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Today I'm going on a style journey with the English TV and
radio presenter, the eternally joyful Gabby Roslyn.
Hello and welcome Gabby very much God, lovely to have you
here. You've been such a busy girl.
It's morning live on BBC Television, right?
Shop smart. Save money on Channel 5.
That's it. Magic Radio on Saturday mornings
and BBC Radio on Sundays. Bloody hell.
And the podcast. And the book.
Do you get a day off? Did you know everybody always
asked that? And yes, I do, but not really.
But I love working. That's all I've ever wanted to
do. Yeah.
So to be doing what you've always dreamt of since you were
three, it's fine. I I'm so happy.
It's clear it comes through. You are totally joyful.
Any plans to write another book after Spread the Joy?
No, that's, it's funny, a lot of people have asked me that.
It comes out in paperback in a few months, which is very
exciting, brilliant. And I and with a bit of a cover
change. And I didn't really, I didn't
realize that after you'd done a hardback that you had to then go
out there and talk about the paper.
I thought, oh, it's there. And then they do the paperback.
But it's it's really exciting to be talking about it again.
So you have to go on a whole new junket of promoting it.
Yeah, fantastic. Yeah, but it's I do.
I the thing about that book is, although somebody asked me last
week, did I write it or was it AI?
And I said no, I did. I wrote it literally.
Do you know what a girlfriend of mine who we were talking about
earlier actually said to me when I said, oh, I've got a book
deal. I'm so excited.
So that's fantastic. Get IAI to.
Write no, no, no, don't. No, no, that's.
What's your book about? What's your book about?
Style DNA. Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous.
But So what inspired Spread the Joy?
It came really, really does come from within, since when I was
three years old, I was a desperately shy child and
teenager. And I talk very openly about
that because I don't think it's ever talked about enough.
But I knew that television brought me joy.
So when I was 3, my dad worked at the BBC and I used to go to
work with him couple of times a year or something.
And I remember walking in to the, to the BBC holding my dad's
hand. So I was only teeny weeny weeny.
And I used to, yeah, it was. And they say, oh, hello, Clive.
And I'd imagine they were saying hello Gabby, your dressing room
number 28 down the corridor. And because I used to go in to
work with him, it was because I loved Blue Peter and Blue Peter
was on the BBC. And when from the age of three,
I used to sit next to the television pretending I was one
of the presenters. So when they said hello, I'd say
hello with them and I then went to the television centre and I
saw that there were cameras because obviously you don't know
that watching it. And so I made my dad put a
couple box on his head so he was the camera.
And then when I got older I saw there was auto cue.
So I made my mum write on a loo roll so I could learn how to do
auto cue because that's all I wanted to do was be a TV
presenter because it brought me joy.
And that's the same as the book. It was all about spreading joy
and I've always wanted to see people happy.
But talk to me for one second about the fact that you're
cripplingly shy and yet you want to go on television.
Is there? Because it was about joy,
because television brought made me happy and I I'm not a stand
up comedian, but I wanted to go and make people smile.
That was my big thing. And I used to think, oh, if I
can make somebody smile, then that's really good.
And I still totally believe in that philosophy now that if one
person, obviously, if more watch or more listen to the things
they do, that's very nice. Thank you very much.
But if one person feels that they've left watching that TV
show or listening to the radio show or listening to the podcast
or reading the book, if they feel a little bit better or
they've taken they've got some take home, then that's that's a
a gift for me and a gift for them.
Yeah, double whammy. You've talked about the ripple
effect and I love that and it's something I feel passionate
about that just by smiling at someone on the street during the
day, it's a ripple, totally. It makes them feel better.
Or smiling at the guy taking the cash at the petrol station or
whatever. Oh, I do that all the time.
I, I always, I always ask people's names as well.
So I learned that through one of the charities that I'm involved
with. When you see somebody who no
longer has a roof over their head, if they are living
homelessly and they, you talk to them in the street, because I
always try and chat to them. And I was told by crisis that
they said if you could ask their name.
So I always do now because nobody, you know, they feel
invisible, but it's the same as anybody.
I'd be sitting on the, in fact, coming here today.
I was sitting on the train and I just turned to the woman next to
me. I had a baby and I started
talking to her. And then I got off and there was
a man who was looking a bit lost.
I said, can I show you around? I've no idea where I am, but I
wanted to help. He said, Oh no, I think I'll
just use my phone, but thank you for asking.
And then I just say hello to people.
Yeah, it, I mean, see when you do something like that, seeing
the joy that that brings, it just changes our day.
It really does. Fantastic.
Any other projects boiling up that you can share?
Do you know, I hate it when I ask somebody that and they say
yes and I can't talk about it, but it's absolutely, 100% true.
And until I've signed on the dotted line, which is next week,
I can't talk about it. But it's very exciting.
And you're really excited about it.
Oh, fingers crossed. I can't wait to hear about that.
Thank you. Now today we're going on a style
journey together. Tell me about what you're
wearing. Well, I, I had to go totally
bright because I love bright colors and, and you and I have
known it for a long time And I, I think that bright colors
spread joy. And that's one of the chapters
in my book as well. But I've always, but I think
because I started out in television very, very young and
I started out in kids television.
So you wore bright colors. I then did Saturday morning
television. You wore bright colors and then
did a show called The Big Breakfast, Bright colors.
So it's always been about bright colors lift somebody's mood, and
they do. If you see a bright color, your
mood is automatically lifted. If you see constantly Gray and
black, doesn't mean I don't wear it.
But if you only see that, especially at the moment when
the news is so frightening and so dark, and today it's a bit
Gray outside as well, just wearing a color lifts people.
And the amount of people who very sadly say to me, and it's
women who say, oh, I wish I could wear a bright colour.
Oh, I wish I could wear neon. Oh, I wish I could do that.
But I'm just too embarrassed. I should I just wear my, my Navy
and my black because that's what I'm used to.
And I always say you can. Yeah, you absolutely can.
There's no rules. That's a nice thing these days.
