Spinning Plates with Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Episode 109: Charlotte Hawkins

Episode Date: October 2, 2023

Charlotte Hawkins presents Good Morning Britain where she proudly helps set the news agenda for the day and quizzes the people in power on the TV viewer's behalf. She also has a lifelong love of music and presents a show on Classic FM.Charlotte talked about how she and her husband tried without success to have a baby and were just about to set off down the IVF route when Charlotte unexpectedly became pregnant. She also spoke about how she lost her beloved Dad to motor neurone disease, just a month before her daughter was born, but that her daughter still has a bond with Grandad Frank, who gives her a Christmas present each year, as Charlotte knows exactly what he would have chosen.Charlotte's daughter Ella Rose is now 8 and she also tried out the TV presenter role this summer when she interviewed her idol George Ezra. She did it so well that it made me want to see lots more children putting adults in the hot seat - especially politicians.Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, I'm Sophia Lispector and welcome to Spinning Plates, the podcast where I speak to busy working women who also happen to be mothers about how they make it work. I'm a singer and I've released seven albums in between having my five sons aged 16 months to 16 years, so I spin a few plates myself. Being a mother can be the most amazing thing It can also be hard to find time for yourself and your own ambitions I want to be a bit nosy and see how other people balance everything. Welcome to spinning plates Hey guys, I can't guarantee this is gonna be as quiet as I've been lucky enough to be recently because I'm doing this in the same as Mickey. Mickey, do you want to give a shout out? Do you want to say hi? Hi.

There you go. It's Saturday, just after lunch, just tidying up the kitchen. Sometimes when it's lunchtime, I end up doing a slight cafe service, which I didn't mean to do. So there are three variables of what we had for lunch today. But a lot of leftovers got eaten and that's all good um actually quite a funny thing this week where I could not think what I wanted to make for supper for the kids and I and I actually used my cookbook as an idea of what to do and I did the chili in there which hadn't had for ages and you know what it turns out really well

and I've got a few meals out of it sorry that's me tidying up um so this week well I've recorded oh I've done another three podcast episodes this week so I'm feeling pretty good because basically when I started doing the podcast I had no idea how long I was going to do it for so I basically have to trick myself and what I do is I always start recording the next series not giving myself time to think and that way it sort of ties me in like oh I've got to finish the 10 now so with that in mind I've done a couple that will be part of series what's the next one is it 13 or 12 anyway that one so that's good a couple of really great chats and oh I really loved today's guest so I'm going to um introduce you to conversation a weird way to say it

I'm going to play you what am I doing you're about to hear sorry this is what happens when I distract myself we're doing trying to do two things at once. My brain is not sophisticated enough. In a minute, you will hear my conversation with Charlotte Hawkins. So Charlotte and I met through doing Good Morning Britain. What's wrong, Mickey? Mickey, you do not need that much mayonnaise. Mickey's a condiment king, like me. I'm a condiment queen.

He's got ketchup and mayonnaise, and he's put in quite a lot for about two chips left. That was all there were. Yes, I met Charlotte on Good Morning Britain when I go in early morning, and she was always very friendly and very lovely. And over the years, I would see her out and about and stuff. We would get chatting. And she's always seemed like a really, really lovely woman.

And what I think is so lovely and warm about Charlotte is that she always looks so beautiful and immaculate, but she's also a very real person. And I don't mean that, that sounds like a really dismissive thing, and I don't mean it like that. It's just I think sometimes when people always look so so gorgeous and well turned out you sort of feel like they are going to always give you the you know that's that's the version of themselves they put out but actually Charlotte as you'll hear in her chat she speaks about um she lost her lovely dad um he got uh diagnosed

with motor neurone disease and died just a month before she had her first baby. She also speaks about how hard it was to have her first baby. And I'm really grateful to her for being so open about it. And, yeah, we had such a nice conversation. She'd been up since 2.45, because that's what time she has to get up. And, I mean, she's very tolerant of me asking all the same questions that everybody must ask her all the time about, you know, sleep and routine.

But I think if you do breakfast news, you're just thinking, wow, how does that work? How does that work? Because, you know, there's a whole world out there, isn't there, of people who do night shifts and early starts and all of this. I think for the majority of us that's not the life we're living and life is so set up for everything happening at certain times of the day you know the expectation that most people are getting up at what 7 7 30 it's kind of the way the world works isn't it but imagine if you're actually getting... Charlotte said she goes to bed just after her daughter

at about 8 or 9. Then she's up at 2.45. So I'm like, even then, that's not that much sleep. It's not like she's getting, like, 10 hours or something. What is that? 9, 10, 11, 12, 1. Yeah, well, it's six and a half hours sleep. That's not very much.

Anyway, yeah yeah lovely conversation and what else have I got to tell you about sorry I'm just filling the dishwasher at the same time um trying to think no I think mainly this week has just been about settling and trying to get settled into the new the new new of all the new schools so the home life stuff has been a little bit more changed than we've had for oh golly ages actually it's been a really big shift like a clunk into a new gear and I'm also starting to put in place some songwriting sessions for my new album I'm really excited I can't wait um actually I'm going to do some songwriting with a friend of mine called Hannah Robinson, who I used to work with a lot around the time of my third and fourth album, I think.

We did things like Me and My Imagination and Bittersweet together. And I was saying to her, oh, I want to write songs that reflect where I'm at in life. And basically, we started winding each other up. And then came to the conclusion that my new album should be called perimenopop it's sort of like a perimenopausal woman's don't worry i am joking i'm gonna head we're gonna go in the garden mickey yes what do you want to do in the garden um yeah simple Yeah, simple. The Care Bears? The Care Bears? Okay, they're here.

Bought some Care Bears off eBay. We're bringing them outside while we play. Perfect, we can line them all up. Come on, follow me. Follow you in the garden. Yes, I will see you on the other side. Charlotte and her husband have Ella Rose, who you'll hear about. She is eight, I believe.

Golly, memory, I'm pretty sure. Don't worry, she says it as well. And yeah, we had a great conversation. I will see you on the other side. I'm going to play with some caregivers in the garden. Bye. Well, it's so lovely to see you and thank you for coming straight from work and how often is the answer you give to the first question people talk to you about in interviews 245 good one it's great to be here that is the question that everyone asks me

yeah what time do you get up what's it like getting up at that time of the morning? I can't recommend it on a regular basis, but you just sort of get used to it, really. Quite a lot of the time, my alarm goes off, and I think, what is that noise? It's the middle of the night. And then I realise, oh, that's my alarm. I've got to get up for work.

Even now? You've been doing it for so long. I know. And I did did you know however many years at Good Morning Britain our show's going to be 10 years old next year and then I did seven years at Sky News Sunrise doing the breakfast show there so that's quite a lot of getting up in the middle of the night but you know you just get up there's no snooze button straight in the shower get on with it And I think because it's so busy,

you don't really have time to think about feeling tired or anything else. You just get on with it. So, yeah, that's it really. And I guess when you get to work, there's this whole energy and hubbub and industry around what you're doing that's got such momentum to it. You just kind of get on that train, don't you? Exactly. As soon as you get in there, that's it.

