Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Gaby Roslin (Part One)

Episode Date: August 18, 2026

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with one of the nation’s best-loved TV and radio presenters, Gaby Roslin.Gaby chats about growing up with her beloved staffie Bazooka, dreaming of becoming a television presenter from a very young age, and the early children’s TV jobs that eventually led to her big break co-hosting The Big Breakfast with Chris Evans.She also looks back on a remarkable career that has seen her work with everyone from Terry Wogan to the cast of Friends, and talks about why her natural curiosity and love of meeting people have remained at the heart of everything she does.Gaby is now combining two of her greatest passions in the new ITV series The Joy of Pets. Alongside pet expert Dr Bolu Eso, she travels around the country meeting extraordinary animals and the people who love them. The series begins on Sunday 23rd August on ITV. You can also hear Gaby every Saturday morning on Magic Radio.It’s a wonderfully joyful conversation full of warmth, laughter and unexpected encounters with passers-by. Gaby and Ray fall hopelessly in love almost immediately, although Ray is less than impressed when she fails to take him home at the end of the walk.Follow Emily:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadeanX: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_emWalking The Dog is produced by Will NicholsMusic: Rich JarmanArtwork: Alice LudlamPhotography: Karla Gowlett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh, you use supertampax. That's a true story. And I went, there we go. That's really odd. This week on Walking the Dog, Ray and I took a stroll with one of the nation's most well-loved TV and radio presenters, the very wonderful Gabby Roslyn. Gabby and Ray, I think it's fair to say,

fell hopelessly in love at first sight. They went straight in for the cuddles before even exchanging pleasantries, but I was delighted the two of them let me gate crash their date as I've been dying to have her on my podcast for ages and we had the loveliest chat about Gabby's childhood growing up with a staffie called Bazooka. We should say her parents were around as well.

Bazooka didn't do all the childcare. She also talked to me about how she always dreamed of being a TV presenter from an incredibly young age and how after breaking through on Kids TV she ended up getting the job which really kick started her career, co-hosting The Big Breakfast with Chris Evans. Since then, Gabby's become one of the most familiar faces on TV and she's genuinely worked with everyone from Terry Wogan to the cast of friends.

So I honestly could have listened to her chatting all day. And she's now got the gig of her dreams working with animals fronting a brand new pet show for ITV called The Joy of Pets, where she and vet Dr Bolu Esso travel around the country meeting inspirational animals and the people in the people who love them. It starts on Sunday, August the 23rd on ITV, and Ray and I can't wait to watch it. And if you want even more Gabby on your weekends, you can listen to her Saturday morning show on Magic Radio. Ray and I had the best time with Gabby, and you can see why she's so good at her job.

As she's just so genuinely interested in other people's stories, every few minute she was stopping to chat to passers by. And we made so many lovely connections on that walk and had such a joyful experience that Ray and I left with a very happy heart. Well, I left with a happy heart. Ray was frankly furious that Gabby didn't take him home with her and he's been sulking ever since. Really hope you enjoy our chat. Here's Gabby and Ray Ray, Ray. Come on Raymond. We're going to do our walk with the wonderful Gabby Roslyn now. And I think you two, I mean, I was going to say, I think you two are going to get on. You've already. Yes. Hello, Ray. Bambard. Like I've never experienced in my life. You say that to all, everybody. I kind of don't.

Some people, hello. Ray is just one of those bonding. Not everyone picks him up immediately. Come on then. Hello. You can walk alongside me. I'm very happy. Can I take his lead? Yeah. Thank you. We'll go, we'll do a little walk. And then we'll sit down. We don't want you in the sunshine. That's exactly it. We do it in the shade. We were very careful when we were filming. because it's been a very hot summer as you're aware that we had, Dr Bollu was there with the water. We should interrupt and say when Gabby says when we were filming, she is talking about The Joy of Pets,

which is her new show which I'm so excited about and I'm going to talk to you. Trying to keep Ray in the shade. Look, I'm walking along, so Ray's in the shade, you see. So we pick him up, Gabby. So it's Rayshade. Rayshade. I might pick him up. I'll pick him up.

Can I? Please, can I? Are you sure? Hello. Come on then. Come on then, Poppet. Yes? Is that all right for you? Oh, Gabby, you're unnatural with him.

Oh, look. That was interesting. I was wondering how they were doing the watering here. This is in Regent's Park, we should say, which Gabby's a fan of. I like all part. Well, I walk everywhere. So I absolutely, what I do on my walks, I love city walking. But what I like to do is find the green spaces.

