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Explore every episode of the podcast Spinning Plates with Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Dive into the complete episode list for Spinning Plates with Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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TitlePub. DateDuration
Episode 130: Kirsten Lane03 Jun 202401:08:56

Kirsten Lane is a freelance music supervisor who negotiates the deals that make it possible to put music into films, TV and adverts. She was the music supervisor for Saltburn and so that is how we met. She is now part of Murder on the Dancefloor’s journey and helped make its inclusion in the film’s soundtrack possible, naked dance and all! 


We talked about the importance of music in changing the atmosphere, and she sees it almost as another character on screen.


Kirsten told me how she had made her career work, alongside bringing up two children, often as a single parent. Sometimes she had to fit her freelance work into the little pockets of 20 minutes that you have when your children are babies, and then late into the night when they were asleep. 


We realised we have shared the same experience over the past months when Murder has become unexpectedly popular again - both Kirsten’s teenage children and mine have been momentarily impressed by their mothers, when they’ve heard Murder being played on Tik Tok and by their friends. What a wild ride! 


Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones.

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Episode 129: Anne Twist27 May 202401:09:30

Anne Twist is a first time writer and a long-term philanthropist who has two very succesful grown up children. Her eldest is podcaster and writer Gemma Styles, and her youngest is the singer, Harry Styles. 


I spoke to Anne, not long after she’d become a grandmother for the first time, which sounds like a very special feeling indeed. She’d also just published her first children’s book ‘Betty and the Mysterious Visitor’.


We talked about Anne’s lifelong battle with shyness, the pride that she feels about the adults that both her children have become, and how she gets so much pleasure from looking around at people while they are watching Harry perform on stage. 


We also talked about how Anne has wing-walked to raise money and awareness for Parkinson’s. And I tried to persuade her to do a double wing walk and a loop the loop with me in the future! I’m genuinely up for it. 


Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones.

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Episode 120: Michelle Kennedy 05 Feb 202401:14:05

Michelle Kennedy is a tech entrepreneur and businesswoman. She is CEO of Peanut App, and mum to two young children, Finlay and Nuala.


Michelle started her working life as a corporate lawyer and became interested in tech when she worked for Badoo and then Bumble. 

She set up Peanut after she gave birth to her first child and felt lonely and isolated. 


Peanut is an online community for women, as Michelle says, at 'seismic stages' of their life including fertility, pregnancy, motherhood and menopause. It's a place where women can come and speak honestly with other women going through the same stage of life as them, and she feels it acts as a social barometer of which issues are important to women.


I certainly wish it had been around when I had my first baby. And I look forward to watching Michelle's plans unfold for creating a space for young girls to talk about their challenges in their teen years... Little me could have done with that too!


Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones.

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Episode 30: Tina Crawford26 Apr 202101:15:38

It’s the final episode in this series of Spinning Plates! Wow what a lovely group of guests and my 30th is no exception. Meet Tina Crawford, who is an artist who I got to know through her 

embroidery. She used the Kitchen Disco as a subject for part of a huge piece she started working on as lockdown began. Its an incredible piece and talks about how we are all connected - hasn’t so much about this last year been about the importance of connection? The work is about to start life in its new home at the Science Museum. Tina has a 13-year-old son and she claims to have the best

husband in the world. We talked about having a child through IVF,

being a disabled parent and how people lie about being happy in

postnatal classes. Turns out we met once when I was a teenager and Tina found me aloof, but hopefully my superb tea making skills have changed her mind now. 😊

We also had the additional excitement of my cat Titus that kept jumping on the

table where we were talking! He’s a bit annoying that way, but I love him none the less. 🐈



Xxxxxxx

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Episode 29: Anna Whitehouse19 Apr 202100:55:06

Anna Whitehouse is a journalist, author and radio presenter and the

founder of Mother Pukka, 'a platform for people who happen to be

parents'. She is a long-term campaigner in the fight for flexible

working for everyone.


We talked about the concept of family and how you can get trapped into

believing that 2.4 children and a white picket fence equals happiness;

we discussed flexible working hours and how other countries do it

better (yes I'm talking about the Netherlands and Sweden again!) and

we agreed that it is time to end the 1950s hapless dad trope - or as

she put it, "men don't want to just spunk and leave, they want to

parent!"

