Interview with Shayne Ward & Sophie Austin

Interview with Shayne Ward & Sophie Austin

Interview: Shayne Ward & Sophie Austin

__________________________________

“…going away and not seeing my daughter or my newborn son, it was very tough!.”–  Shayne Ward

Most of us remember Shayne Ward’s rise to fame clearly, as X-Factor fever swept the nation. Shayne became a heartthrob overnight and his debut single ‘That’s my goal’ was released on the 21st December 2005 and became the Christmas number one. The hit single sold 313,000 copies on the first day of sales, making it the third fastest selling single in the UK of all time. His debut album also topped the charts in 2006, and went 4x platinum in the UK and Ireland. Nine years after becoming a household name through his music career, Shayne joined one of Britain’s most loved soap operas, becoming Coronation Street’s Aiden Connor.

Shayne Ward image © ITV X Factor

Shayne Ward and Sophie Austin

Shayne Ward, Sophie Austin and their children by Tom Pitfield © BROOD Magazine

Shayne Ward and Sophie Austin

Shayne Ward and Sophie Austin © BROOD Magazine

It was during his time on Coronation Street that Shayne met Sophie Austin, an actress who was playing Lindsey Butterfield in Hollyoaks at the time.The couple had a whirlwind romance and welcomed their first child, daughter Willow May in December 2016, and then announced their engagement in 2017. Sophie had just announced that she was going to leave Hollyoaks, finding out shortly after that she was expecting the couple’s first child, so she was unsure as to what this would mean for her career, but she still went on to star in ITV’s Tina and Bobby, Call The Midwife and Casualty. After a long and emotional journey to add a second baby to their family, the couple were blessed with their beautiful boy, Reign. Only 6 weeks after Reign was born, Shayne was offered a career opportunity that was too good to miss, playing the lead role in Channel 5’s The Good Ship Murder, but it meant that he had to film abroad for 3 months; with a new baby, a 5 year old and University studies Sophie had to juggle like never before, so with Shayne soon to embark on filming the second season abroad we sat down with the lovely Shayne and Sophie, to talk all about all things parenthood, career and their lovely family. 

At what point in your career did you become parents and did it affect your career at all?  

Sophie – “I fell pregnant as I was leaving Hollyoaks. I’d decided to leave Hollyoaks because I wanted to do loads of other things and then I found out that I was pregnant! It sounds awful but at the time I thought well that’s it, I’m not going to be able to progress from here for a while. But my agent was brilliant and got me two jobs really early on in my pregnancy so actually I worked throughout my pregnancy.

Shayne – “So I was working at Coronation Street, and I met the lovely Sophie – and we know how that goes! [We laugh] No, but honestly it was the best feeling in the world, but it was also scary at the same time. I think just experiencing such a wide range of emotions because you know from that moment that it would change both of our lives forever. This little miracle came into our lives and now she’s eight.”

Sophie – “No she’s not eight, she’s seven, Shayne!” [We laugh as Shayne pauses and thinks for a moment] 

Shayne – “Yeah. she’s eight this year.’ 

Sophie – “She’s just turned seven”

Shayne- “You didn’t let me finish, I was going to say she’s eight this year…” 

Sophie – “In December” [We continue to laugh]

Shayne – “This is real-life couples y’all! The best thing is you actually do find yourself going – how old is she?”    

And how different has it been since Reign has come along?

Shayne – “There’s a big difference!” [They both laugh] “He’s just a little wreck it Reign!” 

 

Sophie – “Willow would come along to jobs quite a lot, when she was a baby, we could just take her anywhere, but he would cause havoc!”

Shayne – “He’s just a little ball of energy, he’s really strong too! He is an absolute joy though”  

Sophie – “And also workwise for me, a lot of it is to do with the fact that Shayne goes away a lot. And I have a lot of anxiety when I leave them and even though there are still lots of things that I would love to do, my attitude is that – maybe not right now but it will happen in the future. I feel a bit mixed with it at the moment, because there is so much I would love to do, so there’s that battle of wanting to do it, but the need to always have one of us at home.

 

How did Willow find becoming a big sister?

Shayne – “The bond between them is incredible. You do worry about what the oldest child is going to feel about the second coming along. Worrying that we’re not paying her enough attention. But, Willow instantly got it. Of course every now and again she had moments where you could see she was missing her time with just us, or her and mummy time, you know, but overall she loves being a big sister and watching them together is amazing!”

What has been the most challenging time that you have gone through since becoming a parent”

Sophie – “The most challenging time has to be when Reign was 6 weeks old and Shayne left for 3 months [Shayne’s face makes us all laugh]…to do the show.”

