Spinning Plates with Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Salima Saxton is a writer, an actor and a coach, and she co-presents the podcast ‘Women are Mad’.

She has 3 children aged 9, 12 and 15 and she recently caught my attention with her amazing Moth story about a Valentine’s Day announcement by her husband which changed her life. It’s 5 minutes of supreme story telling; you must listen! 

Salima and I talked about how she grew up with an alcoholic Dad and was always trying to...

Karni Arieli is a photographer. Her lockdown project Eye Mama @eyemamaproject asked photographer mums all over the world to share honest pictures of their own experiences of motherhood. She has just had it published as a book. She also makes short films, commercials and music videos and has recently had a BAFTA nomination for a film about the life of a salmon, played by a woman and narrated by Marianne Faithfull.

Karni...

Olympic athlete and TV commentator Paula Radcliffe lives in Monaco with her husband Gary, and her two children Isla and Raphael.

Paula is a 3 time winner of the London Marathon and held the Women's World Marathon Record for 16 years (2003-2019). I spoke to her just after she competed in the Tokyo Marathon aged 51, her first marathon since retiring aged 40.

Paula recently co-hosted a lighthearted training podcast Pau...

Daria Khrystenko fled her home in Kyiv on the day that Russia invaded Ukraine 3 years ago. 

She, her then 10 year old son, her mum and her 3 cats travelled to Poland where Daria now works with CARE Poland, as a translator and advocate, helping other refugee women rebuild their lives.

Daria told me about the day the war broke out, and how she packed and left home in 20 minutes. She explained how she tries to create a new ...

Susie Crow runs a small business called Let Us Pretend, in which she ‘makes sparkly things’. I have bought wonderful brightly coloured, fringed capes from her which say ‘Happy New Year!’ and ‘Happy Christmas!’ She also makes personalised banners. 

Originally from Newcastle, Susie now lives in Sussex and has three children and a creative job that she loves. And she is the only person I can think of who has more sequins in he...

Actress Tuppence Middleton is perhaps best known for playing Lucy Branson in Downton Abbey.

She has a little girl with her Swedish husband and divides her time between England and Sweden.

I spoke to Tuppence the week before her memoir Scorpions was published. It’s a highly personal book about living with OCD and it really helped me understand the day to day complexities of dealing with OCD and with emetophobia - the fear of b...

Arlene Phillips is a choregrapher who has been at the top of her game for most of her 81 years.  

She has worked on the choreography for numerous adverts, musicals, film and videos.

She has two daughters: Alana who she had early in her career when she was just about to go to Hollywood to make a film with the Village People called 'Can't stop the Music', and then she had her second daughter Abi when she was 47, when ...

Princess Superstar is an American rapper and DJ. She and I are ‘Saltburn sisters’ as we both had our songs featured in the film, which gave them their exciting resurgence of popularity last year.

Princess Superstar has a 13 year old daughter, who she homeschooled till the age of 11, believing that mainstream school doesn't nurture a child's unique creativity.  

She also shared with me h...

Abbie Ward is a professional rugby union player who plays at international level for England and at club level for Bristol Bears.

Abbie grew up in Cumbria in a very active family and tried out many sports before discovering rugby which she describes as a love affair she didn't see coming!

She is married to former Harlequins hooker Dave Ward, who is also her head coach, and together they have a daughter Hallie who was born in ...

Sarah Megginson (@sarahmegginsonmoney) is an editor and personal finance expert from Australia, who has co-written a book called The Power of Two. 

She has three children (Lila 14, Noa 11 and Jesse 9) and she was a surrogate mother for her friend Lisa’s baby in 2023.

Baby Hugo is now 18 months old and Sarah explained to me how he feels like a nephew to her, although she carried and gave birth to him for her friend.

We...

Katherine Jenkins is a Welsh mezzo-soprano classical singer from Neath. She won Welsh Choirgirl of the Year aged 10, and became more widely known when she sang at Westminster Cathedral in 2003 to mark the Pope’s silver jubilee. Since then she has released numerous classical and classical crossover albums.

When we met last week Katherine was heading to the studio to work on a new album. She continues to write, record and perform ...

Cat Sims @notsosmugnow is a content creator, author and influencer, and mum to two daughters aged 8 and 11. On Instagram she takes an honest look (often with a big dose of humour) at motherhood, the mental load, relationships and more recently, sobriety, as Cat has just celebrated 3 years of being sober.

We talked about how doing reels and tiktok is like doing therapy for Cat. She shared how she suffered with post natal depressi...

Singer Pixie Lott has had a ’crazy, happy time’ this past year: having a baby, bringing out a new album ‘Encino’, and moving into a family home near her mum, dad and siblings. 

We talked about how we both started in the music industry when we were teenagers and realised we share the same work ethic of ‘just keep turning up’. We also discussed the joy and the worry that comes when we say no to a gig, and how we look after ou...

Anna Williamson is a presenter, podcaster, author, psychotherapist, relationship counsellor and life coach. 

She told me how she suffered with poor mental health in her 20s and after the birth of her first child. These experiences really shaped her and helped form one of the best marriages in her professional life: being a psychotherapist on Celebs Go Dating ( which happens to be one of my favourite shows). 

Anna ha...

Lliana Bird is a writer, broadcaster and co-founder of the charity Choose Love. She describes herself as a butterfly flitting from flower to flower. She was also the longest employed female DJ - for 16 years - at Xfm and then Radio X as it is now called.

Lliana and her partner Noel Fielding have two girls, Dali and Iggy, aged 2 and 4, and Lliana told me how their house might be described as over-stimulating by some, wi...

Sara Pascoe is a stand up comedian who I particularly love. She now has two little boys after a long period of trying for a baby, including IVF. 

She spoke honestly to me about how she can remember being in a liminal head space for a long time while trying for a baby, and acknowledges she was 'horribly spiky' about parenthood before she had her boys, realising now that it was self-protection and a coping mech...

Hollie McNish is a poet who tours the country performing her poems. She says the whole of the UK is full of amazing theatres and bookshops.

I love Hollie's writing, the way she looks at motherhood, and how she always stand up for her small person, which I feel is empowering for them both. I was delighted when she offered to read one of my favourite poems of hers during our chat.

Hollie told me how she books her own gigs, whic...

Steph Douglas is a mum of three who founded the gift company Don't Buy Her Flowers ten years ago. I’m a repeat customer of the website when I want to send a friend some TLC if they don’t live round the corner. 

Steph explained how the idea for her company came about when she received 8 well-meant bouquets following the birth of her first child - and felt she now had something else she had to look after, as well as her ...

Ashley James is a presenter and DJ who first made her name appearing briefly in Made in Chelsea. On instagram @ashleylouisejames has a huge following amongst 25-35 year old women and she frequently posts about being a mum of two little ones, and about other women's issues. 

Originally from the North East, you would never know that from Ashley's accent. She told me about her extraordinary school days, and very tough ado...