Off Air... with Jane and Fi - Comparing your manhood to a chipolata (with Peter Andre)

Episode Date: June 21, 2023

Jane and Fi are having 'all the fun of the fair' at work today as they talk about what women want on television, what to call an erotic novel, and how to put a bit of rock in your pomp. They're joined by TV star and singer Peter Andre, to talk about his new cook-book with Ben Smith - '#itsfine'If you want to contact the show to ask a question and get involved in the conversation then please email us: [e-mail] our instagram! @JaneandFiTimes Radio Producer: Kate Lee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Okay, I love an email title that does exactly what it then says in the email. Contribution to discussion of Barbie, etc. Yes, I want to hear it already. It's the one from Amy. I normally listen to you from Canberra, Australia, but I'm currently travelling in the UK to undertake research for my PhD. What's the PhD on?

We might get contemporary literature. Oh, right. OK. I've been following your ongoing discussion of Barbie and other dolls and was wondering whether you'd heard of the Barbie Liberation Organisation, a guerrilla group of artists operating in the US in the early 1990s. I haven't heard about them, but again, I want to know more.

The BLO covertly exchanged the voice boxes of Barbie dolls and G.I. Joes, then placed them back on the shelves for unwitting customers to purchase. Many families were subsequently surprised to hear the Barbie they'd brought home talking in a gravelly voice and saying things like, Vengeance is mine and dead men tell no lies. Similarly, customers who bought G.I. Joe's were astonished to hear them exclaim, The beach is the best place for summer. The group included a leaflet in the box describing what they'd done and encouraging consumers to contact the media

in order to provoke discussion about gender roles. I say good on them. God, too right. I think that's a brilliant idea. So clever. It's very clever and just so time-consuming. Yeah. And, yeah.

Intricate. I had a Barbie as a child and still managed to become a strident feminist, but I always think it's important to remember how problematic Barbie is. she were a real person she'd have to walk on all fours as her proportions are inadequate to support her not a message I'd want to send to young children particularly in this day and age thanks again for the program best wishes Amy well that is absolutely glorious I'm going to go home and look up the Barbie Liberation Organisation and if they were operational in the early 1990s we might be able to find someone who can tell us about it today. That would be absolutely wonderful. Yes anything's possible. Now that I'm

practically a member of my new favourite group Cardinal Black who've been back in touch thanks to Greg who plays keyboards in Cardinal Black I asked what the name of the track was that I'd really liked. And it's from their debut album. January Came Close and it's called Terra Firma. And if you're like me, if you like a tune and a little bit of pomp in your rock and a little bit of rock in your pomp. Trust me, you will enjoy that track. Thank you, Greg. Thank you.

I'm not Greg, am I? But thank you anyway. Anyway, get on with it Melva Tyson has sent an email and I just can't believe how do we even start

talking about Barbies and Cindy's I just genuinely I don't remember sorry but anyway so many people

have got fantastic memories my old sister had a Barbie I had a strange different version that my sister referred to as

Big Head whose head would pop off at any random time and really was far too big for her model body. But the reason I've been reminiscing is while recording Big Head, I also record a birthday present of Ken, who was not Ken. He also wasn't Johnny Armstrong, but we named him Johnny Woolworths as a nod to his genetic roots. Woolworths as a nod to his genetic roots. Tommy Woolworths. Yes, the cheaper dashing version of Ken had movable limbs and smart outfits well suited to big head. Very early in Johnny's life he was getting dressed

his second time of wearing boots when to my surprise his feet came off in the boots. That can happen with the Johnny Woolworths. He played on for a while. It wasn't the same. My father remedied this by placing the smallest of bolts into each of his ankles. But he could no longer wear the boots or any shoes from his many outfits. When shoes were required, he had to wear his yellow flippers.

He couldn't get up to much in those, could he? To be fully dressed, he had aqua gear, including a blow-up boat and spear gun. Yeah, I remember that. I do remember really wanting one of those. Thank you, thank you. Yeah, because you do have to be our age, or actually my age, to remember those gender-specific roles.

Yes, bad luck anybody, anyone who's at least a year out from Jane's age. This entire podcast will be irrelevant to you. But listen, seriously, seriously, when we did those Lady Bird books, which is how we all learned to read, did you use the Lady Bird Peter and Jane? No, I could read right from the get-go.