There are no rules. I'm allergic to rules in
fashion. Yes, absolutely allergic.
So tell me you've got this. Gorgeous.
It's a bright pink. I've I went and looked at this
and it's my daughter's. So this is my younger daughter's
sweatshirt that she wears for auditions.
So I said I'm going to wear this because I also was going to wear
a neon orange jumper, which has got a pink star and a neon
yellow star on the arm that I've just had.
But I'm about to wear it on the TV show and I thought, knowing
me, I'll get it dirty and I haven't got time to get it
cleaned by tomorrow. So that's why I didn't wear it,
but I have all of my clothes, the bright, bright, bright.
And then the. I've got pant, so these are
trousers and they also got the bright pink down the side and
these are the trousers that more people stop me about and and a
pair of wide leg jeans that I got from next that I get stopped
in the street about more than anything else.
I mean, now, honestly, it's the it's really weird and I love
jeans and I've got too many pairs of jeans and I've I have
spent a lot of money on on some jeans and I wear them again and
wears Popeye and all of that. It's really important.
And I do shopping in your wardrobe.
So I'm a great believer in that. But the these wide leg jeans I
got from next last year, total strangers come up and say,
excuse me, can I ask you where you got your jeans?
And then I say next they go, no you didn't.
Yes, I did. Good, good.
And sneakers. You're always in sneakers.
No. Well, I walk.
So I walk about 10 miles a day. Wow.
Yeah. And is that because you get off
the train a stop early? No, I walk.
I usually walk everywhere. So I walk to town, I walk to
each meeting. I walk if it's very early, if
I'm doing a breakfast, then I at Magic, I've been doing breakfast
recently and I don't go in at 3:30 in the morning in on foot,
but I will walk. So it's, yeah, between 7 and 10
miles a day. Amazing.
I love it. Steps is that. 20,000 yeah, But
I it's good for my head, it's good for my heart, it's good for
the environment. Yeah, good stuff.
Good stuff, but I wear heels. I love heels.
And how much are you wearing heels now?
Not as much, although we have went to a friend's birthday on
Saturday night and everyone's have you suddenly grown and I
put on my ridiculous stacked heels.
I mean, we've all got them from years ago and they are shopping
in your wardrobe, but the the platform, the platform is about.
You love a good platform. 3 inches and then the heel is
about 6 and I'm 5 foot 9 and so I was over 6 foot, which alarms
some people, but I love the heel, yeah.
Fun. Fun.
Now you grew up in London, yeah? Were you very aware of your
parents style? Yes, they my we didn't have much
money. My mom used to buy from Marks
and Spencer's and she used to get stuff from her mother, hand
me down stuff but she didn't. My mother always believed that
she wants that it was not right for her to spend money on
clothes when she could be spending it on us.
How lovely. And your father?
Oh, he's a mess. My dad was always a mess.
He used to spill everything down him.
He was one of those people. But what was your earliest
memory of clothes making an impact on you?
I loved, loved, loved fashion from Tiny and I loved makeup.
But weirdly, when we were younger, you couldn't say you
loved clothes and makeup because you were then called the bimbo.
Do you remember that it was a? Well, if you're blonde too.
You want I wasn't this is this has helped.
I was a redhead. I used to draw outfits.
I used to design outfits when I was little and, and get all the
colours and everything and I always, they were all very, very
similar. But I loved it.
And I would look at fashion magazines and I, I would, I
didn't buy them, but I'd go into shops and I'd spend ages looking
at them. And then I used to love the VNA,
always go to the VNA. Any opportunity to look at the
fashion through the years? Did you sew?
Yes, I did craft at school and the first thing I made was a
nightshirt, a blue and white nightshirt, stripy nightshirt
with a dog collar. I made that.
Then I made some trousers which were checked.
Oh my goodness, I've just remembered they were large
checks in bright a bright greeny colour.
So that must have been 70s. No, because I'm only 33.
Of course. Yeah, it was last week.
It was last week. Did you wear a school uniform?
No, I went to school where there was no school uniform.
And so did you feel the pressure to dress up or?
No, we, I used to go to a market and buy the copies of the
clothes because I didn't we didn't have the money.
And so I used to wear I the everyone was obsessed with
Levi's five O 1's and I couldn't afford them.
So I worked at weekends. I worked in a shop from the age
of 15, Saturdays and Sundays. And I'd save up and I'd go to
the market and get the copy. Were you selling clothes in the
shop? No, I I worked in a paper and
record shop from the age of 15 and I loved it because also
because being insanely shy, it was a fantastic way to chat
because everyone used to chat to me.
It's very strange. Even when I was sort of 10/11/12
on the bus going to school, I'd have adults sitting next to me
and telling me their life. So I'd get off the bus and I'd
think, oh, and I'd come home and I'd say mum, this woman was
telling me that she's going to get a divorce and that her dog
has just died. And, and it happened every
single day. Everybody has always talked to
me about everything. Why do you think that is?
I don't know. I, I, it's because I'm I'd like
talking to people, but I could talk to total strangers.
But but make me go to a party and I'd get an upset stomach.
But working in a shop was the most fantastic way talk to
everybody and anybody. I have this theory that every
teenager should work either in retail or hospitality.
Yeah, absolutely. For a short time, yeah.
So that you learn how to interact with strangers.
Absolutely, I totally agree. And how to sell yourself
actually to you know, you've when you go for an interview,
you're selling yourself. Couldn't agree more.
And also when I was working in a shop, I was presenting a
television show. Yeah, in my head.
Oh, how lovely. So I would go on a Saturday
morning, I'd get into work. I did Saturday all day and
Sunday mornings. And so I'm doing the same now.
I work at weekends. I've never not worked at
weekends and and I'd chat and I'd then I'd walk, I'd walk home
after that and I'd have my pay And I think, wow, I learned this
about this person and this person and this person and I met
some incredible people. Absolutely incredible.
But you were you almost being your alter ego.
No, because I oh, I hate it when people say what you see is what
you get. But it is so.