There's not a minute to spare. You know, in there we're having meetings we're having hair and makeup then you before you know it you're live on air so you're hoping that you've woken up by the time that kicks in um several cups of tea later you're feeling a bit more with it um so you just kind of go with it and I love it it's just so exciting to do that and I feel really great for working in Breakfast TV that you get to tell people the news first which is just like when you've got the best bits of gossip and you want to be the one that tells everybody and that's what it feels like because everyone's waking up and you're saying you'll never guess what's going on and any times when I've done sort of news later in the day, I just find it sort of takes up my whole day

and I'm always listening to it and thinking about it, which when you work in news, you are anyway. But it's nice when you're setting the agenda and you're saying to people, this is what's important this morning. And then you just sort of, you know, hand it over and that's it. You can then do things with the rest of your day as long as you're not too tired, which is great.

Yeah, no, that's actually a really good point. Because I was thinking, if you're, you know, really into current affairs and the news, it must be quite hard when you go to bed to just like, turn everything off and kind of think, trust that you'll know what you need to know by the morning. Because obviously, it's all happening around the world. And we have such access to all the time. So you're quite good at not kind of like scrolling, scrolling, following things I'd be I feel like I'd find it hard to switch off it can be I think that's the thing sometimes it's like revising for an exam where the curriculum keeps

changing every single minute because one thing you know one moment you think I'm right across that story I know exactly what's happening and then you turn away for a second and it's all changed it's moved on and I think that's the same with our program that you see what's happening. And then you turn away for a second and it's all changed. It's moved on. And I think that's the same with our programme, that you see what's going to be in the programme in the evening and you think, great, I know exactly what questions I want to ask, what bits I want to focus on. And you wake up the next morning and they say,

oh, no, this has changed overnight. We're not doing that anymore. We're doing this. But you've just got to go with the flow and just trust the fact that, you know, it'll all come together and you know enough about it. You know what people at home watching are going to want to know. So I think that's the key thing to ask the questions that they want to know. But sometimes it can be hard to switch off from it. And I think I found that most profoundly during COVID because it was like the breaking news story that never stopped. Day after day after day, there were really important updates that I felt really responsible for making sure I was across all the right facts, all the right information, everything that we're being told to be able to ask the right questions, hold ministers to account.

It just felt so important. And sometimes it got to the stage where I thought, I have to switch off. And you're getting so much information as well. I didn't want to get any information that wasn't right. So I had to be really careful about the sources that I was going to, who I was listening to, what I was reading, to make sure that everything I had was factually incorrect.

So that was just one of those moments where you're in a heightened state of alert, but for such a long amount of time, that was quite hard to sustain that. And I think also when you're feeling, you know, I sort of felt that anxiety, like, you know, everybody else did, but what on earth is going on with this? It's one of those stories where, at the same time time you're really feeling it as a person and having to look at the story and examine all the facts as a journalist as well well I think actually I mean even hearing you talk about it reminds me of how massive the news was for us at that time as well in terms of like keeping on top of it and looking at all the I felt like that was a really significant part of your day was just just having the radio and having the TV on,

letting it roll, letting all the information come, because it was scary and abstract, and it felt like you needed to be really keeping your wits about you, really, and, as you say, keeping abreast of what was the right information and the wrong thing and what had been corrected and updated and the new protocol. So I think, for you, you must have had, it sort of must have come in all angles as well,

because as a human, you're experiencing all in your life and it affects everything. Yeah, it was like a tsunami. And at the same time, I'm having to homeschool my daughter, which was a challenge in itself. And she loves school. So actually, in theory, it should have been quite straightforward. But when you say to her, OK, we're doing English now,

and she's like, no, I don't want to do English now. And it's just, it was really hard. I'm not a teacher to be able to sort of say to her, you know, this is what we're doing. But I have to say a huge thank you to you because you kept us sane in our house. I'm going to get emotional now. Honestly, the highlight of our week was

Friday, the kitchen disco. Me and my daughter would be dancing around the kitchen and it was just like a beacon at the end of the week when the working week was done. We'd got through the homeschooling. We could bop around the kitchen. And I think when you couldn't see anyone else and you sort of welcomed everyone into your home and my daughter just felt like she knew all your family. It was such a lovely moment. So a big thank you. Oh, well, thank you for coming over.

And it's a really lovely set because I was having exactly the same stresses as you all week in terms of homeschooling. In fact, I was probably doing way, way worse with it really. We abandoned it quite early. I don't know how you coped in terms of like homeschooling aspect in fact I was probably doing my way worse with it really we abandoned it quite early with all of yours well actually at the beginning I did think I've really bitten off more than I can chew in terms of children um by the number and also the the age span um a bit late to reconsider by that point yeah it really was I hadn't factored in in the idea of actually just being sealed with all of them permanently and then being responsible for education and stuff but what a weird old time um and actually you've mentioned Ella Rose I was watching this adorable clip of her yesterday

interviewing George Ezra on Good Morning Britain oh my goodness she did so well so she's eight now she's eight now yes but when she was seven she came in because george edgworth was going to be on and i think one of the producers had said to you wouldn't it be nice if ella rose came in interview yeah so what happened was um we draw up a list of things that she'd like to do over the holidays because i think because i'm working as well i want her to feel like she's had a special holiday and she's done all the things that she wants to do so that summer holiday we'd had a list of, you know, things I want to do with my summer holiday. And one of them was I want to go into work with you. So I said, yeah, you know, that's fine.

I'm sure we can sort that out one morning. And it was about holiday Monday. And George Ezra is one of her favorite singers. And he was going to be on the show. So I'd said, could she come in because she's such a super fan? And then I said, do you think you might sign a photo? Is that okay? Because I didn't sort of want to ambush him.

And that's when they turned around and said, well, actually, would she like to ask a question or two? So she'd drawn up this whole list of questions that she wanted to ask him. She was so excited about it. And I think when I got there in the morning, I think I was sort of busy doing the show. And it was only when I sat down and the idea was that we would start to interview George

and then we'd bring Ella Rose on. And I was so nervous on her behalf because it suddenly hit me that she was only seven. And I thought, I haven't really said to her what it might feel like to be on TV and you know we'd gone through what she would say so from that point of view I was all confident but I did have that moment where I thought anything could happen now and I do feel quite responsible for the fact that I've allowed this to happen but I was so proud and I think because she loved him so much and she was just like well all I've got to do is ask these questions in her mind it was really straightforward she's like well I've got these questions on a clipboard all I've got to do is ask him the questions and I don't think she had any

concept about people at home watching in a sense you know in her mind it's just like great I get to speak to him I get to ask these questions but what a moment for her she's never going to forget that it's just such a highlight definitely well firstly what I liked is she was reading a question but she'd always look up and ask the question to his eyes rather than squirreling her head in the paper which I thought was very impressive but also I was thinking I think they should have a thing where kids interview people on tv more often because it was really lovely to see how George had to sort of turn his whole body towards her, and then he had to speak to her in a way that answered her questions,

but was also, you know, keeping her feeling safe with what she was thinking. And it made it feel like you were kind of eavesdropping on a conversation between two people, where, you know, it wasn't for broadcast, it was more like between them. I think that's, honestly, I was like, this is actually really engaging. I think more people should be interviewed by children. They can't hide at things as well. I know, I think that's the thing. I mean, you know, he was like, this is actually really engaging. I think more people should be interviewed by children. They can't hide at things as well. I know, I think that's the thing. I mean, you know, he was lovely anyway.

