Should I Delete That? - What 90s TV did to my body image… Katy Hill on her experience as a Blue Peter presenter

Episode Date: August 24, 2025

JOIN US FOR OUR LIVE SHOW IN EDINBURGH ON 3RD SEPTEMBER! Head to SIDTLive.com for more information and to purchase tickets.Today, we’re speaking to a TV icon - Katy Hill. At just 24, she landed her dream job as the 22nd presenter of Blue Peter.Katy had dreamed of being a Blue Peter presenter since she was 5 years old. However - once she got there, she was exposed to the brutal, toxic media landscape of the 90s - and she found herself - and her body under immense scrutiny. We spoke to Katy about her first hand experience of the 90s tabloids, what happened when she did a a shoot for a lads mag and how her Blue Peter years shaped the rest of her life. Follow @imkatyhill on InstagramKaty is now an Internationally Certified Success and Confidence coach. You can read more about her work at https://www.katyhill.com/ If you'd like to get in touch, email us on [e-mail] us on Instagram:@shouldideletethat@em_clarkson@alexlight_ldnShould I Delete That is produced by Faye LawrenceStudio Manager: Dex RoyVideo Editor: Celia GomezSocial Media Manager: Sarah EnglishMusic: Alex Andrew Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, should I delete that listeners? We are just days away now from our live show in Edinburgh and we are so excited to see you guys there. So in light of the conversations that we've been having recently about body image, both online and on the podcast, we wanted to bring this conversation to you live. We're going to have an interactive and intimate chat and we would love to explore this topic with you. We know we're not the only ones feeling the weight of this huge societal shift at the moment and we feel like this is a really timely opportunity to get together and to have a conversation that we hope will be really, really meaningful. And there are still tickets available. If you want to join us on the 3rd of September in

Edinburgh, you can find links to tickets either in the show notes or you can go to sidt live.com. As ever, we want to thank our partner Simprove for sponsoring this show. Reminded that you can get 50% off the first 12 weeks at the rolling subscription by using the code delete 50. Al, I'm not sharing mine with you. You need to pack your own Simprove this trip. Come on. I remember landing the job on Blue Peter. He actually said to me, you're a bigger girl and you don't carry yourself very well on camera.

What does that mean? I was a size 1214, right? Hello and welcome to Should I Delete That? Today, we are speaking to a TV icon. Katie Hill shot to fame in 1995 when she became the 22nd Blue Peter presenter. She was just 24 years old at the time. Katie had dreamed of being a blue peter presenter since she was five years old. However, once she got there, she was exposed to the brutal, toxic media landscape of the 90s,

and she found herself and her body under immense scrutiny. We spoke to Katie about her first-hand experience of the 90s tabloids, what happened when she did a shoot for a ladsmag, and how her blue peter years shaped the rest of her life. You're going to love this one. Here's Katie. Hello, Katie. Oh my gosh, you guys have no idea how lovely it is to be here. Oh, we're so happy you're here. I'm like, I feel a little, I do feel a little bit starstruck. Do you? I do. I feel like when I first met you, I probably screamed in your face, didn't I? I was like, oh my gosh, it's you. I think I did the same back because I was like, oh my God, I like watched you on TV when I was younger. I love that. I loved Peter. If it wouldn't really embarrass you, I would get the message out when you said you'd come on the pod when our message. You were so excited. We are so excited. But it's always. I think we should start doing that when guests come on and show the freak out.

Show the air. Yeah, because we were so, and we are so honoured and excited that you've come to talk to us. Thank you. It's so funny, because to me, that whole TV era was a whole other part of my life and I'm on a whole different journey now. And so it never gets old, like hearing that people used to watch you. Or I was on the tube the other day and just minding my own business. And I could hear someone running behind me and I thought, wow, someone desperate needs to get a train.

And this woman went, excuse me. And then she's all out of breath. And I was like, yeah. And she went, are you Katie Hill? And I was like, yeah. And she's like, oh my gosh, you're the reason I'm a surgeon. And I was like, oh, my word. And it was such a time.

It was a real moment in time where, and the whole reason I wanted to present that show was because you didn't really see badass women. Like, truthfully, there'd been no girl power. You know, that was the one place growing up as a kid. And we used to get, you know, in the 70s, we used to get given sewing kits for Christmas. That's just how it was. that was the place I saw women doing incredible stuff

that used to be deemed the boy stuff and in my head I'm like I'll have a bit of that thank you very much and so to know that somebody had played bigger because of seeing us on the show and I wasn't the only woman on there but girls used to watch us and kind of go I could do that it's just such a wonderful feeling now

what a beautiful full circle moment yeah it's lovely nice and I was explaining to my kids the other day It's like sometimes when I'm commuting, I'll see like a suited business, you know, women or man sat there with their paper and they'll look up and see me and then they look down again. And when they do the double take, their face is like an eight-year-old. They're so excited to see you. They can't hide it. They go from a serious commuter to, oh my God, you know, it's so nice. Because I think there wasn't that much telly.

You know, let's not be silly. There wasn't that much to occupy kids. You had pretty much two channels for children's programs. And I happened to be on one of them. And so we used to get like 15 million viewers a hit. I mean, it was incredible. God, it's extraordinary. Yeah.