No, you couldn't. Peter and Jane books. And Peter would be outside tinkering with the car with his father and Jane would be doing the washing up with her mother, and that was how we were taught to read. I mean, little wonder that I don't know how to open my own car bonnet. Actually, I do, by the way. You have to pull twice on a thing.

The notion that whatever it is that surrounds you in your childhood will define a gender stereotype is just bo just bollocks to use a male term because so often it provokes exactly the opposite reaction so you know you give your cindy a beard and only let her wear combat trousers you know it's it's not necessarily the case that it always you're always stroking the fur in the same direction. No, I mean, it hasn't. It's clear from my current standpoint, sitting point, as a podcaster at Times Radio, that I probably haven't been in any way indoctrinated with James Deuce. Whereas Peter, I mean, he probably is mending his car now, isn't he?

Yeah, probably. Whereas I'm having all the fun of the fair at work. Hello, Peter. I hope you're still listening. We keep getting emails about caring and we can't read them all out. But actually, it's interesting. They're very definite, repetitive themes.

And I don't mean that in a negative way. This is from a listener who says, I'm 59, an only child and sole carer for my elderly mother with Parkinson's. I wanted a sibling at every stage of my life, but my mother said she only ever wanted one child and never thought about the effect on me, despite me asking for a brother or sister every Christmas when I was young. When my mum was younger and healthy, she told me not to change my life to look after her, as it was her choice to have one child. But now, of course, it's reality and it's different. My mother lives four miles away and I visit almost every day and do an increasing number of things for her. She is quite confused and now we've got to the stage of her needing carers,

although she'll have to pay for this as she saved her whole life and never spent any unnecessary money. I work full time. I'm doing shift work. I'm divorced. Both my children have recently had their first child and my grandchildren are a delight to me. However, I feel that looking after my mother is stealing some of the time that I could spend with my grandchildren. Oh, that's it's so it's so difficult, isn't it? Yeah, really is. And an update. We were talking about care in France, isn't it? Yeah. It really is. And an update. We were talking about care in France, weren't we, on the podcast yesterday? Because we were just interested in how other, particularly European countries,

are handling exactly the same problem that we have here about finding enough care for everybody at a reasonable price. Dear Jane and Fi, listening to the podcast this morning, talking about children having to pay for their parents' care home fees in france my lovely dad has recently had to go into a care home he's self-funding but i was shocked to find out that i'm expected to pay a 90 pound per week top-up fee so not only will all of his savings and pensions be used for his care i'll be struggling to cover the cost too i don't begrudge this in any way but it will be very difficult to afford it." So the state isn't getting involved in any of that, is it? So it's all his savings and pensions.

Care home fees in France. Oh, I see, she's not referring to it being in France. No, that is here. Which is another indication. At least I think it's here. I was a bit like you. It's slightly unclear. But either which way, it's an example of the problem, isn't it? Yeah, and perhaps just one more. Again, we don't need to read the name out. Another dementia perspective.

I'm not yet 40. I have a 10-month-old baby. I'm a carer for my 74-year-old mother, who's recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. My father died two years ago after a series of strokes and a post-mortem that suggested he too was on the edge of dementia. I'm looking for nurseries at the same time as I'm searching for care homes, talking about adult nappies while dealing with baby nappies. And I've had the weight of responsibility massively increased almost overnight. responsibility massively increased almost overnight on top of that I've never had my parent asking me how I'm coping with a baby or even asking how my objectively gorgeous daughter is

doing and I think that's a real sadness too that mum is there but unfortunately she's not really there and you know I mean I remember when my were little, the one person I knew I could always bore rigid, except I wasn't boring her, was my own mother who would take any amount of information about what they were doing and what they were capable of. I think that's really sad. So we appreciate there are lots of you out there. All of your emails are hugely appreciated. Jane and Fee at Times.Radio. We read every single one of them. We've got an email special coming up sometime in the future but i'll keep you guessing as to when because we don't know either and valerie perron's book have you started it i have read the first three pages i then got i just got distracted by something it was no judgment on the book so this is the book that we're reading for our inaugural first ever

book club isn't it it is and i'm probably a little bit ahead of you then well it does sound like i'm about 25 pages in and i'm really enjoying it but i tell you what i had to do after the first couple of pages it's not the usual style of books that i read but i thought okay well don't make a judgment about that style just go with the style so I'm going with the style it's just a different type of prose it's a bit bouncier and lighter I suppose I don't know whether that's something to do with it being a translation it's just light and airy like a croissant like a croissant maybe it is but this is what we're reading, and in about five weeks' time, we will hope that some of you have read along with us

and we'll discuss the book, find out what you think about it, post some silly little things and some very profound things. Oh, I would have thought so. Up on Instagram. And that's the book club. That's what's happening.