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Episode 28: Rebecca Vincent12 Apr 202101:08:06
I have been following tattoo artist Rebecca Vincent on instagram since I saw a beautiful tattoo which she did for one of my earlier SP interviewees, Sali Hughes. Rebecca's style is usually botanical-inspired pure black ink. She reinvented herself as a tattoo artist when she felt her previous job as a pub landlady didn't fit well with becoming a mum. Her child is now ten and has recently started identifying as non-binary - a decision which Rebecca and husband Lee have welcomed and embraced. She's a lovely woman with a particularly gentle and kind aura for someone who can inflict so much pain - and I'm seriously considering having a second tattoo now!

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Episode 27: Giovanna Fletcher29 Mar 202101:06:45

Giovanna Fletcher is a writer, presenter and blogger who has a hugely

successful podcast Happy Mum Happy Baby. When we chatted I asked about

the course which took her to marrying her childhood sweetheart, Tom

Fletcher, she also told me how her three boys loved watching her on

I'm a Celebrity and we compared notes on how many people ask her, as

the mum of sons, whether she really wanted a girl! Aaaaghhh!

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Episode 26: Ellie Taylor22 Mar 202101:04:37

This week I talk to stand up and soon-to be-published writer Ellie

Taylor. She went from being completely disinterested in children to,

now that she has a little girl herself, finding new mums 'like catnip'

and striking up conversations with them whenever she can. We talked

about having a baby when you're not really maternal, performing on

stage when heavily pregnant, and writing in a pandemic. Her first book

'My Child and other Mistakes' is out in July.

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Episode 25: Mim and Liv NERVO15 Mar 202101:23:01
I first met Australian DJ twin sisters Mim and Liv (aka @nervomusic) over 10 years ago when we wrote a song called Not Giving Up On Love together. It was the most fun writing week. I immediately adored them both. Such smart, talented and gorgeous women - and so much positive energy! When they both became pregnant around the same time it seemed the fates were smiling on them. They both have gorgeous baby daughters now but for Liv, she has had to face a very different beginning to motherhood than the one she had envisaged - one as a single mum and the road to that has been traumatic for her. This podcast episode features lots of tears.. but also life lessons and laughs. Some of the themes might be upsetting to listen to but there is still lots of optimism in there, too.. and tons of sisterly love. 

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Episode 24: Cariad Lloyd08 Mar 202101:14:53
This week I'm talking to Cariad Lloyd, actor, comedian, writer, podcaster and mum of two. I hope you'll agree that this is a really positive and uplifting chat, even though we are talking about death. Cariad lost her Dad when she was 16 and we talk about how that has affected her through her life, including when she became a mum. In the last 4 years she has spoken to over a hundred people about their own experiences of losing loved ones, in her popular podcast, Griefcast, which she launched just as she became a mum herself.

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Episode 23: Rosa Bloom01 Mar 202101:17:27
This week I meet Rosa Bloom, designer of the sequinned capes and cat suits that have brightened so many festivals. They've been described by one of her customers as 'wearable happiness' and I love the superhero feeling I get when I wear her clothes on stage.  In our chat I hear about growing up in a household shared by three families, and about how she and her husband chose a new family name when they had their little boy. She also tells me about how her husband offered to take over as primary carer of their little boy Otto when he was a few months old, helping her continue with her company but resulting in him being diagnosed with post natal depression. We talk about adapting to life in a pandemic and how we can't wait for festivals to be back on!

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Episode 22: Jess Phillips22 Feb 202101:21:40
I really wanted to meet Jess Phillips. We are just about the same age and I have followed her career with interest and affection. I was very glad to say that I liked her just as much in real life as I have done from afar. Jess is the Labour MP for Yardley in Birmingham, serving the same area she grew up in. It's also where she has brought up her 2 sons with her husband Tom, who has always done the lion's share of the childcare and cooking. Jess jokes that she sometimes feels like a 1950s househusband asking Tom why dinner isn't on the table, when she's finshed work. She is pleasingly happy in her own skin and has a turn of phrase that really tickles me. She talked to me proudly about her mum and dad's political activism, and happy memories of watching Prime Minister's Questions after school with her nan every week. She talked about how every woman should be able to choose to have or not have a baby. And she described how she sometimes deals with aggression by fighting back with humour. She revealed that having two children made her feel she could do anything. And she also has one of the best stories I have ever heard invoving paving slabs. Though I realise the bar for that may not be very high.

