show or whatever I was booked to do that day. Because you are, by your own admittance, a clubber that you grew up, you grew up in the club. So were your 20s, like mine, quite hedonistic

and not prioritising health, but having fun? Yeah, they were fun. And I don't regret it. I had the best 20s. My life changed in my 20s, you know, and my career really started to kick off. and I was enjoying every second of it. I still do, but there wasn't, let's call it, a routine in place.

Because you can get away with a lot in your 20s as well. That's right. And also, you know, you learn a lot too. I made a lot of decisions. I even, you know, the whole thing of not getting eight hours of sleep and I was still okay. And something just goes and then everything changes. It's like, it literally just happens overnight. And then you're like, I can't do that anymore.

Yeah. And it normally is around your Thursday. But again, I was just solely based on longevity And I've kind of been obsessed with that since Just, I guess, since I think it started When my mother wasn't well And when she was, you know, diagnosed with breast cancer In her actually pretty young age

And that really, I think, subconsciously got me aware of health But in a quite obsessive manner, I've read about you that you became a little bit paranoid and hyper-focused on your own health. Yeah. I didn't notice it at the time, but yes, I was very more, I would say my reaction, if I would get sort of like a cold or a sniffle, like I would go into sort of the worst-case scenario rather than being like, it's just a cold.

And yeah, that got some retraining, but it all stemmed from just kind of being younger and sort of seeing my mother not too well. And, yeah, I've gotten past that, But yes, it's that sort of instant panic. And then you're like, oh, actually, I'm fine. And also you're young. Your mum was in her 40s when she had breast cancer.

Yes, and my mother was in her late 30s, 39, I think. Young. Which is pretty young to be diagnosed. And I hear actually they're getting younger. And so, yes, it's definitely something I would say for all the women watching to check themselves as much as possible, once a year at least. I'm hearing all the more often young,

healthy women being diagnosed with breast cancer. Jessie J., who was on the January cover and on this podcast. Oh, yeah. Amy Dowden, the dancer from Strickley, I don't know if you ever watch Strictly come dancing. She's one of the professional dancers. I didn't realize she was diagnosed.

Yeah, and she was on the cover of Women's Health a couple of years ago talking about her recovery. We've had Leanne Hainesby, who's a peloton instructor. Yeah, I know, yeah. And it's just becoming more and more common that younger women these days have been diagnosed. And I've spoken to doctor friends about it and there is research being done into it

because I'm sure you know the research into female health is woeful in comparison to anything to do with men. I know. But there is research being done into it now as to why so many more younger women are being diagnosed. I don't know. I honestly just since, you know, I had that experience with my mother it was always about checking, checking, checking,

which then led me into checking everything else, which then led me into that spiral that you were just mentioning. But then, yeah, I've sort of dialed it back. and it's called perspective. I think that that's what's really important. Working on that is there's nothing embarrassing about that, you know, doing therapy or what it is. Yeah, you know, when something so close to you sort of gets weak,

you know, you get affected by it. So what work did you do to move away from that obsessive, negative spiral in regards to your health? I just started to take control of my physical body. So I'm very aware of my posture and maybe sort of building strength. And I just really want to be strong. Like that's my goal. I don't want to sort of not be able to like bend down and pick up a pencil or something.

And, you know, I've only actually included weights the past two and a half years. My weights were always about one to three kilograms with Pilates and ankle weights and trying to get my body in the best shape possible. and then I realized, oh, I actually want to get strong. And so I figured out a way to use weights, obviously, with a bit of help, that worked for me. Yeah. So I'll take you back to when you were about 30 and you decided I'm going to focus on getting fit. What was the first steps that you took?

Well, physical training. I jumped on the treadmill, which I think is now looking back, it wasn't the right thing to do. I just think with women our bodies are just built differently. You know, obviously hormones bloating. You actually kind of hold a lot of water tension, lymphatic drainage, learning how to dry brush, figuring out when to use a red light therapy or a bit of sauna if you can, even kind of like getting in the sun, for example, for like 10 minutes.

