Podcast host, radio presenter and stand-up comedian John Robins opens up to Giovanna Fletcher about his journey from addiction to becoming a runner. It's a frank and honest conversation where addiction recovery and mental health issues meet running. John tells Giovanna he never thought he would be a runner but he now finds himself preparing for a marathon.

He talks about the process of becoming sober, what he learnt along the way and how running and exercise have become part of the way he deals with his brain. He admits to not enjoying running. But also not enjoying not running! And John talks to Giovanna about how the skills he's learnt from his training are being adapted to life in general.

John says the impact not drinking has had on his fitness is 'nuts'! He says within weeks of giving up alcohol his body began to change and reveals to Giovanna the distraction techniques he used to stop returning to a wine store. He talks through the few injuries he's sustained from pushing himself too hard and has returned to Couch to 5k with a running group called Wellness Warriors.

"Accepting what I can't change, changing what I can and knowing the difference." Thanks John for such an honest chat.

If any issues in this podcast have affected you, please visit the BBC Action Line

https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/

The Elis and John podcast is on BBC Sounds

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m0005fdz

A new season of John's podcast How Do You Cope? begins in April.

John's new book is called Thirst: Twelve Drinks Which Changed My Life

John is running the London Marathon 2026 for Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app.

What is Couch to 5K? It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

How do you do Couch to 5K? Download an app(details below) and away you go!

Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill? Yes, on a treadmill or outside.

How does Couch to 5K work? You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.

How long does Couch to 5K take? You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.

You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

Giovanna Fletcher introduces Jodie Ounsley as her latest Couch to 5k guest. Jodie has a remarkable back-story. She was profoundly deaf as a baby and became the youngest person in the country to have a cochlear implant. She takes us on her journey to being a sport loving youngster and taking up rugby despite the risks of a contact sport.

Jodie became a professional rugby player but her life took another twist when she successfully applied to be a Gladiator on the BBC TV series. She's now best known as Fury from that programme.

She's gone on to appear on Masterchef and Strictly Come Dancing and worked as part of the presentation team for Channel 4 at the Paris Paralympics. She's very honest about her struggles to run 5k. She also talks about how deaf people can now use the NHS Couch to 5k app.

The NHS Couch to 5K app is audio-based, which can create barriers for people who are deaf, have hearing loss or experience tinnitus. To help address this, the Department of Health and Social care have worked with the charity RNID to help better understand these challenges and identify ways to remove some of the these barriers and improve accessibility.

Insights from RNID, combined with technical guidance, have changed the app with things like dynamic transcriptions and haptics(vibrations).

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app.

https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display

What is Couch to 5K? It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

McFly’s drummer Harry Judd talks about his switch from a pop star lifestyle to running marathons…quickly. Whilst his wife Izzy, an author and presenter, reveals her exercise journey was surrounded by fertility issues and mindfulness.

The pair are great friends with presenter Giovanna Fletcher, who’s husband Tom is also part of McFly. And they’ve known each other for twenty years….in fact back to a time when Harry didn’t exercise and just ate pizzas and sweets whilst on tour.

Strictly Come Dancing winner Harry reveals it was during a McFly recording session in Australia when he decided to run a marathon for a cancer charity. He wasn’t exercising at the time and was drinking and smoking. But this didn’t stop him. He did it again 4 years later, as he moved to a healthier lifestyle. And is now committed to(obsessed with) trying to run a marathon in under 3 hours.

Izzy, who presents the Music & Meditation Podcast on BBC Sounds, is less competitive and is happy with finding a place for running which fits in to her lifestyle, rather than stress about getting out.

The pair talk about the juggles of family life, with 3 children to look after, as well as their own careers – at the time of recording Harry is presenting a Breakfast Radio Show.

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

For more information on

What is Couch to 5K? It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

How do you do Couch to 5K? Download an app(details below) and away you go!

Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill? Yes, on a treadmill or outside.

How does Couch to 5K work? You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.

How long does Couch to 5K take? You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.

You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

Javeno McLean brings his enthusiasm and inclusiveness to this episode. Javeno is a Pride of Britain award winner for helping to transform the lives of sick, elderly and disabled people through exercise. He's become known for his viral videos, where he shares his messages of showing gratitude and inclusivity.

