In short
Mother’s Day special about “begin again” moments—showing up on ordinary hard days, blended-family love, and emotional support during mental-health and recovery struggles. It also covers lockdown-era Kitchen Disco livestreams as a cathartic escape, and how famous parents can still provide grounding.
Guests
Davina McCall (host/guest; UK TV presenter, singer with Kitchen Disco; stepmother to Rex and Honey via stepkids; mother of five boys; daughter of Blue Peter presenter Janet McCall). Also featured: Richard (Davina’s partner/hairstylist; co-created Kitchen Disco livestream idea) and Davina’s mother Janet McCall (via diary excerpts read during the episode).
Key claims
Showing up in small ways matters more than big gestures; blended families require communication/compromise but can be “inexplicably” joyful; parents must “hold space” for anger instead of fixing; recovery is repetition, not a movie arc.
Notable examples
Davina’s stepkids relationship (stepdaughter Lola from age 5 to 19); sending gifts when you can’t be there (Bloom & Wild sponsor); Kitchen Disco livestreams during lockdown; Janet’s 2008 diary entries about supporting “Kate” through tears, anger, and appointments; Davina’s “face care” memory during her own recovery; Davina as a stepmom described as “fairy godmother” (Ed Sheeran concert, texting with teenager).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOBecoming a Mother: The Journey
1:02 to 3:40
Sophie Ellis-Bextor shares her experiences and feelings about motherhood.
“Tell me about becoming a mum I mean, if it's something, you know, I guess you had like a soft launch with your stepchildren Yeah But then you had your two, Rex and Honey What's that meant to you?”
The Impact of Growing Up with Famous Parents
3:40 to 5:10
Discussion on the challenges and unique experiences of being raised by famous parents.
“I mean, your father, perhaps people might not have known him.”
Navigating Fame and Parenting
5:10 to 6:40
How being in the public eye affects parenting and family relationships.
“And I'd be very, because it's been a real worry for me as a famous mother on how will this affect my children?”
Personal Connections and Family Support
6:40 to 9:30
Exploring the importance of family support in personal and professional life.
“And also, I realised as soon as you started talking about my parents, I started smiling a lot because I'm very close to my parents and with my mum, geographically, we live about 10 minutes away from each other.”
The Evolution of Career and Identity
9:30 to 14:00
How motherhood and fame intersect in the lives of both hosts.
“I was like, oh no, how's he going to, this is a long way down, isn't it?”
Motherhood and Support
14:00 to 15:00
Discussion about the challenges and support in motherhood.
“Janet would know, this is what I could have done with.”
The Impact of Lockdown
15:00 to 17:00
Exploration of the creative responses to lockdown and personal insights.
“I thought in lockdown, the really interesting thing was that the nation became broadcasters.”
Emotional Experiences During Lockdown
17:00 to 19:00
Sharing emotional experiences and reflections during the pandemic.
“He said, oh, because I was feeling really, ah, restless, discombobulated, missing people, missing music, performing.”
Struggles and Gratitude
19:00 to 21:40
Discussing the personal struggles during lockdown and feeling grateful.
“do you know for me it's quite nice to hear you say that because I've met quite a lot of people who loved lockdown yeah me too and who loved the isolation and the I cried all the time yeah I I found it really tough.”
Mother's Diary Insights
21:40 to 24:10
Reading excerpts from the mother's diary reflecting on their relationship.
“But as a mum, I just want to comfort her.”
Show all 13 chapters
Navigating Emotions
24:10 to 27:00
Understanding the complexity of navigating emotions during tough times.
“I try not to let it affect me, but it does.”
The Role of Support in Recovery
27:00 to 28:00
Discussing the importance of support during recovery and the complexities of mental health.
Episode Discussion
28:00 to 32:53
“you might not have felt free enough to feel fucking furious, but because it was your mother and you knew she loved you, she was a safe enough place to really fucking feel it.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Davina McCall:We're so good at celebrating the big moments, aren't we? But what about those random days when your friend absolutely smashes something at work or the day they're feeling a bit wobbly about becoming an empty nester? That's basically me right now. These are actually the days when showing up really means the most and when you want to show up but you can't physically be there, sending something that says I'm thinking about you today really does go a long way. Our sponsor Bloom and Wild delivers gorgeous blooms like this one. All their flowers are sent in bud so they arrive really fresh. You can choose from a bouquet that can go through their letterbox or a hand-tied bouquet like this one.
