Spinning Plates with Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Amanda Ross is a highly influential TV producer who has brought us the likes of Saturday Kitchen which celebrates its 20th anniversary next year, the Richard and Judy show which ran for 9 years, and the book show, Between the Covers, which she is now touring live and presenting herself. Amanda and her husband and business partner Simon Ross, own and run Cactus TV. Amanda told me that running their own TV company means that they can organise their lives around bringing up their two adopted sons, now aged 16 and 19.TRIGGER WARNING: Amanda also revealed to me that she suffered sexual abuse from her stepfather as a child. She wanted to share her story here, so that other people who might have gone through similar ordeals can, like her, learn that it wasn’t their fault, and that they should not feel guilty about what happened to them.Amanda's other big message is: just do everything with your children because you can take your kids anywhere. It’s just about attitude.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.

Dame Jacinda Ardern is the former prime minister of New Zealand, who was elected in 2017 and in post for 6 years.In 2018 she became the second elected World leader to ever give birth. Her partner Clarke (often referred to as 'first bloke'!) frequently took on the role of stay-at-home dad. Together they took baby Neve with them to many important meetings, including the UN summit in New York in 2018, while she was still breastfeeding. Jacinda told me she felt she needed to prove she could lead the country despite being a mother... and also show the world she was a mother, in order to be a positive role model. Jacinda and I talked about the fascinating and intimate documentary ‘Prime Minister’ which will have its UK release on December 5th, in which we get to see behind the scenes both in government, and at home through videos shot by Clarke. It really brings a humanity to the role of leadership and this insight makes Jacinda’s style of leadership all the more impressive, modern and inspirational. Jacinda really wanted to reiterate that she was lucky enough to have support, that she never did anything alone, and that we should not expect women to do everything on their own: ‘Yes, we can be wonder woman… but even wonder woman deserves a sidekick.’ She now still remains dedicated to helping encourage leaders to highlight their humantity by teaching empathetic leadership. Special shoutout to her gorgeous children’s book, Mum’s Busy Work. It’s so sweet to see a lovely picture book for young kids where the mum works hard, yes, but it doesn’t mean she’s any less dedicated to motherhood. Cheers to that! XSpinning 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.

Fiona Bell is the founder of Their Nibs clothing brand which specialises in night wear. I first came across Fiona’s shop when pushing my eldest son around Ladbroke Grove in his buggy in the mid naughties. And I still think she makes the loveliest pyjamas in the land!Fiona has a 25 year old son Finn and an adoptive daughter Maggie who is 11.We talked about the close link Fiona still keeps with the adoption agency Coram, which made her and her husband Charlie’s adoption of Maggie possible. It has been an emotional journey but so worth it, she says. And her advice to anyone planning to adopt is: 'as an adoptive parent you've got to be selfless because you've got to accept you might not get very much back, but if you work at that, you definitely do'.Maggie has obviously brought so much joy to the whole family. Listen to the interview to hear why I think Fiona’s next PJ print should be rainbows and ginger cats. 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.

Lavina Mehta MBE is a health campaigner, a personal trainer, and an author. She came to my notice during Covid when she started doing weekly exercises on YouTube with her mother-in-law.She’s just published her book The Feel Good Fix which is designed to improve your health during menopause, and presents her idea of exercise snacking - incorporating short bursts of activity into your normal day rather than maybe going to the gym for an hour.We talked about her religion of Jainism which is about non-harm, karma and non-violence and how she still presents an exercise class online with her mum-in-law every Friday now.When we finished our sit-down interview, Lavina encouraged me to do some wall press-ups, and left me with her slogan ringing in my ears: ‘Sanity, not vanity!’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.

Lara Maiklem is an author and a mudlark. She told me there’s nothing she likes more than kneeling on the banks of the River Thames for 5-6 hours at a time, scanning the mud for tiny treasures which are twice daily being given up by the tide! Lara shares her fascinating finds on Instagram, where I've been following her for a while. Her favourite finds include a Tudor shoe, part of a Roman sword and some tiny gold beads from a necklace which she thinks must have broken as someone was boarding a boat on the river hundreds of years ago.Lara told me how mudlarking gave her peace and alone time when she moved to London, and how, when their twins were small, her wife used to send her off to mudlark, knowing she’d come back ‘a nicer person’! Living near the Thames myself, I think I might try mudlarking too, as I’m still hopeful of finding Mickey’s PJ Masks watch that he threw in the river near Richmond a while back!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.

Julia Samuel is a psychotherapist and an author, who is best known as a grief counsellor. She was one of the founders of Child Bereavement UK which has just had its 30th anniversary. She has an agony aunt column for Times Luxury, she has a podcast, and she sees about 15 clients a week, describing that as ‘the heart of me’. She has 4 grown up children and 10 grandchildren aged 18 months to 18 years. When I met with Julia, we talked about the guilt she felt as a mum to young children, when she felt her work sometimes became her priority.Julia also talk to me about an area she feels needs more conversation and exploration, which is the parenting of adult children (aged 18-25) during a phase called ‘emerging adulthood’. I was all ears about that! 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.