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Episode 21: Jack Monroe15 Feb 202101:43:37
Jack Monroe is a cook, a writer, a campaigner and also a mum to 10 year old Johnny. We talked about Jack's dream job in the fire service, experiences of not having enough to eat as a new mum, what it means to identify as non-binary, and how you should never panic when your child only wants to eat chicken nuggets. 

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Episode 119: Kelly Hoppen 29 Jan 202400:52:13

Kelly Hoppen is an interior designer who is renowned for working with big celebrity names and is known for her signature neutral palette.


Kelly started her business aged 16 and a half, just afer her father died unexpectedly, and she told me that the feeling she wants to create for her clients is the one she had from her grandmother's home where she remembers learning to crochet and having tea.


Kelly has spoken openly about being dyslexic. When we met at her office, just before Christmas, she described how music is a massive component in her design process, and that she will often ask a client which song would sum up the look of the room they want her to create for them.


Kelly had her daughter Natasha when she was 23, and became stepmother to Sienna and Savannah Miller when they were teenagers, and the three girls ended up going to boarding school together. She says being a stepmum to Sienna and Savannah is one of the greatest achievements of her life.


Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones.


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Episode 20: Róisín Murphy21 Dec 202001:14:40
Musician Róisín Murphy can be a creative ‘bag of baldoons’ - a phrase her mum uses to conjure up what she’s like when she’s working on multiple projects. She is also mum to 10 year old Clodagh and 8 year old Tadhg. We talked about savouring every moment while your children are little. And I learned a lot about elaborate bedtime tucking-in routines, which I’ve been practising on my boys ever since! 

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Episode 19: Carrie Reichardt14 Dec 202001:33:52

Let me introduce you to Carrie Reichardt. She's an artist who lives round the corner from me in little old suburban Chiswick. And she has completely covered her home with mosaic so that it's now an eye-popping work of art. When I met her, she did not disappoint. She's refreshingly honest, she's brave and she's a bit bonkers. And she says that as a post-menopausal woman, she now feels more like a teenager than she ever has before.


We talked death row, her mum's ferocious knitting, and being honest with your children about your failings.


Oh yes, and by the way, this one's got a happy ever after ending!

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Episode 18: Sali Hughes07 Dec 202001:23:06
This week I meet Sali Hughes beauty writer and co-founder of the Beauty Bank which distributes toiletries, self care products and make up to people who can't afford them. She's also been vocal on the subject of trolling which she experienced herself recently. She's a mum of two teenage boys, who she is proud of and loves spending time with. We started by talking about how people get really hung up on the subject of having all sons - something we've both experienced...

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Episode 17: Holly Tucker30 Nov 202000:58:30
This week I meet 'Hurricane Holly'. Real name Holly Tucker, she is the small businesses guru who founded Not on the High Street . She has helped many creative people start to sell from their homes and reach a wider audience. Holly has one son and many 'business babies'. And if you want to hear her recipe for following your dream, she shares it near the end of our chat! 

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Episode 16: Jessie Cave23 Nov 202001:42:15
This week I'm talking to Jessie Cave, writer, performer, cartoonist and soon-to-be author. She's an ex-national tennis player, she's played Lavender Brown in Harry Potter, and she refuses to be pigeon-holed. She shares with me the terrible, recent impact of losing her brother. She also shares the amazing story of getting pregnant after a one-night stand with comedian Alfie Brown. At the time of recording she was just about to have her third child with him - they now have baby Abraham (Bam for short), 4 year old Margot and 6 year old Donnie.

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Episode 15: Sophie Robinson16 Nov 202001:30:40
This week I'm talking to Sophie Robinson, a woman who I've admired for a long time, for her passion for putting colour into houses who now runs courses online showing how other people how to be bold with colour and have fun with their interiors. We spoke between lockdowns at her house tucked away inthe East Sussex countryside...in fact so tucked away that even the sat nav got lost! Hers is a happy home is filled with her trademark mix of vibrant colours and wallpapers and I loved her infectious laugh which bubbled up even when we talked about her most difficult time struggling with infertility. 

