When a debut novel is picked up by Reese Witherspoon for her book club, and optioned by 20th Century Fox with Reese attached to produce, you know it's worth a look. That's what happened to Something In The Water, a can't-put-it-down thriller written by this week's guest, Catherine Steadman (you need this for your beach holiday). Not only is Catherine now a bestselling novelist, but she's an actress too - you may remember her as Mabel Lane Fox in Downton Abbey, and she's also in the forthcoming s...
May 10, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 49
The lovely and super-smart June Sarpong - broadcaster, campaigner and author - joins Hattie this week to share insight and advice from her book Diversify, now out in paperback. June draws on powerful research to highlight the challenges that so many people face - whether because of skin colour, social class, gender, disability or sexuality - and gives practical tips on how we can all unpick our own prejudices and step outside our social comfort zones.
May 03, 2019•28 min•Season 1Ep. 48
Meet Sofie Hagen: comedian, fat activist and author of the new book, Happy Fat. She's here to tell us that many of our negative beliefs about fatness come from advertisers with an ulterior motive: to make money out of our desire to change ourselves. She speaks passionately about how she came to accept her own body (and how we can all do the same) and shares her heartfelt, bull***t-free advice on self-care.
Apr 26, 2019•28 min•Season 1Ep. 47
Bee Wilson, food writer and author of new book The Way We Eat Now, joins us on this week's episode with advice on tweaking your eating habits to make them more varied, more satisfying and more nourishing. Bee has a smart, empathetic approach to food, delving into what eating really means to us and how dramatically it's changed in just a few decades - from the days when our grandparents would sit down for meat and two veg, to our current system of snacking, 'eating clean' and 'being naughty'. We'...
Apr 19, 2019•31 min•Season 1Ep. 46
The utterly charming Elizabeth Day, presenter of the How to Fail podcast and author of a new book by the same name, joins Hattie on Grazia Life Advice this week. We tend to hear a lot of talk about achievements and #goals these days, but what Elizabeth thinks are important are the things we mess up along the way - and how much those failures can teach us about who we are. She shared some very honest tales of her own 'mistakes', plus advice on how to turn your weaknesses into strengths.
Apr 12, 2019•30 min•Season 1Ep. 45
This week, we're joined by Love Island 2018's breakout star Dani Dyer. She was famous on the show for being a wise-beyond-her-years agony aunt - doling out comforting hugs and tough love (depending on what was deserved...) to all the islanders. There's plenty of this wisdom in her new book, What Would Dani Do?, and unsurprisingly she's the perfect guest for Grazia Life Advice too.
Apr 05, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Katharine Hamnett, fashion designer and queen of the slogan T-shirts (she coined the legendary 'Choose Life'), joins us on the podcast this week. An activist at heart, Katharine is passionate about politics, the environment and much more - she was the first designer to prioritise sustainability, way back in the 1980s. She's also a funny, sweary, self-deprecating guest with ingenious advice on keeping zen, being true to yourself and making a killer apple crumble.
Mar 29, 2019•27 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Lynn Enright, author of Vagina: A Reeducation, joins us on Grazia Life Advice this week - so expect plenty of revelations about women's health, plus some fascinating discussion of the clitoris thrown in for good measure. Lynn is a journalist whose book brings together research not only into women's bodies, but also into how our pain, pleasure and safety has been neglected by sex education and healthcare. She's also a very funny guest, whose advice spans everything from tackling awkward conversat...
Mar 22, 2019•31 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Cariad Lloyd, host of the award-winning Griefcast, joins us this week. Cariad is not only a very successful podcaster but an actress (most recently seen on This Time with Alan Partridge) and improv comedy performer - you can catch her in Austentatious, an improvised comedy inspired by Jane Austen (it's hilarious) at London's Fortune Theatre. She popped by to share advice on everything from bereavement to pyjamas, and was thoughtful, warm and very very funny.
Mar 15, 2019•32 min•Season 1Ep. 41
She was a Hollywood actress, and the punk starlet who dated Marilyn Manson and wore a fishnet dress to the MTV Video Music Awards; then Rose McGowan became one of the first and most prominent voices against Harvey Weinstein in 2017. Now she's an activist and a woman on a mission. Rose's memoir and motivational book Brave is out in paperback and she joined Grazia Life Advice to talk about why she's fighting back against 'the cult of Hollywood', and share her advice on how we can all be braver.