0:44Davina McCall:And if flowers aren't quite right they've also got loads of gifts and hampers too. Letterbox brownies. So whoever deserves a gift, care wildly with Bloomin' Wild And I've got a code, people, Davina for 15 % off your next gift Tell me about becoming a mum I mean, if it's something, you know, I guess you had like a soft launch with your stepchildren Yeah But then you had your two, Rex and Honey What's that meant to you?
1:18Fearne Cotton:Oh my God. It's been, the whole thing has just been, you know, I've got to start with my stepkids because I have the most beautiful relationship with them. I love the bones of them and they've brought me so much joy and so much happiness. And I still think there's a long way to go when we talk about blended families and how amazing it can be. Yes, it's complicated. Yes, it requires an insane amount of communication and compromise and everything that we all go through. But the
1:53Sophie Ellis-Bextor:joy those adults now have brought me is insane.
1:58Fearne Cotton:And now that we're at such a fun age, we have such a laugh. And I've known Lola, my stepdaughter's 19 now. When I met her, she was five. Wow. She was a teeny, teeny, tiny kid. Amazing. So I've seen her go through all of this, go through puberty and then become a woman. And And now we're out having a laugh together at dinner. And what a joy. It's been a blessing to have this inexplicable relationship with someone. It's not the same as having my own kids. It has a different tone to it, a different flavor. But it's so enjoyable and so beautiful. And I certainly wouldn't be who I am today without my stepkids.
2:35Fearne Cotton:There's no way. They've helped inform who I am as a person. They fast-tracked me to being a responsible adult. they've made they've made me accountable for my reactions to things they're just they're amazing and I just I love them I feel so lucky they're in my life and then having my own kids I mean how do you even describe the feeling of bringing life into the world what a privilege it is how do you describe how insanely difficult it is how challenging it can be how confronting it is how you have to learn so much overnight and continue to forever like you think there's a bit where you just stop learning and it's all like oh we're in the rhythm of it now we're just parents it's every bloody day it's exhausting but absolutely life-affirming and I don't even I don't have the words like I I don't have the words to sum it up it's all too big and all too overwhelming and I just bloody love them so much bones of them I know I mean I remember once and I can't think who said it I feel like it was weirdly John Legend's wife but she might have then taken the quote from someone else that the feeling of having kids is like having your heart beating outside of your chest all day every day it's kind of terrifying and you don't feel like there's enough protection around you and them and everything's a bit scary but it's so intense and raw um I think it's really hard to put your finger on what it is and what it means to be a parent and a step-parent um they're the most important relationships in in my life without a You were the child of famous parents.
4:37I mean, your father, perhaps people might not have
4:40Davina McCall:known him. No, he wasn't in public. No, but he was famous within his own world. He was well known in his own world, but your mum was mega to famous, to like everybody. I remember your mum so clearly on the television. She was weekly, you know, she was in our living rooms weekly on Blue Peter, Janet, mega woman. and then you have gone on to become a famous parent yourself. That is such a unique situation. There aren't that many women, I don't think, that have done that. And I'd be very, because it's been a real worry for me as a famous mother on how will this affect my children? How can I keep them safe?
5:21How can I not, I mean, I spent a lot of time when I was younger
5:26Davina McCall:trying not to embarrass them. I don't care anymore. No, me neither. But, sorry, kids. Sorry, kids. Yeah, sorry about that. But I would love to hear your take because that's so unique, having Janet as a mum. What was life like being the child of a famous mother?
5:42Sophie Ellis-Bextor:Right. Well, firstly, I'd say, you know, objectively, us worrying is a bit pointless because whatever family you're born into, the family dynamic affects who you are. So it doesn't matter what you get up to. You don't get away with not being affected by your family dynamic. Oh, that's, yes. Okay, yeah. So don't worry. It's just how it works, isn't it? Sorry. That's actually kind of brilliant. Like, if I was famous or not, the family... Be free from that worry, because your family dynamic is 100 % what affects you.
6:15Davina McCall:You know when you sit, you're like, oh my God, that is literally the first time I've thought about that. That is mega. Yeah. God, thank you.