Like all these things that are accessible, I just never appreciated until I got into my 30s. I mean, I'm going to start sounding like such a boring person, but I love my sleep. I prioritize my sleep at least six times a week. And then I have like a night off where I like maybe go late and I go to dinner late and have a couple cocktails. Because I have to.

I do enjoy it. Yeah, it's one about balance. It is. And then I'm back on it on the Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. So how do you prioritize your sleep? Do you have any sleep hygiene tips? Yes, I have a little humidifier for my throat and to make sure the air is moist.

The room is not too hot. I sleep with my aura ring, which I'm not wearing right now because we were shooting, but I'm kind of obsessed with it. Look, there's like a sun tan mark. And I actually have this new thing, which is a little pricey, but it was a Christmas present. And it's probably the most unbelievable gadget I've ever tried called 8. sleep. It's like a little mattress thing you put on top of your mattress, like a sheet, and it regulates your body temperature into keeping you in deep REM sleep. And it counts your

heart rate. And even if you snore, it like shakes you a little bit. And it makes you move positions. So it's perfect for a married couple if they can't sleep next to their partner. I'm not even joking. I'm kicking him all night. I need, I'm going to go and order one later. Yeah, no, I mean, they're there, where I even, I think I saw it on a podcast actually, like a Joe Rogan podcast of some sort. And then, yeah, it's called eight sleep, eight hours of sleep. And it really is a game change. Temperature, body temperature, all of that stuff. Wow. That is a top tip I'm going to take away from here. Just, you don't need to buy all the pillows and the covers personally. Sorry, sleep eight. But I think the mattress itself is enough. Yeah. And your lovely husband, does he have his own one? Yeah, and it's completely separate. He has his temperature and I have my temperature, which is always warm because I like to be. So you can set it to what temperature you want?

Yeah. Isn't that amazing? That really is amazing. And separate alarms. And also you can like lift it up so like he can has his up if you want yours down. Like it's crazy. Almost he's got a separate beds. Yeah, basically.

But in the same bed. Yeah. So you mentioned that you did start lifting heavier weights. At woman's health, we are huge advocates for lifting weight. is the panseer of health and for true longevity. So what does that look like for you? It's between 10 to 15 KG. I would usually, if it was sort of quads and squats,

I would use like a 15. And I would just sort of sometimes put them on my shoulders or like squat and then push them up. And I would do about eight of those four times over. But you know what I don't do? I don't rush it. I don't treat it like it's hit. I just sort of like, I do my eight

and then if I want to take like a minute rest, I do that and then I do it again. I think that's helped me a lot. I think sometimes people feel like they have to do like quickly, quickly, quickly. But I actually don't think you have to do that unless obviously you're trying to get your heart rate up. But when I do strength, I kind of take my time.

And it's not the aim of strength to get your heart rate up. Inevitably your heart raises if you're doing compound moves. Of course. The aim of strength training is to break down muscle. It's not to do your cardio system. Yeah, and then I'll do about 30 minutes incline on a treadmill on like a 3.5 speed. Everyone loves that.

I just love it because I have to admit I'm not a fan of running as much. I don't know how many people are. I appreciate it and I love it in like a sprint form, but I really admire people that just go on like a real long. I think they're a bit mad, to be honest. Because I guess it's so liberating, obviously, and I think it's something I'd love to try and do one day,

but I think I can't do it alone. I'm going to need a partner or something, like a good laugh while you're running. I would say doing the London Marathon is a bucket list that most people should try and take off. It is awful. It is awful. I did it last year.

Have you done it? Wow. How many kilometres is that? 10? It was 26.2 miles, so that's 50 over. 50 kilometers yeah wow it's oh awful yeah regular regular viewers listeners will know that i i really did not enjoy it and jemma who would normally be co-hosting with me she's the same i mean cardio is definitely something as i think we all can all relate to that it's not the easiest thing to befriend i

guess well some of it's okay like the peloton bike i like or rowing even it's just running i know it's really difficult actually i've been looking into it because i want to start going into it because I like the outfits that they wear when they run. And so I was like, oh, this might look good. But you know, apparently running more on like a barefoot, this is me from what I've just read on like a random blog, is better than those real foamy running shoes? I don't know. What do you think?