And I don't think, like, in the world of, like, anyone listening to this, because truthfully, I am almost too young to have, and also my mom was a real stickler with the TV. We did not watch a load of TV, which makes me sad and has left me left out. But it's really interesting. When you say 15 million, I think people think now in, like, terms of virality, and they think about, like, TikTok. And it's like, oh, 15 million.

That's not that. But like that in a TV audience is gargantuan. Unbelievable. It's incomprehensible in today's terms, really. And I remember when I got the job on the show and I'd wanted to do it since I was five, like, and it wasn't because I wanted to be a presenter. It was because I wanted to jump out of planes and drive fast cars and do all of that amazing stuff. And I kind of never equated it with being famous, if you like.

And I remember when they offered me the job, the producer of it said, are you sure you want this job? Because your life's really going to change. And I was like, are you crazy? I've wanted this since I was five. But life did really change. Like, you did become a household name because the world of celebrity wasn't what it is now. And so there weren't that many people in the public eyes.

So you truthfully, everybody did know who you were and what you did. And you overnight were catapulted into the strangest world. Yeah. Well, I mean, this was, we're talking the 90s now, aren't we? Yeah. So I started on it in 94. And I finished on that particular show in 2000. How old were you?

So I was 24 when I got the job. And I'd, you know, I'd done everything. I'd got as much experience in broadcasting. I mean, I was like their dream presenter. I wanted to present it since I was five. I wrote to the editor in 91 and said, I really want to do your show. I love kids, which they don't really care. And he just wrote the standard letter.

They used to get hundreds of letters every week. And he wrote the standard letter back saying get as much experience in broadcasting as you can. and good luck kind of thing. And then I went back to him in 1994 and said, this is what you wrote me in 91. Here's what I've done about it. And I gave him a CV. I'd worked for free and local radio.

I'd worked in hospital television. I'd done everything I could to equip myself for that job. And I think that's one of the things I struggle with in the way that a lot of people view manifesting, for example, these days. They think manifesting is putting something out into the universe and the universe is going to make it happen, it's twofold. You put something out that you really want to happen, but you have to do everything in your power to equip yourself to be perfect for that role.

You know, you're not going to land a job just because you've thought nice sorts and put it out into the universes. It is really both things in tandem. And so that's what I do now as a coach, is help people equip themselves for those amazing roles and step into their next level. Yeah, I have a lot of thoughts about that. Love it. No, about manifesting and I guess the secret phenomenon, you know, that it's all, a lot that can be quite toxic.

But I think it is quite toxic because it leaves you feeling like, I didn't wish hard enough or I wasn't aligned with the universe hard enough. It's like, no, no, you probably didn't boots on the ground do the things in your power to equip you for that thing. And also there's like socioeconomic reasons as well, why you can't just manifest and make you yourself, obviously. You said you literally became a household name overnight. Yeah. And that happened during the 90s, which was notoriously a horrible time for women to be thrust into the spotlight, right? Yeah. The media, the tabloids, it was brutal and toxic.

We did an episode actually about that, about like the tabloids, the 90s and the noughties. And we went through loads of examples and it was horrible, depressing, very bleak. And you experienced that firsthand. I mean, the only godsend is that there was no social media. So the only experience you had of it was when you'd do an interview or something with a newspaper or, but it was, I remember landing the job on Blue Peter and somebody, and he's a really lovely guy, so I won't name him, but he was high up on the show. And when I landed the job, he actually said to me, now, you need to think about it because

you're a bigger girl and you don't carry yourself very well on camera. Can you imagine? I was a size 1214, right? So imagine you're going to go on telly in front of 15 million people. You're already out of body terrified and then someone's told you you don't move very well. So if you watch my early blue peters, well, the first ever show, some genius had the great idea of basing the episode in 1922 because I was the 22nd presenter. So instead of being able to walk on screen in my own clothes feeling like me. They dressed me up in 1920s with like bowel waves or whatever they were called like House of Eiliet. You probably don't remember that. I looked awful and they went and here she is, present to number 22. And I remember standing

there going, I don't even know what my name is. I don't carry myself very well. And I kind of shuffle onto screen. Kids must have thought, who there is. And I could just about, you know, say my name. And all those early episodes of Blue Peter, if you ever rewatch them, you will always notice, I'm standing slightly side-on to camera because I sussed quite early on. I've got quite Amazonian shoulders. And if you kind of, I mean, I love the angles we've got going on here. But if you were slightly side-on, it's more flattering and it made you look smaller. So my whole life on TV, I kind of was always at an angle. And by the time I was on live and kicking in the early noughties, it was all angles. Like if you look at me there, it's all like legs out here,

arms over here. Really? Yeah. Because you just learn what looks good on camera. But also back in those days, you know, you were routinely on telly in a swimsuit, like crazy. But actually a lot of it, so there was a lot of it from obviously the industry, the print industry, you know, had a lot to answer for. But actually, other women because of that were also running with that narrative. So, you know, we used to have communal changing rooms, which thank God you don't have anymore. But you'd all be in one room. there'd be like 12 people in one room and I was aware when I was on the show I had to stop using communal changing rooms because I'd just be in there and I'd, you know, stripped down to my

underwear and was suddenly very aware that nobody was getting changed anymore and you'd feel 12 eyes on you, 12 pairs of eyes and then you'd hear whispering of oh she's got a bit of cellulite or you know my boyfriend really fancies her but wait till I tell him this like looking for the negative and and it was so hard because I'm so supportive of women. and I always want to big women up. And that was kind of a strange time to live through because of feeling like you were under that scrutiny. But, you know, again, thank God there was no social media

because I would never see messages where people would go, oh, I think that's the hard thing. That was the thing I think that I found hardest is the belief that just because somebody's on TV, their fair game and they think highly of themselves. And I never did. I wanted to do a particular show. I didn't want to be on TV.