But it stopped my shyness because.
I can't be shy, really. My point about the shyness, you
know, do you did you almost need to be a Gabby too?
No it. Was.
To overcome your shyness. It was me not not Shy Gabby.
So it was the the me that wanted to be ATV presenter.
It was me that could talk to anybody, but it was when I go to
parties, I just be so painfully shy.
I remember at school teachers, they knew that I wanted to be
ATV presenter and they knew I wanted to go to to drama college
and that was always what I wanted to do after my A levels.
But but there were a few teachers say, goodness me,
you're very shy, but that's great and you want to be ATV
presenter. So they were very open and nice
about it. But there would be people who
say you're so shy you want to be ATV presenter, but you're so shy
you can sing, you're a singer, you're so shy.
And then I'd say, yeah. So it sort of builds it more
into you. Yeah, do you?
Did you ever use clothes to overcome your shyness?
No, I want, I wore like I wore the same as everybody else.
I drew stuff that I wanted to wear, but I'd wear actually
jeans. I've still got jeans.
From bit of a uniform. Yeah, yeah, lived in jeans and
my girls live in jeans now and I live in jeans, so I've always
lived in jeans. But I've always loved bright
colored tops. So I've got tops from when I did
Motormouth, which was the Saturday morning kids show.
I've still got some some of the neon tops I wore there.
When would you say you discovered your personal style
DNA? Probably.
Probably it was always there, but I couldn't afford it and I
didn't have the courage to do it.
So I always knew what I felt comfortable in and I was one of
those people. This is really weird to to admit
to you because you're you're real at that.
But but I used to dress people. So when I started out in telly,
other presenters used to say, Oh, I like so and so and I like
so and so and I just say, but you should wear blah, blah,
blah. So I used to meet them in
Topshop in Oxford Circus and I'd dress them.
Oh, I love that. And I'd make them put things on
that they were scared to put on. And then I started doing it in
later years. I did it for quite a few
charities. So I'd, I'd somebody would,
they'd auction me off at charities and I'd do let's go
shopping and, and I'd take total strangers out and I'd say give
me a couple of hours in a shopping centre and I'll have
you dressed in things you never wore before.
So I've done that quite, I've done it for years now and.
How did you go about so you? I just take things off the
rails. I say that, that, that and that
and they say I would never. I said do it just.
And you wouldn't talk about their lifestyle or what they
love and what. They do, it's just about them as
people. Fantastic, fantastic.
I still get people asking me and I, I did it for somebody couple
of months ago and I used to also when I started shopping in your
wardrobe, a lot of people asked me to go and do their wardrobe.
So I started doing that as well. I've done that a lot it.
Sounds like a great sideline. Yeah, I love doing it.
I love going through people's wardrobes.
I'm. Very nosy now you've got 2
teenage daughters. No, they're 18 and 23.
OK, so one teenager. Do they have strong opinions on
what you wear? Yeah, I really trust what they
have to say. So they know they don't do they
don't do the bright colors. If you open my wardrobe, it
would be very different to yours.
If you open my wardrobe and I looked weirdly this morning.
I looked because I was talking to my younger daughter about
this. If you open my wardrobe, it's
bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, mix,
mix, mix, bright, bright. And then jeans, jeans, bright
trousers, bright, bright trousers.
In my younger daughter's bedroom, she's got a, a wardrobe
that's mine, that's all my stuff.
And it's all my trousers. And they are every color you can
imagine, neon wire, all sorts. And then my white trouser suits,
which we can talk about in a minute because somebody sitting
very close to me started off my obsession with white trouser
suits and that. And then if you look at my
daughter's, it's. The baggiest jeans and short
little crop tops and things and that's what she lives in.
And my other daughter, because she works, she's got, she's got
much more muted wardrobe. But did they ever say to you Mum
no? Yes, but they no, but they'll
laugh sometimes in a nice way. They'll say, why are you wearing
orange, pink, blue-green or the, I feel like it.
OK, that's our mom. But they never don't know.
I will ask their advice on something.
I'll say, do you think these shoes are these shoes?
And they'll say, oh, no, those ones don't work.
And I'll listen. Yeah, yeah.
That's great. But they have very much both
have their own style. But if you're are you ever
unsure of what you're putting on?
Sometimes I'm not sure what I should wear as opposed to
unsure, and that's only come in the last 1020 years I suppose.
But what do you mean by? Well, for no, before I would
dress if if it was a black tie event.
I do you. Do you remember when it was a
black tie event and nobody would wear trousers or, you know,
everyone would wear the long dress or the long skirt or
whatever. And I have yours in my top and I
love them so much. But but now I will dress up
something that I never thought I would have years ago.
So I'll wear, I might wear smart jeans to something with a really
nice top or I'll change up the jewelry or something where we
never did that years ago. That wasn't a dumb thing.
Years. Ago because the dress code was
far more. Prescriptive.
Yes, it was. Yeah.
And I like that. It's not now.
Yes, I totally agree. Can be themselves.
Yeah, yeah. What'd you go to if you're
unsure of the dress code? Smart trousers and a bright top
and jackets. I've got a lot of jackets.
I don't wear jackets as much as I used to.
I I wear a lot of trouser suits and you're to blame.
Can can you just talk to me for a second about the white
trousers? Yes, so using well I've got a
lot of I you very kindly used to lend me stuff for events.
So I've got some long skirts of yours which I love and I bring
out and I wear on holiday now with white T-shirts and flip
flops. Just buy us skirts.
Yeah, Oh, fabulous. They're just still great,
aren't? They oh, they're wonderful.
But you you had so I always when I was younger, I used to draw.
I mean, I do have a lot of trouser suits and I'm talking
Zara to to high end and to me and MI love me and M trousers.
But years ago there was a trouser suit that I fell in love
with of yours. It's white with black and it is
the most beautiful trouser suit. It's my, it's my precious, it's
my precious trouser suit. I'll pay you later.
No, this is. Completely and utterly true.