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Episode 14: Gina Miller09 Nov 202001:35:26

This week I think I met a real superhero. Remember Gina Miller who stood on the steps of the supreme court, seemingly alone, as she sued the government for being unconstitutional? Some misunderstood the case as being anti-Brexit but it was about standing up for failrness, something she's done ever since having a special needs daughter at the age of 25. This was something that affected her profoundly and that she has used in a positive way. We talked about some of the tough times she has gone through and her drive to fight for justice. 

See?... A real life superhero!

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Episode 13: The Yorkshire Shepherdess / Amanda Owen02 Nov 202001:23:35
‘Yay! Someone with more children than me! I spoke to brilliant mother of 9 Amanda Owen aka the Yorkshire Shepherdess who appears on TV sharing her life as a hill farmer whilst raising her glorious family. We met up when she was in London to talk to her publisher about her 4th book. We spoke about how she tends to book the tooth fairy for a job lot, how she prefers dry stone walling with her children to doing jigsaws with them, and she also described her perfect birth - number 8 - on her own, in front of a coal fire at midnight. Inspiring and brave. I loved talking to Amanda and am excited to share our conversation with you. Enjoy! Xx

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Episode 12: Louise Redknapp26 Oct 202001:11:45
This week I talk to Louise Redknapp who pressed pause on her performing career when she became a mum. Now her two boys are older, Louise has thrown herself into writing and performing - something that she’s loved since she was young. We spoke about self-confidence, the concept of having it all and the urge to perform 'even' when you're a mum. we also compare notes as members of the ‘people who’ve done strictly ’ club!

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Episode 11: Nadiya Hussain19 Oct 202001:01:04
Welcome back to Spinning Plates! Series two starts here. Full candour - for some strange reason I wrote this blurb bit in the third person when I started uploading the first series but now, full disclosure - it’s me, Sophie! First person comes a lot more naturally to me. Anyhoo, for the first episode of the series I talk to chef and presenter Nadiya Hussain. Nadiya and I talked about family expectations versus career ambitions, anxiety about falling in love with your newborn baby and how she actually wanted to pretend she'd died so she wouldn't have to do Bake Off! 

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Episode 118: Sophie Darlington22 Jan 202401:15:20

Sophie Darlington is a wildlife cinematographer for shows such as David Attenborough's 'Planet Earth'. She regularly gets up way before dawn in places such as Sri Lanka or East Africa, and sits for over 12 hours a day watching the animal she’s filming, often for weeks at a time. She says it’s the best job in the world but you come back 'rinsed'.


When her son Louis came along 23 years ago, Sophie had to take a break from her cinematography work for several years, but she returned when Louis was 4 and a half and even took him to live with her in the Serengeti for a year, while she worked. She also has an 11 year old step daughter now, who she says is 'so cool'.


She is passionate about nature, and she is worried about the effect of climate change on the natural world, having observed worrying trends over the past decades during her cinematography projects.


Sophie says it takes a certain mindset to want to sit for 10 hours in 36 degree heat in a metre by metre hide, or 30 metres up a tree. She also says that when she comes back from filming she can't cross a road for a while as she's so unused to city life.  


Sophie says her purpose is to 'make people give a damn'. And it's definitely worked on me.


Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones

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Episode 10: Hadley Freeman07 Sep 202001:10:49
In the final episode of the series, Sophie chats to author and journalist Hadley Freeman. Hadley has twin four year old boys and a baby girl (and also a dog called Arthur who interrupted the chat when he thought sophie had had enough time!). Hadley has written many books and her latest, House of Glass, was released in March this year. During their conversation, Sophie and Hadley discuss catastrophic imaginings, covering the oscars with a 6 month old baby and the need for earplugs when working from home.

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Episode 9: Thomasina Miers31 Aug 202001:15:39
Welcome to the 9th episode of the series where Sophie chats to chef and founder of Wahaca Thomasina Miers. Tommi has built her life around her love of food and cooking and she is keen to make a healthy, sustainable diet achievable for all. Her three little girls are aged 4, 7 and 9 and they eat a broad range of homemade food where kids meals aren’t infantilised and everyone eats better as a result. Here Sophie and Tommi talk food as a political issue, bad moods in lockdown and the eternal joy of tequila.