per se. That was just kind of where I got to do all the amazing stuff that I got to do. But I never thought highly of myself. And to this day, you know, even in school playgrounds, there are women who approach you to bring you down because they think that you think highly of yourself. It's a very strange thing. I think with the press, this is a well-trodden, like, routine with the press where very often they'll take someone young like you who they like and I don't know if this is a case for you, so correct me, but a cycle that we often see is they see at the beginning,

you're new, you're exciting, you're fresh, they're like, okay, great, we're going to make everyone fall in love with her. We're going to keep hold of her and bigger up and write about her and celebrate her. And then we're going to oversaturate them. And then that is the way that they'll bring you down. Yeah. The insinuation that all of a sudden you're too big for your boots

and you like yourself too much. Yeah. And it's like the, it's gone to your head, basically, all the fame and attention. and that feels like a very common way that fame works in this country. Did that happen for you? I'm not sure that fully happened for me. I think there were definitely things that happened in the press that I wasn't comfy with.

For example, you would have headlines made where they would be interviewing you. So, for example, one time I was presenting on Capitol and Robbie Williams came in, This is going to sound like I'm clanging name-checking, but I'm telling you this story for a reason. If I'd been in a room with Aubrey Williams, I would definitely be doing the same thing. We have all these listeners. He was doing this little impromptu gig. And at one point, he looked over and saw me and he's like, oh my gosh, how are you? And I'm like, I'm good.

And he was a bit like, what are you doing after the show? Now, this was live on it. Do you want to go for dinner, right? And I was like, no, I'm good, thanks. Anyway, next time I do a press interview, they go, didn't Robbie ask you out. And I said, oh my gosh, I said, I'm sure Robbie asks every woman in the public eye out because truthfully, who can he go out with? Because everyone's going to sell a story on him. So he's going to go for somebody, you know, that's not going to do that. But because they'd said, didn't Robbie

ask you out and you turned him down? And I'd gone, yeah, but the headline on the cover of a magazine was, Robbie asked me out, but I turned him down. Now, that makes me look like such an idiot who really loves herself quite a lot. And that's not what I said at all. So they used to be so clever. They would say a statement and if you followed it with yes but the yes bat bit didn't get in. They would just go with the headline and that was horrifying. And I think there was a time in the 90s when you used to get what they called copy approval where you'd see all the words they were going to print about you before it went to press.

But then they realized that they then couldn't write anything salacious enough because everyone would have it taken out. And so then it became the only people who were. would get copy approval would be Madonna, you know what I mean? Everyone else, you were just doing interviews and you had to sit, fingers crossed for when the article came out and so often you'd be so deflated because you'd do such a lovely chat and then the interview would come out and you'd be like, I didn't, that's not what we focused on at all. We talked about that for two minutes out of an hour and that would be the whole interview and they just write what they wanted.

Just pull out the bits that they think are going to get people. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't know that copy approval was a thing ever. Oh my gosh, it used to be great because they'd send it. through to your agent and you'd be like no take that out you've made that up you've made that up you've made that up you know um and then no so that probably changed sort of late 90s copy approvals back now is it hugely yeah anyone doing big interviews in with any of the like glossy magazines has full copy approval which is kind of why they're all getting so yeah and i think i think they probably

learned i was very fortunate because when i was on the show my whole uh presence was about being the girl next door who wanted to do all of this incredible stuff. And so I think that was in my favour. And as much as I never said, hey, I'm gorgeous. I was just the girl who might live next door to your house who happened to be on a TV show. I think it was very different from the very glamorous women of those days who were massively scrutinized. So I was fortunate in that respect. When I left the show, it was a different story because I was pretty much.

in a lane of one or along with the other women on the show, you know, we'd drive fast cars, we'd jump out of planes, we were known for being fearless, we were known for facing the fear and doing it anyway. That was our USP. Suddenly when I left the show, my agent was like, well, maybe we need to get things a bit more sexy. And I think it would be great for you to do a magazine shoot with one of the ladsmags. Now, I'd shunned the lads mags forever because everybody did those. And it's like, that's not who I am. I'm not about to stand there in my underwear. So I was like, absolutely not, not doing underwear. So she managed to agree it that we would do swimsuits in Barcelona. I was like, okay, that's nice. I wouldn't do it now, you know, if I had my

time again. So go to Barcelona, do the shoot on the beach. I was probably about a size, small size 10 at the time, like, and obviously because I knew I was doing a bikini shoot, I'd worked my backside off in the gym. So I did look really as good as I could look, right? So imagine my horror when the magazine comes out and I knew that I was going to be August in the calendar and I was so excited to see the picture and I opened the calendar and I was like who is that? It looked nothing like me and what was gutting and I think it's really interesting like in the 90s when we grew up there were always things like you know Kate Winslet's magazine cover has been retouched and airbrushed and blah blah and inwardly you'd think slightly negatively about her for allowing it actually

these people know nothing about what is being done to their image. And what was tough for me was suddenly you're faced with a picture of, oh, this is considered to be a more attractive version of me, but it looks nothing like me. And actually it's gutting when you've worked really hard for the original to look good. And suddenly you come out, I actually brought the picture to show you. Oh no. It's okay. Right. Suddenly you come out looking like a gazelle slightly androgynous and kind of gutted really. And I remember going into a garage to have my car service that year. And one of the mechanics was so sweet.

