In an exclusive interview and photoshoot, Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte Hawkins has told HELLO! magazine about how the past year has made her find a new balance in life.
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Charlotte, who has a six-year-old daughter, Ella Rose, with husband Mark Herbert, told the magazine: "Maybe we should learn a lesson from the past year and get a bit of balance, not cram so much in.
"To make sure you have some down time and protect family time.
VIDEO: Behind the Scenes at Ascot with Charlotte Hawkins
"My husband Mark and I tried to make lockdown a special experience for Ella Rose, so we’d spend summer evenings chatting, playing Monopoly and camping in the back garden."
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Part of a famously close-knit GMB team, she also tells HELLO! of her admiration for her colleague Kate Garraway, whose husband Derek Draper has been battling the life-changing effects of Covid-19.
"It’s lovely working with Kate. She’s always got a smile on her face and despite everything she’s been through, has been so brave.
Charlotte Hawkins can't wait to get dressed up for Ascot
"I’m full of admiration for how strong she’s been – to be able to do interviews about Covid, and people being ill.
"We’re all there for her 100 percent and keep everything crossed that things will be okay with Derek."
Charlotte has joined the ITV racing team to report on the fashions at this year’s Ascot, which is reopening this year to a reduced capacity of 12,000 spectators.
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"There’s going to be such an eagerness to get back, get dressed up and wear a hat," she tells the magazine while posing in a hat from the Royal Ascot Millinery Collective, created in partnership with Fenwick.
And she also tells HELLO! how she is glad to see a rise in professional female jockeys.
The GMB star spoke exclusively to HELLO!
"It’s brilliant seeing more women come to the fore – like Rachael Blackmore [2021 Grand National winner], Bryony Frost [Cheltenham winner] and Hayley Turner [flat-racing pioneer].
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"At the moment it still feels like something that people have to comment on, but it won’t be that long before it’s commonplace. There are lots of lads and lasses who ride and look after the horses – it’s not something purely for the men."
Royal Ascot, 15-19 June, is on ITV, daily, 130-6.30pm Visit ascot.co.uk and fenwick.co.uk
To read the full article, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale now. Subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.