So I'll, I know the green spaces, so I interrupt the sort of the street walking, which is, I have to say that carefully. I didn't have any time on the street, through the streets, with green spaces. And London is full of green spaces, but actually the UK is. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because I work in Manchester once a week and it's, you know, it's, oh, I love it. I love it. You get to see so much if you walk. Well, I'm so thrilled.

Sorry about the noise, by the way. A man is doing something. I think he's taking down some dry bits. Do you like, I assume it's a man? No, because I saw them before. I walked from work earlier. And there were a whole bunch of guys with chainsaws taking things down. And when you say, what were you doing this morning?

Were you doing radio? I was sitting in on Magic Radio Breakfast with Gwon. Because I do a, very lucky I do a Saturday morning show at Magic Radio. Oh, you're so lovely. She's very lovely, isn't she? My goodness me, Raymond, you've got a lovely mummy. You know, you're a pet parent, by the way, that's what I learnt from Dr. Bollu, from The Joy of Pets. Go on.

Don't call them owners? Yes. No, pet parents. Isn't it lovely? Because, you know, something has always slightly bothered me about owner. You wouldn't say that about a partner or, you know, you own your child. That's slightly worrying. But we've got to hide Raymond's eyes.

You know why? Why? Because there might be a sign. at Regents Park Theatre for Cats. The musical. Shh. Don't look, Raymond. Don't look.

I was recording a podcast in this park not long ago. And I suddenly heard, Jellical cats and gelic cats. And I don't think we paid the rights for it, but they must have been rehearsing. Let's have a look at this. See, look, there's the sign. Don't look.

Raymond, walk this way. about you is in the middle of Regent's Park you've just burst into memory oh no I love it I love theatre love theatre and this is such an amazing can I take a picture of you and Rayne next to the sign for cats yeah I think that would be a great picture well also Regents Park opening air theatre we're very happy yeah I do I love I love love love theatre love it and I intentionally wore one of my favourite old summer dresses today because I remember you've always said this well in your book which were going to talk about. You talk about how you should just wear the thing in your wardrobe.

Yeah, shopping in your wardrobe. Yeah. Everyone goes out and thinking, oh, we have to buy new stuff, have to buy new stuff. This t-shirt is, I want to say, 12 years old. Really? Jeans a few years old, yeah. Yeah. So Gabby Roslin, I need to know about your history with dogs. Let's start there, because I've got a feeling you had a staff at Chabotabot. I had a staff. He was off. first, well, my parents' first dog before I was born. And he was wonderful. He was called Bazooka. What a brilliant name. And he was, he was fantastic dog. He was mad. Running up and down all the time. He had, he was black with a white flash on his nose.

And my mum grew up on a farm for a few years in Dorset. Yeah. And had pet chickens. horses I mean just animals everywhere and she just didn't want to have concrete kids as she used to say so we had

bazooka we used to go into the countryside and she was sort of watch the lamb being bored you know it's always surrounded by animals we also in the house we had Bazooka and Astafi we had a cat that lived outside

luckily because I'm allergic we had two tortoises and one died so we called the one that was left Solly Sally because one was called Solly one was called Sally so we had Solly Sally who used to run in the garden with Bazooka and we didn't have that big a garden but they chase each other it was very sweet tortoises are aren't so and we've got more tortoises on the joy of pets it's very sweet and it's very fast we had two rabbits and we used to take home the

school guinea pigs hamsters and gerbils and everything so we had all of that so you're a proper animal family yeah yeah yeah and this is this in London Gabby yeah in London and then when Bazooka died I was 11 were you so had one oh my god and I wrote a poem about him and at school they got me to read it out loud and it was a brilliant way to cope with breathing actually and then but my mum was lay down in bed for two days sobbing so we got a dog straight away and we got a standard dachshund, which my mum had always wanted, a long-haired

standard dachshund. And then my mum bred her. So we had Samantha, who was the mum. We kept Socrates. Socrates. So there were seven dogs at one stage in the house. And it really was a small house. I mean, I'm not talking a big house or a big garden. But, and then she gave the puppies to people that she compensated. completely vetted because she didn't want, she was adamant. She always said she preferred dogs to people. My mum, my late mum always sit there. Really?