Right. Don't go all trendy with that. Is that because it's Glastonbury coming up? I am not the one who's insisted on talking a lot about Glasto, as you call it. So don't start. Yes, it has been a great day on the programme. If you're missing the live radio show, you are missing a treat

because we've got some genuinely good contributors. I mean, obviously we're hopeless, but the people we talk to often know a lot of interesting stuff. Speak for yourself. This is my finest work, Jane. Actually, I just want to mention briefly a new TV opening for Sir David Jason.

I love the headline in the sun today. Lovely jobly for Sir David. He's hosting a series for you. This is very much one for you and I. Yes. With Jay Blades out of the repair shop. Oh, yes. I know what's coming.

I know what's coming. Deep breath, everybody. Steady yourself against something firm. David Jason is lined up to co-present a new BBC One series, Touring Toolshed. Now, ladies and gentlemen, listening to Off Air, we've had this conversation.

Women need to go into a commissioning editor's office and say, this is what we're interested in. Please could we have a show? Because that's what's happened there. They've popped along and they've said, men spend a lot of time in their tool sheds. Let's make a show about it. And it'll be lovely.

You know, tool sheds are go-go, man caves are go-go. Lovely idea, absolutely fantastic. But, you know, come and look at my pantry. It's an idea I've had for a while. It's really not been bought up by a major television production company. Touring pantry. Yeah, touring pantry. So let's say I'm 83 and you're a young shaver

of and it's not that hard to believe let's face it i'm 83 and you're only in your 50s as you indeed are and you turn up at my house and we poke about in my store cupboard very much so and then we think we can go on the road with it what what are they calling that? They really, no, they really are calling it Touring Toolshed. Touring Toolshed. And this is on BBC One. Welcome to my larder. If only I wrote a TV column for the Radio Times. Well, get on it. Get on it. But

my dad had a lovely, lovely toolshed all beautifully laid out. It was so happy in there and I can remember the smell of it. Oh yeah. Wooden shavings and all that kind of stuff. You know, it was a glorious place to be. So I'm not knocking that at all, but I just really, just come and look at my laundry room.

It's a work of art. Lovely. Well, something else from the paper that really properly made me laugh today, written by the peerless Anita Singh in the Daily Telegraph, is a review of the new E.L. James. This is brilliant. The headline is, If Alan Partridge Wrote for Mills and Boone,

which gives you some idea what's coming your way. If you choose to invest your pennies in a publication called, and I never know how to say this word, The Misses. The Misses. The Misses. So it's the M-I-S-S-U-S. The Misses. Is it? The Misses. Oh, I don't know. The Mrs. So it's the M-I-S-S-U-S. The Mrs.

Is it? The Mrs. Oh, I don't know. The Mrs. The one thing I'd say about that, it's not in any way erotic, is it? No, but then Jenny Cooper's new book is called Tackle. Yeah, but that's more erotic, frankly, to me, than The Mrs. Well, I think to some people The Mrs. is probably quite erotic.

It's Tackle Out. I haven't got my Tackle Out. me than the missus well i think to some people the missus is probably quite erotic is tackle out i haven't got my job i don't think it is i'm at work right um anita i'll just do that too some of just read out some of her review because it's very funny. I should say I have interviewed Hill James. Of course I have. Read it out. She's a woman. And I interviewed her in the very early stages of, what was it called?

Fifty Shades of Grey. Yeah. In fact, I think I interviewed her when it hadn't even been published as a book. I think it was only an e-book because it became very successful because the word of mouth thing. It was an e-book so you could read it without any shame on the tube or wherever else. People didn't know that you were reading smut.

I just didn't get on with it. And I got as far as page 37 before I just... There's a theme emerging here. Like so many hefty tomes, I just couldn't get on with it. Anyway, Anita writes hefty tomes, I just couldn't get on with it. Anyway, Anita writes of The Misses. If Alan Partridge were to write a raunchy Mills and Boone, the result would be The Misses, the latest bonk

buster from E.L. James. A sample chapter begins with our hero waking to the feel of his former cleaning lady pressed against me, her bottom, against my groin like a spoon, then moved swiftly to describing the quality

of a Costa coffee cheese and ham toasty purchased at Sedgemore Services on the M5 actually I'll tell you what, I've had one of those toasty they're bloody gorgeous anyway I've had one of those. They are bloody gorgeous. Anyway. Right.