Janette Manrara is a dancer and choreographer who we first got to know as one of the professional dancers in the UK on Strictly Come Dancing, and who now presents its sister show ‘It Takes Two’. Janette is married to fellow dancer Aljaz Skorjanec and together they have a 2 year old Lyra.Janette and I talked about her start in life as daughter of a young Cuban immigrant couple in Miami, and about her first job in a bank before she took a risk to pursue her dreams as a dancer. Janette told me that the enforced career break that Covid brought, made her realise she did want to be a mum. She also shared that she believes her time performing on stage and TV makes her a better mum to Lyra because she is fulfilled, and in a 'complete flow state' when she’s performing. I know that feeling well myself!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.

Anya Lautenbach is a gardener who I discovered on Instagram as anya_thegarden_fairy. From Poland originally, Anya moved to to the UK 17 years ago and has two boys aged 12 and 14. We talked about the grief which Anya has experienced because of her sister having two sons with a rare genetic condition which turned out to be terminal. Anya explained how every time she had bad news from home, she turned that into another garden border and has ended up creating a beautiful garden out of her ocean of grief. We also talked about her ADHD diagnosis which came soon after her son’s diagnosis, and how gardening helps her to escape the overwhelming busyness of her mind. 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.

Jo-Ann D’Costa-Manuel is a charity pioneer. She received an OBE for her years of voluntary work raising the profile of hidden disabilities. She persuaded airlines to recognise green lanyards with sunflowers, as a symbol of a family member flying with a hidden disability. She was also behind the ‘quiet hour’ in supermarkets to help children like her own son, who is autistic, and needs a quiet environment to be able to do a food shop.Jo-Ann now works for philanthropist John Caudwell to help raise money for children and youth projects, and she has just started her own podcast speaking to women over 40, called ‘It’s Your Time.’Jo-Ann’s son is now 16, and her daughter is 19. And to Jo-Ann’s delight - and her daughter’s horror - they are often mistaken for sisters!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.

Francesca Amber is a successful entrepreneur, podcaster and author who turned her life around using manifesting after everything went wrong for her in 2020.She has 3 daughters. Her eldest is 8 years old, and she has 4 year old twins who are starting school this September. In lockdown she lost her beauty business and her income and then had her twins as a single mother. She says she had a savage 5 years. But now her new book 'Manifesting Like a Mother' is published the day her twins start school and we mulled over how the timing is on this is so dramatic. We discussed the terminology of 'manifesting' and how Francesca thought I might have manifested the success of Murder on the Dancefloor!We agreed being a martyr as a mum is not a good thing, and Francesca described how she likes to schedule in quality time for herself, and buy herself lovely presents for her birthday and Mother's Day - and I've decided she should definitely treat herself to one of the tassley outfits I wear on stage!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.

Genevieve Turley is a make up artist who posts funny content online, making light of makeup tutorials and not taking her self seriously at all.We talked about how wearing makeup makes us both happy. She told me about her career in the RAF, her IVF journey and her life now, doing bridal makeup and creating comedy content online.Genevieve has two children aged 6 and 7, and after a 3 year renovation project with her husband Richard, they are at last close to moving into their family home.We also discovered a mutual love of an Urban Decay eye colour called Acid Rain, still in my makeup drawer, decades after I first bought it! 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.

Ro Fielden-Cook is a woman with a heck of a life story. She has 3 sons: twins Alfie and Charlie (aged 15) and Freddie (aged 7).She is the founder of a wellbeing and fitness community ‘The SHE Collective’ which has a holistic approach to giving busy women more life, more confidence and more energy. She had her twins as a single mother as she left University. One of the twins, Alfie, was diagnosed with a life-limiting condition called SMA when he was still a baby. Her story of fighting for her son’s health and then falling in love is jaw-dropper.Ro talks about her wonderful rock of a mum, and also about losing her incredible-sounding dad when she was a teenager. Ro’s positive spirit is inspiring and I guarantee you’ll be using her dad’s motto ‘Onwards and upwards’ when you’ve finished listening. 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.

Ranvir Singh is a TV news presenter on Good Morning Britain, who I met on the set of ‘Lorraine’ about a year ago - and I’ve been wanting to talk to her in more depth ever since.Ranvir is a single parent to her 13 year old son Tushaan.She grew up in a very religious Sikh household, having lost her Dad when she was only 9. She was the first girl in her family to go to University, and despite pressure to get married as soon as she left Uni, her laser beam focus on her career path remained.Ranvir and I shed some tears as she described the few minutes she would need to take on the driveway after work, before putting her key in the door. And towards the end of our chat, she shared some very emotional advice for any listener who feels themselves overwhelmed, and in that same position now.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.

Laura Hamilton is a TV presenter best known for presenting A Place in the Sun. She’s been renovating properties since the age of 19 and has just taken on her first overseas project in Majorca, which she’s filming, to create a guide to buying and renovating abroad.Laura has two children, 11 year old Rocco and 10 year old Tahlia, who she co parents 50/50 with her ex.Laura went back to work 3 weeks after having each of her children. She explained that was because she was scared someone else would jump into her shoes if she was away for longer. Laura’s career to date is so jam-packed including being gunged on CITV, appearing in pantos, running the marathon, Dancing on Ice, and The Jump. She credits her Dad and his difficult start in life before finding music and happiness, saying life is just your story, and you’ve got to enjoy writing it. Cheers to that, Laura! 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.

