Actress and TV presenter Kym Marsh wowed us on this year's Strictly Come Dancing with her professional partner Graziano Di Prima, and she's spoken exclusively to HELLO! about her Christmas plans and life away from TV.
Kym, 46, who found fame in reality TV band Hear'Say and now co-hosts Morning Live with Gethin Jones, is married to army major Scott Ratcliff and is a mum of four. She shares her eldest children, David, 26, and Emilie, 24, with ex-partner Jack Cunliffe, and daughter Polly, 10, with ex-husband Jamie Lomas. She's also step-mum to Scott's daughter, Renee, six.
WATCH: Kym Marsh and Graziano Di Prima - who knows who best?
The star is a proud grandmother to her daughter Emilie's son Teddy and step-daughter Polly, and to her son David's son Clayton.
Kym spoke to us as part of Snapchat's new 'Take My Words' initiative, which is helping parents tackle tough conversations about online safety by transporting them back to their teenage years, through their old diaries.
Find out what Kym had to say on the subject below, plus her thoughts on parenting her own children and grandchildren…
Kym with husband Scott Ratcliff
Hi Kym, we loved you on Strictly this year! What has surprised you about taking part?
The biggest surprise to me has been the fitness side of things. The dancers have so much stamina and it’s so impressive. They can literally keep going and going!
MORE: Exclusive: Strictly's Kym Marsh and Graziano Di Prima talk about special friendship bond
What are your Christmas plans and what is Christmas Day like in your house?
Christmas Day is always a big family affair. This year Emilie is hosting Christmas dinner. Last year was a disaster because I got Covid on Christmas Day but now that I’ve had it, I know it’s not going to happen again! So we’re really looking forward to this year. A big family Christmas, as always!
Kym with daughter Emily Cunliffe
How does it feel to watch your daughter become a mother herself? Do you give her parenting advice?
Emilie is such a caring, loving person so I knew she would make a great mum. I’m so proud of how she’s doing, and I’m proud of what a great father my son David is, too.
If they ask me for advice I will always help where I can. Often, it’s just a case of providing some reassurance that what they’re doing is right, and they’re both doing a brilliant job of raising their little ones.
MORE: Inside Strictly star Kym Marsh's £500k Instagrammable home with husband Scott Ratcliff
How is life as a grandmother?
It's great! There’s something so special about the bond you have with your grandchildren. Teddy is at the age where he is getting his own personality and he makes us all laugh, and Polly is so clever and funny. Clayton is growing into such a gorgeous little boy and we all adore him.
I love spending as much time with them as much as I can, and it’s also nice to be able to hand them back to their parents when it’s bedtime!
Kym with her grandson Teddy
Tell us about the Snapchat campaign and why you wanted to be involved…
A new study by Snapchat found 66 per cent of parents say their teens' freedom is important, and that social platforms provide an outlet for this. However, 40 per cent remain concerned about the safety and privacy of their teens online.
As parents, the digital world and how our teens are engaging with it can feel incredibly unknown and having those tricky conversations about digital safety can be hard to navigate.
To help get these conversations started, Snapchat’s initiative 'Take My Words' asks parents to revive their teenage diaries. In doing so, Snapchat hopes that reflecting on their own teen experiences will help establish common ground for more open conversations, by showing parents and teens today that their experiences are not as dissimilar as they might think.
When I think back to when I was a teenager, I was able to come home from school, go out on my bike and leave a lot at the school gates. Nowadays I think it’s harder to distance yourself.
As a parent it can often feel difficult to know where to start when it comes to talking about staying safe online - especially as I’m still learning about how social media works myself!
But by digging out our old diaries or even reflecting on the advice we’d give to our teenage self, it helps to bridge the communication gap between us and our teens by drawing on similarities in our experiences.
Kym and her daughter Polly
How did you navigate online safety with your children and what’s your advice to other parents?
When Emilie and David were growing up, apps like Snapchat were only just starting to become part of our lives. Now I have Polly who is 11 and the digital world is such a big part of everything she does - it’s not only how she builds bonds with her friends, but it’s also how she does her homework!
So, we’re starting to think about how to approach conversations around ensuring she’s safe online. I think the most important thing is to try and be as open and honest with your children as possible, and to hope they’re the same in return. Learning how to use apps such as Snapchat is also really important.
I think many parents - including me - will admit they rely on their children to show them how to use social media. By finding your own way around them and using features like Snapchat’s Family Centre, which gives parents and guardians insight into what their teen is up to on the app, it can make learning about how they use apps that little bit easier.
What have you got coming up career-wise?
I’m currently filming Waterloo Road for the BBC. It will be hitting screens early next year and I can’t wait for people to see it!
Kym Marsh partnered with Snapchat as part of its Take My Words initiative, that aims to encourage open and honest communication between parents & teens about online safety. Find out more at TakeMyWords.co.uk
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