My children know it's my precious trouser suit.
Now white trouser suits are gorgeous, I love them, but they
are a nightmare in terms of in and out of the dry cleaners.
No, I, I, I'm aware of that now and I embrace it.
So I have my precious trouser suit, which is honestly what it
is called in the wardrobe. I have my me and EM white
trouser suit which is a three piece because yours was a is a
jacket and trousers. Oh, those trousers are so
beautiful as well. And the cursor trousers.
It they're slight, they're flared, and I wear really silly,
silly, silly high heels with them.
Oh God, they're gorgeous. Those those pants were really,
really good. Oh amazing.
Talk about leg lengthening leg. Lengthening and the jacket, the
way it's cart. Oh just fabulous.
So my precious white trouser suit, then I've got my me and M3
piece trouser suit and then I've got a Zara white trouser suit,
which is the fling on and I can put in the wash.
But that's but my precious one comes out early at precious.
Oh, I love that. It's so funny saying that to
your face, but that's what we call it.
And my kids know that's my you know, they'll that and they do
borrow my stuff. I love that they do.
There's they can't borrow so. What do you wear under said
precious trouser suit? I wear a.
Little tiny little black vest. Gorgeous.
That's it, Gorgeous. I've worn them separately though
as well. So I've worn the jacket with
jeans, and I've worn the trousers with exactly the same
white top with white shirt. Because white isn't just white.
Yeah, everyone thinks I'm crazy when I say that, but it's not
just white. But it's very uplifting, isn't
it, I? Love wearing white.
I've got a white evening dress. I've got a white I've I wear.
I do love wearing white. And do you wear ivories too?
Sort of Pearl white. Yes, similar to the colour
you're wearing now. But I I love a crisp white
white. I do wear it a lot and people
always say oh why are you wearing white it?
Really does throw light onto your face.
Love wearing white? Do.
You wear black at all? Not often, not close to my face,
I have done. And any Darks Navy's charcoals?
I love I My darkest that I wear all the time would be khaki.
I think of khaki as a dark I. Love a khaki.
Yeah. I mean, to me, that's my
favorite dark neutral. The the sort of freckly redhead
blonde that I am, I'm I'm. Amazed that you're a redhead.
Well, I was, and then it got darker and dark.
Yeah. Well, most I've only.
I've been blonde since I was forever 19.
Yeah. Yeah.
So I was, I was born blonde. Went red and then it got Auburn
and then darker and darker. So I started then lightening it
and then it got lighter and lighter.
Do you have a style icon? Jennifer Aniston at some stage,
or Cate Blanchett, but actually or or Diane Keaton.
I loved Diane. I mean, I still do.
I love the way she dresses. And I interviewed her and she
blew my mind that I couldn't believe I was just interviewing
her. But I think I take it from a lot
of people. I don't just think I don't I I
love looking up the way people put things together and the way
people dress. Talking, interviewing.
Do you ever find yourself matching your guests look
subconsciously in a way of connecting with them, sort of
dressing for your guest? No, no.
Although this morning I did have a different outfit on and
because I wanted to, I thought I should be today.
But I thought no, just sling on because I've got to, I've got to
walk and I've got to do 2 two different things after this.
And I thought no. And I did have on a more muted
outfit and I thought, no, I'm going to go in bright colours.
And your nails match your sweatshirt.
That is, that's accidental because I had something like
that. Yeah.
Well, I like bright nails. Yeah.
Gorgeous.
If I asked you to describe your style DNA in three words, what
free would they be? Neon, bright, happy.
Yeah. I didn't think about it.
They were the first. 3 words that came out.
Would you say that your styles changed through the decades?
I I know you're only 33 so. Yes, over the.
Past three decades? Yes, Over the past. 3 decades.
I think I've become more confident in dressing like me as
opposed to dressing like I'm supposed to dress.
Has that been quite freeing? Oh, yes.
And also, as I'm so pleased you said earlier, anybody saying
that you can't do that or you can't do this because of your
age, shut up. Oh, wear what do you want?
Somebody the other day spoke to me about somebody that is in the
public eye who was photographed wearing a very short skirt.
And they said, oh, do you think that she'd learn?
And I said, learn what? And they got such a shock that
my and they said, well, come on, she's in those that age.
What? Come on.
I said I think she looks absolutely wonderful and I
applaud her for wearing what she wants.
And actually this happened years ago.
So when I first met my husband, we've been together 20 years and
we were on holiday in Italy and there was a woman walking
through the street who had on a bra top and a sort of Saronghy
skirt, but it had Belle, you know, when you the, the bell
belts. Do you know what I mean?
They were sort of jingling and she had flip flops on that were
jingling. And I was looking at her.
My husband said, why are you staring?
And I said, she looks fantastic. And then I heard my say myself
say, isn't it great that she dresses like that for her age at
her age? And then I stopped myself and I
said, I'm never saying that again.
And she was, she was probably, I would say she was probably in
her late 70s, eighties. Oh, wow.
No, she was amazing. Yeah.
And she looked incredible. Yeah.
So that was there. I stopped.
I I actually meant it as a compliment.
I didn't mean it in a cruel way. And.
And he said, what? Why?
Why you? What's the matter?
I said. I must never say that again.
Yeah. 'Cause she just looked great.
She looked fabulous. Yeah, she looked fabulous.
She was wearing this bikini top and it had little bells and the
skirt. It was a sort of gypsy skirt
that she'd tied around her and bells.
And it was, she was, and she just looked wonderful.
She had a basket over her shoulder.
She was slightly stooped. She had shoulder length.
I can picture her now. I can always.
I have a really weird thing. I can picture everybody's face,
Photographic memory of faces, no names.
Can't remember, but she looked wonderful.
But so, on that note, is there anything that you wear less of
now? Yes, short, short.
Skirts. Yeah.
I used to wear them every morning on the Big Breakfast and
I don't now. And it's, it's not because I
don't want to. I would probably wear them with
opaque tights again, but I just haven't recently.