I'm a bit like your mum. Depends on the person. Yeah, that's what she used to say. Totally depends on the person. She didn't like somebody that, not if they were scared of dogs, she would work her magic, my mum, and she'd work with them and make sure they weren't scared. But she didn't like people who went,

oh, I don't like dogs. like dogs. My mother used to say, I don't like you then. Not to their face. Actually, she probably would have. And then so after Samantha died, we then got Lancelot, the Basset Hound. So Lancelot. The Rollslands are good dog namers, aren't they? Yeah, they go. Yeah. And Socrates. And then when Socrates died, we, uh, my parents got Daisy. So two Bassett's. And Daisy was Lance Lott's sister. So she, they went back to the breeder and got a sister and then very sadly my mom died but my dad still had the dogs yeah and then when I got my first dog I got a cavalier king Charles Spaniel was this when you left home yeah no when I was doing

the big breakfast I got a dog called Chester and he was a cavalier king Charles Spaniel beautiful amazing dog who was actually I know everyone said it but he was very magical so he used to people who were scared of dogs used to talk to him and their parents you know the kids. Yeah. And the parents would say, oh my goodness, they're scared of dogs.

And Chester was lovely with everybody, and he was obsessed with television. So I have told the story before, and it's absolutely true, that I've never missed an episode of EastEnders, and neither did Chester.

And he used to sit and watch EastEnders, and if I put my hand in front of his face, he'd move it with his paw, because he wanted it. And then at the end, at the closing titles of EastEnders, he'd jumped down off the Cyphor, need to go off. He never loved it Gabby. Ray likes dogs behaving very badly and I think it's because

he likes to feel smug Gabby because they get told off and he likes watching other dogs think bad boy naughty boy. Good look here there's nothing naughty or bad about him. So since Chester, have you had dogs? I then had a rescue dog. Oh did you? Very sad. Sadly, he had a bullet in his spine. He'd been shot. So I rescued him. I saw him when I was doing a show. And I just thought, I can't not rescue him.

But he became very attached to me. And a little bit strange with my daughter. She was very little then. My first daughter. And so we had to take him back. There's a lovely story off the back of it. a couple of years later I was in a restaurant I mean I was I was broken by having to take him back and a couple of years later I was in a restaurant and the waiter came up to me and he

said oh you're Gabby Wilson can I show you photo and I went yes if you want to I don't know what you're going to show me a photo of and he turned his camera around his phone round and he had a photo of bagel on the back of his motorbike and he he and bagel were inseparable and he'd rescued bagel and it was just him and bagel and bagel was really happy how amazing that you'd seen him in that that you happened to be in that restaurant that i know i think that's incredible your cycle with bagel wasn't over you needed to know and bagel was okay i bet you felt so happy when you found that out oh my god i cried yeah i cried i was so i was relieved that bagel had but also a lot of people have said whenever i tell that story and

and this is how I think as well, that that was supposed to happen because he said that Beagle had saved him, because he was very upset about something happened in his life, and he'd saved Beagle. So they saved each other, and he wouldn't have felt better about his life if Beagle had stayed. You know, that's how I sort of, you know, it works. That's rather lovely in a way, isn't it? Yeah. But now I have a husband who's highly allergic. Oh, is he?

Yeah. Very, very allergic. Hello. Hello. Did you want to say hello to the dog? Yes. I thought you did. Is that all right?

Yeah. Hi. What's your name? My name is Robson. And yours? And I'm Gabby. And I'm Emily. Nice to meet you.

This is Raymond. Nice of well. Do you like dogs? Yeah, I love dog. I had one myself, but unfortunately passed away. Oh, is that Bernice Mountain Dog or? It's a great Swiss. Oh.

Beautiful dog. Beautiful dog. Yes, thanks. Oh, I'm sorry. Was that when you were younger? Yeah, when I was younger. It's lovely that you still got a picture of that dog on your phone. I love that.

What are you guys doing flogger? No, she's doing a podcast. About dogs. And I take people that I love for dog walks. I get to meet all the people that I'm a fan of. Fun, is it on Spotify? Yeah, you can get it on Spotify. It's called Walking the Dog and you might be on it if you're comfortable being on it.

You don't mind that you're being on it. You don't mind that you're being on it. Is you comfortable? Yeah, I'm fine. So don't say anything rude about anyone you know. Walking the dog, it's called. Yeah, walking the dog. Where's your accent from?

I'm from the Netherlands. Are you? How long have you been over here? Since yesterday. Yesterday? Oh, are you enjoying it so far? Yeah, I really like it. Are you on holiday or for a world?

Yeah, a friend of mine was staying here and I was like, I've come to, I've never been to England. So have you got some things planned? I'm now walking towards every road. Okay, you're going to do the zebra crossing? Yeah. Yeah. How nice meeting you.

But I was called Walking the Dog. Yeah, so it's W-A-L-K, Walking the Dog. Gabby Roslin's got me a new listener. There we go. Walking the dog, it should come up. It's got bad reception in this part of Regions Park. Yes. There's certain parts that have bad reception.