We were having a great interview, but so many people got in touch to say he came to life because he obviously sort of, you know, engaged with her, reacted to that. And I think you just get something different out of someone when it's a child asking the questions. So we were laughing about it on Good Morning Britain, about bringing all our children in to do like a special one day and just handing it over to them and say, right, you do the news, the weather,

the entertainment. The news by kids. Like all the serious stuff. They're just them. Like, oh my God, imagine all the MPs having to deal with kids' direct questions. Yeah. That would kind of be incredible, actually. Put them on the spot.

Yes. And you just don't know what they're going to ask. Why did you not answer my question? Yeah. Why are you giving me an answer to a different question? Yeah. I'm all for it. Actually, when you said that she was not really that nervous

because to her she was just going to read out what she'd already prepared, that reminded me of something I heard you say about your job and when you have to do public speaking and when you're, you know, doing your job and how you don't really tend to get nervous in that way because you're just about to do the thing you've already prepped for. So it sounds like maybe you and Eleraise have got a similar way of handling the pressure and the responsibility of broadcast broadcast really. I guess I mean I'd probably said to her something like that because in theory you know when you're

working in television either you're reading bits off an autocue and if you boil that down it's essentially you know reading out loud isn't it okay yeah you're sort of getting the meaning of what you're saying and in our job you know you're working on and off the auto cue so you've got to kind of dip in and out of bits like that and in other senses you're having a conversation and it's not like usually in a conversation you don't just stop dead thinking oh I don't know what I'm going to say now you know you don't get nervous in a conversation because you know you just keep talking or if you don't talk the other person picks up and there's something very different, I think, about people being aware of what they're doing on TV

that can just sometimes make people completely freeze. It's a really weird thing. And I think I look back to when I first started out in TV and I was absolutely terrified that very first story. And I remember I was so keen to do something I was a producer behind working behind the scenes beavering away and you know they always say about a sort of dress for the job that you want and I was like there in my suit ready to go the reporter if I needed to be and one time they did say to me we want you to do a we want you to do a live on this breaking news story

and it was one of those weird stories about a hole had opened up in a pavement and someone had fallen into this hole I mean luckily they were okay so I was just thinking oh my goodness this is my moment I get to talk about this breaking news story my friends who were watching at home have not stopped laughing about the fact they were like you honestly you look like the world was about to end breaking news that this what turned out to be a pretty small hole was opened up in a pavement and someone had fallen into it but a maximum gravitas I wanted to give it exactly the news gravitas the authority and there was me thinking I've nailed it I think maybe I went a little bit overboard on that one but you know sometimes you never quite know how you're going to react but I

feel really lucky working on Good Morning Britain because if things go wrong, if you get your words mixed up, if, you know, I don't know, someone doesn't understand a question or someone, you can just work with it. It's a conversation, people laugh it off. And I think that's when you're watching at home, people love that kind of thing when things don't quite go to plan. And that's what's lovely about it is having the light and shade that yes you do all the serious stuff but at the same time you're having a laugh and and doing the light-hearted things as well yeah I think they love seeing the humanity of it and people really as you say the the relationship that the presenters have with each

other but actually when you were talking about reading on the autocue and how you're just delivering you know you know what you're where you're headed with things what's it like when you have strong opinions about things I mean is there have you had to learn to edit yourself do you think when you're talking to people about how you feel about things or have you got more freedom to speak about stuff yeah I think you know obviously as journalist, you want to present things in a balanced way. There are going to be stories that you have strong opinions on for whatever reason. But I think, you know, in that case, you're sort of upfront about it and say, well, you know, if there's a particular reason why you feel a certain way, sometimes things are always going to affect you more than others. If it's something that hits home for a personal reason, then that's when you can kind of feel like a bit more involved.

And sometimes I just get really, I think especially when ministers aren't answering the questions and you know it's something really important for people at home, then that's what really bugs me, actually. And that's when I'm most likely to get wound up about something um but um I think you know it's it's nice that we've got the freedom to be able to ask the questions that we want to ask I don't have anybody saying don't ask that question um and that's an important thing I think to have that freedom to be able to

work out what you want to ask from your point of view. Yeah, and actually, I think that really resonates when you say that the thing that bugs you the most is when people aren't being direct. Because actually, I think that leads to such a disconnect and a mistrust of people in positions of authority, isn't it? When they're being asked direct questions that affect everybody's lives and they're just sort of skirting around it because it's almost like a dance that people can do. And it's like, I know that's very clever, but you're not actually really reassuring people or delivering the answer that they deserve to hear.

So I think that would really wind me up as well. But I was thinking someone who probably doesn't edit is someone like Piers Morgan. And I was wondering, and this is quite a sort of 2023 type of question really but do you think that the way that women are how they are portrayed and what the role they have in delivering the news is do you think it's shifted do you think that there's more are women allowed to inhabit the same sort of space in terms of i don't know holding people

to account or you know interrupting or you know all the sort of I suppose the things that Piers does that would not be the traditional way of being on as a presenter I think yeah I think there's definitely more freedom these days for people to be who they are and everyone's got a different approach haven't they and you know Piers is a one- one of a kind, let's face it, you know, and he does things his way. And I think the good thing is that, in a sense, we all do things our own way and are able to do that. And I remember when I first started off in news

and they used to talk about kind of different approaches, being a presenter when you're asking those tough questions. And there are those people that will go in all guns blazing. And there are other people who will go in a bit more gently and still get the same, if not, you know, better answers. You just don't know. Everyone's got different approaches, but they talk about like the iron fist in a velvet glove.

And I quite like that. For me, I think that's sort of more the approach that I have, that I make sure sort of, I want to be firm with people and hold them to account. But unless I'm really annoyed, I try not to interrupt people because I know that, you know, people watching at home want to hear what people have got to say. But if they're consistently not answering the question, if they're not being factual, if I think that they're trying to veer off a difficult point, then I will interrupt because that starts to annoy me then. So I think, you know, everyone's got different approaches. But I think when you look at the strong females who are in the news profession, you know, I work with Susanna and Kate, and,

you know, they're both great examples of it, people who are not afraid to ask the difficult questions, then I think we've definitely moved from the age where you just sort of sit there and look pretty on the sidelines. I completely agree with you, and that's what I was thinking about, because I think it has shifted, but I wondered if it felt the same for you on the inside. And I actually also totally agree with that idea of, what do you say, the iron fist and the velvet glove?