I'm not because I'm worried about what somebody would say
really, I just haven't. So that's something I I don't
wear anymore. Because I wear.
Skinny jeans and everyone goes oh we sure only wear baggy
jeans. I wear my baggy jeans my skinny
jeans, my. Because I actually feel that the
Gabby I know now is proper sports lux, joyful colours, you
know, bright clashing colours and, you know, lovely track
pants, you know, all of that sort of vibe and it's easy and
relaxed. And yeah, and there's sporty.
Yeah, yes, I suppose that has changed since walking
everywhere, because I think, I really do think that walking has
changed my life very dramatically.
I stopped drinking because I walk so and that was because I
and I never drunk a lot. I used to have a couple of
glasses on a Friday and a couple on a Saturday and that would be
it. And I just didn't want to
hangover because walking is so released so much.
I love it that I thought I don't want to not walk so I'm never
going to drink again. It is the best thing, isn't it?
A. Walk.
Yeah, it really is. You know I.
I love the fact I've got to get that little creature out every
morning, even if it's growing. How well behaved?
Yes, until she isn't. Until a little head pokes up
over the sofa. Fundamentally, who do you think
you dress for? Spreading joy.
I love that, I love that. But you obviously spread joy to
yourself. Yes, because if you, you can't
in, in my book, I talk about you have to feel the joy yourself
and it doesn't mean faking it or it's just little moments of joy.
You don't have to be joyful all the time, but little moments of
joy. If once you feel that and then
you can spread the joy, then that's a double whammy and you
can feel good for making somebody else feel good.
Absolutely, and interesting. I would love to know when you've
had more difficult moments. In your life.
Did you find yourself reaching for a particular color?
Well, I had both. The worst time, which I talked
about very openly, was I have both parents with different
cancers and different hospitals. Mom was dying.
We didn't know if dad was going to survive.
And I remember when I, I sort of, I, and I now tell people I
was very young, Mom died very young.
And I now tell people, you must look after yourself because I
didn't, I didn't get to the gym. I didn't do, I didn't eat at
normal times. I didn't look after myself well
enough. And I, I now tell everybody,
you've got to look after yourself.
But also, I forgot about looking.
I it was just getting on with it.
I had to get on with it. And then mom died and dad had a
stroke. And then I started after that
reclaiming all of that again. Now, my mom had loved shoes.
She was a bigger shoe size than I was, and she had shoes in her
wardrobe from the 1950s, some proper stilettos.
I was so annoyed I couldn't, couldn't keep them, couldn't
wear them. I remember giving them to
charity shops. But I remember going to buy a
pair of shoes after mum died because I thought I love shoes,
Mum loved shoes. That's what I'm going to do.
And I bought some pale blue, very high sandals.
They were designer sandals and they were from Gucci.
I'd never bought anything like that in my life, but I thought,
I'm going to buy a pair of shoes that will last forever.
If I ever have children. They'll also have.
They now have smaller feet and bigger feet than me, so they're
just going to have to put them on a something.
And I still have those to this day.
And those are the shoes I bought to celebrate shoes because my
mom loved shoes. So that was that, you know?
So I I Yeah, I am. Color can help through all of
those things. Yeah, no, but I went there.
It was an awful time, but I'm I talk about it very openly.
Yeah, I know. I I, I know you do.
And I just sort of wondered whether you used clothes in any
way to cocoon you or? I just got on with it and the
But the press had a field day because they didn't know what
was happening. So they had a field day.
Oh, yeah. We were seen in the street
looking very down. Yeah, yeah.
My dad's just had bowel cancer and a stroke, and then he had
another stroke. My mom died.
So, you know, there was a lot going on.
Mum had lung cancer. Brutal.
Yeah, brutal. God.
But life is about we. We're never going to get this
moment again. And that's another reason for us
to spread the joy is that you and I are never going to get
that moment ever again. So make the most of every
moment. Proper carpe diem, isn't it?
Oh my gosh. It really is.
Yeah. God, if only we'd known that.
I know. When we were 32.
Yes, a year ago. Now you Co host shop smart save
money. Are you very conscious of the
price of the clothes that you are wearing?
Absolutely. So most of the time I I shop in
my wardrobe, it's something I feel very strongly about.
I do worry about the amount of waste, the amount what we're
doing to our environment, the quick, the fast fashion.
I worry about the people who are made to make the fast fashion.
And I worry more about is just being slung.
I mean, the pictures of people going skiing and leaving their
ski outfits on the slopes and people going to on summer
holidays and leaving their bikinis on the beach.
I, I don't understand it. So I do a lot of that.
And like I said, I never bought, I design a pair of shoes.
I, most of my stuff I'm High Street, but I've always been
High Street. I've always been very loud and
proud of that. Apart from my special trouser
suit and your Gucci shoes, my Gucci shoes, they're my one pair
of designer shoes. And I just, I, yeah, I, I don't
like, I don't like big displays of, I don't like it when people
put on an outfit and it's just about, oh, look how much money
I've got. Look how I don't, I don't like
that. I've never liked that.
I've, that's not, that's not me. But if somebody wants to do it,
they can do it. It's just something I don't
particularly. I mean as a well known face with
a big social media following, you must get stuff sent to you.
I don't, I say say no. Do you?
But and I never just arrives. No, because I say no thank you
very much and they understand. I get really, really lovely
people asking me. I won't take any food or
anything. There aren't enough people with
food banks and I work with Multibank, Gordon Brown's
charity. I'm an ambassador for that.
The idea of me, that's horrid. I don't like it.
I think it's wrong. I will help friends.
So if friends got a new business, I will talk about that
and I will say it's my friend has designed this or something.
But I don't keep them. I don't, I don't like that.
I don't, it's wrong. I'm in a very lucky position
that I can go into Zara and buy something new.
I'm I'm not going to take something.
I don't, I don't. It's just me.
I don't like it. Yeah, what do you do with your
clothes when you've had enough of them?
Give them to charity shops or give them to friends.