6:23Sophie Ellis-Bextor:Well, no, not at all.
6:25Davina McCall:It doesn't matter whether you're famous or not, or who you are, your family dynamic... will be affected. Yes. Oh god, okay. Yeah. Wow, I'm gonna be thinking about that tonight. Aww. That's brilliant. Thank you.
6:39Sophie Ellis-Bextor:Wow. Okay, yes. Yes. And also, I realised as soon as you started talking about my parents, I started smiling a lot because I'm very close to my parents and with my mum, geographically, we live about 10 minutes away from each other. The dream! I really
6:56Davina McCall:I really hope some of my kids do that with me, please.
6:58Sophie Ellis-Bextor:They will, they definitely will. Or I'm going to them. No, I reckon you have a similar vibe too with your kids. I bet there's my mum had with me, which is like the same way I'm going to do it by the way. Strong matriarch vibes of just stay close, get in touch, keep communicating with each other, check in. It's so important. So yes, I see my mum. Sometimes I'll be walking the kids to school and the bit of park we walk through, I'll see my mum walking her dog. So it's all pretty wholesome. We see bump into grandma quite a lot. Oh, that's so nice. Yes, I love it. Yes, oh yeah, so I love that. And I think with my, oh look, I mean, it would be, I can see that there must be some seeds that were sown from what my mum did that somehow worked into what I was going to do, for sure.
7:44Davina McCall:What sort of seeds?
7:47Sophie Ellis-Bextor:One of them's really embarrassing. But this is really not going to be a good life. Oh, this is great. I can't wait.
7:53Davina McCall:No, go on, tell me.
7:56Sophie Ellis-Bextor:Well, I would love to say it was all to do with work ethic, but I just remember when I was, I think it must have been my seventh birthday and we went to Madame Tussauds and because my mum was on Peter, we got to go straight in the front. And I think I was a bit like, that's pretty cool. And I do appreciate it does not fit. I was seven. That is like, that's like high currency when you're small. So that's probably a little seed there, isn't it? But I also... Skipping to the front of the Madame Tussauds. I was like, oh my goodness. Sour slay, yeah.
8:32Davina McCall:How does this work? I think what my kids... What? Sorry, how does that work? That is cool. I think it was cool. What would your kids think was cool about you now? What have you done for them where they'd go, oh, this is ace. Oh. It's quite an interesting... I'm trying to think of anything that I've done for my kids which they would think was mega because I don't take them to anything. Right.
8:51Sophie Ellis-Bextor:I would think at some point... I've been quite good. Trips? Yeah. Like when you're doing gigs? Yes. So last year I got invited to sing for Mardi Gras and Bondi Beach in Sydney. Brilliant. And I'd been away a little bit already by that point in the year, February, and I took Jesse, who was then eight. And we were only there for four days and they flew us there business class. And so Jesse gets on the plane before we've been taken off and he was pressing all the buttons and he went, hold on a minute, was this expensive, these tickets? And I said, yes, Jesse, very. And he went, it's worth it. I was like, oh no, how's he going to, this is a long way down, isn't it?
9:36Sophie Ellis-Bextor:From like a business class flight to Australia. He was so happy. He was a great traveling companion. He was like Tom Hanks in Big when he's pressing all the buttons in the car. like woo
9:46Davina McCall:isn't it special when you've got five kids you've got five boys and you can go away with one I love it isn't that amazing yeah there's not enough time in the year really to take them all away but I think as you get older and you aren't working non-stop yeah I took one of my kids away on their own for a week last this year yeah this year in April Holly my oldest yeah
10:10Sophie Ellis-Bextor:and it was a joy that is really nice I actually think because my kids are still quite little, that is actually one of the biggest privileges of having such amazing support because I've got brilliant support with people who help me look after the kids when I'm working. But it also means I can size do things with them one on one. And I actually think that is invaluable, being able to do that if you've got lots of children. What were you talking about? My mum. So the other seeds, I mean, yeah, my mum absolutely loves what she did. So she adored presenting Blue Peter and Blue Peter was, it's very strange for me to even talk about it now because it's almost, I think of it like a sibling, which sounds really odd and maybe a little sad.