There's been some research into that because there's brands like Vivo barefoot that say that it strengthens the muscles in your feet and it's a more natural position for your, but I do think you'd have to be, I'm not an expert, I think you'd have to be careful to just go straight into running bare feet without the cushioning. Well, of course, your knees and everything like that. But you know what else I've really loved? And I really do about three, four times a week, is heated, sculpted hit classes.

So it's like a sculpt hit sort of Pilates mix. Is it in a studio? Yeah, it's like in a hot room, you know, with, I guess, heaters. And it's just the best. I mean, I have been reading there's like a bit of conspiracy now on if it actually does anything. but I just love sweating and I love lifting lighter weights as I'm sweating.

Well, the detoxification of sweat. I think I might have seen it on social media and the instructor was literally pouring with sweat onto the... It's basically around a 30 degree room. Oh. It's hot. And you do about two to three kilograms and you just do sort of pulses

and then like a quick hit for like two minutes where you're like doing burpees and with a 30 second break in between every 30 seconds and you hold a plank. I mean, it's just all in a hot room. But I loved it. I love it. I actually...

They're not stink by the end of it, though. No, it's just hot. It's like doing... It's like Bikram yoga, but with like weights and no yoga. I think I want to throw up, I think that I do it. It's a lot for heat, especially if you're going sort of through menopause

and whatever, of course, but it's different. But, you know, I found like the heat really just kind of gets me awake. And then, you know, I go and I get myself a little coffee after and I'm like ready to go. But the opposite of heats is that you've also done Wim Hof, haven't you? I've done Wimhoff. Yeah.

I've done a lot of things. I'm a really good like experimental friend. If you're like, hey, I've got a weird place that no one wants to go with me to. I would go with you. I'm there. I'm there. Yeah. You're that person.

Yeah. Yeah. I'm not. Wimhoff was interesting. It was definitely a technique that he obviously created. The cold personally personally. I don't really use as much, like a cold plunge. It actually affects my menstrual cycle and all of that.

And I've noticed that it's just not that good for me in the OBGYN area. And I've looked into it actually. It's not the best that impact for women. Yeah, it's not. But I mean, it's great for, I guess, muscle relaxing and things. But I do, I don't really depend on a cold plunge as much as other people do.

Are you one of those people that could go to, you know, these fancy spas where you sit in the steam room or the sauna and then go straight into a cold plunge? Yeah. Oh, I can't. I can do that for about 30, about a minute max. You know, honestly, if I had to concentrate, I could do it, but I just don't want it.

No. I'd rather just like sweat and do a good hour workout than I don't know. It's just the extra stress on my body. I just feel like the heat's enough for me. You know, everyone's different. People love that endorphin hit that you get when you get out of the cold. And I understand it. My husband loves it.

Oh, no. But I think it's different for men, that impact, I think, on the body. I'm the person. You know, when if you go to get your hair blow dried and washed and they say, would you like a cold rinse at the end? And I'm like, no, thank you. Yeah, I know. I'm quite enjoying this process.

I don't want you to put a cold water on my eyes. I know. I do love a good ice pack sort of in the mornings, like on my face and things. but yeah, I don't know if I want all that stress from my body all that wants, personally. So tell me about some other treatments that you've tried. You spend a lot of time in L.A., so I can imagine there's all weird and wonderful stuff there. There is. Well, the heated, I guess, classes that I've mentioned are fantastic.

Oxygen chambers. But you have one quite close to home, don't you? My partner actually purchased one. Are these hyperbaric chambers? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But it's like a blow-upy one.

So it's not like the crazy, intense ones that that guy has that is healthy. What's his name? Oh, Brian. Oh, I can't remember his surnames. He'll come back to me, but yes, I know the one you mean. The Silicon Valley guy. Yeah. And oxygen is my best friend.