He tells Giovanna he's driven to try to make people passionate about exercise in order to stay motivated and he believes going out for a run can often be a battle with the mind.

Javeno reacts to a powerful story from our couch buddy today. Katie Stevenson, who has incurable cancer and epilepsy. Katie logs her running journey on instagram @iamkatiestevenson

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app. https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display

What is Couch to 5K? It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

How do you do Couch to 5K? Download an app(details below) and away you go!

Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill? Yes, on a treadmill or outside.

How does Couch to 5K work? You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.

How long does Couch to 5K take? You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.

You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

Today's conversation is about running with a life-changing condition. Couch to 5k coach and TV and radio presenter Reece Parkinson talks about his relationship with running after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Alongside him is Sally Chambers, who used Reece as a coach on the app and became a friend. She talks about how she uses running after being told she has stage 4 bowel cancer.

Reece is familiar as one of the voices of the NHS Couch to 5k app. He believes running is an armour for life after being diagnosed with type1 diabetes at just 26 whilst recording a TV documentary.

He ‘met’ Sally Chambers on a live radio feature about Couch to 5k. They went on to meet in person at a local Park Run and have become friends ever since. Sally was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer and she explains how running has helped her since 2019. She's now part of the 5k Your Way movement for people impacted by cancer.

Sally tells Giovanna that she has been through more than 50 cycles of chemotherapy and thought she’d never run again after multiple surgeries. However, she has now completed more than 100 Park Runs. And gets out three times a week between her chemo treatment. She says it’s given her sanity back and provides her with headspace.

There's an obvious mutual respect between Reece and Sally with a heart-lifting unity over what running and Couch to 5k can do for people.

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app.

https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display

What is Couch to 5K? It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

How do you do Couch to 5K? Download an app(details below) and away you go!

Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill? Yes, on a treadmill or outside.

How does Couch to 5K work? You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.

How long does Couch to 5K take? You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to. You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

This is an incredible story. From addiction to drink and drugs... to running the London Marathon in just a bra and knickers. Bryony Gordon's story is full of laughs, astonishment and courage.

Bryony has had a lot to deal with. OCD, mental illness, depression and addiction. She was an alcoholic when she ran her first London Marathon, which proved a life-changing moment. Her world was falling apart when she first decided to put on some trainers and go for a short run. A decision which left her mind feeling cleansed.

She entertains us with her story of how she came to be a marathon runner following an off-the-cuff comment to Catherine, Princess of Wales. And now she's known for doing marathons in just her underwear as a celebration of body image.

"Running saved my life' she says with a smile and a laugh. But amongst the funny stories is an uplifting truth.

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app.

https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display

What is Couch to 5K?

It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

How do you do Couch to 5K?

Download an app (details below) and away you go!

Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill?

Yes, on a treadmill or outside.

How does Couch to 5K work?

You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.

How long does Couch to 5K take?

You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.

You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

Giovanna’s guest today is one of the greatest names in British Athletics, Steve Cram. If you’re doing the NHS Couch to 5k programme, you’ll know he’s one of the coaches. He still loves running and the grassroots of the sport after an illustrious career.

Giovanna goes in to how the boy from Jarrow went on to become such a great. He talks about taking up running through to becoming an Olympian and World Record holder.

Steve talks about the influences in his life, including a number of familiar names for athletics fans. And what it’s like to break a world record.

But his passion for running goes way beyond his past achievements…and even his time in the commentary box for the BBC.

Steve tells Giovanna there are very similar principles whether standing on the start line at the Olympics or completing Couch to 5k programme. Have a plan, trust the training and have a go! And generally the hardest part of any run is getting out of the door.

It’s an entertaining episode with lots of great advice from Steve who also meets Kev, who had Steve as his Couch to 5k coach.

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app.

https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display

What is Couch to 5K? It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

Savannah Sachdev chats with Giovanna Fletcher about her life-changing decision to run every day. She began in 2021 and hasn't stopped.

She's now a successful content creator and contributor to running publications and tells Giovanna that she can't quite believe what happened. Savannah had little interest in sport or running until her remarkable daily streak began. She now mixes work with being a step-mum and is running longer distances including marathons...but always for fun.