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Episode 8: Julie Deane24 Aug 202001:25:50
Spinning Plates this week sees Sophie talking to the founder of the Cambridge Satchel Company Julie Deane. Julie started her company in 2008 when she didn’t have enough money for school fees so she sat down with a spreadsheet and a load of ideas and worked out the most profitable. The company was started with just £600 and is now worth over £10,000,000. Julie is mother to two children: her daughter Emily is 20 and her son Max is 18. 

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Episode 7: Jacqueline Gold17 Aug 202001:12:19
For Spinning Plates this week Sophie is joined by the gentle yet radical businesswoman Jacqueline Gold. Jacqueline is CEO of Anne Summers and she revolutionised the company after introducing the Anne Summers Party concept in the 1980's. She is mother to twins Scarlett and Alfie. Scarlett is now 10 and Alfie sadly died when he was just eight months old. Here she talks proving grey-suited men wrong, quietly changing culture to empower women in the bedroom while all the time striving to be an awesome mum.

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Episode 6: Yvonne Telford10 Aug 202001:26:47


Sophie’s podcast guest this week is Yvonne Telford who is mother to two girls aged 10 and 12 whilst running her gorgeous clothing company Kemi Telford. Her the tale of how she discovered exactly who she was after having a baby which will resonate with so many as it’s so easy to become a parent and forget who ‘you’ are. Hoping this episode will reassure and inspire folk! 

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Episode 5: Janet Ellis03 Aug 202001:15:02
The most personal episode of spinning plates yet sees Sophie talk to her mum, Janet Ellis. Janet has 3 grown up children.. Sophie (her eldest) and Sophie’s two younger siblings Jackson and Martha. she also has a dog called Angela.

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Episode 4: Myleene Klass27 Jul 202001:21:31

This week Sophie is joined by the gorgeous and multi-talented Myleene Klass who is mother to her girls Ava (nearly thirteen), Hero (nine) and baby son Apollo (one in august) as well as step mother to her partner Simon's two children. In this episode we find out how dating as a mum is terrifying, why learning to mend a tap is so important, and how 20 pasta shapes can save the world.


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Episode 3: Candice Brathwaite20 Jul 202001:26:47
Welcome to week 3 and Sophie's guest is the brilliant writer and blogger, Candice Brathwaite. Candice has two young children with her husband Bode and has just published her first book, I am Not Your baby Mother, all about being a black mother in the UK. Sophie and Candice talk social politics, the legacy you leave your ancestors and the importance of putting Chanel on your cosmic wishlist.

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Episode 2: Caitlin Moran13 Jul 202001:33:30

This week's guest is the fantastic writer Caitlin Moran, who is mother to two teenage girls aged 16 and 19 with her husband Pete Paphides. Caitlin shares her tips on mooing, talking to your future self and the importance of a room of one's own.







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Episode 1: Fearne Cotton06 Jul 202001:02:20
In the first episode of the series, Sophie talks sleep deprivation, coping with anxiety and tidying up other people's houses with Fearne Cotton. In-amongst running her festival, writing books, presenting and other projects, Fearne is also mother to two children and step-mother to two more. Sophie and Fearne chat about how she finds the time to get it all done.

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Episode 117: Amy Hart 15 Jan 202401:00:46

Amy Hart is a social media influencer, former reality TV star and podcast presenter. She appeared in Love Island in 2019 (Richard and I are avid viewers!) and she now has an adorable little baby called Stanley.


Amy is the only Love Island contestant to have appeared on Question Time and she is a big food bank supporter.


Amy worked as cabin crew before she joined Love Island, which I imagined would prepare her for sleep-deprived motherhood...except Stanley is a very good baby and sleeps through the night!


We talked about how supportive her parents are as grandparents to Stanley. We also discussed how Amy had frozen her eggs prior to meeting her partner, and how she plans to donate those eggs to people stuggling to conceive.


Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones


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Spinning Plates with Sophie Ellis-Bextor24 Jun 202000:00:54

Hello I’m Sophie Ellis-Bextor and this is my new series Spinning Plates where I speak to busy working women, who also happen to be mothers, about how they make it work. I am a singer and have released 7 albums in-between having my 5 sons who are aged between 1 and 16 so I spin a few plates myself. Being a mother can be the most amazing thing.. but it can also be hard to find time for yourself and your own ambitions. I want to be a bit nosy and see how other people balance everything. Join me while I speak to a host of interesting and inspirational women who’ve really made me think - and laugh, and sometimes cry. 