I can't read anymore, but Anita, thank you. It's out now. Right. Peter Andre. Peter Andre. Yes. Okay. Peter Andre.

That's... You all know who he is he's co he's co written a book he's co written a book with the nutritionist

Ben Smith it's called It's Fine Lose Weight Eating the Food You Love the book offers step by step I just

I don't know I'll get through this the book offers step by step I just I need to blow my I'll get through this. The book offers step-by-step guidance... I need to blow my nose. Oh, dear. I'll tell you what, this is better than doing a whole core body workout.

My stomach hurts so much. Oh, dearie me. Right, I can't do it because my glasses are steamed up now. OK, so it's all gone terribly wrong. Where did you get to? Oh Kate, it's all gone terribly wrong. Where did you get to? He's known for his easy charm and has plenty of fans across the planet. We began by asking him about his journey with his body image.

Basically, just to give you a brief, in my 20s I watched everything I ate. I was really strict. I looked the way I wanted to look, but I didn't feel great. I mean, and the only times I did feel good was when adrenaline got you through and you'd get the response of what you thought you wanted from people. I got to my 30s and I completely rebelled against all that. And I went completely the opposite way. And I wasn't just having takeaways, but I was having them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, no training, rebelled against the very thing that I stood so strongly to support. Then I was very uncomfortable. I put on three stone and I felt really uncomfortable and I didn't feel good. So I thought, right, now I have to do something about it. And then I went on all the fad diets. I did the At Atkins I did the paleo I did strict

vegetarianism which I presume really is you know would be veganism now but back then it was not even about what I was eating it was such little portions I mean it really was tough and I did everything I needed to do and I'd yo-yo like millions of people do and then I got to my 40s and thought this isn't right there has to be a balance in between there has to be a way that you can maintain and lose weight and actually eat all the foods that you love yeah um and at the same time Ben uh Smith who is an incredible nutritionist and he lost 11 stone doing this very thing and he's maintained it for five years and I've maintained this for 10 years and we thought we need to put a book together that's not a diet but actually the opposite telling people to step away from

these fads that are just literally you're ending up in the same spot that you started you will lose the weight initially because that's what diets do they work while you're ending up in the same spot that you started. You will lose the weight initially. That's what diets do. They work while you're doing them. The biggest problem is sustainability. And once we had sustained this for a period of time, we thought, well, we've got to put it in a book, which we have, to explain the mindset, to get you to change your way of thinking when it comes to food

and have food freedom and become a comfortable eater. Ben, at one point, I think he says in the introduction to the book was 21 stone. I mean, he was he was really in a bad way. I mean, struggling to do even the most basic everyday stuff. You were never at that level, were you? But it does sound from what you say in the book that you were not happy you may have been eating some of the right stuff but you felt terrible and then you were eating rubbish and you still felt terrible but I guess in your case um you've got all those memories of being incredibly ludicrously fit and those images they haunt you't they? It comes back to bite you. And I think, you know, I kind of am happy in a way that I've learned a very valuable lesson that there's nothing wrong with exercising and nothing wrong with eating extremely healthy. But it is wrong if mentally you're not feeling great.

See, when you're younger, you exercise to look good. That's what I did. And as I got older, I exercised to make me feel good. It's a very different way of looking at it. I think that having this balance and being able to eat all of the stuff that I love, and that includes going out for dinner with my friends. That includes a donut. That includes a burger, whatever I want to have. But it's the way it's balanced over a week rather than these daily calorie counting. Even based over a month, your body fluctuates every single day. So you can't just restrict yourself to the point that it makes you miserable.

