Happy Mum

This week on Happy Mum Happy Baby we say hiya to actress, presenter and mother of four Joanna Page!

Joanna opens up to Gi about life after Gavin & Stacey, and shares how she juggles the chaos of raising four children (and many pets!) alongside her acting career.

She also reflects on the complications she faced during pregnancy, as well as her experience of becoming pregnant again at 44.

Joanna's new autobiography Lush!: My Story - From Swansea to Stacey and Everything in Between is available now!

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

94% of new mums experience loneliness... but you don’t have to go through it alone.

This month on Parenting SOS, Gi sits down with Michelle Kennedy, founder and CEO of networking app Peanut. Together, they explore why motherhood can feel so isolating, and what it means to build a village.

Plus, Michelle answers your questions and shares some simple, practical ways to start creating meaningful connections in your everyday life.

Michelle's new book It Takes A Village is the essential parenting guide that blends expert advice with the real stories of mums worldwide - available now!

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

Back in 2018, the iconic Davina McCall kicked off the second series of Happy Mum Happy Baby. And now… she’s back!!

The legendary TV host behind some of the UK’s biggest reality shows and a fierce advocate for women’s health joins Gi once again for an honest and unfiltered conversation about childbirth, motherhood, and the realities of womanhood.

She also opens up about undergoing brain surgery last year, sharing what that experience has taught her and how recovery is reshaping the way she sees herself.

Davina’s brand-new book, Birthing, the ultimate guide to conception, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum is out now!

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

On this week's episode, Giovanna sits down with author Ali Harris for a deeply moving conversation about love, loss and finding hope through grief.

Ali carried her third child, Poppy, for just under twenty-four weeks until the day she delivered her, knowing she had already died. She opens up to Gi about navigating this loss, and how she has channeled that pain, healing, and hope into writing.

Her latest novel received countless rejections - “no one wants to read about baby loss'. But Ali was determined to create space for these stories in fiction, not only for the millions of women who know this grief firsthand, but also to help bring these experiences into the wider world of storytelling.

Ali's new book, This Wasn’t Meant to Happen, is available from September 11th.

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

Olympic champion, presenter and author Dame Denise Lewis joins us this week for an inspiring chat about balancing ambition and career with motherhood. 

Denise discusses the lack of support she experienced in the sporting world when she became pregnant at the peak of her career.

Plus, she recounts an unexpected chapter in her life when, at 46, symptoms she attributed to perimenopause were actually signs of her fourth pregnancy!

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

We're very excited this week to be joined by Geordie Shore legend Sophie Kasaei! Sophie first graced our screens in 2011 as part of the OG Geordie Shore cast and is now using her platform to shine a light on the many different journeys to parenthood.

Sophie opens up to Gi about her personal struggle with conceiving, the emotional highs and lows she's experienced so far, and the impact it’s had on her relationship with TOWIE’s Jordan Brook.

Sending love and support to anyone that may be on this journey too; you are not alone 🤍

You can catch more of Sophie on Geordie Stories: Sophie’s Fertility Journey, now available to stream on Paramount+

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

Returning to school after the summer holidays can be an anxious time for many children. So for this month's Parenting SOS, we invited child anxiety specialist and author of Help! My Child's Anxiety is Giving me Anxiety Saskia Joss to the studio to help us make the back-to-school transition as smooth as possible.

Saskia ad Gi talk about some of the reasons why children might feel anxious about returning to school, and what we can do to support them.

Plus, Saskia offers guidance for addressing emotionally-based school avoidance (EBSA) and outlines actionable steps to take if your child feels unable to attend school.

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

This week Giovanna is joined by musician and father of one Marcel Somerville!

First finding fame in the early 2000s with Blazin’ Squad, Marcel went on to appear on our screens in Love Island and then Love Island: All stars.

He opens up to Gi about prioritising his son throughout his marriage breakup, his Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis, and how he really feels about his return to the Love Island Villa.

Marcel's new single What I Did For Love is out now! And you can catch Marcel at The Blazin’ Squad Brunch, taking over 6 cities across the country from August 30th!

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

Stand-up comedian, podcaster and author Suzi Ruffell joins us for this week’s episode!

Suzi tells Gi about the lack of queer representation she saw growing up and how it made her feel shame around her sexuality for a long time.

Plus, she opens up about navigating motherhood as someone with anxiety and the ongoing challenge of learning not to catastrophise.

Suzi's brilliant new book 'Am I Having Fun Now? is available NOW! And she is of course back on tour with 'The Juggle' from September. Check it out!

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

Gi is back from her family holiday and ready for a chat!

Plus we revisit some of our episodes to hear what summer tips and tales our guests have shared with us over the years, including:

Kerry Hudson on the joy of travelling with kids

Harry and Izzy Judd on having a summer baby

The Travelling Gays on keeping their routine on holiday

Louise Thompson on struggling to leave the house when living with PTSD

Laura Anderson on the hacks she's picked up from her career as a flight attendant

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