Emma Forbes was once one of the most beloved children's TV presenters - fronting shows such as Going Live! and the BBC's flagship Saturday morning show, Live & Kicking, back in the nineties.
Away from the television screens, the 55-year-old is now a busy working mum-of-two and a lifestyle guru. The TV star, who is based in East Hampton, New York, has launched a fabulous wellness website and a light-hearted, weekly podcast called Life and Soul.
MORE: Emma Forbes opens up about her 'difficult experience' with menopause
WATCH: Celebs homes before and after fame revealed
During an exclusive chat with HELLO!, Emma opened up about her latest venture, life in lockdown and her incredible move to the States.
MORE: 17 luxurious celebrity holiday homes that have to be seen to be believed
SEE: 17 best living room accessories to brighten up your mood
"I guess I've always loved America," she revealed, when asked about the move. "We've always had a connection with it - I find it an exciting place to live, it ignites my feeling of anything is possible, and it felt right for part two of life with my two children, one on each coast, to be nearer them!
"So with my own family here that makes it feel like home, and we've created a life that works for us all here. "
Emma Forbes hosts her own weekly podcast, Life and Soul
Asked whether she will ever return to the UK, Emma explained: "I will always return to the UK because I have family there and would hate to not come back and see them, and am always nostalgic to come back. Although I don't see myself living there full time if my children continue to live and work in America ... and somehow I seem to get the best of the UK by coming back and visiting!!
READ: The top 5 wellness podcasts to nourish your mind, body and soul
"I had an amazing life in England, I loved my career there passionately but when we moved here it was the right time. I wasn't working, my kids had fled the nest, and we wanted a new challenge, and I knew I had the opportunity to start working from America!"
Of her new set-up, Emma explained: "Home means everything to me. To me, my homes are my castle. I love creating an environment that is my safe place. So in America, I have done the same - I’ve got everything I love around me and am an extremely house-proud person!! Love love making homes!!"
The TV star with her husband Graham
Emma then went on to reveal her favourite room in the new house. "My favourite room (in any home I've ever had to be honest) is my kitchen," she stated. "Always the heart of the house, the good cooking smells, the place where the chats go down! I've got an open plan, kitchen, living, dining room and so I live in that area! It serves everything I do cooking, coffee and iPad, working, dog basket... the list goes on!"
Emma, who shares daughter Lily, 25, and son Sam, 22, with her financier husband Graham Clempson, expressed her gratitude for being able to be with her loved ones during lockdown.
"I was lucky in that I had my daughter with us for lockdown, and my son for 90 per cent of it as I would have found it exceptionally hard," she remarked. "I think I was weirdly better at being less social than my husband was who found it really hard to not travel, see friends and just be zooming and working 24/7 with me at home."
Emma's family now reside in New York
However, not being able to see her mother was challenging. She added: "But it was exceptionally hard being away from my mum, my family, my nephew who had his first baby (who is now almost a year old and I haven’t met him) and my sister got diagnosed with lymphoma - and that was beyond hard to not be with her and I felt incredibly helpless from afar."
Asked what she learnt about herself in lockdown, Emma replied: "Some of the many lessons I've learned in lockdown is to be happy with less. Less is more. Not to sweat the small stuff, which I definitely used to do! I've also learnt to be happy in my own company and to press the pause button and that kindness is really the best currency we have - never has it meant more."
Discussing her lifestyle podcast, which has featured guests such as Julie Walters, David Furnish and Ruby Wax, the mum-of-two said: "The Life and Soul podcast is a feel good chat with wonderful guests about what gives them life, what feeds their soul, how they've coped and adapted during this strange time and a chance to have a heart to heart on the way their life works for them!"
The presenter is loving her new set-up in the States
She continued: "The inspiration behind it was that I wanted to spread the word of ways in which people feel good, have changed their lives, done something different as it was what I was craving to hear myself... and so I decided to be a facilitator if you like to be able to interview these people that I admire from all walks of life and share their info!!"
On what fans can expect soon, Emma shared: "We have some fantastic upcoming guests including Fearne Cotton, Jay Rayner, Susannah Constantine, Dr Alex George, Holly Tucker and the lovely Andi Peters who I worked with back in the day."
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