Because I think sometimes, you know, if you're faced're faced with you know you've interviewed by certain people you know oh i've got to keep my wits about me here but actually the sort of slightly more softly approach lets people kind of actually you show see more of their character sometimes because they're just their guards a bit more down so i quite like that too for watching it and kind of people kind of unveiling things i think it can work really well and now a word from our sponsor which is the brilliant clarks for growing feet and safe hands and now spot it's been in place as partner with clarks a brand who have almost 200 years in perfecting their products and they've taken these learnings into their first shoes offering uh we got mickey first school shoes from there recently. Your child's first

shoes are just so much more than something you put on their feet. They are memory makers, they're journey takers and they mark that moment you realise your baby isn't a baby anymore, they're a toddler. I remember that moment. And do you remember back in the summer, we brought you an extra special Clark's Culture guide with some inspiration of things you could do with your little ones up and down the uk from music festivals to walks in nature all things you can do with your little ones while they're learning to walk and jump and climb and all these things well we are back this time with some inspiration for the upcoming half term and i love this time of year I love autumn it's looking so beautiful so why don't you head pumpkin picking yes go for a pumpkin picking experience and carving it's really good

for the whole family this we all all five kids from you know four to nineteen they've all get their own pumpkins around here we love carving a pumpkin in fact I like doing my own as well um if you search pumpkin picking near me, you'll find places all over the UK you can head to. It's a really lovely way to spend time. And then you can carve them. You can make obviously pumpkin pie, which is popular around here too. Gets you in the mood for trick or treating. Take your wellies. It can be muddy. That's my tip. Another brilliant thing you could do is go to The Lookout in Hyde Park, London for their hair-raising Halloween talks. Now, these are from the 26th to 28th of October between 11am and 3pm. They're free, these creepy

crawly Halloween-themed activities. So brilliant. I would say two things. You can dress up. Yes, you can go all Halloween-y if you want, but also wear some comfy shoes because I think you're going to be walking around the park but it'll be beautiful hyde park is so lovely at this time of year now another option for you and one another one i think we'll be doing around here family cinema trip because sometimes you know all this time of year autumn doesn't always bring the warm dry weather sometimes it's just a bit cold and drizzly so look there's a new paw patrol film there film. There's a new Trolls movie coming out in October. This is something for the whole family, isn't it?

Everybody in our house has watched Trolls. And lots of cinema chains now have kids clubs. You can get reduced ticket fees. So check out for some deals in your local cinema when the weather is not on your side. These are brilliant places for kids to get together and enjoy a film. We love going to the movies, all of us. It's such a lovely thing.

And as I say, like fun for all the family. So brilliant tips there, I think. Pumpkin picking, high park Halloween talks and a cinema trip. Thank you so much to Clark for partnering with Spinning Plates on the extra special Clark's Culture Guide. We will be back around Christmas time with another guide. Please let me know how you get on with your adventures. Share some pictures. I'd love to know how you get on with your adventures share some pictures

I'd love to see how you're doing with everything you can share them on social with hashtag Clark's culture guide also remember Clark's in-store fitting service is available in all Clark's stores that sell kids shoes and each pair of shoes matches happy healthy movement at every stage of your child's walking development and beyond shop clark's first shoe collection now or book an appointment for an in-store fitting at clarks.co.uk so your relationship with news it sounds like because your enthusiasm for it has continued like from when you were young because i know when you were even when you were before you were working you would watch your regional news and just like the whole way that it was shown and was it Meridian

you're watching? Yeah so I grew up watching that one I think yeah I was always just fascinated by what was going on in the world and just always wanted to ask questions about you know why and just was a was a very kind of curious person that wanted to get to the bottom of things and I think I did have quite a strong sense of when I thought there was injustice, that I wanted to try and right some wrongs. You kind of start off with that sort of aim that that's what you want to do to get to the bottom of things. So that's kind of, I think that sparked it for me, my interest in journalism. And I, you know, I really wanted to kind of be like an investigative reporter or just try and get to the heart of things and and try and dig a little bit deeper yeah I think um I can get that from

you both your curiosity but also your ambition because you know after you actually end up working on Meridian and then kind of climbing the ranks to get to national daily news and I wondered if you always saw motherhood as something that would be interwoven with that because presumably if you're busy you know moving through the different ranks it's also a big thing to think about when that might be interrupted by something I know well it's you know it's always a it's always tricky timing isn't it and I think for us um we were in a situation where we then sort of thought okay let's start a family and then it didn't happen for us and it didn't happen for a long time and then that's really tricky because I think you know you sort of sail through life don't you and you

sort of get used to the fact that right I'm doing this I'm doing that okay now I have a family and it doesn't work like that for everybody so that was quite a shock I think and that really shook my world because all of a sudden there was something that I had no control over that I didn't know whether it was going to work out for us and we'd got to the stage where know, we were about to go down the IVF route, we had the paperwork, I just got the new job at Good Morning Britain. So, you know, it was really bad timing, from the sense that I just got a new job, and then I found out I was pregnant. So I guess, you know, it's one of those things when they say when you're thinking about it least, it's the most likely to happen but

actually you know I'm so grateful that we have her and I'm grateful that I've got a job where it's allowed me to spend a lot of time with her particularly when she was little and then I could just go back and I'd be there for the rest of the day so actually you know having my job where I get up at stupid o'clock in the morning has meant that I was able to spend more time with her I'm able to get back and do the school run and do all those things and now we have pretty much the same bedtime so she loves it she's like time for bed you've got work tomorrow mummy and she's like reminding me that I need to go to bed because I need to get to sleep well I'm really glad that you have, Ella-Rose,

and I'm sorry it was such a long road to get there, but that does mean you get this really wanted baby. And I think there are so many people out there who are dusting themselves off and getting back out to work every day. And that's the story that's going on at home. And I would imagine that your thoughts were just, I mean, I don't know, I think it sort of gets to a point in your brain when you want to start a family where it's kind of like one all roads lead back to that thought and especially you know when you're working alongside other people and they're talking about their kids and you know you hear about different people and babies and especially in your 30s when everybody seems to be like right let's do this so I imagine for you there must have

been a lot of days we were just thinking I just I just want this to be like, right, let's do this. So I imagine for you there must have been a lot of days where you're just thinking, I just want this to be started and why is it not me right now? What's happening? Yeah, it takes over your whole life. I think that's the trouble and it's the thing that you can never get away from because, like you say, you're just surrounded by it day in, day out, whether it's from friends, whether it's from friends whether it's from other people and I think you just you just look around thinking I don't know if this is going to

happen for us and what do I do if it doesn't when you'd assumed that that was going to be the rest of your life yeah so I just I really feel for those people who have gone through that and then it hasn't worked for whatever reason. Because I don't know how I would have got my head around that, actually. I mean, we'd have, you know, we'd have, I'm sure, just sort of had children in our life in some way, but I don't know what that would have looked like. And I just feel so grateful to have her.