But it's in my... Oh, good, you've got it. Yeah. Have a good time in London. Make sure you get there are certain things you must do. Go onto the South Bank by the River, River Thames. And just if you walk along the South Bank, there's theatres and there's all sorts and food stalls. And it's just nice by the river.

That sounds fun. Have a lovely day. Enjoying. So nice to meet you. I talk to people everywhere I go because I walk and I always talk to everybody. You're very good at talking to people. I mean, it's not really surprising given your career. Yeah. But you're very curious about people, aren't you?

I'm nosy. Yeah, no, people, I like people. I like animals. But some people don't find that easy, and I can see it's something that just comes naturally to me. Do you know what I mean? Like, some people say they find that awkward, those encounters. No, do you know what, even, I mean, I've talked about it, but I'm very open about the fact that I'm unbelievably shy. And I was as a teenager. but I was always able to speak to... But strangers always spoke to me and I was all right.

I mean, I... You know, going on the bus to school at 11 and 12, I used to come home and say, Mom, this man was telling me that he thinks his wife is having an affair. What does that mean? Or I come back and say, Mom, this woman, I remember...

I actually remember that man's conversation. I remember the face of this woman who said to me, I'm seeing somebody else, and I don't know how to tell my husband. I can't believe I'm telling you. And I went, oh, Okay, but now that happens everywhere I go.

Yeah. Everywhere I go, people, you know, it's nice that they, talking really is good for people. Maybe it doesn't happen. Maybe you make it happen. Well, no, I mean, I, I mean, I'm working, been working on for a couple of years on tackling loneliness, especially in young people. Yeah.

And one of the big things is that people don't talk. So, yeah. Just talking to people, just going up to people saying, hello, hello. Do you know, it's one of the things I love about having a dog is that... Let's put you down for a minute. Yeah, that's a good. Let's give you a little stroll, Ray. It sort of allows you to...

Ray provides a ramp. So when I'm, if I see someone and I think, I see them look at him and then I can tell, what's your dog? What's your dog? And I've met such interesting people, like... Do you have dogs do that, though, don't think people? Don't you think? Do you know, the thing, the extraordinary thing about doing the joy,

those pets was that all, you know, we had live audience come along to the village green for bringing their pets along while we were interviewing all sorts of amazing different pets. But suddenly all these people who didn't know each other, they would leave by the end of filming and they'd all have each other's numbers and they'd all, and it was just lovely. Pets do bring people together. Yeah. It's so true. Well, we say that, but at the moment. Oh, he wants to stay with Will. he's just very slow

but he treats walking Gabby rather like he's sort of browsing in Zara do you know what I mean like oh I'm just looking at this here he doesn't he's never really understood the point of walking but I quite like it his way of walking is I'm just taking my time

and he really saved you and he really he really did Gabby he was just I'd never had a dog I'd always wanted a dog and I grew up with sort of slightly show busy bohemian parents and it just you know moved around a lot I didn't suit our lifestyle. And then my sister died.

And this is what I love about dogs. I'm about to tell you something very emotional and Rea's doing a poo-poo. Yeah. That's perfect timing. But yeah, my sister died and then... You know how you just think... I know you experienced...

Your mum died. But she was very young. She was young and I just thought, you know, if not now, when? Yeah. Right. Now I've got to get his poo. That's the smallest poo I've ever seen.

It's one of the great things about him. Poos are tiny. Tiny poo. I couldn't do, I always say I couldn't do this for a Great Dane. Oh, there we go. It's like a middle-aged man's poo. Hello, hello. Hello, you come in the shade.

We've made Rayshade. There we are. I make sure I pick up every. You know Great Dane's is the most wonderful dogs. They're very good flat dogs. Are they? There's a sort of, I remember I learned that when I did croft years ago at the BBC.

I love her. She's done everything. She did crafts. I love that. The BBC years ago, but they don't need as much exercises people think. What was crafts like, Abby? Well, I got into trouble because I called a hairless dog naked and and the owner wasn't very happy. So it's not naked. I went, when it's naked, it's naked. It's got no clothing. It's not no fur. They get, they take it very seriously. I'll just check his undercarriage is clean, all good. Oh good. Lovely. I want to hear

about young Gabby? Because I think I'd have quite like young Gabby. Very, very shy. Were you really shy? Painfully shy. But all I ever wanted to do was be a presenter from the edge of three. And I was painfully shy and people, but people at school, they just say, yeah, yeah, why not? And my parents were, yeah, absolutely, just, you know, and your dad, Clive, he worked for the BBC, didn't he? And he was a continuity announcer and a radio four news reader. Yeah. And yeah, no, I. He was always, my parents were, I was very lucky, they were 100% supportive and, but it's all I ever wanted to do, but then you sort of, they'd have friends or something. And you know, those people that go, oh, you want to be a TV presenter, but you're so shy.