So I actually found this weird sort of brand where you can carry oxygen with you. Like, I think they first came out on like Shark Tank or something. And it's just like a can. I think skiers use it a lot for when you're on high ice. altitude and I just take it and I just and it's just incredible the oxygen therapy it's like it you feel like you've slept like eight hours just with that a bit more oxygen you know I've tried it I went to a medical spa in Austria called Maya life used to be called Viva Maya yeah I went there too it's it's great did you do the hypoxy training I did the whole thing yeah I loved it wasn't it great amazing

I'm going back I couldn't I couldn't there's not a lot of it's not a lot of it I know. At that time, I didn't have fasting in my routine, and so it was, I wasn't used to that feeling. The food didn't bother me too much. Yeah, and I sort of got used to it, but I do remember the oxygen. I went in every morning for that, the hypoxy training. Gosh, it's good. It was really good. So here's what else I do. I love adaptogenings, like Lions Main and asheraganda, and I have to have collagen in my coffee. I add a bit of rose water in there. Just to give myself a treat. I don't know if it actually has any benefits,

but it tastes nice for me. I've realized I actually don't like the taste of coffee. That's why I put so many things in there. So collagen, which is like a vanillay, natural dairy-free version, not that, you know, I love dairy. I just choose to not have it as much. And then I do all my mushroom-y things. And that's my coffee.

And you whiz it all up? Yeah. Yeah. And is that first thing in the morning? Yeah. Your power coffee. Yeah, I only have one a day. I try to.

But I only got into coffee in my 30s. My whole 20s was just like Earl Grey tea, lemon. Yeah. And now I'm like... They don't like the taste of it, but you have it for the feeling. And now I'm like, where's the coffee? Yeah, I'm in. Yeah.

Why is it like that? You don't know how addictive it is until you don't have one. And then you're like... I go to bed looking forward to my morning coffee. I know. Well, it's like a ritual. You wake up, you make your coffee, you put on, I don't know, you open a window,

all of that good stuff. So I've invited a very special guest into our studio today. Bridie Wilkins is Women's Health Fitness Director. So you are the all-seeing eye for fitness. You know what trends are coming up. You know what is happening abroad that we need to get involved in. You have your finger firmly on the pulse of all things fitness. And the reason why I wanted to invite you in today, Bridie,

is talk about Women's Health Collective, our membership proposition. Yeah. So from a fitness perspective, the biggest thing I would say is the training plans. And our USP compared to other fitness apps is that the training plans come from the coaches of our cover stars. So celebrity personal trainers. I'd say that's probably the biggest thing. I know that you... Yeah, so I use them.

I still use the Gemma Atkinson training plan from when she was on our cover. last January. So not 18 months ago. And it's such a good full body training plan. And because you can get training plans on there for just upper body or their length of time

or what you want to achieve. Yeah, durations of workouts as well. We've also had Davina McCaw's fitness coach, Trinney Woodall. And yeah, they really are to suit every goal. So building muscle, burning fat, or just cementing a workout routine. We've also got a growing library of now we've got over 100 real-time workout videos,

and they're not from the celebrity coaches, but they are from a panel of personal trainers that we've chosen, so they're literally the best in the industry, I would say. And yeah, they're to suit every goal. And you also get free access to fit. They have over 200 real-time workout videos, so you literally, you're never not going to find a workout video that suits you. Beyond that, we have our rewards,

so discounted tickets and early access to things like, live recordings of Just as well. We also have fitness classes. So last week we had a Pilates class at Harkour. I know we've got more coming up. And you also get the free magazine. And full access to the website and our app. So it's well worth getting involved.