She is our little miracle and she's so much fun. She just brings so much to our lives craziness all the rest of it but so much laughter it's just a blessing yeah that's a really a really happy thing and and actually thinking about your working life I think you know from the outside you know people would see you on tv every day and it would look like you're always out and about but actually you've probably got a lot more routine than a lot of other people who are working in areas of broadcast and entertainment actually because it's quite predict I would imagine you'd like your weeks kind of look quite similar to each other in terms of your timings usually yeah I mean

the thing is we sort of have um sometimes we can have quite a few evening things and then early the next day. But I think in a sense, it's just making sure that you've got good plans in place. So I always try and make it sound exciting for Ella Rose, like, you know, oh, you're doing this. And oh, by the way, I'm going out, you know, that kind of thing. Rather than, oh, I'm going out, therefore you're doing this. Or someone, this person's coming to look after you. And I find bringing little things back, whether it's a notepad from the hotel room or whatever,

always goes down well with an eight-year-old. I'm not saying this is going to work for every age, but I'll say, look, you never guessed what was at the hotel. Look at this pack of biscuits. And she's like, oh, you should go away more often and bring me biscuits actually I think you're right and I remember when when I used to do lots of like foreign trips where I could bring had like an ability to bring a plus one with me I would always take the kids when they got to like seven plus I'd be like right you're just going to come with me on your own and actually it'd be amazing because I'd be staying at these really it could

be like you know what to me looks like a really average hotel and they'd just just be like, oh, my word, the chandelier and the reception. Suddenly everything was super exciting. There's a shower cap in a box in the bathroom. That's the amazing thing about children, because sometimes when you look at things through their eyes, I think you see a whole different perspective. And, you know, she went through a stage where she was so excited about going to the supermarket, which usually you drag yourself there,

you try and get around as quickly as possible. But this was like heaven. And she's like, oh, look at this. This is amazing. For her, it's just, you know, a great kind of treat going to the supermarket. And you think, oh, I'd forgotten how exciting supermarkets can be. But sometimes I think when you look at things through the eyes of a child and see what they appreciate and how they look at things it does kind of give you a

a different perspective because we tend to go through life and you're like oh I'm learning about this that and the other and actually for them they have such a different outlook on things and that getting that immediate joy and gratification from things however small um I don't know how this is going to change when she gets to be a teenager it just it just shifts and yeah they I think teenage bit can be a bit can get a bit muddy shall we say but I'll come to you for advice that's what I'm gonna do let me get a few more over the line first but yeah I think it's just um you're right about that like innate enthusiasm for small things I mean I don't think it's even in every kid actually but I know that I've I've definitely had children where like we'll be like I just need to go you know and pick up something from the dry cleaners and one of them I'll come okay great

you know nice little nice little jaunt to go and pick something up but um did you ever I suppose if you're if you you know if the longing for a child has been something that's been like a longer road maybe it didn't even really occur to you to indulge this thought but did you have any worries about your ambition or whether you would continue working or how your relationship would be with work or was it always like oh no I will keep doing what I do no it was always work is is you know always been important to me so I knew that I would want to have a setup where I could juggle both, balance both. So that was really important to me. I wasn't sure, obviously, how I was going to feel after.

You know, everyone said, you know, you kind of have these plans when you're pregnant and you think, oh, I'll go back to work at this time and I'll do this. And everyone sort of said, look, just see how you feel. But actually, I did need that focus again so I went back to work four months after having LROs and again I was lucky because I could kind of keep all the other work commitments down so that I was just going into Good Morning Britain and then coming straight back to be with her so it was a bit sort of more of a manageable return but I think I felt more like me then. And I think she got the better side of me because then I was thinking, oh, great, I can't wait to see her. And

it was being able to spend that quality time with her that worked well for me, rather than I kind of just had this weird world beforehand where I just thought, had this weird world beforehand where I just thought, I'm not really sure this is me at my best when I'm here day in, day out. And I think particularly when she was newborn and everything is just such a mission, isn't it? And I remember that the health visitor had sort of said, just try and do at least one thing a day, try and get out one time a day which seems you know some days you think oh no but it's good to be able to do because you just need to get out you can get out of the house yeah and also to challenge yourself right can I remember to pack up everything and and get it all in the buggy and not forget anything crucial um so yeah I think it that that sort of worked for me being able to do the both and

yeah I need it for my headspace to be able to feel my best and then to be able to be my best with her yeah I think actually it's quite impressive that you sort of recognize it in yourself quite quickly because I think sometimes we sort of have an I don't know an expectation I actually went back to work quite quickly after a lot of mine as well from that same thing but I think sometimes we sort of have an, I don't know, an expectation. I actually went back to work quite quickly after a lot of mine as well from that same thing. But I think I didn't really realise it with my first one because I don't think I kind of knew what that would look like yet to be working. I think my head just felt really foggy and I was worried about how I'd get ideas for songs or even string a sentence together probably.

But I think to know when you're in that three, four months of that newborn to think actually I'm not quite my full self here and I need to be able to do the work thing just to feel like I can give her the best of me when I get home I think is a really important recognition but I guess you're also dealing with extra things I was reading that before so you lost your dad only a month before you had your baby is that right yeah I'm so sorry there must have been an immense juxtaposition of emotions it was yeah it was just a surreal time because you know we'd known for some time obviously that my dad wasn't well he was getting worse and when you have motor neurone disease it only it's a terminal illness you know it's only going one way so we knew that he was

in decline. I was so pleased to be able to tell him that I was pregnant and be able to share that news, which was just amazing. And I just had hoped that he would still be there to meet her, but it wasn't to be. And it was pretty much a month to the day before she was born that he went and it sort of almost felt like that circle of life you know that he left so she could come in I don't know it just you know I could I found it hard though because I was pregnant at the time and really pregnant and I didn't want that massive sadness that I was so scared was going to engulf me. I didn't want her to feel that. So I really tried to put that off. You can't really postpone that. But that's why I think I had this, these just, you know, after she

was born, then a huge high, but it always comes out in some way so I did have a massive roller coaster of emotions it was a it was a really tricky time then afterwards and I think it did take me longer to then because I think I'd postponed my grieving so then you're going through all sorts of different feelings so it was um it was quite a sort of full-on time emotionally and going back to work and then trying to get your head around that. It was what I needed, but at the same time was quite difficult to do when you're not necessarily feeling

that you want to sort of put a smile on and be all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. But sometimes you just have to get back out there and you just have to think, right, you know, I have to move on and I have to be able to make this work. And I think particularly for her sake, because you think I have to get back out there and you just have to think right you know I have to move on and I have to be able to make this work and I think particularly for her sake because you think I have to get myself together um because I wanted to be strong for her but the lovely thing is that even though she never met him she you know she out of choice she just got one of the photos of him and she has it in her room and like he's still very much alive for her even though she never met him which is really special and he gets her presents of every

Christmas as if by magic I kind of I know what he would have got her what he would have liked her to have had so I sort of saying this is from granddad Frank so it's kind of a way of keeping him alive for her so actually they have a special bond because of that which is really lovely well in turn that must mean that you had a really special bond with your dad if you knew him so well you'd know even what he would pick for your daughter that's really lovely and it's I do relate to that a little with my mydad when he died. And my youngest was only one, so he wouldn't remember him at all. But there's pictures everywhere. We kind of talk about him.