And he's like, oh my God, you're on my wall because it happened to be in August. And he went, why did they do that to you? It's not like I'm a model. Like, people know what I look like. Yeah. I mean, you've been on TV for so long. Right? It's like, edge of a seat.

And he said, I was so excited that you were going to be in the magazine. Oh. Katie has very kindly brought in the shoot and we're about to have a look at it. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. That doesn't even look like you. Look at how long her legs are. Look at how impossibly smooth that skin is.

It looks like AI. Okay, so first of all, if you look at the face, I have green eyes. Like all my fans love me for my green eyes. They made my eyes brown. They chiseled my chin. They've elongated my legs. They've shrunk my, I mean, all of it. She looks just slightly a little bit like she should be an avatar.

I think it's the most interesting that you describe her as she. you know it's not me it's she it's like she's an entirely different person it doesn't look like me at all yeah i have to be honest i wouldn't recognize that as you right i know and i almost wish i could find the originals to show you because that was what was so gutting it's like oh my gosh i worked really hard and it wasn't enough for you and still wasn't enough it makes no sense it's like i had fans buying that because they knew i was going to be in it and they're like well you haven't given us katie hill you've given us this androgynous AI kati character but you had no social media So there's nowhere to set the record straight there.

Precisely. And some people might have looked at it and thought I wanted that done, you know, because there were people at the time saying, can you make my thighs a bit smaller? Can you, you know. And I do think I do sometimes wonder whether we've come on far at all or whether it's just now that everybody's doing that to their own images. And that's what I find terrifying. They're doctoring their own images.

They're putting filters on. it's like, you know, I know people who won't even post a picture without there being this crazy filter on it. Yeah. Yeah. What's going on? You know, it is, and I now have a 19 year old daughter and a 15 year old son and I'm so aware of the world they're growing up in because I don't think it's changed massively at all. I think the scrutiny's gone up, if anything, because now everybody can have their say quite publicly. I did some work with a wonderful bullying campaign and they were making the point that actually back in our day, if you were getting bullied at school, you'd get home in the evening and that would be your safe space and now you get home and because

the bullies can hide behind a keyboard it amplifies so your home is even less safe than school you also didn't know presumably when stories were breaking about you or when you would be in the papers or you would be in magazines yeah how was that as a feeling i mean i'm imagining you probably didn't get them on the doorstep but walking past a magazine stand or in the co-op or whatever or seeing yourself yeah and reading those. stories. Yeah. Because this happened, you were 24. Like, how did you, how often, like, what was that like? Yeah, I mean, to be fair, I, I did quite well press-wise. They were generally really kind to me and I had a pretty easy ride. You'd always kind of see a headline or you'd suddenly

walk past and see your face on something and you're like, oh, I didn't know that was there, like what's going on. So that was a bit weird. But they were generally quite nice to me. I think they there was this amazing public affection at the time I was on it for the show and everyone did view it in a really kind of national institution type way. I think if you were in the pop world, it was probably slightly different. But I think we generally got off quite lightly. I guess the hardest thing would be they'd always photograph you if you're coming out of one of the clubs in London because the implication was you're a kid's presenter. Why are you going to a nightclub? well I'm a kid's presenter I'm not a kid like that was that was quite strange the fact that they'd be

like oh should you be out you know yes yes I should I'm having a lovely life thank you very much but I think we were for me I feel all of the scrutiny aside so fortunate that I was on TV at a time when I was it was the heyday of telly budgets were incredible I got to travel the world I got to do things you couldn't pay to do I flew harrier jump jets and flew a display with the red And it was an amazing life. And by the time I left the show at 30, I was like, wow, I feel like I've lived 10 lives and I'm only 30. So, you know, that was such a wonderful journey to be on. And then it obviously leads on to other things. And then, funnily enough, I realized in 2017 that I was living as I describe it life by default, not design. Like, we can all do that. You just take

the promotion and I got offered, you know, hot breakfast and then I got offered Capital Radio. And you do all these things, but suddenly you find yourself living a life that doesn't feel like you. And I realized I had only ever wanted to present that one show because of what it would open up for me. I didn't want to be a presenter per se. I wanted to be a badass who was allowed to be a badass. And it led on to all of that other stuff, but I just realized I was living a life that was successful according to other people, but suddenly recognized it might not be living in alignment with who I wanted to be in 2017, so I totally changed my life. And it's been wonderful.