And it just didn't work for me. And there is a percentage of people, a small percentage, that will say, well, diets work for me. I've been doing them for years. Well, that's great. But what about the 98%, 99% of people that just cannot sustain this? I'm very aware, Peter, and other people listening will be aware too, of the stuff in the news today. I'm just looking at the Times story with the headline,

self-harm and eating disorders among girls jump since COVID. There is no doubt that the last three or four years or so have been really challenging for all of us. But young people in particular have really suffered. And you've got to be very careful

when you're talking about food advice that you don't increase the likelihood of people tipping over into really dangerous eating disorders. Absolutely. And I think, I mean, you know, Ben is the real science behind this. You know, I've had my experiences and what made me want to team up with him to do this. Ben being a nutritionist can really get to the nitty gritty of that side of it. But the truth is that we have been taught a lot of the habits that we're now doing. We've been taught them. You know, I really obsessed to

the point where it wasn't healthy. It wasn't healthy at all. And my dad used to say to me when I was ripped and looking a certain way, dad said to me, why are you putting that rubbish in your body? I was having all these protein powders and I was eating raw eggs by the dozens I mean it wasn't a healthy way to live even though you you looked a certain way and you'd constantly get sick because you got no body fat no risk no uh no uh what's the word no reserve yeah yeah so but then going the opposite way was was also detrimental so it it must make perfect sense to people that there's a balance here yeah so how do you achieve that balance you've got a teenage son I know he's 18 and then you've got some three younger kids have you a household that um I know because your wife's a doctor as well do you have scales out

weighing scales or do you just keep all that stuff on the down low so i did have scales for the kids but funny enough it was to make sure they put on weight because i just felt i wanted to because i come from a greek family who is worried if someone doesn't eat enough we think oh no what's wrong you're not eating something's wrong um but then I quickly learned that was not the right thing to do so one of those bad words because when you you weigh yourself say one morning you can become very obsessed with it and you can weigh a certain exactly the same food and the next morning you weigh different and then your brain starts going what am I doing wrong your body fluctuates it doesn't make sense to to do daily

weighing and things like that in fact if you can get rid of the scales even better because you know you all that does is play on your mind about what you're doing right you're wrong and it and it creates this not great relationship with food. We're talking to Peter Andre, and he told me a little bit about the sheer variety of recipes in his new cookbook. It's very important for people to know that these recipes are there for a guide. What they're trying to show these recipes is that there's no good and no bad. It's a combination of everything.

So you don't have to use the recipe. You're not going to have one of those meals and all of a sudden you're magically going to lose weight. It's not about that at all. It's showing the flexibility with food. And some people might want to use the recipes and some people might say, well, I make something similar to that. I'll just do my own version. There are people that want the guidance and that's why we put the recipes there but the first half of the book really is about explaining the relationship you have with food and people who've so far read it are saying to us oh my gosh that's me that's me I can relate to

this I can relate to that yeah I mean I don't know about you I don't think I've ever met anyone who doesn't have their own relationship with food we are we are all a bit odd in our own way aren't we because food is a part of life it's a joy and the problem is that when you so if i can explain it this way because you're absolutely right there's an there's a problem with obesity there's a problem with you know people that are have a lot of battles with food. But a lot of the problem I feel with the relationships with food is that what you're taught is you have to focus on specifics of food. So if you cut out all the junk throughout the week and you're one of these people that does broccoli and chicken all week long

and then you get to the weekend and you think, oh, great, I can have a blowout. And you start with the pizzas and the donuts, and then by the nighttime you're having Chinese and so on. By the end of the weekend, you're probably eating a lot more calories than had you just had a bit of that throughout the week. Yeah. You don't get the cravings to binge. And I'm just trying to say that I think health is so important,

but your relationship with food is one of the most important things to give you a healthy approach, if that makes sense. Have you ever been a binge eater? Yes. Oh, yeah. I went through that. And this is why I think Ben and I work really well on this book together because we're two different sizes if you see the picture of me at my well I'd say peak I mean that was a long time ago and Ben at his heaviest you've got two people from two different worlds that have both

had the same strange relationship with food being through binge binge eating, tried to, you know, I even used to go into the cupboard, not even being big, where I was in okay shape, but I was going to the cupboard. And every time I'd look around to see if anyone was looking so I could get the chocolates and literally eat as much as I could before I would take two or three biscuits into the other room to just show I'm having a couple of biscuits with my tea. I mean, and yet, visually, people didn't see it. And I think it's really important to say that there's an emotional attachment to food. So you can't, it's not easy to say to someone, well, if you're thin, just eat more. And if you're overweight, eat less. It just doesn't quite work like that you've got to understand your relationship with food and everyone's different let's not forget that can we also talk a little bit about your relationship with fame peter i mean there must

be so many days where you just think why didn't i do something else instead i mean your name came up at the wagatha christie uh trial didn't? Because Rebecca Vardy had sold this story that was untrue years ago, which was incredibly rude about you physically comparing your manhood to Cipollata. Personally, I think you came out of it in a very dignified way and dealt with all of that. But, you know, I felt for you that day. I just thought, God, you've got kids. I've got to say, Peter doesn't look troubled this afternoon. He's laughing away there. But you must think, you must think, what have I done to my life sometimes?