Welcome to Spinning Plates.

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Episode 116: Gabby Logan08 Jan 202401:23:52

Gabby Logan is best known as a BBC sports presenter but has also turned her hand to stand up comedy for Sports Relief (2012), to writing her memoir called The First Half, and to ice baths on Freeze Your Fear (2022). She hosts an excellent podcast called Mid-Life in which she, a guest and an expert explore how to navigate the mysterious territory of middle age.


She has 18 year old twins and is married to retired Scottish rugby union player Kenny Logan.  I spoke to Gabby a few months after her son Reuben had left the nest, with her daughter Lois following suit in a year, and she told me how the house is starting to feel too big.


We talked about her brother Daniel's sudden death in 1992 when he was 15, and Gabby was 19 - and how she and her family were - and still are - impacted by this tragedy. But Gabby has a core of positivity and stressed that people can go on to have a good life even when something so terrible happens.


Gabby represented Wales at the Commonwealth Games in 1990 as a rhythmic gymnast, which Gabby so perfectly described as: where sport meets showbiz. The brightly-coloured leotards she wore were not a million miles from what I wear on stage now - but she wasn't too impressed by my opening bid to buy them as a job lot. I'll keep working on her!


Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones

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Episode 115: Alex Head18 Dec 202301:04:41

Alex Head is the founder of Social Pantry which runs food events with the wow factor, as well as a restaruant, and a cafe. I first met Alex this Summer where she was rustling up a banquet twice a day, in a tent at Latitude Festval. Two of the banquets featured food from 'Love, Food, Family' and Richard and I had the much easier job of meeting and greeting everybody there.


Alex got into catering aged 16 when she was expelled from school in Saudi, just before her GCSEs. As she says, she was quite naughty. But she ended up setting up a sandwich-making business to keep herself busy.


Fast forward a few decades and Alex now runs Social Pantry which she describes as a non-shouty and nurturing catering environment where she often employs ex-offenders, to help them create a new life for themselves outside of prison.


Alex and her husband George had a daughter Roxy, aged 3, who was born just before the pandemic, and they now have a one year old son Eddie.


Alex spoke to me about Eddie's diagnosis of Down's Syndrome while she was pregnant, and how she and George made the decision to continue with the pregnancy, and what a gorgeous, smiley boy Eddie is.  This I can vouch for, as I love to see Alex's happy Instagram posts showing Eddie beaming, at the centre of his family.  


Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones


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Episode 114: Sandra Igwe11 Dec 202301:10:07


Sandra Igwe decided to turn a painful experience into purpose. 


When we spoke recently she told me about some of her difficult experiences both during childbirth and afterwards.


These led her to become the founder of The Motherhood Group which supports the Black maternal experience. Sandra has also written My Black Motherhood which demands that Black women are listened to, believed and understood by healthcare professionals.


We spoke about Sandra’s two daughters Zoe and Chloe, and the legacy Sandra hopes her work will leave, for when they come to have children. 


We also talked about her forthcoming third child. I got a bit over-excited about Sandra’s search for a name for that will rhyme with theirs, as I realised ‘Sophie’ is a near rhyme. Sandra kindly said she’ll let me know!


Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones

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Episode 113: Julia Bradbury04 Dec 202301:15:09

Julia Bradbury is a TV presenter and an author with a passion for the outdoors. 


She has a 12 year old son, and 8 year old twin daughters who she had through IVF. Her motto to them is: 'Be good, be strong, be kind'.

We met at Julia's London West London home and talked about how in 2021, she and her husband had the nightmare task of breaking the news of her breast cancer diagnosis to their children. She also mentioned how 'Fruitfly Collective' and 'Maggie's Centres' can support all sorts of people at these difficult times. She is thankfully now in remission: working back in TV and writing, but making sure she puts her health first.


Julia talked to me about how she feels we're all suffering an indoor epidemic at the moment and how she is doing all she can to live in a healthy way. She shares a lot of those thoughts in the book she has just published called 'Walk Yourself Happy', which reflects her belief in health through nature. Even in London, she manages to have her nature fix first thing every morning by sitting on her (very safe) windowsill and getting the morning light as soon as she wakes up. She then takes further 'nature snacks' through the day.