It's an example of how showing up, even for just a few minutes each day, can lead to a dramatic change in fitness levels.

Savannah now uses her running to clear her head and it's an important part of her daily set-up. She says she has become a better person for it. As an introvert, she believes it's given her a confidence she thought she'd never have.

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app. https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display

What is Couch to 5K? It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

How do you do Couch to 5K? Download an app (details below) and away you go!

Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill? Yes, on a treadmill or outside.

How does Couch to 5K work? You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.

How long does Couch to 5K take? You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.

You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

Comedian Maisie Adam joins Giovanna Fletcher to chat about her running journey. Maisie is great fun as she talks about her sporty life but also the difficulty she has in enjoying running.

A pile of pizzas at the finish line was her highlight when she finished the London Marathon, an event she ran for charity. But she tells Giovanna she didn’t enjoy the training and was glad when it was all over.

Maisie grew up in Yorkshire where she had a talent for cross country running. But the early starts and muddy finishes were too much and she gave up on the sport. Now she plays football for Brighton Seagals FC and that’s her exercise passion. She will still run, but it needs to be with a group of friends at a Park Run as she doesn’t enjoy the solitude that others love. To get by whilst running she takes herself in to a dream world of being in a band or performing the Paso Doble in Strictly Come Dancing.

Maisie has not one but two fantasy runs; she has a few must-play running tracks and has some great advice for beginners. We also here from Dom who refuses to let her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis dominate her running and her ability to do Couch to 5K.

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

For more information on the NHS Couch to 5K programme follow the link below and download the free app.

https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display

What is Couch to 5K?

It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

How do you do Couch to 5K?

Download an app(details below) and away you go!

Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill?

Yes, on a treadmill or outside.

How does Couch to 5K work?

You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.

How long does Couch to 5K take?

You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.

You'll find the NHS Couch to 5K app in all the usual places you get your apps from.

We’re starting the second season of the Couch to 5K Podcast with two guests from the BBC TV series The Traitors joining Giovanna Fletcher.

Minah Shannon and Freddie Fraser were two of the most popular contestants in series 3 of The Traitors UK. With their energy and humour they take us inside the programme and reveal their own running journeys... from representing the UK to tackling half marathons.

Freddie talks about his horrific day on the TV show after being recruited as a traitor and his panic when Claudia Winkleman walked into the room during filming, whilst Minah tells an opposite story telling how she revelled in the role.

Minah explains how she got in to running. She’s downloaded the NHS Couch to 5K app 5 times, the final time in November 2023 which, she says, was life-changing. She’s progressed to running half marathons and Minah talks about how it’s improved her sleep and her mental health as well as her general health.

Freddie tells Giovanna that he had a very athletic childhood. He competed for GB as a schoolboy in the hurdles. His ambition was to make the Olympic Games but an injury forced him off the track. He finds long distances challenging and prefers to run on a treadmill rather than outside.

Giovanna talks about her experience in ‘I’m a Celebrity..’ and the lack of opportunity for exercise whilst on the show. Freddie says he was so exhausted during filming that he just slept. But Minah reveals she found a running circuit and a welfare member ran with her playing Taylor Swift on his phone to keep her motivated.

And Freddie owns up to cheating whilst trying to improve his 5K time by doing part of it on a bike!

We also have the regulars – the fantasy run, the Couch Buddy with a remarkable story of turning his life around with running, an essential tune and a top tip to completing Couch to 5K. Thanks for listening!

Presenter: Giovanna Fletcher

You can download the NHS Couch to 5K app from your app store and can find more details about the programme here:

https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/?WT.mc_ID=Couch_Podcast_BetterHealth&wt.tsrc=display

What is Couch to 5K?

It’s a simple, free running plan for absolute beginners

How do you do Couch to 5K?

Download an app (details below) and away you go!

Can you do Couch to 5K on a treadmill?

Yes, on a treadmill or outside.

How does Couch to 5K work?

You will have a trainer in the app starting you off with a mix of running and walking.

How long does Couch to 5K take?

You’ll be going out 3 times a week for 9 weeks at a pace that feels right for you. You’ll run a little further each week. You can repeat weeks and take longer if you want to.