Cathy Dennis is a singer and a songwriter. I have been a huge fan of hers for years both through her solo music career and I’ve been lucky enough to write with her and get to know over the years. She is a true talent and a champion for music and creativity. She had a successful solo career in the early 90s, and then changed to songwriting in the 2000s, including writing Kylie’s ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’, Britney’s ‘Toxic’ and Katy Perry’s ‘I Kissed a Girl’.Cathy told me how she was bullied at school, from the age of 7-12, and how that may have equipped her to be strong and tenacious enough to be a woman in the music industry.She became a mum in 2004 (the same year I became a mum!) and found it a challenge to carry on with her career at that point but here she is, still writing and involved in music. Cathy credits her son Seb with being her solace when she’s found her self on the ’nothing will ever be perfect’ train. It was so gorgeous to talk to a friend who I admire and whose career is constantly evolving. A lovely conversation! XSpinning 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.

Jill Halfpenny has been an actor since the age of 10, first coming to our screens in Byker Grove in 1989, and most recently appearing in the Channel 5 drama The Feud. She has also appeared in Coronation Street, Eastenders, numerous TV dramas, on the West End stage and in Strictly Come Dancing.We shared our thoughts on dealing with downtime as performers, which has its challenges even in a busy career.Jill has a son Harvey who is nearly 17, and they clearly have a close relationship, based on honesty and openness, including during difficult times such as when her partner Matt died suddenly 8 years ago, in circumtances similar to how she lost her Dad aged 4. Sadly they both had unexpected heart attacks. Jill has recently written a beautiful memoir 'A Life Reimagined', which touches on both these deaths.Finally, I tried out Jill's Agony Aunt skills as she has a podcast 'Dear Jill' where she answers listeners' questions, from her Newcastle studio. I can now tell you that I am either on the right tracks as a mum or Jill was being extremely kind to me!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.

Rachel Kelly is a writer of many books about mental health and wellbeing and has recently published ‘The Gift of Teenagers: Connect More, Worry Less’. She is a mum of five grown up children.Rachel and I talked about the teenage brain and how it’s wired for novelty, connection with peers, and altruism. We discussed how we could be more sympathetic to what teenagers are going through.She also had some timely tips on exam stress, which we could definitely do with in our house at the moment. Rachel told me about her own struggles with anxiety and depression, including being hospitalised and feeling suicidal, and she talked about how your teenager can come through difficult times feeling stronger, wiser and more amazing.She also said: don’t give advice unless it’s asked for. Now that is something I’ve definitely got to work on! 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.

Salima Saxton is a writer, an actor and a coach, and she co-presents the podcast ‘Women are Mad’. She has 3 children aged 9, 12 and 15 and she recently caught my attention with her amazing Moth story about a Valentine’s Day announcement by her husband which changed her life. It’s 5 minutes of supreme story telling; you must listen! Salima and I talked about how she grew up with an alcoholic Dad and was always trying to be a ‘good girl’. Now she embraces a messy, crazy family life and says it’s vital to show up as yourself. Early in our chat we also confessed that we are both ‘secret control freak’ mums, but let’s not concentrate on that! I love Salima's idea of connecting with your 8 year old self and maybe doing some of the things that SHE used to love doing. Now, where are my rollerskates...?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.

Karni Arieli is a photographer. Her lockdown project Eye Mama @eyemamaproject asked photographer mums all over the world to share honest pictures of their own experiences of motherhood. She has just had it published as a book. She also makes short films, commercials and music videos and has recently had a BAFTA nomination for a film about the life of a salmon, played by a woman and narrated by Marianne Faithfull.Karni and I talked about how showing our children our weakensses is important and she shared how her first experience of motherhood was extremely tough as she had a herniated disc and couldn't walk or lift her baby for the first 8 months of his life.Karni also shared her life motto that she's passed on to her children: 'Do it like you mean it'. And she described her love of 'awe walks' with her children, which I am defintiely going to practise on the walk to school from now on!https://www.instagram.com/eyemamaproject/?hl=enhttps://eyemamaproject.com/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.

Olympic athlete and TV commentator Paula Radcliffe lives in Monaco with her husband Gary, and her two children Isla and Raphael.Paula is a 3 time winner of the London Marathon and held the Women's World Marathon Record for 16 years (2003-2019). I spoke to her just after she competed in the Tokyo Marathon aged 51, her first marathon since retiring aged 40.Paula recently co-hosted a lighthearted training podcast Paula's Marathon Run Club for the 16 weeks leading up to the London Marathon. She had a parental interest in this year's race as her own daughter Isla ran in aid of Children with Cancer UK. Paula talked to me about how her daughter went through a cancer diagnosis at the age of 13 and a half. She has happily since been given the all clear.  Paula also described her family life in Monaco and I admit I looked up the weather forecast there and felt pretty envious!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.