Mar 08, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 40
From designing coats for the bouncers at Studio 54 to revolutionising women's swimwear, Norma Kamali is the legendary fashion designer who shook up 1970s New York and is still going strong today. On a recent visit to London, Norma sat down with Grazia to share her advice on fitness, meditation and how to handle sexism in business.
Mar 01, 2019•33 min•Season 1Ep. 39
We are thrilled to welcome the presenter and philanthropist Katie Piper to the podcast this week. She's no stranger to podcasting - her own show, Katie Piper's Extraordinary People, is one of Grazia's favourites. Katie's quite extraordinary herself, and has done a huge amount in the UK to destigmatise and raise awareness of scarring and burns. She shared her advice on defining success, managing failure and standing up for yourself.
Feb 22, 2019•31 min•Season 1Ep. 38
In December 2017, Kristen Roupenian published the story Cat Person in the New Yorker - and quickly became a viral sensation. Her story chimed with the #MeToo movement exploding at the time, and it's now become part of her new book of short fiction, You Know You Want This. Kristen stopped by Grazia to talk about the experience of writing something that provoked such a strong global reaction, and share with us her great advice on knowing what you can control, and tuning out of what you can't.
Feb 15, 2019•27 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Rochelle Humes joins us at Grazia Towers as she publishes her first children's book, The Mega Magic Hair Swap. Inspired by her own daughters, the story sets out to help children, especially children of colour, to love their natural hair. It's the latest in a series of triumphs for Rochelle, who had a recent success sitting in for Holly Willoughby on the This Morning couch. She shares some of her wisdom on parenting, compartmentalising and learning to say no.
Feb 08, 2019•29 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Bella Mackie joins us this week to talk about her new book, the Sunday Times bestseller Jog On, which tells the story of how running helped her address mental health issues during the most challenging time of her life. As well as being thoughtful and empathetic, Bella is also irreverent and self-deprecating. Her advice includes tips on being a supportive friend, and finding hope during bleak times - plus the invaluable: 'Always be jazzy.'
Feb 01, 2019•32 min•Season 1Ep. 35
This week's guest is the no-f***s-giving Sarah Knight, author of the bestselling The Life-Changing Magic Of Not Giving A F***. Her new book, Calm the F*** Down, is a guide to defeating your worries and anxiety - or at least channelling them in a more constructive way. On a recent trip to London she shared some of her most valuable and witty advice with Grazia.
Jan 25, 2019•19 min•Season 1Ep. 34
This week we welcome the Mother Pukka herself, Anna Whitehouse. A successful blogger and journalist, Anna is known for her frank and funny take on parenting - you can get more of that on her own podcast, Dirty Mother Pukka. She talked marriage, friendship and what it's like to find yourself at the heart of a public relations disaster, and shared lots of wise advice too.
Jan 18, 2019•28 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Meet Tamara Ecclestone, TV personality and founder of the baby skin-care brand Fifi & Friends. Tamara welcomed us into her home for this episode to share wise advice on love, cool-headed decision making, and trusting your own judgement even when others disagree.
Jan 11, 2019•18 min•Season 1Ep. 32
This week we welcome the author Holly Bourne. Last year Holly published her first novel for grown-ups, the brilliant How Do You Like Me Now? - a Times bestseller that explored a relationship in meltdown in the age of social media. She's also a successful author of young adult fiction, most recently including Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes? She was a brilliant guest on Grazia Life Advice with tons of kind and insightful advice on maintaining your health and happiness.
Jan 04, 2019•30 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Our guest this week is the actress Emilia Fox, who joined us just before launching a new series of Sky One's Delicious with Dawn French. Emilia spilled the beans on what to expect from the show, but also shared thoughtful advice on finding yourself, nurturing your friendships and seeking out the brighter side of life.
Dec 21, 2018•24 min•Season 1Ep. 30
This week we're joined by the legendary Barbara Taylor Bradford. Born in 1933 in Yorkshire, Barbara had a career as a journalist before publishing her debut novel, A Woman of Substance, in 1979. It went on to sell more than 32 million copies worldwide, and 40 years later she's still going strong as an author: her latest novel, Master of His Fate, is out now. Barbara shared what she's learnt about manners, self-belief and how to tell a story. This week also marks Grazia Life Advice moving to Frid...