I left Julia feeling full of positivity and good intentions, vowing never to eat sugary cereal ever again! It remains to be seen whether I manage to change my ways...


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.

Episode 112: Helen Skelton27 Nov 202300:51:34

Presenter Helen Skelton has been a familiar and much-loved presence on our TV screens since she presented Blue Peter (2008-2013) and then Countryfile.


Famous for her can-do attitude to life she still has several Guinness World Records under her belt, she’s run a Namibian ultra-marathon (which is 3 marathons back to back), kayaked the entire length of the Amazon, and made it to the finals of Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins... and Strictly! 


Helen and her three children now live in Cumbria, near where Helen grew up herself, and they all love the outdoors. 


I caught up with Helen at her publisher’s office in London on the day her autobiography ‘In My Stride’ was published. It’s a brilliant read and I love how Helen is someone pretty extraordinary but she has such a generous spirit she makes me feel like I might be able to do some of those things, too. Not sure I’m going to test the theory though..!


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.

Bonus Episode: Janet Ellis 16 Oct 202300:23:49

This is an extra special bonus episode in partnership with the lovely team at Clarks. 


Thanks to Clarks, I have brought my mum, Janet Ellis, back for this special shoecentric chat! We talked about the excitement of buying your child’s first pair of shoes, and we happily admit that we very much share the sentimental gene, as we have kept all our children’s ‘firsts’. My mum even has them on display as you go down the stairs to her kitchen. 


My Ma also shares her memory of a Clark’s badge that she got as a child - I think they should bring those back - they are very sweet!!


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.

Episode 128: Rachel Jackson20 May 202401:01:44

Rachel Jackson is a jewellery designer whose work I particularly love. We even collaborated with on a necklace design once.  


She discovered her passion for her career while solo travelling in South America where she made a good friend Ali in Brazil and then spent 2 months living with his mum Cinderela (yes that really was her name!) who taught her how to make jewellery. 6 weeks after she returned to the UK Ali was killed in a plane accident which made Rachel feel how fleeting life is. She then gave up a well-paid job in TV to pursue her dream of designing and selling her own jewellery. She started with a stall in Spitalfields market, earning very little, and worked up to selling to Liberty and Selfiridges. She often collaborates with charities which gives a meaning and a story to each piece of jewellery.


Rachel has two children, Herbie aged 6 and River aged 10. Her husband took a year out of his job to do the lion's share of the child care when they had their 2nd baby, enabling Rachel to grow the company at a crucial time.  


Like me, Rachel doesn't really feel she's a baby person but particulalry loves the feeling of being increasingly needed now, as they are getting older. Unlike me, she's an excellent planner and always has plenty of activities sorted out for the weekend. When we spoke, I had a Bank Holiday of nothingness ahead, so I rather envied her good planner trait!


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.

Episode 110: Dilly Carter09 Oct 202301:17:09

Dilly Carter is an expert in decluttering who presents the TV show 'Sort Your LIfe Out' alongside Stacey Solomon. 


Born in Sri Lanka, she was adopted and then brought up in the UK, and is very positive about the cards she was dealt. However, her childhood home was chaotic, with her parents at work all hours, and when Dilly was 11 her mum was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. During her childhood Dilly found peace when she frequently spent time at a neighbour's more ordered home. It was also at this point that she discovered her love of tidying and organising people's houses.


Dilly has a 9 year old daughter who also sounds incredibly tidy and organised and she and Dilly operate on a one thing in, one thing out policy in her bedroom, so it never becomes cluttered.


Following her recent cancer diagnosis, and a subsequent hysterectomy, Dilly is keen to encourage people with busy working lives like her, to prioritise their health. She is also an ambassador for Adoption UK.


As you will hear, Dilly is a very positive person. I was worried she'd be traumatised by visiting my house which is brimming with objects and knick-knacks, but she was very kind about it. She clearly suspects I have too many clothes - but I haven't let her look in my wardrobe yet!


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.

Episode 109: Charlotte Hawkins 02 Oct 202301:08:21

Charlotte Hawkins presents Good Morning Britain where she proudly helps set the news agenda for the day and quizzes the people in power on the TV viewer's behalf. She also has a lifelong love of music and presents a show on Classic FM.