And now I support women to unlock their truth and find the life that they want to live. And it's lovely for me as a coach. I feel like life's come full circle. Like back in the day I was inspiring girls to play bigger by demonstrating it and jumping out of planes. And now I support many of those same girls as women as a coach these days. And I think it's such a gift of a job that I now get to do. do and I love watching people step into a level that's even bigger than they thought possible

because there is so much noise now and there is so much to bring women down still and to actually enable them to feel confident in who they are and own who they are and recognize who they are and know that there's more for them and unlock it is is wonderful you know I think we are in many ways living in an amazing time to be a woman there's obviously challenges but I think if we can focus on the good bits and everything that's available. You know, when I look at when I grew up in the 70s or even being on telly, I mean, it's amazing that I don't and have never had an eating disorder of any kind because I know most of the TV girls that I was with at the time definitely suffered

from bulimia and anorexia. That was rife. A lot of people did drugs because that was a way for them to stay skinny. I don't really see how you can come out of that period or be in that period and skate. And skate. I don't quite know how I did it. I know. I think I've always been this inherently positive person and I always feel I feel like I'm like this snow plow character. I just kind of take all the good experiences with me and let all the shit ones go. No, you are very, very resilient. Yeah. I know. I mean, I've had so much happen to me in my life. I've had accidents. I've had a

head injury. What year was that? I just trained as a coach, 2018. And I, it was weird. I was hosting heart breakfast at the time. For some reason, I hadn't gone to work that morning. And my daughter, we were having, you know how it just feels so mundane sometimes, doesn't it? We were having breakfast. And she said, I'm going to get ready for school. And I thought, I'm going to bring the mummy fun. So I like chased her to the loo. And we were doing that thing on the stairs where you're like pulling each other. I think I'm, you know, we're pulling each other's shorts off. and just stupidness. And I get to the bathroom and we had a step into the bathroom

and I had ag boots on. And I thought my foot had cleared the step. But you know how ugs you have like an inch at the end at the toe of space? The ag didn't clear it. And I flew probably 10 feet across the bathroom and face planted the toilet. And the sound in my head was so horrific. And I knew something really bad had happened. And my sweet daughter, Kaya, so she was about eight at the time.

And I just pulled my head away from the living. I saw blood. I covered my head. I was like, I'm just going to go down and see Daddy. And went downstairs and my poor husband, he literally looked like he was going to faint. Anyway, ended up in A&E. Recognised I was spectacularly lucky.

Head injuries on your forehead. If you have them either side on the temple, they said had I hit with the impact that I hit with on either of my temples, I probably wouldn't be here. And for me, it was such a, I've had a few of these moments. I call it the wake the F up to your life moment because we're all living like we've got all the time in the world. But if you put that lens of urgency onto life, like what shifts?

What's the thing that you're currently scared to do? But you're procrastinating through fear. And you're like, oh, just keep putting that thing off. Just freaking do it. None of us know, right? I nearly killed myself chasing my daughter to bring the mummy fun at 7.30. The irony wasn't lost on me that had it been on my gravestone, that that was the way to go, face planting a bloody toilet having spent years jumping out of planes and flying fast jets

and fast cars like I'd been gutted right I'd be like what the hell that's so not mundane yeah um had it really did and I had a scarf and right down the front of my forehead um and I had through a pity party for about three days because that's not what you want when you've been on the telly again because of how someone looks and then I was like I've I remember vividly being in bed. My son had just been in to laugh at me because my face blew up like a hamster. And I remember being in bed going, I'm literally at choice right now. I either I'm going to throw a pity party for the rest of my life that I have a facial scar or I'm going to use it to fuel me. And I now call it my wake the F up scar. Like when I see it in the mirror in the morning

when I'm getting ready, it's just a reminder that I'm still freaking here. And I've got so much to do. Let's not be hanging around. Let's just get on with it and do it. It sounds like you've always had that attitude, though. Yeah, I have always been. The weirdest thing was, when I was a kid who wanted to present Blue Peter, I had no doubt in my head that I would do that. Like, when people would say to me when I was five, what do you want to do when you're older? I say, I'm going to present Blue Peter. When you're 15 and you tell the careers advisor, it's a different thing. And they go, no, no, but what do you really want to do? And it's really sad because a little kid has such amazing hopes and dreams and the possibility that's open to them is huge. And by the time,

someone's 15, we're straightjacketing them in the shoulds of life and they're, well, you know, you could always get something to fall back on, all that kind of thing. And actually, I think for any parents listening, if you can keep your kids mind as expansive as possible with what's possible for their life, why not? Like, literally why not them? You know, don't crush them when they come out with some outlandish thing that they want to do. Just encourage it. What about if you don't want them to move away from home? Tell me about it. Tossick boy, mum.

My daughter went to uni last year. And I asked someone in the public because I do keynote speaking and stuff. So whenever we get used to go in the lectures at uni, I'd make us sit in the front row because I know as the speaker, there's nothing worse than if you've got like three empty rows and then, you know, it's lonely out front. So I always make us sit in the front. So we were on this accommodation talk at one of the unies. Just sat in the front row.

And then they went. And then of course there's dropping off date. And they put a picture up. They just flashed a picture up of this family, literally bear hugging, like just bear hugging. And the picture came up and I went nought to 100, like sobbing. But to the point of, you know when you're in the front moment she looks at me, she's like, are you all right? But it was like, it was her leaving home and that was tough last year. That is when they fly and it's the hardest thing as a parent because your whole purpose is to equip them for the world.

and send incredible, empowered individuals out into the world. That's what we're here for to let them head out of the nest. But not putting a lid on the nest is really hard. Did your parents do that for you? My parents in retrospect were incredible because when you think of the generation I grew up in, you know, the fact that they never once said to me, don't be stupid, you can't present on telly, what are you talking about?