Definitely. So if you are interested in becoming a member of the Women's Health Collective, head to our website. You'll find all the details there. And I hope you get stuck into all there is on offer. So what would your morning ritual be? It's the morning in Rita's world. So my morning routine consists of waking up, honestly,

and looking in the mirror, telling myself, I'm going to be great and I'm going to have a great day. And then I'm going to wash my face with freezing water, brush my teeth, put all my creams on. SPF, hair health. I also put a lot of sort of serums in my hair. I have got my own line called Type B, which is an overnight peptide serum

that you can also just do in the day because it's water-based so it doesn't leave this sort of like oily texture that usual syrums do because I think hair health, skin health, it's all the same thing. It's like a skinification for the hair. Check my aura ring.

And then I make my coffee. I have my green powder, super green mixed with water first. That's the first thing that touches my stomach, not coffee. And then I have a glass of hot water and lemon. and then I have my coffee. Oh, you really are a saint, aren't you?

I'm insane. I know people are going to think I'm insane. They're like, what happened to the Rita? We all know. You really are well-behaved. I can't have coffee straight on an empty stomach. It makes me feel really sick. You're not supposed to.

I drink water, but now I might try the greens before my coffee. Yeah, and then I put like a little bit of a vitamin D oil in there. And I'm like, go-gag-gag-gag. And then I'd have to get it down so then I can have my coffee. And then you put your collagen in the coffee. Yeah. I'm insane. I don't know.

And that's just the treats I give myself. And then I try not to... The first thing I would actually consume, whether it's breakfast or lunch, depending on when my fasting started, would be a cup of like broth. So like chicken or beef. I mean, I'm obsessed with broth.

So you'd be fast. So how long have you fasted for? Is it eight hours? 12 hours? I'd probably do like 12, maybe 16. 12 at least. Mm. Yeah.

And then you go for your broth. So they homemade? I try to, but because I travel so much, I just try and find good brands that have low sodium. Sometimes it's impossible. There's a lot of sodium and a lot of things. Not that it's that bad for you, but it's not great. It depends on the levels that you would take.

Yeah. I don't realize broth ready ones had like so much sodium in it until I started to feel uncomfortable in my stomach. And yeah, there was a part, there was a moment where I was like, something doesn't feel right. and it's all that sodium that I was having. I didn't realize. Are there any other nutrition rules that you follow?

Apart from the no coffee in the AM, I try and just replace my, I would say, starchy things with like fiber. Fibber's a big thing for me. Dates, high sort of leveled fiber protein bars that don't have all that rubbish in it. I found a really good brand from Australia, actually. called fibre fit,

funnily enough. I don't even know if they're still a thing but they must be. I ordered them and they take about six months to come but they come. What, they're bars?

They're bars but they genuinely don't have anything bad in it and they're very rare to find those types of bars. But it's really hard to get enough fibre. You know, we're all, there's only like 10% of us

getting enough fibre that even if you're being as good as you feel you possibly can when it comes to your reading, fibre's quite hard to get on board. Yeah, fibre is my big thing. Yeah.

I think that ultimately, you know, I treat my body like I'm kind of like an athlete. You know, when you do a show and they're an hour long, you have to not look tired. People don't want to see you look tired when you're running around stage. So everything I do, it's for how I'm feeling. I just want people to know it's not how I'm looking. And I know that some people say, well, it's easy to say that. But yeah, I mean, I wouldn't have got into it unless I was feeling crap. And you need to put.

The foundation in place for us women as we age. You know, I'm in my late 40s, I'm quite a bit older than you, but I had good foundations in place when I started hitting the perimenopause years and I've lifted weights for a long time. Yeah, I'm such a crazy pre-planar. I was already looking into menopause for women in their late 30s, and it's very common. Yeah, yeah.

I started having perimenopausal symptoms and I was in my late 30s. Yeah. I didn't know what they were at the time because this was back when, and it wasn't discussed anywhere near as widely as it is now. Well, I learnt a lot from Davina, working with her on the Mask Singer, and she's a huge menopause advocate, you know, with all of that. And she taught me so much.

