When Giovanna Fletcher was crowned queen of the castle on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2020, she obviously struck a chord with the nation, showing how generous and kind-hearted she was during the gruelling contest.
Mum to three boys – Buzz, nine, Buddy, seven, and four-year-old Max – with her husband, McFly’s Tom, she juggles a hectic work and family schedule, while remaining positive – which is why I was keen to have her on HELLO!’s wellbeing podcast In a Good Place.
The 38-year-old is an all-around achiever in her career, becoming a Sunday Times best-selling author with her book Happy Mum, Happy Baby and running a successful podcast with the same name.
She is a patron for breast cancer charity CoppaFeel, where she has helped to raise more than £1m during fundraising treks in Wales and the Sahara this year.
In our podcast episode, Giovanna talks to me about how she balances wellness with such a busy life, all while remaining positive…
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Welcome Giovanna! So tell me, are you in a good place?
“I am. I went to the school today to see the Year 4 children doing a little assembly… [Then] I came home and had a chocolate biscuit and coffee. I really love the drop-off and pick-up. I don’t get to do it that often, but I’ve made some great mum friends over the years. I know that for some parents it can feel like a daunting and scary place, but I’m really happy that all the kids have landed in classes with really great parents and kids.”
Do you and Tom generally agree on parenting style?
“I would say that we mostly agree on everything. I don’t know whether that’s because we’ve known each other since we were so young, that we’ve almost shared our childhoods, although we would have had different experiences within that.
“I guess there are so many similarities to how we were brought up. We don’t have a good cop/bad cop – I don’t think I could cope with being the bad cop the whole time, we have to pass it over. We know that once one’s being pushed a little bit too far, the other one will step in – it’s more of a tag team.”
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So what about you in this busy household and working life, is there any space in all of this just for you?
“Somewhere! I love doing things like walking and if I’ve got a trek coming up, then I need to get walking because I don’t want to be having blisters. Me saying I can’t do a day of trekking has not happened yet and I never want it to happen.
“I [also] love boxing now, I’ve got a punching bag in my office. If I get up early, then I can head to my office and have a good old go on that and then have a shower. It does change the day – I’m up, I’m ready, I’ve already done something. It’s important to get those things in.”
You strike me as such a positive person. Do you struggle at times? What gets you out of that fog?
“I get overwhelmed when work-life tries to find its way into home life. Or if emails come through and I know I’ve got to do something but I’ve got the kids. That is quite overwhelming.
“With work, I like saying yes to a lot of things, but then the actual time to do those things can be a bit tricky sometimes.
“I am getting better… I had a realisation a little while ago that when you’re on holiday, take the time to actually be on holiday; don’t be trying to do all those other things. Otherwise, when you get back, you won’t feel like you’ve been away and you’ve had some refreshing time with the family…
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“I think it’s important to touch base with yourself and realise when you are feeling overwhelmed.”
What is your ultimate good place on the planet?
“I do love my bed with my kids in it and my husband as well. I think before I became a mum, I had visions of us all cosying up under nice crisp white sheets on a lovely Sunday morning.
“The truth is a lot messier, a lot of limbs everywhere kicking each other, but it’s just lovely everyone being together.”
Listen to the latest episode of In A Good Place below