Charlotte talked about how she and her husband tried without success to have a baby and were just about to set off down the IVF route when Charlotte unexpectedly became pregnant. She also spoke about how she lost her beloved Dad to motor neurone disease, just a month before her daughter was born, but that her daughter still has a bond with Grandad Frank, who gives her a Christmas present each year, as Charlotte knows exactly what he would have chosen.


Charlotte's daughter Ella Rose is now 8 and she also tried out the TV presenter role this summer when she interviewed her idol George Ezra. She did it so well that it made me want to see lots more children putting adults in the hot seat - especially politicians.


Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, produced by Claire Jones and post-production by Richard Jones


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 108: Alice Roberts25 Sep 202301:21:51

Professor Alice Roberts is a TV presenter and biological anthropologist - in her own words, she looks at old bones and tries to construct the person's history from their skeleton, and she loves the link betwwen the living and the dead.


Her pink hair hints at her less traditional and more playful side, also illustrated by the amazing story that as a junior doctor she did some of her paediatric ward rounds on rollerblades, much to the children's joy! 


Alice was offered her first solo TV series just before she had her first baby. She presumed it was bad timing but to her surprise the executive producer suggested she take her her newborn baby with her on the filming, which she did successfully with the help of her husband who came along too.


Alice has two children, now aged 10 and 13. She is vice president of Humanists UK. And she speaks out against faith schools, saying how children have a right not to have religion forced on them.


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.

Episode 107: Laura Lee Dockrill18 Sep 202301:10:12

Laura Lee Dockrill is an author of both adult and children's books. She went to Brit School, she's married to the love of her life, musician Hugo White, and her best friend is Adele.


After giving birth to her son Jet, Laura suffered severe postpartum depression which saw her waking up alone in a psychiatric ward on her first Mother's Day. One of her books based on her experience is called What Have I Done?


She also has a new children's picture book out next year called Gray. It's about depression and illustrated by Lauren Child.

Laura is positive and funny and lovable and it is such a joy to see her recovered and happy while still able to share her experiences, which I know will go on to help the 1 in 1,000 new mothers who also suffer from postpartum psychosis.


 Trigger warning for references to suicidal thoughts


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.

Episode 106: Helen Pankhurst11 Sep 202301:02:40

Helen Pankhurst is a writer and a scholar who works for women's rights.  

Her grandmother Sylvia and her great grandmother Emmeline were both suffragette leaders, and Helen carries her family name with pride. We talked about how Helen kept her family name of Pankhurst when she married, and about how she and her husband shared both their surnames with their children, in a clever way theat I've not heard before.

I first met Helen when we were involved in a podcast for Care International, where we were lucky enough to talk with women from all around the world, many in crisis, but still finding joy in each other's stories, and sharing many of the same worries and issues, despite living in vastly different circumstances from each other.

We also discussed the parallels being drawn between the direct action of the suffragettes, and the current Just Stop Oil protestors.

We agreed how important it is for every one of us to use our vote 'to keep your piece in the jigsaw' as Helen beautifully put it. She also talked about the current campaign to bring the voting age down in this country, to include 16-18 year olds.

I absolutely love how Helen has brought her children up with her personal motto of 'fun and purpose', and I can really see how that has helped her achieve her goal of leading a decent, fun life with her family around her.

And by the way, all accidentally recorded on Emmeline's birthday!


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.

Episode 105: Suzi Ruffel04 Sep 202301:15:10

Suzi Ruffell is a writer and stand up at the top of her game, playing to packed audiences at her comedy gigs and with numerous TV appearances on panel shows. She also has two podcasts - 'Like Minded Friends' with Tom Allen and 'Out' showcasing gay success stories.  

She uses her personal experiences of being ADHD, of having anxiety and of being the parent of a toddler, in her act. It's important for her to share the joys of family life, she says, because as a gay teenager she thought she might not get to be a mum, as she just didn't see other gay women with children, either in the media or in real life.

Suzy told me about how she's changed the way she works since becoming a mum. We also agreed toddler tantrums are quite funny. And Suzi confessed her daughter often tells her she's not funny. I beg to differ!


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.

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