And then, obviously, with my mother's treatment, that obviously stimulated menopause at an early age for her. And so, you know, all those things, you're like, what the hell's going on? So I'm trying to get ahead of it and learn about it. It sounds like you are thirsty for information, because you seem to know so much about wellness and all the adaptogens

and every supplement you must take. Oh, I haven't even started my research on the peptides thing everyone's going on about. I'm still just looking into it, but it's fascinating. It really is. It's the new frontier peptides. It's not not skin care. I use it on cream and my skin at the moment.

Yes, topical. It's like you can inject it and you can, yeah. Well, yeah, no, I've been looking into a lot of that. I'm still on the sort of just the NAD and the, digesting the collagen and all the supplements. But it looks pretty fascinating. You know, I think with the right research could be a game changer, you know. Yeah, there's a doctor whom we're having on this podcast, Leslie Kenny,

and she's an expert in peptides, and we've got her episode coming up shortly. Oh, cool. And she speaks very passionately about them. I know I've learned a lot about GHK, say CJC, epithelion, which is good for the brain. What else did I learn about? It's crazy how I remember these things and I don't even remember sometimes people's birthdays and I'm like giving you all these weird formulas

I'm like, CJC, there's a GHK which is meant to be very good for your collagen and skin and hair. You could have been a doctor in another life like your lovely man. I know. I think I know enough, but I'm nothing compared to you. I think there was a meme that my friend sent me

which was like that friend that's always drinking weird things out of weird jars. Hey, why are you drinking? It's like, oh, I'm drinking that da-da-da-da mixed with a bit of, that's literally me. Do you sometimes look yourself in the mirror and go, yeah, I'm a bit of a dick. I'm sorry. Yeah, because I'm only wondering what, like, my husband and my friends think. Also, when it gets to about five, six o'clock, I'm like, I would love a grony. Those are my favorite, that's my favorite cocktail.

So I'm still fun, but then I'm always sort of preaching when my friends don't feel well. I'm like, are you taking this? Do you need this? Oh my God, I've just discovered this. Anyway, yes. The thing is with alcohol as well, us girls, when we age, the following day is just not worth it. It takes me like two, three days. Yeah, I've basically stopped drinking because it's just not worth it. And also the anxiety that comes, the anxiety, it's a real thing. And the fear and the paranoia and yeah, it's just, it's fun, but it's just not worth it. And it makes me a bit It's sad that... It makes me sad too.

That I can't go out and, you know, have a good few drinks. But equally, I can go out and dance without it, and I'm sure you can. Right. I can too, yes. But, you know, I've discovered that one drink for me is like, you know, now. Yeah. Yeah, me. Have you tried anything in your weird and wonderful adventures in wellness that you think

was probably a bit of a waste of time? Wouldn't want to do that again. Too expensive? too uncomfortable. Yeah. I mean, it's the tailor's test of, you know, this is Chinese herbal medicine, but acupuncture on the face,

I didn't really notice a lot of difference there, but I noticed it so much with my muscles and my cupping and all of that. But I tried it on the face, and maybe it's just because it didn't happen instantly, and I just wanted an instant. But yeah, that was the one thing. Maybe I need to do it more or something.

Acupuncture on the face. On the ears, I didn't really get on board. of that. The sort of ear... The bee things. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I tried those and I tried to keep them in

for a number long I was supposed to and I thought I was maybe a bit gullible. I don't know. I haven't actually tried those. Yeah, I didn't. Whereas I've had it on my body and thought it was incredible. So I'm a bit like you.

Yeah, anything up here. I loved it on my body. What else? I'm just thinking what didn't really work for me and usually don't really do things that don't work for me actually. I just, I'm very, I stick to,

what I know also it's hard for me to like introduce a new thing in my routine but I'm living for everything else the red light therapy the everything you give me I'm like ready to go so the LED do you mean the LED mask yes yeah I love those and how often do you use it you a regular I travel with one I mean about two three times a week I just lie in bed and I just sort of like go on my phone and put it on for about 15 minutes watch something on TV it's better to get the ones you can move around and so you can just like put it in your pocket and then get on with what you need to do in the house. I love those stickers as well.