Yeah. And then, and my parents would sort of just ignore them. And I just say, yes, but that's all I want to do. So, you knew from that young, isn't that interesting? I just loved it. Television made me smile and happy. Yeah. And I wanted, I was never going to be a stand-up comedian.

I thought, I want to make people happy. I want people to feel joyful, and that's what TV did for me. And was your mom, was she a homemaker? She's got the best sunglasses. Good sunglasses. Yes, they're so good. They're really good, aren't they? Oh, what's that?

The branch just fell. Does it just fall? Wow. Please, nobody was under it. Gosh. Yeah, that was dramatic, wasn't it? It literally just fell. Look, it looks like it's been cut.

Yeah, it does, you're right. Oh, maybe they've cut it and that one had it'll have fallen yet. Yeah, you just said that. Yeah, doesn't it? It looks like it's... This is Raymond. Are you from Scotland down here for a holiday? Yes.

We've got in the wrong train end of year, sir. Well, I hope you're enjoying it. How long have you've been. been here it's too hot is it right we're just seen a couple of shows and then which shows we're Hamilton last night what did you think brilliant did you love it I love that show as well so good and what else you say heydie's town tonight oh you're gonna love it it's fantastic I love musical it's not been done for long yet so but it's got good reviews yeah I know it's it's they're two very different shows oh you're gonna enjoy that

have you been to London before a couple times have you been usually I haven't I've been once. You have? So is there anything that you particularly want to do in London? I wanted to see the 2-2-1 B-Dakry. Oh, you've done that? Oh, fantastic. We didn't go in, we just wanted to see it.

We did it. A queue. A huge queue. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Oh, it's nice to meet. Have a lovely trip. Thank you.

Safe travel. Say goodbye, Raymond. I love doing this with Gabby Rosal. Can you come on it everywhere? Can you get all this fabulous colour, talking to all these interesting people? I love it. A lot of people, you know, I maybe won't name them in case they're not comfortable, but I'll tell you afterwards. A lot of people who've done this, specifically a couple of comics who've done this,

have said they find that awkward talking to people, not in a sort of grand way, just in a... And I find that interesting with some comics, and it's like they go on stage and they can be charismatic with their own material, but the kind of free-form nature of conversation with strangers unsettles them more. And I find that... I will have... I know a few friends who are comics and they're... The quietest people in real life. Yeah.

So, young Gabby... Not all of them. Yeah. I know. Because if you weren't particularly, I'd love to pieces. Yeah. So young Gabby... We're going past a babbling brook, by the way,

in case you're wondering what that noise is. So lovely. Young Gabby was shy, but I mean, actually, were you popular? Oh, no, no, no. No, no. I was very... I had a few friends. I never had, I never was a, like, parties and the fear of everything into me. I don't, I don't like a party. If I'm working, I don't mind, but I get too shy. But I was just, I had my few friends. Yeah. And they all knew what I wanted to do. They all knew I wanted to go off to drama school to, to, to, to do, because I wanted to be in the musical as well. That was also, just I wanted to do one musical and sing that I didn't have to dance in.

And at school, were you kind of, because I always think it's interesting, like, what was your team, if you like, who were you? What spice girl were you? Shy Spice. And very not. I was, I didn't have a, I didn't go out and party or go clubbing or anything like that. Never, ever, ever. I started working from the age of 15 in shops on a Saturday. What shop did you make? Just a local paper shop that sold records as well. But I worked in that from the age of 15. All day, Saturday and Sunday mornings, because I wanted to learn to drive.

I wanted to do all those things, and I needed money to do it. So I did that from the age of 15. And I loved that. Actually, I have to say, working in a shop was one of the greatest lessons, because you just talked to anybody. Everybody came in and, yeah.