Is there a particular charity shop usually?
Any cancer charities because it's affected me so much?
Yeah, it will be cancer charity shops and Oxfam.
And do you buy vintage at all? My daughters do.
They both do. They go to charity shops and
they go on vintage do. They sell any of yours on
vintage? No, they wear.
Luckily they wear it. My younger daughter, she wears
quite a lot of of my things, None of the bright stuff apart
from this, which she's worn for a couple of auditions, but but
they my jeans. Suddenly my jeans are
disappearing. And also I've got some which we
all wore in the early noughties, the Maharishi's I.
Love my Maharishi. Thank you.
I love mine. Yeah, and my younger daughter
wants them. She's never going.
I won't let her 'cause that's slightly falling apart.
I found a pair of mine the other day that hadn't I thought I'd
lost. With the embroidery down the
side. Embroidery and beating this got
like ohh cock on the back of the they are do you.
Wear them still. Absolutely I need to replace the
elastic in them. Yes, 'cause I've had them. 20
something years, yeah, but God, I found, I was so happy when I
found because they're khaki too. Yes, mine are khaki gorgeous.
I've got a beige pair and a khaki pair and I wear them just
with a plain white T-shirt. Yeah, love.
Them. Oh great, Let's talk about body
image. Are you very conscious of how
you feel about your body? Does it affect your choice of
clothes? I never wear anything skin
tight. I'm I'm not that person.
I never have done. I never will.
So no, I think I was more that was I was more self-conscious
growing up. I have a a scar on my upper arm
which was a BCG injection that they were.
Beasts. Weren't they?
Well, yeah, But mine opened eye grew.
It was a lump of tuberculosis that grew in my arm.
And then it had to be cut out. And you can see the dent there.
I'm. I'm very open about my scar now.
And then the scar opened, so then they had to try and stitch
that up and that opened again. So I had this big weeping hole
for about a year and I used to hide it all the time.
I'm so self-conscious. But no, you don't.
No, because years and years and years and years ago I was on a
red carpet and I wore a sleeveless top and Amanda
Redmond came up to me and she touched my scar because she's
got burnt all down one arm when she was a child.
And she's always been very loud and proud about her scar.
And she touched it and like, wonderful scar.
And I just thought, yes. And then Katie Price as well.
I saw Katie and I love Katie and she said good for you and I said
I was so self-conscious about my scar.
Oh don't be. I love scars.
I was 12, completely unique. But when I was, when you're 12,
it's quite a thing to cope with. Yeah, but and that made me very
self-conscious in my arms. And then I just, I think I was
about, well, it would be 3 years ago.
So I was about 30 when I decided to say OK, I don't care.
Yeah. What did you wear to get
married? So I wore which time, the first
time or the second time? I wasn't even going to say.
No, I've been married twice. It's no secret and I will wait
for both of them. I wore for my second marriage.
We got married on a farm on in a field and I wore a long Lacy
dress, scoop neck and it was lovely.
It was really, really simple. It was lovely, yeah.
Gorgeous in a field? So in a field, what was on your
feet? Very, very, very high wedges
because you couldn't see my feet.
I just, I wanted heels. I love the heel.
What would you say has been the most important event other than
your wedding, your second wedding that you have had to
dress for? Probably when I did the 28 1/2
hours straight through Millennium broadcast for the
BBC, so I was the only one that was staying on for 28 1/2 hours.
And I had a number of changes. And I wore an Amanda Wakeley
skirt for part of it, a long skirt.
It was a golden. It was my golden.
I've still got it in the cupboard.
It's similar to the color you're wearing now, but it's slightly
more golden color. That was one of them.
But also I knew that we were going to be watched from around
the world. And there's 28 1/2 hours and I
had, I think I changed about four times also to keep me
going. It was sort of.
Quite I was going to say, how the hell did you but the.
Weirdest thing that I wore was when I So this is a strange
story, but when I was younger and I was watching Blue Peter,
which I watched religiously, they said design an outfit that
you'll that you think people will wear in the next in the
next century. And so I designed a silver biker
jacket leather jacket that I then took into school and I
wanted to make it and they said well, we can't.
But we I made a miniature one. But I made it, I colored it in
with silver because I love anything sparkly and shiny.
I love sparkle. I love it and I'm like a magpie.
But I made it at school just a little 1 and it was a silver
jacket. I was obsessed with one day
having a silver jacket. Now forget I've told you that
story. Then on Millennium Night, one of
the things I wore was a silver leather jacket.
And I was doing the the link. And I suddenly remembered that
in the year, whatever it was that I thought in the year 2000,
everyone would be wearing silver.
And I was doing it. And I had that.
Oh, my word. Yeah.
There we go. That's true.
Gorgeous, how many silver jackets are now in your
wardrobe? That one's there.
I've got a silver long coat, trench coat.
I've got lots of sequins, but I reuse sequins.
So I know sequins aren't good for the environment, but I do.
I've got a lot of sequins. I love sequins.
But you're not throwing them. All no, no, no, no, no.
So we'll forgive you for that one.
Let's talk about beauty. What is important to you in
terms of beauty? It's a funny one.
I I think we've got to be really careful because there's so much
about anti aging and non aging and I.
Just hate that term. I really.
Do and also I love makeup, so cleansing is important obviously
because I love wearing makeup and I won't have anybody tell
me, oh, you've got to an age where you can't.
I love it. I love doing my makeup.
You and I share a wonderful makeup artist called Colette who
is fantastic. Wish you were here today,
Colette. Oh, she's fantastic.
And Gabby doesn't need it, but. No, but we really do need you,
Colette. We really do need you.
So she does all my fashion shoots, she does all my TV
shows. I love Colette, but I so for me
beauty, I think it's the word that slightly puts me off
because then it's saying, oh, it's looking, you're looking
beautiful. It's looking after yourself.
It's the same as your gut health because I take SIM proof every
morning. This isn't an advert, but I
swear by it. So I have that first thing in
the morning before I have my I've now, you know, everyone now
knows I'm working with Lizzie, so I have my granola, but I, you
know, I'm really careful about what I put in my body, but I'm
also careful what I put in my face and I check everything.