10:50Sophie Ellis-Bextor:No, you shared your life with it. I did, but particularly that bit of my childhood because my mum was presenting the show while she was a single mother. So I would spend most of my time with her. I'd go to my dad every other weekend and she finished the show when she was having my brother. So this chapter, it was like my, yeah, the sibling I had during that time when it was a lot of time just me and her. And I think, yeah, I could see how much they love what they did. I like the fact that it open my eyes to having a job that wasn't a traditional job. So when the opportunity came to go on tour with my band, my parents, even though it was a slightly different world to theirs in music, that suited me too, because it felt like my thing.
11:34Sophie Ellis-Bextor:But I also didn't have any sort of dreamy world around it. I could see the sort of nuts and bolts of what I do. The reality of it. Reality, exactly. And I think that's a privilege too, because it had been around me so I could think in those terms. And I am aware that, you know, it's funny because when you're young and starting out, you don't want to think anything's been easier for you because it's hard for everybody when you go out. But looking back, I'm like, wow, I had so many aces in my pack in terms of, you know, growing up in London, a time when people from record companies would go out and actually go and watch gigs and all these privileges on my dog's leg.
12:12Sophie Ellis-Bextor:Everything's different now, isn't it? Yeah, absolutely. And the fact that my, this is actually probably the biggest one, because my parents worked in a similar field, they never, and my family haven't, they never became my fans, which sounds like a really odd statement. But it can really shift things and they never were starstruck by any element of anything I got up to, which meant I had such a solid home base, such a grounding. It was lovely if I'd enjoyed the things I was getting up to, but really they always wanted to check in. How was I feeling about emotionally? What was going on at home?
12:48Sophie Ellis-Bextor:How was my relationship at the time? Was everything in order for, you know, could I pay my rent? All those sorts of things. It was quite practical and emotionally led and not, you sold how many units? You're going to this country? That was at the end of the conversation. So that was a benefit too.
13:05Davina McCall:It's so interesting because I had never thought about that, that if you become famous, your parents sort of become fans and how nice it would be to have somebody. Yes. Or at least a bit starstruck.
13:16Sophie Ellis-Bextor:Yeah. The whole thing. Yeah. Or it's unfamiliar, you know, they might not know what they're entitled to, where they're to help you so those things can those things help me for sure and the all the kind of
13:31Davina McCall:things that I was saying about you at the beginning about being just down to earth and normal I see you as kind of a humble a humble superstar wow no but that's how I see you like you are really well known everybody knows who you are but you are you've got your feet on the ground and now that makes real sense, you saying that. I can completely understand that they would know exactly what you needed.
14:00Sophie Ellis-Bextor:Yeah, absolutely.
14:01Davina McCall:Janet would know, this is what I could have done with. Yeah. Let me give this to Sophie, yeah.
14:07Sophie Ellis-Bextor:And she's still in that role now. Is she? Yeah. Yeah, I'm lucky. I do have a lot of people that give me lots of support. um so nothing I do is is happening on it's on its own really as the support of my redirection including Richard of course yes I mean I really want to talk about him a bit now as well but I
14:28Davina McCall:want to stay on being a mother because you know you then went on to become a mother and you were famous and then funnily enough in in 2021 you know with Kitchen Disco that happened again. I mean, you begin again and begin again and begin again.
14:45Sophie Ellis-Bextor:Well, I've often got that if Sophie, Ellis and Bexter had been three different people, we would have split up so long ago. We'd be on our like fourth, fifth reunion tour by now.
14:54Davina McCall:Like Crosby, Stills and Nash. Sophie, Ellis and Bexter. Yeah.
14:58Sophie Ellis-Bextor:I've had no opportunity to split up. No. For where I go.
