Louise Minchin has been a regular on morning TV for nearly 15 years, hosting BBC Breakfast alongside Dan Walker. With the early starts, the journalist has confessed her love for triathlons has helped mentally prepare her for her role.
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"Tough [triathlon] training sessions have become the crutch I rely on to do my job," she told Women's Health. "Those brutal early starts are followed by three hours on air. I have to concentrate incredibly hard to make sure I don't say anything inaccurate. I love it, but it can be mentally exhausting."
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Over the past year, Louise has been at the forefront of national TV amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But thanks to her healthy lifestyle, the 52-year-old has been able to remain calm on live TV.
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"There's a memory I call to mind when I need to slow down," she explained. "I was doing a triathlon around the Liverpool docks, and the atmosphere was stressful. But when I looked down at the view below, it was so calm and peaceful. It was a moment of real serenity.
Louise Minchin has shared her love for triathlons credit - Carla Guler / Women's Health
"Now, whenever I feel nervous about a breaking news story, I close my eyes and think of that moment. That's where my mind went when I heard the news, through a headset, that the Prime Minister had been hospitalised with Covid-19."
However, she has found a useful way to get her out of bed at 3.40am. "When I wake up at 3.40am for work, it's the image of jumping into ice-cold water mid-triathlon that propels me out of bed," she said. "I tell myself: 'You think this is bad? That is worse.'"
Read the full Louise Minchin interview in the Dec/Jan issue of Women’s Health, on sale now
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