And the bit I haven't told you, which is key, is I was the shyest kid in school. like I used to be they called me cherry head because if the teacher spoke to me I'd go brick red if there was an assembly I'd be physically sick before it like sports day was so traumatising for me so how do you go from that right and then like we kind of skimmed over it but like that guy who you said is really nice but doesn't sound like you was that nice saying to you that you don't carry your weight very well like how do you do that if you were because I was that kid yeah that was like I mean I was actually telling my family last night I was cast as a brick wall in one of my

cool plates. I could they not have used the piece of cardboard? I was a toad store in ballet. I wanted to be the fairy and I was a toad store. I just think with those like, just spend the money on the props and save the self of the kids that have to be the prop. But like I don't understand having been that kid, how at 24 you went from that to and then someone telling you that just before you go on air.

Yeah. How do you, horrifying? Like where did that come from? I think it was, I mean, TV in those. days was sink or swim. Like I naively thought, when I land Blue Peter, I'm overnight going to be this gregarious, confident person and it's going to all be amazing. Like, maybe that's why I wanted to do it, because I thought the job was going to give me those skills. And actually, the most horrifying thing was landing that job and going, holy hell, I'm the same me. I just have a very

different set of circumstances now. And it was a real sink or swim. And I always thought they'd be like this University of Television that was Blue Peter and they'd go, this is how you walk and talk and this is how you look at a camera. No, no, no, no, nothing. Like literally you're on, you're on love and you had to sink or swim. And thankfully, I chose to swim just because I loved the show. I was obsessed with the show, probably because I'd watched the presenter since I was tiny. You know, there was a lot I probably picked up about presenting without being trained as a presenter. but when I landed Blue Peter and I was suddenly had that realization of, oh my gosh, I'm still the same person, nothing's changed. It did make me really passionate. I felt really like I wanted

to go to everyone on their deathbed and go, that thing you're regretting, you know, that you never got to, you would have been the same you. You would have had different circumstances, but you would have always been the same you. And I think we always outsource fulfillment to some future events, right? When I land that job, when I land that relationship, when I've got that house, my life will be X, Y, Z. And it's about building fulfilment in the now because you're always going to be the same person. You'll just have a different set of circumstances.

So you need to be really secure and comfy and confident in who you are now. And I was so terrified those probably first three months of the show. I took liquid night nurse every night before the show because it was the only thing that would knock me out and I could actually sleep because the nerves of doing live telly were just so huge and you had to learn a script then you'd get to the studio

and it's just a thought of live TV like literally there's nowhere to hide if you fall over everyone's going to see it if you mess up your words everyone's going to see it and somehow you have to do it

with grace and panache and if you hadn't got Blue Peter having said it's what I want to do from when I'm five. Yeah. If it hadn't come for you. Yeah.

What do you think you'd have been okay? I don't know. I think I was, I had a place at uni to study psychology. So maybe I would have gone and done that. But I was kind of, I mean, I literally went all out for that one show. Like literally when he said go and get experience, I worked in hospital television with some horrendous pervy old men. I worked in a local radio.

myself to type so that I could become a PA. I then moved to the BBC in London. And when I used to have lunch hours or have to go and deliver some posts, I mean, I was a rubbish PA because I would go to deliver posts and it would be an hour because I'd go on the BBC and I'd go and stand in the gallery and watch Blue Peter happening so I could get all the tips and tricks. Like, it was incredible. And then, and yeah, so I did all of that stuff just to be in the right place at the right time. Yeah, and it paid off. I don't know what I would. have done probably psychology or maybe I'd have worked behind the scenes in TV. I don't think it would have had quite the same ring for me. But I just, I don't. It's remarkable. Yeah. It is a crazy

story. To be laser focus like that on one, this very specific thing that's not easy. I mean, I imagine there were a lot of people who want to be. Yeah, they used to get like a hundred letters a week because there was literally nowhere you could start as a TV presenter. Like now there's so many channels. Interestingly, a big switch that happened was when I started on the show, you know, teenagers would come up to me and go, how do I become a presenter? You know, I really want to present Blue Peter. By the time I left the show in 2000, the question people were asking was, how do I become famous? Really? Which was a massive shift because reality TV had started amping up and because people had suddenly seen some kind of desirability in fame being a stand-alone thing.

Fame was never a thing. People used to be famous because of something they did, be it a pop star, be it, you know, Hugh, too, like, whatever it was. Fame was the by-product, and suddenly by 2000, fame was seen as a standalone commodity, which is very interesting. So interesting. And if you think now, how many people are famous, compared to that era.

It's incredible. Would you choose to be famous? There were perks that came without a doubt at the time. Probably if I could choose to be known or not, I'd probably choose not. And for your daughter? Would I want her to be famous? No. No.

She has no interest. She's hilarious. She's probably the most stunning 19-year-old I've ever seen. and she has no idea. It's really sweet. No, not much interesting boys, like, but very, very clued up, very switched on. And when, when she looks through my, you know, she never sees my cuttings or anything, I happen to go through them to find that picture. And she's like, oh, my gosh, look at you. It's really sweet. She's like, why are these not framed in your office? Like, she's so much more savvy at 19 than I was. So much more head screwed on. What I think is wonderful is

their generation in terms of body confidence. It's worlds away from the way that ours was. It might be because she looks phenomenal. But, you know, if I say, or shall I wear this or she's like, well, why wouldn't you? Or, you know, we were going on holiday recently and I ordered a swimsuit and I hate swimsuits. They make me feel like a sausage. And I probably will never wear a swimsuit as long as I live. And she's like, no, wear the bikini. It's so much better. And actually, when we were away on holiday, And it was a really interesting insight. We were on a Greek island. Women are so much more body empowered than we are in the UK.