It's true. I think, should you cross over? We could go into the other park for you. I think you're absolutely right, you know, because I think everyone should get some sort of retail experience or just a service job, a front-facing job like that. Yeah, coffee shop or whatever it is, yeah. Yeah, and I think it's really tough for young people now

because there is so, you know, it's tougher than it was. We were lucky in those days that we could go and do weekend jobs. and you're very sort of I suppose even though the shyness you talk about you're still I would describe you as someone who has a lot of energy I always did yeah my mum used to come into the bedroom I'd have 11 o'clock because I'd have music I didn't so I loved pop music sort of the musical I love music love love love music but I but I would I love musical theatre and so I would play musical theatre show on my record player I'd learn every single song and I'd be singing at the top of my lungs and my mum would come in at 11 o'clock and say Gabby can you turn it down and can you go to bed will you take your clothes off I go no I have to be ready for the morning because Blue Peter might actually call me tomorrow and say I'm going to present it so I was always ready just in case to do telly and when you might she used to make me go back into my pyjamas I never slept and I never have and I've always had excessive energy and yeah and were you

What was the sort of energy like in your household? Were they quite sort of, was it quite a lively, fun, extrovert household? Yeah, I mean, my dad did different shift work. Yeah. So he was either doing overnight or he was, no, he was the, I remember snogging a boy. And then my dad was on the television saying, and that's it, good night, because it used to turn off. And then it was like, oh my God, my dad's coming home.

And we used to know when my dad was coming home. I think I was 16 then. But yeah, it was. I mean, my dad was always playing the fool. Yeah. And it was lovely. And my mom worked as well. She was a doctor's receptionist.

And if my friends came to the door and the dogs would bark, my dad would bark as well. And so would my mom. That was, you're like, woof, woof, welcome in. It was all like that. It was very sort of open house and a bit crazy. And was it just you, or did you have any siblings? A younger brother.

Right. So it's two of you. But do you know what? It was a very, I'm very lucky. But I also have, I had the greatest grandparents that you can wish for. My dad's parents, they lived in Zimbabwe. Yeah, so you spent some time there when you were a kid, didn't you? Every year, they very kindly would pay for us to go over there every year.

And your grandmother was quite an impressive. woman wasn't she? She was amazing. Yeah. She started up the first multi-racial children's home, the first multiracial old age home when it was, you know, it was divided then. Yeah, and my grandmother fought to get Ian Smith out and get Zimbabwe back to the people whose country it was. Yeah. She was a remarkable woman and yeah, oh granny was fantastic. I honestly, my country was, I, honestly, my country, cousins and I were all super super, super close. Yeah. And we all, we speak a lot.

I saw my eldest cousin a couple of weeks ago. And it was so not, my husband was just smiling, because my cousin and I was sitting there, we were all having a drink and oh, granny and granny, granny this. And my husband always says, I so wish that I'd met her and I'd met your mom because they died long before he met them. But yeah, they were. I was very lucky and my granny absolutely knew that that's what I wanted to do.

But you wanted to be a TV presenter, yeah. And she was 100% behind it. And I remember it. I can't remember what show it was I was doing. And I went, she used to come over to the UK as well. And she just sat me down and she said, right Gabby, I just want to tell you something. I said, oh, Granny, you're all right. said, yeah, I just want to tell you, I'm super proud of you because this is what you said.

You always wanted to do, and I don't say it to you often enough. And it was just so, you know, she always said it. Yeah, yeah. But there was something about city. She said, I want you to remember this. That was lovely. She was amazing, Granny. And she was mad as well.

We all, it's all about laughter in our... All the best grannies, all the best people are a little bit. Yeah. Yeah. And you ended up, you were sort of... Did you do well academically? No, no, no, no. Because I just wanted to... I just thought, I don't need to do math.

because I only ever need to count to 60. That was when I was very little. It wasn't in a cocky way, but I never got maths. No, nothing like that. But unsurprisingly, the only exams I ever did well in were drama, pottery, art, all of that stuff. And sociology, because it's study of people. Well, I've had a sociology degree on this walk, walking out with you, meeting all these people.

So, yeah, no. And then I went off to. to drama school for three years and when I did my audition for drama school and you went to a very good one we should yeah yeah I was very lucky I loved it I went for my audition you weren't lucky you were good well that's very kind of very lucky to go there and then in the audition you know everybody else saying I want to do this and I said what and they said in the after doing the day's audition and then you have the meeting afterwards and it's okay so what are

your ideas what do you what do you want to do what would you like to do I said okay, I want to be a Saturday morning live television kids presenter. That's what I really want to do. I'd love to do a musical, but I really can't dance. Don't make me dance because it will make the cry. And I'd like to do a play if it was a sort of comedy type of thing, but I only want to do that. But I don't really want to because I want to be a kids TV presenter. And so, and luckily I got in. I'm very lucky.