Well, yes, there's a lot of what you say is true. And I remember having this conversation with Dad where he didn't really, Mum and Dad didn't want me to go into this industry at all. And they were really worried and they were strict Jehovah's Witnesses so we were not really allowed to do anything you know worldly so to speak and I got into the industry and I remember dad saying I don't want you in years to come to regret your choices and obviously I'm very grateful for everything that's happened. When I look at things like that, like that situation with the Wagatha Christie, I don't hold any ill feeling because, and I'll tell you why, because at the time it was said,

all right, it wasn't very nice, yes, that wasn't the problem. People say stupid things. We all do. I've said many stupid things in my life that if I could go back I would clip myself around the head for the things that I've said you know even even the old reality shows where I used to talk in a way that I would never talk now and yet that wasn't the problem the problem for me was that it was brought up again and again and again. So for me, the ill feeling isn't with the person because I just, there was something stupid that was said.

So what? You know, like, I can't, I can't. What's that old saying about throwing stones? I can't remember what the saying is, but I, you know, we've all said stupid things. Yeah, people in glass houses can't throw stones. But it's such a difficult world that we live in now, isn't it? Where, you know, you can have something that somebody else has said about you amplified within seconds, and there's nothing you can do about it. And you have been really honest about your mental health in the past. And I suppose it would be good to hear you talk about that, just how you make yourself more resilient to be able to withstand all of that now. yourself more resilient to be able to withstand all of that now? I've always been, well I hope I've always been a half full glass, half glass full kind of guy and I think I take that a lot

from my dad because dad always said to me you know you need to look at things with a little bit of humour and you need to be able to look at things as a whole not just individual things. For example if you see an elephant standing in front of you and you've got to, you've got to look at the whole puzzle being the elephant, it's much better if you take bite-sized pieces and just deal with each thing as it comes, as opposed to looking at this whole elephant that, oh my gosh, everything's so stressful. And dad said, you know, when you look, when a problem arises, you've got to look at how that problem's going to affect you in a year's time. You've got to look at how that problem is going to affect you in a year's

time. You've got to look at how is that going to really affect you and your family and is it worth the stress? And I'm so glad that in my 40s, my mind, I think I finally grew up in my 40s. I think even in my 30s, I just was still a kid. So I think that I realised because I went through a breakdown, because of all the, you know, things that happened, I think I came out the other end and I just said, I will never take for granted what I've got ever again. And I literally haven't. And so I'm always smiling and I'm just thinking, well, you know, I don't really want to worry about something I don't need to worry about because it's just going to make me feel sick. Honestly, it's sound advice, Peter, it really is.

Can we talk about something positive just to end with, which is how you met your wife? And it was because you had a kidney stone. Not many people can say that. No, not many people can say that. And I've had kidney stones. They are the most painful thing. I mean, I don't know about maybe childbirth is worse. I don't know.

But I mean, don't know about maybe childbirth is worse I don't know but I mean what do you think well I am going to tell you that actually up until up until I I went to a place right for all my life I was told kidney stones are the worst pain you could have even more than childbirth but then I went to Amsterdam to this clinic we were doing a documentary for loose women at the time right and they asked me to fly out there and try this new device that re it recreates the pain of childbirth and it's the only one in the world of its kind and i went out and i said well of course i'll try it's not going to be as bad as kidney stones oh my gosh i have never ever remotely felt a pain even close to what they said is the birth of childbirth uh the pain of childbirth so my kidney stones were bad yes and i ended up in hospital and i collapsed because it had lodged it had blocked i don't know what had happened but

i ended up in hospital but it's nothing like childbirth. Painful, yes. So I was in the hospital. I ended up moving from one hospital, being sent to another. They then said, we can't operate on you. We need to send you somewhere else. So the third hospital, and on that night, Emily's father, who I didn't know then, was on call.