And I don't know if a lot of this stuff is based here specifically. I think there are other countries like, you know, France, Paris, particularly where it's an issue for women. But I think there were women at our resort rocking like Brazilian bikini bottoms that would never rock a Brazilian bikini bottom if they lived in the UK. hands down and confident and owning it and rocking it and they looked phenomenal. But in this country, you'd be kind of hiding behind a towel or I do think there's a lot that is just UK centric. It's really interesting and exciting to hear that about your daughter being

really body confident because I think I struggle to square that with what I see on social media from that age Yeah, there's a lot of 100% I'm always surprised when she comes out with things I think because I'm like how can you not be absorbed with all the kind of pouting and the preening around but I think she's just

I don't know what it comes from being confident in who she is confident in her skin they sort of seem to see through stuff which I think is wonderful can we rewind some years to something that I wanted to talk to you about, something that happened,

which was a Kate Middleton. Yes. I never know what to call her. The Duchess of Cambridge, I think. The Dutch. The Duchess of Cambridge. I was about to give birth to George. Princess Catherine.

I don't think she's Princess Kate. Oh, was she not? I get very confused. The Duchess. She's about to give birth to us. We all know who you mean. I remember this OK had this OK magazine headline really clearly. It was like,

It was how is Kate going to lose the baby weight? Yeah. Okay. And she hadn't even had the baby. Talk to us. Okay. So I at that point had two kids. I felt under pressure to lose the baby weight. Baby weight. What even is that? Do you know what I mean? It's literally the cheapest term in the world. It's strange to turn. I made a freaking human. Like what the hell? And on the baby weight thing, I gained five stone with both kids. My first one, I get everything in sight. My second, I, I, was super cautious and I gained five stone with both. Your body does what it needs to do to create and build a human home. And I also hate the word that you, and I know why you used it, but you said cautious and it's like, it's nuts that like while you're doing, yeah, the caution is like, I'm going to starve myself whilst I make this baby out of nothing. In case, like God for a bit, I guess baby weight. Like, oh no, what an awful buy product.

I mean, my water retention was off the charts. It was amazing. Same. Yeah. All I could wear was have the on a flipflops at the end. and I had no ankle. Like literally my calf went into my foot. That was your vibe here.

Oh my God, it was just. I had visions of wafting around in white linen going, look how ethereal I am. I couldn't waft. I couldn't put one foot in the end of it. And then my eldest was born in a heat wave. So that was horrifying.

No, I can't. They kept us in for a week because we were both so hot. I was like, mercy, let us out. So I remember I had two kids. I was, pro la la, went to fill the car up for some reason, walked into the petrol station and was hit by this OK magazine cover of how Kate plans to lose a baby weight. And I'd heard something that day, like George's arrival was imminent. I was so excited for them.

And I saw that cover and I was so cross about it that I took a photo of it and Twitter was a big thing then, took a photo of it and tweeted, this is absolutely disgusting. Let's all boycott OK magazine. this is not okay. Leave the woman alone. She hasn't even given birth yet or something like that. And then what did? And then I put hashtag body love, right? That was all I wrote. Got to the till to pay for my petrol and my phone and I don't know why this was even on my phone, but my phone's going, Bing, Bing, Bing, Bing, Bing, Bing, like this. And the guy in there was like, oh, someone's popular. And I was like, you have no idea what's going on. I think my phone's

broken. It went crazy. It got retreated. I mean, I can't even remember the numbers now. It was nuts and actually what was lovely. I mean, I got interviewed on the Today Show in America, access Hollywood, like everyone wanted to talk to me about it. It was bizarre. But I think it was such a time that the tide was starting to turn on these things. And what was so disappointing was the editor of OK magazine at the time was a female with children. So, and I felt sorry for her because she was obviously so caught up in this whole era of body obsession. And That's what people want to know. And the fact that you would deem that appropriate, I mean, it was just horrifying and so

disappointing. And I got most messages from men who were so grateful. They were saying, thank you so much for speaking out. My wife was feeling rubbish about herself and you've just made her feel great. Like how anyone can push or have pulled a human into the world and their first thought be, how am I going to get my body back? And it so often is. Horrifying.

I remember when I had my daughter Kaya, I had a cesarean, and I remember going into the bathroom to go to the loo for the first time. They're obsessed, aren't they, with you going to the loo? Have you done a week. Have you done a poo? And I remember going to the bathroom and looking down, and I was so shocked at this like leather handbag hanging on my front. I thought that was just going to miraculously disappear. And I remember the fuss. Do you remember when Kate came out with George and had the belly?

Yes. And everyone's going nuts. It's like, where do you think that's going to go? You know, it's just unbelievable. And certainly for women, definitely, if you've had a cesarean, like it's such a strange thing. You've just had a huge operation. And you're not only having to look after a little human,

you're having to look after yourself. You're having to worry about how you'll get the baby weight back. I remember back in the day being given a trainer by a magazine to get my baby weight back in inverted comments because that's what they do. did, right? And then they'd do a before and after and go, this is how Katie did it. And I found it when I was looking through my cuttings to find that calendar for you. The headline is so horrifying. And I know for a fact, it's not words that would ever have come out of my mouth. But they were salacious and that's why. And what must have happened was they must have said that phrase to me

and I would have gone, ha ha, or something, do you know what I mean? There's a photo of me in my bikini, and it said, Katie Hill, inverted commas, I'm not going to be a lard-ass mum. I mean, I would never even say the phrase lard-ass, let alone about another woman. Like, I just would never have said it. And so that was the world you lived in. It was like, do I want a trainer given to me for free? Well, that would be lovely. Thank you very much.