But yeah, that's interesting because I was going to say at drama school in some ways because I can imagine if a lot of people are saying right I want to be at the national or I want to do check off or I want to do this that sort of in some ways takes balls I think to say

I know this isn't I know this isn't what a lot of you want to do well there was a time when I was at college there was a teacher who in the second year had us all sitting around in a circle and said okay, flight plans. What are your flight plans?

What is it you want to do? And people were saying there and then in the circle. I want to be the RSC. I really want to go do American movies, whatever it was that they were all saying. One of them, I remember that she wanted to start up her own theatre company, and there was somebody who wanted to do theatre

and education, all sorts of things. And then it got to me, said Gabby, and I said, I want to do live Saturday morning kids' telly. And she said, okay, you can get out of the class now. And this is, I've spoken about this before and she said, no. With that face, never going to go on television, out you go. And so I went to the principal and I said, I'm never going to her class again because I want to be a kid's TV presenter.

And I never did go to her class again because I just thought, no, that's what I want to do. You don't squash my dreams. And weirdly, about 20 years after that, I saw her. And she came up to me. She said, you're always talking the press about something I said. Did she? And I said, that's interesting because I've never seen. said your name and I've never said what sex it is, you were. And how do you know it was you then

if you didn't say it? And it gave me a hug and I gave her a hug. Yeah. Nice moment of closure. Yeah. And I think also, what I think that tells me about you though is just that sense of agency you had that you thought a lot of people, and I've got to be honest, I don't think I'd have had the guts at that age to have gone to the head. It was not the heads. It was, it was. It was, it was, It hurt me so much that I wanted. It really did. And also, my parents had always said, follow your dreams, follow your dreams.

Don't hurt anybody in the process. And I thought, how can she be so nasty? I didn't do anything to her. But it was the sort of innocence of it. It wasn't a cockiness. And I never wanted to be famous. Yeah. Just wanted to be a presenter.

It's so interesting that, isn't it? That actually... I think he wants to talk to them. Oh, do you want to say hello? This is Raymond. This is Raymond. Hello. Raymond. This is his name. You want to say hello?

Are you friends? We are coming from France. How are you? Hello. Hello. Do you? Do you want? Oh.

Oh, Avo. Oh, Reimonde. Oh, Reimonde. I'm A boy. I'm a Raymond. I'm sorry.

I love that people think we're fluent French speakers. So you ended up getting a job. There was a job called Hippo that was your first job. It was like a satellite channel. It was the first pan-European satellite channel. You must have been so happy when you got that job. Well, I couldn't really believe it. I, yes, I left drama school and I saw an advert.

I didn't see an advert. I saw an article about this. And it was, I'd only been out of college. I was working, selling shirts in the city, taking shirts around to city offices, and I was working in shops as well. Did you work for the Emanuals at one point? Yeah, yeah, who designed, if anyone doesn't know,

Diana's wedding dress. Yes, I worked for them in between, yeah. motor, between hippo and motor mouth. But I just saw this, so I wrote to them. And I'd only been out of college about three months. And I wrote saying, I'm a children's TV presenter. And I went in and had a meeting with them.

And they said, have you got your show reel? I went, oh, I didn't bring it. And so I went back to my school. And I said, please, can I make a video of me with the kids? And so I did. And then I took it in, and they watched it. And they said, you've got a job. and I was on every day.

Twice a day. It used to repeat it, so it was on every day. And it was a fantastic learning ground because I had to do in and outs of tea. It was like the broom cupboard. Yes. It went all over Europe as well. And I had to cup it. You audition for the broom cupboard as well, didn't you? I think that's on YouTube if anyone wants to look at it.

But that was after Mote, that was after Hippo and before Motemouth. And so I did Hippo for... I remember the big launch and everything. It was just bizarre. But I used to do everything. I learned about time coding, which was when you get a TV show through, and if it's not live, you get a sort of time code at the bottom, which editors use to do voiceovers and to edit.

So I didn't know about all of that, so I learned all of that there. We had a guy who was a props guy who ended up being the puppeteer. He'd never done it before. And yeah, it was an amazing learning ground. And then I finished there and I then worked in, went back into shops. I went to the manuals. I saw an advert and it said, looking for a manager. So I went in and went, hello, I'd love to work here.