And normally when they're on call as a consultant they don't always go in the hospital they give advice over the phone but this night he had to go in because apparently this operation was quite dangerous and he operated on me and I remember waking up and you know that big bright white light that shining down down. His head was in front of it and I woke up and I thought it was Jesus. But it was your father-in-law. I remember looking at him saying, you know, I didn't know where I was. And we became friends and I met the family. And for two years we were all friends, Emily's family and my family. I think it was two years later we were all in Zanzibar um I'd gone on a

holiday with them because they do they work with the health care system out there and I remember they all walk together holding hands it's such a lovely thing I used to see them walking together holding hands on this particular night um they say I'll join in so I'm holding hands and on one side I'm holding Emily's hand and on the other side I'm I'm holding her father's arm not his hand but you know his arm and I was getting tingly feelings on one side of my body and on the other side of my body I was I was so nervous because I didn't know what I was feeling and I thought oh no I've got feelings for Emily what do I say if I tell her father he's going to wish he did a different operation so I then I then thought well I have to ask him so slowly slowly I said look I'm

getting feelings I don't know you know is it okay and he was thankfully really happy with it and and then Emily and I two years after meeting, dated for the first time. And then the rest is history. So I guess, yeah, I guess it's a wonderful story. Definitely a painful one. Yeah. But as you say, and I think rather, I mean, it's sensible of you to say it, it isn't as bad as childbirth.

There'll be a lot of women listening who would hurl all sorts of stuff at the radio if you said, oh, yeah, her childbirth nothing compared to my kidney stone um peter lovely to talk to you um thank you very much indeed for your time peter andre lovely story we have almost stopped laughing peter andre uh we've pulled ourselves together after a fashion um and it was a lovely story about meeting his wife actually and what a lovely sounding family very nice nice. To all be very happy together. I'm trying to picture the scene as I walk down any kind of beach with my kiddies hand in hand. It's true. And it's a good point there, isn't it?

Because you don't... I know we've talked about mums and daughters holding hands, but all adults in a family holding hands, that's quite a rare sight, isn't it? I'm going to say it is. Yeah. Yeah, I don't think it does happen all that often no but i loved all peter andre's thoughts because i think he's he's lived

his life right at the frontier of quite often very daft celebrity kind of facade and i think he's done well to actually come through it in one piece really it is funny when you research peter andre you do get dragged down a kind of ludicrous tabloid rabbit hole of loony headlines yeah and i found myself uh follow it clicking on an article where the headline was mayhem as loose women is pulled off air oh god i'm gonna find out what that is and it was just that they were only doing a half-hour show because itv were covering Royal Ascot. Oh, OK. I mean, it just, you know. I don't think that's the worst story about him online.

It's not even the worst story about loose women online. No. But I just, you know, this is how I whiled away my morning. It was just outrageous. Anyway, enough about that. Yes, I thought it was very nice. And there's some very good hearty fare in the book. Yes, you quite like some of those recipes. Yes, I do. Yeah.

I mean, yeah, I always think, ooh, nice sort of chicken. And I remember no one in the house but me eats chicken. So I do. The cat quite likes it. Well, you're off on your holidays next week, aren't you? So maybe you could make it for your visitors. My rallies. Your rallies, yes.

Oh, I don't think I wasn't preparing to cater. Oh, OK. No, no. Not the kind of family that holds hands. Strictly, definitely not. They're coming on a bed and breakfast basis. Use of own cruet and all of that. They'll come into the warm embrace of a Blackpool landlady in 1974.

That's what I'm intending to replicate. Lovely. So nice hospitality tray in their rooms. Not even that. No, definitely not that. A bucket under the bed. Right. Well, let's leave people with that image rather than anything else. Thank you very much indeed

for bearing with us. I'm sorry. We're mature women, Jane. Very sensible journalists. Not so much today. Jane and Fee at Times.Radio is our email address. Apologies if we've offended anybody. Do join us again tomorrow if you can face it.

Yeah. And also apologies. I was meant to say sorry to Italy, so I'm going to do it now. Scusa. As I implied during our... No, don't say it again. Don't say it again. Don't. Don't. Don't, don't, don't. I'm a big fan of it.

Good evening. Well done for getting to the end of another episode of Off Air with Jane Garvey and Fee Glover. Our Times Radio producer is Rosie Cutler and the podcast executive producer is Henry Tribe. And don't forget, there is even more of us every afternoon on Times Radio. It's Monday to Thursday, three till five. You can pop us on when you're pottering around the house or heading out in the car on the school run or running a bank thank you for joining us and

we hope you can join us again on off air very soon don't be so silly running a bank i know lady listener sorry