I've got an app that I check what's going on, but I I also
have, I think you have one the the Lima laser you have.
No, I don't. It's amazing.
But I've got the infrared. Oh no, the Lima laser Mars.
I sit there watching my EastEnders 'cause you know, I'm,
I've never missed an episode and I never ever in 40 years.
So I started at -7 and I use my Lima laser every single.
It's fantastic. And you never use an infrared.
It's to say it's this, it's amazing, doesn't do the same
thing. They're not sponsoring me.
This is nothing. I love it.
'Cause they're expensive, those. Yes, but it's the most
incredible investment I've ever, ever.
It's fantastic. I just got the little one.
I love it. Interesting, interesting and
then tweakments. No, I don't.
I use the Lemur laser. So that's your.
I use that and I ritual, I go to have another.
I have my neck. I have this heat treatment laser
thing on my neck 'cause it my neck is a bit scraggy, but
that's OK. So not no, but I don't I don't
don't really mind, but the lemur honest.
I felt like I'm an advert. Would you use the lemur on your
neck? Yes, I do it on my neck and on
my chest, and I do it on my arms here.
But I also use, I do so skin care.
I've always loved skin care, Yeah.
And I have a mixture of our mutual friend Trini, which I use
her elevator on my neck, yeah, which is great, and her eye
stuff. And then I use Beauty Pie.
I use Beauty Pie cleanser. There's serums.
I use medicate, I use one of theirs.
And then I make up. I have a whole variety of stuff.
Just a wonderful collection. I love it.
I love. I've always loved makeup.
And what about hair? Hair I have my colourist comes
to the house and I cut my own hair.
You cut your own hair. Well, I used to have the most
wonderful hairdresser who we both know, lovely Charles
Worthington, but he doesn't do it anymore and he was the last
hairdresser I really, really, really trusted.
And and he will not even give you a little no could.
I wouldn't ask. He's that.
I know, I know. But I so I have the make up girl
at Morning Live, Carly. She cuts the back for me and
then I cut the sides and she's going to actually fully enough
next week when I do Morning Live, she's going to do the
whole thing because I just need to.
Because actually having a good old.
Snippet. I just need a little.
I need yeah, yeah, yeah. But I need.
I just need to. Having a little.
TriMet of the dry bits and manicures.
Do my own watching EastEnders. Love it, love it.
Can we just, I mean, talk about ageism for a second.
Is there a much in television well?
Do you know what's interesting is that I'm very lucky.
I've been working since I was -5 so I've been working for 38
years in television and radio. I'm very lucky that I've carried
on working. And there are a number of people
that say to me, aren't you lucky at your age to still be working?
And yes, I am lucky, but I wish they wouldn't say at your age, I
love what I do. It's very funny.
In lockdown, I had that light bulb moment where for all my
life people have said you, oh, you're obsessed with your job.
You're addicted to your job. And so I used to parrot it and
say I'm addicted to my, oh, I'm obsessed with my job.
And I realized in lockdown it wasn't at all.
But I love my job and I'm not ashamed to say it.
Yeah. Do you see a time never in the
future? Never stopping.
Yeah, I've always said I want to work until I'm 99 and I want to
die after doing live television. So I'll do the live show and
then I'll come off and I'll just go to sleep.
Fantastic. Love it.
Let's talk about your wardrobe for a second.
Is it super organized? I know where everything is,
Yeah. I'm not one of these people that
has all the colours in one thing and then they're.
Oh, no, no. Are you a mood dresser?
Or are you like our mutual friend Joe Elvin, a planner?
No, I don't know. None of that.
No, she has a week on a week. I mean how she does it I do not
know. No, I like, I like.
I'm just I'm actually opening my wardrobe in my mind now.
So my main wardrobe, on the top I've got shirts and jumpers
hanging, some jumpers. Then I've got all my trousers,
my jeans and I've got skirts. And then I've got some jumpers
piled up. And then I've got some more
jumpers and sweatshirts in another bit here.
And then the other side, I've got my T-shirts and my
sweatshirts and and then I've got a lot of shoes.
Now you must get your photograph taken quite a lot.
Are you very conscious of controlling that your image for
those images? I will.
I oh, I don't know. That's so funny.
My agent and I will always look at them afterwards and Colette,
I I trust if Colette, the makeup girl that we're talking about,
if Colette is there, totally trust, you know, she'll say
yeah, no, I like that. Oh, no, you know what?
You should try bit of this. So yeah, but but no, because
this I'm on live television, I can't control any of that.
And are you happy to be taken out of your comfort zone fashion
wise? Oh yeah, yeah, I know.
Absolutely. But I will still won't wear.
Everyone knows that there's a lovely, lovely stylist called
Rachel Franconi who who styles me and she did the latest advert
for Magic the glow time wear. I'm wearing this long pink coat
and your bright. Pink hyper colour.
Yeah, really. Lots.
And the neon shirt underneath and and she, I just love it.
She turns up with stuff and I go, oh, I would never have put
those together. Yes.
So we go a bit crazy. Yeah.
No, if I and she, but she knows I don't want scoop.
I don't want boobs out. I'm not that.
Yeah, no. Would you say you've had a worst
fashion moment? Oh, there's loads, loads.
Anyone in particular that sort of springs to mind and you look
at a? Picture and you look at some of
the stuff I wore on Motormouth Saturday morning kids telly, my
neon cycling shorts and Timberland boots, neon socks and
orange bum bag and an orange hoodie.
They're pretty, but I I liked it at the time.
It was a rite of passage, I. Love it.
Let's talk about travel. Are you very aware of your
travel look? No, I don't even think I when I
go on holiday, it's to switch off.
But and I, I wear mainly flip flops, white T-shirts and take
lots and I've got some very bright colored, we might be
surprised linen trousers that I wear with flip flops and white
T-shirt. I'm not, I'm not somebody
dresses up. I don't do smart.