Read the full transcript
15:03Davina McCall:But it's amazing. I thought in lockdown, the really interesting thing was that the nation became broadcasters. Quite a few people were just starting their own thing. I remember thinking, wow, like no telly. What's going to happen? What are we going to do? And Michael and I were split. So we weren't living together. And so he went off to live up in Hertfordshire and I was living in um sussex um in fact at that point i was in kent so we were a long way from each other and but he obviously is a hairstylist and he did lives every day telling people what to do with their hair how to cut their hair how to cut their children's hair how do you color your hair how do you look after it giving people tips and hints because they couldn't get to the hairdressers and you did something similar like let off some steam yeah do this with your kids yeah let's have a party together but it was also a really wonderful insight into you and your relationship with your kids your your home like it was there was so many things to get out there but it was one of my favorite things about lockdown was you oh dancing like it was just amazing but you didn't
16:28Sophie Ellis-Bextor:I bet you didn't think that when you started it. No. Well, I actually finished the first one saying I think that's the end of my career. Really? Yes. Oh, my God, that's so funny. Because I felt like maybe, I wasn't sure if we were reading the room right. I knew what I felt like I needed. Yes, I see what you're saying. Are people really struggling and are they going to think how frivolous? No, what? But it was the opposite. What are you putting sequence on? Yeah. And actually it was Richard's idea to do the first one. He said, oh, because I was feeling really, ah, restless, discombobulated, missing people, missing music, performing.
17:09Sophie Ellis-Bextor:It was such a heavy time. And he said, why don't we live stream, like you do, singing a party set. And I said, that is a crazy idea, but I haven't got anything else I'm doing. So yes. So we did the first one and I sort of waited, you know, to see what the reaction was. Like that. Like, oh no, everybody's going to say, what are you doing? But then all these lovely messages were coming and I thought, ah, this is actually okay. It's okay. And it's funny because obviously I do sing for a living, but the kitchen disco was very much about my relationship with music and people. It wasn't really about the day job at all.
17:51Sophie Ellis-Bextor:It was about needing to invite people over, as you say, that catharsis, a little bit of escape. Just change the tone, just for a minute, just 20 minutes, half an hour of being a bit silly, getting together. I would have, you know, my friends and family I knew were watching so they could see the kids. You know, my youngest was a baby, he was one. So the grandparents could all see the grandbabies and what they were up to that week. And see them happy. see them happy, see us being silly and it really worked. I liken it to, it was like having a non-alcoholic drink when that bit where your brain reads it as giving you a bit of an upper even though really we hadn't seen anyone, we hadn't gone anywhere, there had been no party, there had been no gig.
18:36Sophie Ellis-Bextor:I would tidy up the house afterwards and I'd half expect to find remnants of people. Yeah, it was a very strange time but it was so pure. I would cry all the time as well like if I sang a song that was a bit more sad I would cry because all my emotions were so close to the surface all the time like everybody very just felt quite sort of unarmored I think
19:00Davina McCall:do you know for me it's quite nice to hear you say that because I've met quite a lot of people who loved lockdown yeah me too and who loved the isolation and the I cried all the time yeah I
19:11Sophie Ellis-Bextor:I found it really tough. I found it cruel. I found the cruelty of thinking seeing people you love might mean they get very, very sick and they might die. That was so heavy to me. But, you know, everybody had their own stories of what was happening and some people have experienced extraordinary pain as well. So whilst I did lose my stepdad during that time, which was awful, At least we were allowed to have a funeral together when we did. And none of us were traveling. We were all together. We could support one another. So I'm actually grateful to us having that time together as well. But yeah, you know, if people found good aspects, I'm really happy about that.
19:58Sophie Ellis-Bextor:Of course, we found some good aspects too. I loved being with the kids all that time.
20:02Davina McCall:Yes.
20:03Sophie Ellis-Bextor:Me too. But I haven't lost sight. I didn't need a global pandemic to teach me what mattered to me. I already knew that. So it's just a matter of us getting through it, really.
20:16Davina McCall:I've just thought about something around the time when you were recovering and you were talking about your mum and your mum went with you to France and she actually gave us some diary excerpts from that time when she was talking about you and how she was feeling. Do you mind if I... Her diary? Yeah. Oh, God. My mum is so private. Do you mind if I read a couple?
20:52I really...
20:53Davina McCall:I'm not going to put my glasses on. My mum's saying I'm private and shy. I think as a mum, and you're a mum now, and we've both got daughters, and reading this now, it's so powerful seeing as a mum the things you have to go through about how much you love your daughter. Yeah. So this one is from Thursday the 26th of June. What year? 2008. Oh, okay. It was very early then. Kate feeling down today. I'm finding it hard to know what to do with her. Lots of tears today. The psychologist has said we must let her cry. She needs to release her emotions. But as a mum, I just want to comfort her. She's my child.