But then you're risking a headline like that and any potential backlash that comes with it. there wasn't any social media. You couldn't go live and go just so you know, I didn't say this line. You know, and so there are probably people to this day that might think that I said I didn't want to be a laudas man. Oh, that's so hard. It's hard if I'd never say that phrase. That's just not me at all. And like M said, like without social media, there's no way to set the record straight. No way to set the record straight. So there was that feeling of being beholden to them. I think that's why articles were such a big deal and that's why I hated doing them so much. The other the interesting thing was the minute you were put on telly and catapulted to this new level of

fame everybody wanted to do an interview and a photo shoot with you well you're not a model and so you'd turn up to these photos shoots you'd have hair and makeup you'd have stylus and then you'd be stood there on this X on the floor in front of a camera they'd put some music on and they go okay if you could just move what do you mean move what do you mean move one foot to the other like what do you I mean, and they're all standing behind the camera, looking at the monitor, kind of shaking the heads. Literally shaking the head. No, it's not quite working. Oh, my gosh.

And then you're getting more more solid. How you got through it in any self-esteem? I don't know. It is miraculous when I think about it. Not to go back to the beginning of this interview, but like I'm still thinking about that man saying to you, you don't carry your weight well. You don't carry it well. What does that mean?

What does that mean? And would they ever have said that to any of the boys starting? on the show. I don't think so. I don't think. I wouldn't have been able to walk out in front of horrifying. I mean, there was, right? There was an underlying kind of narrative of, you know, if we had a press launch or something, for example, there would be the kind of, oh, just get your legs out, kind of thing. You know, that was very much the, yeah, sort of playing up that side of life for sure, which is interesting. It was just like, well, I'll just dress how I like really. But yeah, there was definitely, and I think the industry pitted, you know, I was at a happy place

the other day with Fern Cotton and we always talk about it and how miraculous it is that either of a survive 90s telly and just how they would kind of try and pit women against each other, this kind of constant competition. It's just so unnecessary. Was there someone that they pitted you against regularly. Not massively, I think, but I think because the industry did that, you would then turn up at awards shows and things and you'd be on the red carpet and other girls would kind of look at you almost slightly bitchily, for want of a better word. And it's like, oh no, we're all walking through this together.

Let's all just be lovely to each other. You know, it's no, we're not in competition. And I think, you know, if for everyone that's listening, the biggest thing I would love you to walk away with is just own like your USP, like own who you are. You know, for me when I was on Blue Peter, I had the most incredible lane of one with my fast jets and my parachutes and all of that amazing stuff. And that was who I wanted to be. And actually when I left the show and got encouraged to do the more sexy stuff, well, that's not who I was. And I didn't need to play that game. I had a very strong niche of my own. And I think for everyone to feel like if you can ditch

the comparisonitis. If you can stop looking at what everyone else is doing and start owning all of your unique greatness, you know, as a coach, I genuinely believe that there's a, there's an Alex shaped hole in the world and there's an M shaped hole in the world. And if you don't have the impact that you're here to have, it's going to be lost. It's not like when we were at school and there was an interhouse netball competition. And if you weren't quite feeling it, you'd hide in the loo because you knew someone else would put themselves forward. Like, if you don't step up and be brave and do all the stuff that's on your heart to do in the world and have your impact on the world, that impact is never going to happen in any point in time. Like,

that impact is lost. That is yours. There is a you-shaped, a hole in the world. There is a you shaped sphere of influence that only you can have to make the world better. And if you don't have it. I feel so inspired. I'm like, sorry, we have to have this time. I've got to go and make a big imprint on the world. I can't send to talk to you guys anymore. I've got to go. I've got to So immediately, I do loads and stuff. But that is the point. It's like we're all here to have our own impact. And I think for everyone listening to stop the comparison,

stop looking at social media. Like if something pops up on your feed and it makes you feel less than, unfollow it, unsubscribe. Like whatever it is that you need to do to make sure your feed is fueling you up in a powerful way. If there are friends even who trigger you because of what they're doing, like hide it you don't have to unfollow them but you don't you can mute them you don't have to look at it i think we all have a responsibility to recognize that we're consuming so much all of

the time and notice the things that are fueling you and fire you up and notice the things that are draining you and minimize the time that you spend on those things okay i need you to be my life coach come on forever as well let's go what we're going to make happen Katie, you're amazing. Thank you so much. Oh, I love it. This has been absolutely brilliant to talk to you. You've lived through a crazy time in the media.

You've come out unscades and you found your feet in a completely different space as a life coach. We're going to put the link to your life coaching in the show notes. And thank you so much for being here. This has been so cool to talk to you. And thank you for what you guys are doing. The phrase guys, sorry, I know a lot of women have a problem with that. We do not. We don't.

We don't guess. Okay. I've told off the other day. And I'm like, I'm so sorry. There's so many things I have to worry about not saying. Oh, no, you could kick us in the head. We wouldn't tell you. But I do, I love what you're doing.

And I think the conversations that you're having are so important. So in terms of impact, you're already doing really well. Thank you. Should I delete that as part of the ACAS creator network?