I think it feels like a very natural thing sometimes to keep someone still present, even if they're not physically here anymore. If you love them that much and you can sort of realize them again, can't you? The seat at the table or what they would have thought of things or significant events like oh they would have been here for this so I think it feels natural to keep that world turning but I'm so sorry that you went through that I think I think motor neurone disease is one of the cruelest I went one time to the research center for that and I remember speaking to the specialist and he said well the trouble is when people get the diagnosis they tend to be maybe only have a year or so and it's I can't imagine what it must be like to just watch

someone sort of ebbing away with such a cruel illness I'm sorry you experienced that with your dad well it's yeah I mean it's it is horrific it's it's literally one of the worst because the person's body just gives up around them and stops working and it's it's so hard for them to go through it's so hard for the family to watch them go through but you know I sort of try and channel all that I'm a patron now for Motor Neurone Disease Association and I want to do anything I can to try to you know a support any family that's going through it at the moment and b try to make sure that we get as much funding as we can for the research because one of the experts i spoke to just said you know he is confident that in our lifetime they will find a cure for this so we are on the cusp of

making a huge difference and it would be just amazing if we could give those people diagnosed with motor neurone disease hope because they don't have that at the moment yeah there aren't the effective treatments that even slow it down and for most other diseases when you you have a diagnosis there are things that you can do there are chances there's a chance that you can beat it but with motor neurone disease you just can't yeah that is you know I can't even imagine I mean it's such a big bombshell to have put into the middle of your life if that's something that you or a loved one has had that diagnosis. And I know that there has been like a lot more of a profile given to it. Do you remember the ice bucket challenge?

Because that was all started as funding for that. So I think, yeah, we have to keep it present. So that's brilliant that you're still engaged and involved. And I imagine it probably seems quite instinctive to just think I want to make sure that I can give support but also try and make sure that we actually don't have this affect anyone else anymore let's hope so let's hope so yes here's to that so I'm just thinking back so Ella was born in amongst all of this and I wondered if maybe your job has encouraged this sort of compartmentalization of how you have to kind of park things a little bit because presumably

you're not always dealing with things as huge as that but when you get to work in the morning you've got to just be like right this is where we're at and I have to be able to just focus on the task at hand and kind of leave things outside for a little bit. I mean, does work offer you a comfort with that, do you think? I think it's strange, isn't it? Because I do the job where I can't get an emergency phone call, for example. Like if something happens at home, they can't ring me because I'm live on air in the studio. So it is that weird feeling that you have to be able to switch off completely. So you have to trust the fact that all the arrangements you've put in place are going to work out. You've got the backup plans sorted. You know, I can't take a call from the school if she's not very well or something like that.

I can't sort that out until I come off air. So it does mean that you have to be focused. You're like, right, I'm either there with the family in that zone or I'm doing work stuff and I'm in that zone and you just have to trust that everything else is going to sort itself out so yeah I think that that side of it works and the only thing is sometimes of course you know when you're doing stories I think that involve children I think you can't help but put yourself in that you know you can't help but sort of feel that like if a parent's gone through some trauma they've lost their child or something's happened

something awful's happened then you really feel it more that's when I kind of I think you know a story upsets you more than it would do otherwise because you have to try and sort of otherwise you know every day the stories would just eat you up the stories that you are hearing so you try and sort of keep it in its little place but I think there are those ones that are going to hit home and it is the ones involving children that I just think oh you know it makes you go home and and give your child an extra big hug um well I remember when I had um Sunny my mum saying that to me that she said the thing is once you're a parent or you know you have like a child in your life you care about every news story you become you you're in that story it's happening to you so you read about what's happened to that child and it's for that

moment you're just like touching the corners of it that being you and I think I don't think you can really switch that off I suppose that the tricky thing for anyone involved in taking a new story and making it you know national news is that you're you have to not everything is there to to be problem solved in the immediate sometimes letting people tell their story is part of, you know, the importance of spreading the word. I remember I was reading an interview with Helen Skelton and she was saying that she was doing some fundraising and she saw this kid in a really bad way. And she tried to help them and the camera crew were like, you have to stop doing this because if we don't show that story, people won't know what's happening here. You might solve it for today for that person, but that story won't get any further.

So I think it's that duality of feeling like this is so hard to talk about or to, you know, to broadcast, but the significance in getting the story out there is the point of why those people have come in and why they're sat in front of you and why they're talking about it. Even if it's very raw. Yeah, it's not, you know,

you want to be able to sort of make a difference and help people. But sometimes that is just by spreading the word. And also there's a lot of families, you know, some people sort of say, oh, how can you put these families on when they're really upset? You know, isn't it exploiting them? But actually a lot of the time they desperately want to work through the emotion the emotion the grief they want to feel like they're making a difference and a lot of time they're they want to sort of keep the memory of their child alive or they're using it

for some cause of some foundation they're wanting to make a difference and it's enabling them to do that at the same time but it is difficult when you're out and about and I remember with Good Morning Britain I went to Malawi for example and we were reporting there and it was just so shocking to see how the children lived and I was just like oh no I really want to be able to do something to help them and you know we'd taken loads of things out that we could sort of leave at the schools to help them in that way but it is quite difficult when you're in a situation there where you're reporting on it and actually you just want to sort of you know I don't know take them all home with you but you can't so yeah I know that's um I think it's the thing of like dipping into all those

lives but I think I suppose you're extra exposed to because you're reading about all the stories but however not always the news is not always the heavy stuff. You also have to, there's always the and finally moments, like the fun ones. My favourites, yeah. Have you had any particularly wacky ones recently that I need to know about? What have we had?