21:46Davina McCall:I just want to make her better, but I can't. I have to learn to stand back. She has to feel able to express her anger, hurt and pain in any way she wants. Thought we'd go to Marwell Zoo, but got there too late. So went for a walk by River and Winchester. Kate's still nervous and unhappy at being out. The thing I got from that was letting you feel and holding space for you. But how hard that must have been for her as a mum.
22:27Katie Piper:She'd try and get me out and we'd go to like pound shops, charity shops, the zoo. Marwell Zoo was the old school trip, so it was like a familiar place. And then she'd like pack a cool bag of like medication, sandwiches, liquidised food for me. and then I'd get there and refuse to go in and it or in worse days we'd go in the pound shop and we'd be asked to leave and it would like things would just be a shit show because of how you yeah I mean my appearance was so different I had like a shaved head a plastic face mask purple face and I sometimes think um people thought I was like contagious or had some kind of disease or and people would follow me around the shop pointing at me and then it would cause like a whole scene and like just just things would it would just it would always be like the intention to just you know like with your mum you just mooch around don't you looking at things and it was like all those simple things in life you take for granted was so hard to do but mum kept trying because in like a really practical way I needed to leave home again but the offer was there to stay there forever but they didn't want me to stay there forever but I did want to stay there forever at first I think because I was sort of like not really it's so funny when people talk about me right it's like oh you're so inspirational you're doing all these busy things and it's like yeah but I wasn't that's that's not what recovery is it was small times small goals it wasn't setting up businesses setting up charities I wanted to stay at home forever for a long long time but how long at one point like it felt like forever you know um but I think things change you know and and people always look like when they narrate a story they look for like this big moment and I don't think life's like that I think it's small moments, small things, repetition you know recovery isn't a movie with a nice wrapped up end scene, it's sort of like doing things and it being terrible and then doing it again and it's not so terrible, you know, it was like consistency and repetition
24:57Davina McCall:We've got another one here
25:02Davina McCall:and this one is July 2008 sometimes dealing with her is like treading on eggshells you can't say anything right you get accused of being patronising or not caring enough sometimes there's no answer and really Kate doesn't want an answer she just wants to let off steam totally get that and we are the first in the firing line we have to be very strong and recognise that it's not personal She's attacking the situation, not us. Letting out her frustrations and anger. I try not to let it affect me, but it does. I need to stay calm. It's so hard seeing her in so much turmoil. There's so much going on, so many appointments to organise in so many places.
25:48Davina McCall:Kate tries so hard to be positive, so we have to do our part and not let her see if we get upset. It is unfair. She is the one suffering the most. We have to let her rant and rave, be happy or sad, stay in her PJs all day if she wants to. Sometimes I'm glad that she feels safe enough to let us, to let it all out on us. I know that no matter what, we will never desert her or stop loving her. And when we come out of all of this, we will be stronger than ever. She should come on here. Well, you know what? That's quite weird you said that. As I was reading that, that is exactly what I thought as a parent to, she also went on her own journey, right?
26:41Davina McCall:I think a big learning curve is holding space for someone you really fucking love. Yeah. To feel the feelings and not try and take them away, no matter how uncomfortable they make you feel.
26:55Katie Piper:you're right because when people are going through stuff the people that are supporting them ask you for advice and it's like it's not about you stop trying to fix people stop you can't take it away and that's why it's so traumatic and I think what she said there about me like we've got so much better about talking about mental health but there's still only like surface level acceptable mental health which is like sad anxious but real mental health is like being aggressive and psychotic and violent and like what my mum's talking about is I was really aggressive and and like vocal and shouty and angry and and that's not really like the nice mental health we see on those squares that's still quite shameful but what I what I rather liked about what she said
27:44Davina McCall:is that she had an absolute understanding and I think as a parent I think you you'll get this that you were, she, sorry, she was a safe place for you to be angry. Like if you'd have been with somebody else, a friend of hers, you might not have felt free enough to feel fucking furious, but because it was your mother and you knew she loved you, she was a safe enough place to really fucking feel it. Would that be fair?