I'm not that sort of person. And when I travel on an
aeroplane, it will always just be a T-shirt, some wide leg
trousers and A and a sweatshirt around my waist.
And luggage of choice. Nothing smart.
No, I've never none of that. And my handbags aren't either.
No, I've never been that. Do you have a money No object
brand? But no, no, I didn't think you
would have. Actually, I don't even know.
Why so I might my, Like I said, I've got one pair of designer
shoes which I bought when Mom died.
I've got my very kindly given to me precious white trouser suit
from you. But no.
So I will buy things that I will get lots of wear out of.
So me and Em, I love their trousers and I, you know, when
people say where do you get those trousers, I'll say me and
em because I'm not going to wear them again.
I've got original me and Em before when she had her first
shop and I bought some trousers there and I wear those all the
time. Yeah.
Guilty secret. The most expensive item you've
ever bought? Really.
With Gucci. Yeah, my Gucci shoes where mom
died. Oh.
Love that. So your approach to sustainable
fashion is? Don't Chuck it away, either give
it to a charity shop because then somebody else will get the
joy and or give it to a friend or put it in your wardrobe.
And if you, if there's that thing about if you take some
things out and just think, do you know what?
I'm never going to wear that again.
And I've done it recently and I made the girls do it as well,
because we're going to take a big haul off to the Cancer
Research and, and I just said, come on, we're going to do this.
And there were some things and I remember saying to my younger
daughter, Oh, please, I love that cardigan, this little crop
cardigan. It's like a mini cricket
cardigan. Sure.
I am never going to wear that again.
I said, Are you sure? She went, I am sure.
And then my elder daughter, there were a couple of shirts
and I said that's really nice. I'm never going to wear that.
Great. So we went through all that and
then I put loads of things out there.
But I did go back to the pile and realized that there was a
pink pair of trousers that I'd wear again.
I wore them for that one night. I thought no, and I put them
back. So they're going.
We literally have. I've made the whole family do
it. It's so cathartic, isn't it?
It really is. What would you say is the oldest
piece in your wardrobe? I have a shirt, an evening shirt
that I've never worn. That was my late mother's that
she wore in the 1960s. But she did.
Like I said, they didn't have any money my parents and she had
a shirt that had been her mother's.
That's stunning. It's beautiful.
It's very it's very, very old fashioned, but I love it and
I've never worn it. Why?
Because it's sort of was it's weird.
It was it's there. It's sort of my my top of my
mum's. It's black, but she it's got
sheer sleeves and they're beautiful wide sleeves and tight
at the wrist. And then it's got a little
collar and she added some. She got some off cuts of
material and she hand sewed this.
It's like a silver slightly, slightly shiny because she
didn't like shiny things like me material.
That's I can't, you'll know better than I will.
Sort of like it's quilted, slightly quilted that she put
over the neck and she put on the wrists.
So it looks like she's got it looks slightly like it's
jewellery and it's lovely. And then it's a, a, a cotton
top, so you that's not see through, but the sleeves are
sheer and it's beautiful. So that's the oldest thing in my
wardrobe. Do you remember her in it?
Yes, yes. And I just loved it.
I we didn't have the same taste at all.
And her clothes went to charity shop, which she would have liked
very much would have liked, but that I kept.
So that's. The girls wanted to wear it.
Oh they could with pleasure. I don't think they would.
It's terribly old fashioned it looks like.
Weirdly I wondered about giving it to the V and A or somewhere.
It might be a nice thing. It's just it's so dated it looks
like a a museum piece. Oh how lovely, lovely.
Let's spin on some quick fires fashion advice you'd give your
20 year old self. Stop being self-conscious.
Which fashion trend or era would you most like to see make a
comeback? They all have.
They all have all the ones that I like.
Yep. The Fascies 90s, yeah.
Fashion or beauty trend you would consign to room 101.
Oh, I know leather. Clever look, pull on leggings.
Just if somebody wants to wear them, they're really welcome to.
I choose not to. Your last impulse by.
The jumper I told you about, the orange jumper with a pink star
on the front and a neon yellow star on the arm.
Bews on tattoos. It's up to the individual.
Beauty treatment you couldn't give up.
There's too many cleansing carefully my Lima thing.
And if you ever tell me I'm not allowed to wear mascara, I I
had. I wore mascara when I gave birth
both times. That's bad.
High end or High Street? High Street.
Bling or bare bling, summer or winter?
Summer, summer, Summer, Summer, summer.
Minimalism or maximalism? Both.
Couture or charity shop? Charity shop.
Crocs, cute or puke sneakers or stilettos.
Both please Can I have one on each foot?
You can do whatever. You want strange way to walk
around London? Boyfriends or wide legs?
Both. I have both and I wear both.
Bodycon or boho? Boho.
Beanie or baseball cap? Baseball cap?
Sports Lux or Rock chick? Oh, definitely both.
Red carpet or relax? Relax on the red carpet.
Oh. I like that trendor style.
Style. Colour or monochrome?
And white. Experimental or uniform?
Oh, experimental. Cashmere or cotton?
Both because they're natural fibers.
Hoarder or editor? I edit my hoards.
Shapewear or sexy lingerie? Oh, I I've got shape wear and
I'm not sexy lingerie. If you saw my bra now you would
laugh. I'm wearing a sports bra because
I walk everywhere. There we go.
Sports bar from M&S. Tights, stockings or holdups.
Oh, tights. Bikini or one piece?
One piece. And finally, a traditional last
question. At the end of the day, what do
you or don't you wear in bed? I wear a T-shirt and pants, old
T-shirt and pants and they get so covered in fake tan that by
the after a couple of days I have to change my T-shirt
because I love my fake tan. Actually, I wouldn't give up my
fake tan either. Or my lipstick.
Or my eyebrow pants. See, you can't make me give up
any of it. Can't make you give up a thing,
Gabby. What a lovely conversation,
thank you for coming. Thank you very much.