With her incredible success in the 2016 Rio Games, newlywed Olympic rower Helen Glover has more than earned herself an indulgent family Christmas.
But the world number 1 female rower – who proudly wears her gold medals in her video message – has no problems mixing her professional fitness with quality family time, and has shared her favourite ways to stay active over the festive period.
“As a sportsperson it’s pretty important that I try and keep my fitness up during Christmas,” the World, Olympic and European record holder tells HELLO!. “I think a really good way of getting out there and keeping up a little bit of fitness is doing things like having long walks with your family, so you can still spend time together, and maybe take the dog out at the same time.”
Helen married TV presenter and naturalist Steve Backshall married on 10 September after two years together, and she is excited for her first Christmas together as a married couple.
“It’s my first Christmas married to Steve and we’re going to spend it down in Cornwall with my family, and have a little pre-Christmas celebration with his family as well,” she says. “The best present Steve got me was probably when he got a mountain bike. I know it sounds like I’m seven years old but it was a good bike!”
The extended family includes her father Jimmy, mother Rachel, who completed the London Marathon earlier this year, doctor brother Benjamin, entrepreneur twin Nathan, and younger sisters Ruth and Freya, a nursery nurse and medical student respectively. “We don’t tend to have too many traditions in our household, just all of us getting together. We play a lot of board games and get quite competitive, and charades is a big thing in our house, so lots of games.”
© Photo: Getty ImagesWe hope that you will join Helen and HELLO! by supporting this very worthy cause. We all like to be with our loved ones this time of year. For the families of patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital, this is especially true.
With your support, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity could help fund family accommodation so mums, dads, brothers and sisters can stay close by, or help fund the creation of bigger rooms in new hospital wards so parents of the most seriously ill children can stay by their bedside 24 hours a day.
The charity also funds play specialists so that children can enjoy some festive fun despite going through very difficult times, and funds research and equipment that will enable the hospital to find new cures and save more lives. Every donation to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity will help keep families together this Christmas. And be sure to check back tomorrow to find out which of our wonderful celebs will be popping out from door number 11!
Make a donation to GOSH CC online, or by texting FIVE to 70111*
*Texts cost £5 plus your standard network rate. Please ask the bill payer’s permission. Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity will receive 100% of your gift. We may contact you to tell you more about our work; if you would prefer we didn’t text NOCALL GOSH to 78866. Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. Registered charity no. 1160024