But I'm a television presenter and I'm just going to be honest with you. And this is, they were so lovely. David and Liz said to me, okay, thank you for being honest. And whenever you go for an audition, don't say I'm going to the doctors or the dentist or anything. And then I was very lucky because pretty soon I got Motamouth, Saturday morning kids show, which I, that was what I wanted to do since I was a teenager. And I told them that I got it. And they sent me a huge bottle of champagne, which I'd never received a. my life and two champagne glasses which I still have not the bottle but the glasses and they

came onto Motemouth to talk about fashion so it was really lovely because they were huge weren't they because they made I'm they used to make dresses for my godmother who was a pop singer she's called Lindsay DePaul Lindsay DePaul and she they would make just die really so yeah it was a few years back it was really sad Gabby and she but she had the most amazing dresses and they would come round and I remember it was the most it was the moment of my life that David Emmanuel, because it was his Princess Diana's, and Auntie Lynn was like, you know, they made Diana's dress and all this. And I had a bomber jacket on. It was from meanies or something. It just had white leather sleeves. You know, those ones with,

and he came up to me, he said, what a cool jacket. Oh. And I almost burst into tears. I was so excited. Oh my goodness. So the idea of you working in that shop, I would have had to kill you. I would have been so jealous. I remember Melanie Griffiths coming in. So David called, us up and said Melanie Griffith is coming in after hours. She's looking for something for the Oscars. Wow. Honestly, this is a true story. You can see footage of her at the Oscars in the dress

because she came in and she had this strange man with her who was her manager or something. He just sat down and didn't say anything and she was going, I don't know where to wear. And I said, well, I'll tell you what, you're about to you're giving the Oscar with Don Johnson. Why don't you wear a white evening dress or look like a wedding dress? She said, my God,

what do you think Don would say? And I had to ring up the hotel. I had to ring up the Dorchester and say, can I speak? I can't remember if it was Donald Duck or something. He had a fake name. Oh, yeah. Hang on it. And I'd then speak to Don Johnson. I mean, I was, I could see it was a what? So I'm, oh, hello, Don. I have Melanie here.

I'm dressing her in a wedding dress for the Oscars. If you wear a tux, it would look perfect because everyone would go, oh, look, and they're getting mad. And he just went, I love the idea. So then they sent it outfitted it, and then I watched the Oscars and she was wearing it. And I just thought, oh, my gosh. But without realising it, that was great training.

Because for the rest of your career, then you're literally stuck into situations where it's like, hi, here's a Hollywood movie star. Yeah. Talk to them. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. But it was completely surreal.

Very surreal. Yeah, and then I did Motamount, and my very first day of Motamount, to have a dream come true was, I remember I was on a coach coming into the studio with Kylie Minogue, new kids on the block.

I think Jason might have been there as well, but definitely Kylie, and Kylie and I always laugh about it whenever I interview her or wherever I see her. And Kylie and Jason were on the show a lot, and I love Jason's pieces, love them, Love them, both. Have you seen her documentary?

Yeah, I loved it. So good. So good. And there was new kids on the block, and I remember hearing in my ear, because you have earpieces that are moulded into our ear, and I heard the gallery saying, and we're live in 10. And the countdown happened, and I actually thought, I can't believe this stream is coming true.

And there was a part of me that wanted to just burst into tears. part of me that wanted to scream and jump with excitement. And then there we were doing live telly and I did that for three years. And your parents must have been really proud of you, Gabby. Yeah, they were. But they kept me very much down to earth. Did they? Oh yeah, it was not.

Well, it was more normal in your family, I suppose. Well, no, because it was, they didn't go, ooh, who you just met? It was like, how's work? Yeah. And my best friend who's been my best friend since we were 16. she never says, oh, what was Sarah like? Oh, it's Tom Hanks as lovely as you. You know, none of that.

She just goes, okay, how's work? How's it going? Yeah. I wish I really like. It's the most grounded. I remember my dad works on TV in the 60s. He had a late-night art show. And the most grounding thing I ever heard that I love was my Welsh grandfather on my mum's side.

And my dad was going out to see this show late night line off. And he was leaving late at night, obviously, because it was an art show. And my, the granddad said, was it live? Yeah. It was right. It was him and Joan Bakewell and various other people. I think my dad... My dad would have known your dad 100%.

Yeah. And I can remember when my dad was leaving... My granddad said, oh, you're still on nights, Mick. Like he was a minor. Yeah. And I thought... That's how we were with my dad, though. I'm on nights.

Yeah, yeah. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Let's sit here, Gabby. Oh, lovely. I said, we're all right with the men? With all right with the men, that's going to sound really strange. Let's sit here.

Are you all right with the men? Yeah. Will, you come me to sit down as well. He's a man, but we'll let him. Yo-good. I really hope you love part one of this week's Walking the Dog. If you want to hear the second part of our chat, it'll be out on Thursday, so whatever you do, don't miss it.

And remember to subscribe so you can join us on our walks every week.