28:17Katie Piper:I could even guess what happened that day that she wrote that entry because I smashed up my childhood bedroom and they let me so I could hide it from the world and they never said anything and they used to do this thing for me called face care it was part of my treatment like when I came back from France you have to have face care so face care is like when you're doing it from home with what you've got it's just like a tub of e45 and you just lay on the bed and you hang your head and your neck off the bed to stretch your burn and you massage it and mum would do face care and then i would feel like all uh like wet and i was like and obviously i'm blind in one eye right so i'd be like and then i realized mum was crying on my face silently so mum and it was in mum's room that had an ensuite bathroom so mum would swap with dad and be like i need i need a wee and then the unsleep bathroom had a fan and she pulled the fan it should be gone ages for a week so you couldn't hear and then dad would take over and then then i'd be feeling like the same wet and i'd be like what is happening then dad would go in the bathroom the fan would stay on then mom would come back and they would do like shifts like that and we used to play audio we always used to play audiobooks i had like a you know like a ghetto blaster yeah cd we had cds in a ghetto of like we used to play like Deepak Chopra uh this was even before people like Mel Robbins it was like Rhonda Brine like The Secret you know like the really early day and we used to play all that and um I'd come out and be like oh you've missed CDA you were in there for ages I'm on CDB almost not realizing because I was you know yes and no like the day I gave birth to my first child and I was a mum, I rang my mum and I was like, sorry, because now I'm a mum and now I understand.
30:14Katie Piper:And, yeah, I understand more now I'm a parent. But, yeah, I knew some of it, but it was like because I had a lot of post-traumatic stress, I was always in, like, fight or flight. Yes. So it was difficult.
30:29Davina McCall:I'd like to quickly talk about something that I am, you are. Yes, yes. And that is a step-mom. Ah, I know. Isn't it cool? Can you just talk me through what it's like being a step-mom for you? It is so fun. I just have the best time with them because I'm like that fairy godmother that gives them all the sugar and all the ice cream and then sends them back. And their mother, who I love dearly, is sort of like, they're bouncing off the wall. I'm like, sorry. but you know I think that's the fun part of being a stepmom like you can do those naughty things and you know I take them out and I took them to an Ed Sheeran concert I met Ed Sheeran like I was giving it all to these kids I was very much like I cared about making them feel like comfortable and safe and I wanted them to feel safe around me and you know I love my partner so much so it was just about creating a great environment for these kids to thrive and now they're like one's a teenager just turned and she's got her phone so now we're like texting it's so cool and she's like hey missy i'm like hey girl missy too and it's just such a healthy i'm very lucky i've got really great stepkids like these girls are just the coolest kids ever ever and also let's big up the mums and big up as being able to have a good relationship i think with your stepkids mum is mega.
31:58Davina McCall:And I respect it and I understand it and I appreciate it, you know, and to have that space to let me, you know, hang out with her kids. I just, I feel as if, I mean, I didn't get a book. There was no one teaching me on how to be a stepmom. I don't think, I know there's probably books out there and things, but there's a lot you're navigating. You as a stepmom, what does that mean? You with the kids, you with the mother, you know you understanding the dynamic you know I'm not professional but I definitely feel like I was lucky and I did it the right way I know that it may not be as easy for others so yeah yeah I mean it's a complicated um it's a complicated journey for lots of people yeah but it's a very fulfilling one I think oh yeah and when they just kind of give you that one hug you're like yeah Oh my god.
From the publisher
Whoever your mother figure is, celebrate them this weekend with our sponsor Bloom & Wild. Use code DAVINA for 15% off at https://www.bloomandwild.com?utm_source=podcast+&utm_medium=podcasted&utm_campaign=Mother%27s+Day
In this heartfelt Mother's Day Special, we hear from a collection of remarkable women sharing personal stories of motherhood and the powerful bonds they share with their mothers.
Fearne Cotton reflects on how becoming a mother transformed her, bringing new perspectives and emotional depth. Sophie Ellis-Bextor opens up about her own mother’s influence, revealing how her upbringing shaped the loving mother she is today. Katie Piper touches on the strength of her relationship with her mum, who helped her navigate one of the hardest periods of her life. Finally, Rita Ora shares how stepping into the role of a stepmum has brought profound joy, describing it as one of the best experiences she's ever had.
Join us for an emotional, honest conversations about the complex, beautiful journey of motherhood. From the joys of step-parenting to the raw realities of healing and growth, this special episode will resonate with anyone who has experienced the transformative power of love from a mother or maternal figure.
The full episodes of these interview are available to listen to now!
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