Dec 14, 2018•14 min•Season 1Ep. 29
This week we welcome Jane Shepherdson. As the former brand director of Topshop, Jane was one of the driving forces who transformed the shop into a high street hit; then she became co-owner of Whistles and worked the same magic there. Jane left Whistles in 2016 to travel, and is now back in the UK with her own brilliant podcast, Out Of Fashion. She talked inspiringly about the importance of bravery - and knowing when it's time to move on and change things up.
Dec 04, 2018•27 min•Season 1Ep. 28
This week's guest is Sarah-Jane Mee, who you'll know from Sky News's Sunrise (6am to 10am, Monday to Thursday). It's the highest-rated show on the channel, and Sarah-Jane became its first female anchor when she took over from Eamonn Holmes in 2017. Despite having been up since 3am, she was very welcoming when Grazia popped by her flat on a rainy day in November, and had great advice to share on the importance of self-belief, kindness in the workplace, and... safety pins.
Nov 27, 2018•22 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Our guest this week is the one and only Mary Portas, founder of Portas Agency - you may know her as Mary Queen of Shops. Mary's just published her latest book, Work Like A Woman, which sets out her manifesto on how we can be better, happier and more productive in our workplaces by breaking out of alpha culture. As well as sharing brilliant tips on being your best career self, Mary talked about life in the public eye, picking yourself up again after a failure, and why there's no shame in admittin...
Nov 20, 2018•32 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Our guest this week is the wonderful Davina McCall - over her decades in the public eye, we've known Davina in many guises - as MTV presenter, Big Brother queen and now fitness expert. We met her in a rather echoey north London gym where she was working with F&F to launch the new Activewear collection, which is available in select Tesco stores from January 1. As well as giving advice on fitness though, Davina talked brilliantly about ageing, putting in the effort and mothering teenagers.
Nov 13, 2018•19 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Our guest this week is journalist and Channel 4 news presenter, Cathy Newman. After a decade on Fleet Street, Cathy moved to Channel 4 news in 2006, where she has become well known for her investigative scoops and interviewing expertise. Cathy has just released a book - Bloody Brilliant Women, which tells the stories of pioneering women who we may not know as much about as we should. We talked about her book - and everything from combatting worries to curly hair at her home in London, last month...
Nov 06, 2018•26 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Our guest this week is singer Sophie Ellis Bextor, who after 21 years in the music industry is about to release a Greatest Hits with a twist - the album, The Song Diaries, out next year, will feature her biggest hits, like Murder on the Dancefloor, but reworked with grand orchestral arrangements. She also recently announced the album is also set to coincide with the birth of her fifth child, but she'll still be taking the music out on the road next summer Sophie has recently released a new singl...
Oct 30, 2018•33 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Grazia and Sloggi bring you this week's interview with singer Ella Eyre. We met up with Ella at John Lewis' White City store in their style studio. Ella is currently in the studio, writing new music, and was a brilliant guest, telling us about everything from her art gallery visits and switching off from social media, to balance and workouts at Barry's Bootcamp.
Oct 23, 2018•21 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Our guest this week is author Leni Zumas. We spoke to US writer Leni when she was visiting London last month about everything from reproductive rights to writing inspiration. We featured her books, The Red Clocks, on our Shelf Life page when it was released earlier this year - telling the story of a group of women in an American where abortion has been outlawed, the novel seems scarily prescient in today's political climate across the pond. Even if you're not familiar with Leni's novels, she spe...
Oct 16, 2018•26 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Our guest this week is businesswoman Jo Malone CBE. During her decades in the industry, she has created two worldwide brands - firstly Jo Malone London, which she sold to Estee Lauder and eventually departed from in 2006, now Jo Loves, which she launched in 2011. We met Jo in the her Jo Loves Belgravia store and she was a truly inspiring guest - she shared advice given to her by none other than Oprah, waded in on the problems facing the British high street and talked about why her dyslexia has m...
Oct 09, 2018•31 min•Season 1Ep. 20