I don't know if it's called Dr. Jarre or something. Oh, yeah. They're fantastic. Yeah, I know what you mean. And it's just releases the smell. I'm big and on smells as well. I can talk forever, see? You've got to shut me up.

I'm sorry. I'm like, what else? What else? I was really looking forward to this. And this whole day, because I'm so into trying to better my health and, like, sort of tell people what I've discovered and what I've learned that works for.

me. And you can see it in you. You glow. Is it weird or sad that this makes me really excited? No, no. You're my dream. Yeah. Who else you know that is excited as you about wellness and we can have them on? My next fascination is brain health. That's something I think we all need to really focus on and our magas and all the right fats and, you know, the brain being so important. Well, and the gut, and it's linked to the gut, I'm sure that you're... Which fasting has changed for me, everything. My toilet, my brain function, my sleep. You know, my friend had diabetes, I think second, like really intense,

his whole life. And he was in Jamaica one year, and he just decided to stop taking his injections and did fasting, and he's, like, cured himself. There's an awful lot of research about it. There's a book by Mindy Pelt, called Fast Like a Girl, which I would recommend reading the benefits. Yeah.

So I went to a clinic in Germany and fasted for 10 days. It was in a medical environment. Nothing. No food. A little bit of honey, first thing in the morning. And that was it. Honestly, I felt incredible. I'm not recommending people listening to do this without any medical supervision.

They have to go to a clinic to do it. But I really did feel quite incredible at the end of it. I mean, when did it get easy after the third day? because sometimes apparently it's like the third, fourth day is the worst, and then it becomes incredible. Well, the first day there, the doctor said, we go for guided hikes every day, and you should go on these guided hikes, get out, and blah, blah, blah.

And he said, I advise you into group B. And I was thinking, I'm not going into group B. I'm never been in group B. I'm going in group A. Like, I'm always competing. I'm group A. Where am I in group B? I'm the same.

So off I went, and I went into group A, with all these people who were quite a bit older, than me and they were charging up this hill and I was struggling to keep up them I'm thinking what is going on by these people they must be doing it a lot then probably but by day three or I was ahead of group eight like something just switched in me yeah I've only ever done a juice cleanse like for five days I've never done a full fast but what I've noticed during my hour windows or fasting is that that feeling of gosh I'm starving I'm really hungry or I'm really hungry I always try and drink water first because usually it's a sign of dehydration.

And then once I drink the water, I'm like, oh, I'm actually not as hungry. I'm not hungry. Yeah. And then you realize, oh, wow, you know, you're very dehydrated. We all kind of are. We don't know it, really. Do you have something that is your Achilles heel? You know, is it chocolate or sweets or what's your comfort food if you really are fed up and you just want to, you know,

feel a bit better? Nando's. Yeah, nice. I actually might have one after this because I was getting ready for the shoot and now I'm going to go treat myself. Lovely. Love Nando's. And what else?

I love, love cheesecake. Bonofy pie. Gosh, I can talk about it. I've got a very sweet tooth. Harry Bose, I mean, literally anything with sugar in it, I'm like in. You're going after my own heart. Yeah.

So what's coming up in 2026 for you? Well, a lot of fun sort of fitness ideas that Primark and I are doing together because... I love the range. Thank you. It's gorgeous, the red coat, gorgeous. It's my first step into that category with Primark,

which we're really excited for. Because I really want people to feel comfortable at a great price and things that actually do, you know, keep you in the formula we've used, the fabrics that we've used are very different to the traditional sort of legging you would get. in Primark, my collection is, it's just a different format technique. It feels really good. The leggings feel like a good quality. Thank you.

I tried really hard because I live and breathe this, it was important for me to resonate and also wear it myself and want to wear it. So we're going to do more of that, recording my record at the moment, my fourth album, which I'm excited about. And, you know, shooting a couple more movies. We've just wrapped on a lot of fun projects at the end of last year. The Disney Descendants, the second one, which is really cute. The big sort of studio one, Voltron, which is a huge comic book from the 80s,

and it is insane. I can't talk too much about it, but it's really fun. And, yeah, but I have lots of dreams. I have an endless list of dreams and ambitions, so who knows? So before I send you off to Nando's, we have some, quick-fire questions. Okay. So I have rather cheekly invited myself to yours for dinner.