Well, just this morning we had Jonathan Swain, one of our correspondents, dressing up as Elvis for an Elvis convention that was taking place in South Wales. I mean, he said he was Elvis. It was quite a dodgy looking Elvis outfit slightly flammable but yeah he was not going near any lights just in case but I think it's those ones that you know are it just they're sort of everybody's favorite moment and I think it's kind of whatever's whatever's else has been in the news it's those moments of lightness. And I always want to try and find that story

that sort of my friends later will be going, oh, you'll never hear, you'll never guess what happened and this was going on. And, you know, the ones that people are talking about in the pub that evening. It's like finding that gem of a story, isn't it? That sort of just captures people's imagination, whether it's quirky,

whether it's an example of some crazy British eccentricity. It's, you know, it's the moment of joy that we can bring people in the morning. Definitely. And I always love it if I'm traveling around and I watch like regional news and you see some reporter having to cover a story and you're like, wow, the poor thing's having to like it. That used to be my favorite. So when I used to get sent on, you never knew whether you were going to be doing the top story or the end finally and one time I remember there was a fancy dress shop it had been at a train station I think it was sort of celebrating a milestone anniversary so they said we want you to go to this fancy dress shop at a

train station and I thought it would be great to do like a Mr Ben style you know in and out of the dressing room so I came out as a gorilla and, you know, and then in my head I'm thinking, I never thought I would be wearing a gorilla costume, you know, live on air. But, you know, you just don't know. So it's quite nice. You can throw yourself into these things.

Well, no, that's good. I applaud your enthusiasm. I would imagine normally that'd be people going, please just put on the gorilla suit, just give it one shot. We probably won't even use it. And you're going, no, what about this one? I think you've got to embrace it. And actually talking embracing it, I wanted to talk a little bit about your relationship with music because obviously you present your show on on Classic FM and what

is your how what role does music play in your life I love listening to music I listen to all sorts of music you know as I was saying about your kitchen disco love it love bopping along in the kitchen to some pop music. My daughter loves it too, but I love classical music and it's always had an important place for me. My dad very much loved classical, so I grew up with it. It was sort of the soundtrack to my childhood because he'd always have it on at home,

whether he was doing the washing up or whatever he was doing. So I very much feel like it's always been with me. But I've come back to it more in recent years and again I think it's that whole I turn to it for those times when you really need it so if I've had a busy day at work or just those times when you need to take yourself away from it and that's when I will choose certain pieces of classical music that I listen to and it is like getting a musical hug I just it's good for your soul it just takes you to another place and I found that I'm not I used to do music when I was younger and I've recently gone back to playing the piano and again it's that

sort of that feeling of just you and the music and you just switch everything else off, which is great for sort of just focusing on one thing and especially when it's one thing when hopefully you're making beautiful music and that's what you're focusing on. It's quite frustrating though, however. Trying to relearn the piano many years later has been quite a torturous process. I'm super impressed with you for doing that

because for me, I played piano when I was a teenager I probably stopped I probably stopped at like 13 actually and that was for me is like that is how far I got so I think going back is actually a really impressive thing so well done for even heading back to do you actually have a teacher and stuff is it lessons or is it self I self-taught because there was one piece in particular it's called Bluebird by Alexis French and I heard it on the radio and I just fell in love with it instantly and I thought I want to be able to play that so I set myself a new year's resolution that I was going to do it so I learned that one piece and then I keep saying I want to go back and have lessons because I don't think my technique's not great and I did get to one piece and I thought I don't have enough fingers how does he play how does he manage to play that I don't

have enough fingers to be able to work around that bit so you know there are some bits where I think you do need a teacher to help show you the way but Ella Rose now has piano lessons and I was sort of hoping that I could by osmosis if I just sit and watch her practice I can I can soak it all up again and start from the beginning and and build up but um I might have left it a little bit late for my concert pianist career but you know you never No, I think it's really good. I should probably go back to it. I feel like there's a lot of things that I've done and then I've just sort of got to a certain age and I go,

okay, that's how far I got with that and I'm quite bad at going back. And you're sitting just in front of my piano. Tempting. Yeah, it is tempting. But just, I would say, pick a piece. And the good thing now, these days, is because you can can teach yourself they have all those great videos on YouTube and things where you can just follow the yeah keyboard guide and actually it's for those people who just want to dip in and dip out and don't necessarily want to commit to lessons but I just think playing a musical

instrument is just such a wonderful thing to be able to do and especially the piano I wish I need to be able to have like a party piano I wish I need to be able to have like a party piece because I think when people know you play the piano even a little bit they want you to kind of go oh play a bit for us and you need something cool to be able to play at that moment so that should probably be my next challenge okay or Christmas carols or something so we can have a singer along at Christmas you can play the piano my party piece is like an open bottles of beer with my teeth so together we've got got a party. Oh, well, there you go. Let's do a duet. Yeah, that would be quite a double act, wouldn't it?

And we haven't spoken at all about the fact we had the same dance teacher. I know. Mr. Brendan Cole. Yes. How was your experience of Strictly? How did you find it all? I mean, it was amazing and terrifying at the same time. Yeah, sums it up, I'd say.

Is that kind of what everyone feels, I think? Yeah, I mean, I think it's like going through a weird experience and then you meet someone else who's done it and then you'd have the same look in your eyes about it. I feel like I'm now the other side of that. I feel like it's been ten years since I did it, so it's a long time. I've got a bit longer to process it. Yeah, you need another couple of years.

It's just such a wild ride. And I did really get on with Brendan, and he used to make me laugh. And he knows this. He freaked me right out on, like, day one, where he'd be like, where's my strictly wife? I was in the dressing room, and I was just like, ah! I think that's me. It's a weird thing, though, isn't it?

Yeah. Because I think, you know, you get married and then that's sort of it. That's the person you're closest to. And it's not like you go around being that physically close to anybody else. And then all of a sudden on the dance floor, you are literally thrust together, aren't you? Yes. For want of a better word.

And you suddenly feel like, what, this is very intimate, considering I don't really know this person that well. Yes. Tiny with you on all that, Charlotte. I think, I mean, at least you obviously are used to the performing side. But not like touching someone and stuff. But for me, I was like, this is so alien. I just feel like a fish out of water.

And I thought, working in live TV, I thought, well, at least I'll be used to the live element. But it turns out that was even worse that just being there knowing that every single people were watching every single step that I was making and that that was what was so terrifying about it definitely and I do perform but I like perform under my own like steer uh it's not choreographed and if I feel like I want to be a bit more still, a bit more introvert, I can kind of give myself that space. But with that, it's much more like it's show.

It's performance, like capital P. Someone saying to you, okay, we need you to look sexy for this one. And then all of a sudden, it's like the least sexy thing in the world, isn't it? And you suddenly think, I can't even walk, let alone try and look sexy. I'm like, oh, God, there I am.