Great. What do you go in to cook me? Honestly, you just can't go wrong with pasta. It's a good trusty. I'm not the best cook. I'm very good at making, weirdly, like, leak things, like Leak suit. You're saying that because I'm Welsh? No, I didn't even know.

But it's a whole thing that I feel like Leak is a very underrated vegetable. Right. Don't you think? Well, I'm Welsh, so yeah, I was brought up eating. I didn't even know the timing of this. I mean, it's also something I've just discovered, like sort of like frying it and then putting oil on it. Anyway, and then pasta, a good tomato-based pasta with some cheese,

probably, and a great bottle of wine. Nice. Red or white? Red. Pasta with red. I mean, I don't know. I'm more of a white kind of girl, but I take a glass of red at yours. You know what I do, though? This is, well, my wine people might be upset, is I put ice in my wine. In red wine?

Yeah. I'm not sure that's the most sophisticated thing. It's really not. But I'm not here to pretend to be sophisticated, but I like the idea of it feeling like a bit like a, I don't know, like a sangria or something. Okay. Sorry to my wine lovers.

So I'm sending you off to a desert island for a year, a full 12 months, and you can only take one thing. What is it? Wow. Well, you can make weights out of branches, I'm sure. Yeah. So, I mean, water, am I going to be able to have water?

I think water's given. I think there's going to be a waterfall there. Okay. This is, I take this. I'm taking this very seriously, aren't I? Tweezers. That's definitely the first time. Not that anyone's going to see me, but, you know, my eyebrows are going to grow out.

My leg is not going to grow, everything's going to grow out. I mean, you could pluck all day, yeah. At least it will keep me company. I'll just pluck away all day. I'm not sure what you're doing for a mirror But, you know, we'll Or some kind of sunblock, I feel I mean, honestly, I don't know what I would take

Definitely music related or journal Something like that as well, it's very important We just say one thing, so we're going to go for your tweezers Okay, no then, no, let me replace that with a journal, a pen and paper Okay, again, two things, but like A voice recorder Right, there we go Coffee or wine

Coffee Yeah What's the last thing that made you better? a play I just watched off Broadway in New York called Messy White Gaze. Okay. It is so fun. Yeah. So funny.

Written by an incredible man. And it was just so, so smart. So, yeah, I would highly recommend go to see. Messy white gaze. Yeah, it's really fun. It sounds like it's going to be funny. You need a campaign to bring it to the worst end. I know.

He's a great writer, actually. Small crew, small cast, 80-minute play. It was just so great. What's one thing that people listening or watching today can do to make themselves be a little bit better? Don't feel guilty if you eat something that you're like, why did I do that? We all do that, don't we?

Just kind of embrace it because you've done it now. Yeah, there's no point of like punishing yourself. Going into a cycle and then, yeah. Yeah, so I think that that's what I would say. I would say don't be too hard on yourself if you're like, oh, why did I eat that? or I ate too much or, you know, that full feeling or something, you know, so...

Yeah. Well, I am going to let you go off to Nando's now and have your peri-pery sauce or whatever. Can't wait. I actually... I'm going to have sweet potato fries. Lovely. I feel like you have to when you go to there.

Yeah. And a bit of cold saw and maybe a corn on the cob. Nice. We'll just sit all out of the window now. I've done the pictures now. Off I go. Get your bottomless drink as well and you're done. Yeah, I'm very excited.

Thank you so much for having me, genuinely. This was one of the highlights, so thanks. So thanks for coming on. Anytime. Getting ready for a game means being ready for anything. Like packing a spare stick. I like to be prepared. That's why I remember 988, Canada's suicide crisis helpline.

It's good to know, just in case. Anyone can call or text for free confidential support from a train responder anytime. 988 suicide crisis help. is funded by the government in Canada.