Sexy, sexy. But we survived it anyway. We did, yeah. With the Strictly Survivors Club, yeah. Take that one off the list. Exactly. Have you danced since in a kind of ballroom dancing way? No, no one's ever ever asked me again like can would

you like to waltz with me maybe we'll do that as well then well i always thought i would keep it up and i thought i could go to the local village hall but it's not quite the same once you've danced with one of the professionals i know to rock up at your local village hall and say anyone fancy a waltz yeah i know because i was like it's all right i can still do this i want like i haven't joined like a local Argentine tango class or anything I did revisit Blackpool

the other day I was up there to turn the lights on and I went into the big winter ballroom and that was pretty lovely I didn't get as far as Blackpool so

well it's a nice room but it's quite far away so you say just to have a drink it's got a sprung floor that's the fun thing

about Blackpool like the whole thing when you jump up and down and it all bounces like a giant trampoline yeah kind of yeah well yeah

I'll waltz with you we can see if we can still do it there we go waltzing, piano playing bottle opening with teeth got it all sorted perfect

how are you feeling right now then so when you've had your early start what time do you start thinking I had an early start today are you still quite buoy then? So when you've had your early start, what time do you start thinking, I had an early start today.

Are you still quite buoyant at the moment with your energy? Yes, I think that's what, you come off air and then you're sort of feeling quite hyper because you've had all that adrenaline rush of being live on air. And it's not until later it kicks in. I find out I tend to eat a lot of breakfasts, that's the only thing. So I sort of have a breakfast at about half past four, then I'll have something at about half past six, and then it'll get to about half past 11, and then I think, right, I need something else.

So you'd find out that you have a lot of meals at that time. And usually it just gets to maybe about eight o'clock at night, and then that's when I've kind of just, yeah. And I got better at the fact, I used to try and ride it out. And, you know, my husband and I would be like, oh, should we watch a film? And I'd be 10 minutes in and asleep. But literally that kind of a sleep where he'd try and wake me up to say, look, you probably should go to bed.

And you're just out. And I just couldn't even rouse myself. So it would be like so torturous. So I've just, that's why I've kind of given in and thought actually I'd rather just get myself to bed and then at least I can watch TV or something in bed. And then if I fall asleep at a moment's notice, it doesn't matter.

But I've kind of got just a bit more used to, I suppose, working with that lack of sleep and just thinking, okay, don't panic about the fact that you haven't had much sleep and I'm better now you know sometimes if you think I'm not gonna be able to do that because I haven't had enough sleep but actually I find that you know sometimes you just gotta kind of give yourself that kickstart and I've done shows where I've literally I mean for big events things like for example the Queen's funeral and I I think I must have had about an hour or two sleep before that. And then I was worried because I thought it is of such importance.

I don't want to not be with it. But we had so much to sort out the night before that I just couldn't get any more sleep. And actually, you're so focused and you're so on it, you're so in the zone that you just cut right through that and then other times I've thought right I'm gonna have a really long sleep and I've slept for however long and then you wake up and it's you know I don't know you've had too much sleep so I just kind of think oh just power on through and worry about sleep at the end of the week so yeah absolutely and I think you know I think actually to have started in regional and gone all the way to national and still be going so super strong with such excitement for, you know, your job and all the stuff out there. I think that shows amazing, like, tenacity and professionalism.

And I think you sort of highlighted it when you said, like, you know, when you first started and you had your suit on ready to go. Like, I know it was a sinkhole and you gave it your all but I think I think there must you have to have that kind of like I just want to be here and I'm really engaged with it and I'm what I'm getting from you is how much you also really love your job and it still gives you so much fizz which I think is wonderful I do and like you know for anyone that that sort of asked me about what it's like, and I feel really lucky when, you know, you spend so much time at work. I think it is such a gift if you're able to enjoy what you do.

And when I look at Ella Rose and I'm sort of giving her advice and I'm just saying, find something that you love doing because then it's just a joy to go to work. And it's not, you know, I want to be at work. I want to go to work. Yeah, I might not feel like it sometimes at 2.45 in the morning. But when I speak to journalists or, you know, people who want to go into journalism

and they're coming up through the training and wanting to step into the industry, and I just say to them, you know, yeah, you have to be determined. It is a job that's going to push you and challenge you in all sorts of different ways. But you have to love it. You have to always keep pushing, keep challenging yourself, keep learning every single day.

That's the thing. I just don't think you can ever turn around and think, oh, you know, that's it, all sorted. Every time I do an interview, I think, well, if I'd asked a different question or if we'd done that bit differently, that's it, all sorted. Every time I do an interview, I think, well, if I'd asked a different question or if we'd done that bit differently, how would it have gone? And, you know, it's not necessarily sort of picking it all apart, but it's thinking, right, moving forward, what would we do next time?

How can we change things? This has worked before. Should we try something different? It's just that keeps it all fresh, I think. And that's why I feel really lucky to be working in news and particularly for somewhere where, you know, we try to do things a bit differently, make it accessible to people, make it more conversational, make it so people tune in,

but they feel like they're with a group of friends first thing in the morning. So, yeah, just it's great to be doing a job like that because it never feels like a job. Well, I think that's the best thing ever. That is the best. Well, thank you so much, Charlotte, and properly wise words there to end on too. And I was thinking if we do plan this party with the piano and the thing, it's got to be an afternoon, hasn't it? You're going to be asleep by eight. I mean, let's not have it too late. That's all I'm saying. I'll be asleep at the piano. You know what that means? It means kids parties. That's's where we're at you better get learning like s club or something like that

we're limited here but we'll work with it it's a deal let's do it thank you so much thank you so much to Charlotte and um oh god i can't walk shh mickey i'm right here thank you so much to charlotte for such a lovely conversation and i think losing your parent is a really significant thing at whatever stage in life but doing it just before you've had your first child must feel extraordinarily bizarre juxtaposition of extreme emotions. And, yeah, my heart goes out to her, especially for that time. It's a lot to process. And I love the fact that she keeps her dad part of her little girl's world. I think it's such an amazing testament to a loving relationship when that person is not with you anymore.

You still want to keep them part of your present. It's really special. It's really important. And yeah, thank you very much for listening, for you listening to us. And going back to my chat at the beginning of the podcast, I don't worry, the Perry Menopop is not going to be the name of the album but to be fair a lot of things would rhyme with that and yeah more to come with the next series uh what am i talking about i've got one more next week oh my god

my brain um oh it's a good one next week there are always good ones come on look at how far we've come with the podcast look all the amazing amazing amazing people have spoken to me there's so many now it's so solid so solid crew all right i will okay goodbye from me goodbye mickey say bye to everybody bye say thank you for listening please say thank you for listening. I can't turn it off till you say thank you for listening. My robot. It sounds like it needs new batteries. Thank you for listening. Thank you.

Have a great week. I'm turning it off. I'm turning it off. All right. See you next week. Lots of love. Bye. Look at this.

Look at this rainbow. Look at that rainbow Claire bears it's amazing okay let's go on the trampoline and then on the swing and then go and then go where don't know park and then no and then go on the green with Ray and Jessie and me and you all right perfect that's the plan. After this week. All right, get on that trampoline. Come on, let's have a bounce. On each step with Peloton, from their pop runs to walk and talks, you define what it means to be a runner. Whatever your level, embrace it.

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