Shayne – ‘It’s the way she words it, ‘Reign was born, and Shayne left!’ [We all laugh] 

Sophie – “I still replay that scenario. I was sitting on the couch, breastfeeding Reign and Shayne comes in and says I‘ve got an audition, but don’t worry they don’t start filming until November – this was in the June – and then he comes back in and says, ‘Oh no, sorry, it’s filming until November’ And I said, ‘well when are you flying?’ And he said, ‘Next week!’ I don’t think I spoke to him for 24 hours, purely because I was in shock. Then of course I realised it was an amazing opportunity, but having just had a baby, that was definitely the most challenging time.”

Shayne – “For me, it was being on the receiving end of that! That was very challenging!” [We laugh] “No, but it was scary and obviously I was heartbroken as well, as for me going away and not seeing my daughter or my newborn son, it was very tough. Being in a country and not seeing them every day, as silly as it sounds I kept worrying that they might not remember me.”

Shayne Ward and his daughter Willow
Jorgie Porter

As you’re going away filming The Good Ship Murder again this year Shayne, how are you both feeling about it and have you put anything in place based on what you learnt the first time around? 

Shayne – “I hate being away from my kids, but knowing that I have to do it – I have to keep a roof over our heads, it’s just part and parcel of being in this industry, but I know I’m going to really, really miss them.” 

Sophie – “I think it will be harder for you this time” 

Shayne – “Yeah, it will be harder for me this time because my son is a lot and I’m used to spending every day with him. I have this amazing bond with him, just like I have with Willow”

Sophie – “Willow understands a bit more though doesn’t she?” 

Shayne – “Yeah, Willow understands, but for the little man, Reign, he’s not going to understand, god bless him and that kind of sits on my mind a lot. There’s no doubt about it, I’m sure I’ll have a few cries while I’m out there filming, but I think the positives of this time around is that we’ve had the experience from the first season, so we’ve already started planning and putting things in place for while I’m away.”

Sophie – “Yeah, I think this time is totally different, as Reign was only 6 weeks old the first time, so I wasn’t totally with it [she laughs] but this time around I feel a lot more in control and obviously there’s a bit more time to plan. Obviously, I’m not from up north, so all my family are down south, but they are all really good and they do rally round and my friends have done a rota for each weekend – so I just have to get through the week! [she laughs] Reign will eventually start nursery too for a couple of days, which will be amazing and allow me a chance to get a bit of order. But I think I’m just going to go into it, half expecting to fly by the seat of my pants, but also trying to have a bit more of a positive attitude about it than I had the first time around. I do think Reign will find it hard not having Shayne here, and of course, even though Willow understands it’s still hard for her too, but I’m trying to explain that it will be different to last time, as obviously last time a new baby came and then Daddy went away, but this time it’s going to be ok – I think [She laughs nervously]  ”           

What is your favourite thing about being a parent?    

Shayne “My favourite thing about being a parent, without sounding too cliche, is exactly that, I just love being a dad. Everytime I hear my little girl saying ‘Daddy’ it just warms my heart and now I have a son, too and he’s saying ‘Daddy’ and honestly there’s just so many reasons why I love being a parent, there’s too many to name.”

Sophie – “I think my favourite thing about being a parent is getting to see the world again in a different light. You get to see the magic it holds, and all the adventures that you can have and the positivity that it has. I feel really grateful to witness the world again through their eyes because sometimes as adults you get so bogged down with stuff and negative thoughts you don’t always notice those positives. And there’s no judgement with little kids.”

“When you think of how excited Willow gets when we go on our adventures. We call them the Ward adventures” 

Shayne – “Yeah, we do this thing where we all put our hands in the middle and put our hands on top of each other and say, ‘Waaaarrrd Adventures!’ 

Sophie – “Yeah, you see that excitement and I think it’s just nice to experience that again!”

Shayne – “Oh, and of course being woken up at 3 am in the morning!” [We laugh]

Being a parent comes with constant pressures, what do you feel is the biggest pressure that you’ve felt since becoming a parent and does that pressure come from yourself or society?  

Sophie“I think the biggest pressure I feel is to always get things right. I also feel a lot of pressure to make sure that my kids are happy all the time and try and navigate hard situations for them, but I’m starting to learn that I can’t do that all the time. That it’s part of their journey, especially with Willow as she’s getting older and things she’s coming across at school, like friendship dynamics and her expectations of herself. I’ve always wanted to try and fix things, but I realise that I can’t do that all the time and I find that really hard – I think that is just pressure that I put on myself. And obviously allowing her to have those big emotions and allowing her to be upset, learning that it’s ok for her to go through things and to be upset is hard. I think especially as a Mum, (I’m not sure if Dad’s feel this way), but I think Mum’s definitely put themselves under pressure within society, and a lot of the time we think we don’t, but we do. I remember with Willow making sure she only ate everything Organic and that she had every gadget and worrying – was she walking at the right time? Was she meeting all the milestones? But since Reign has come along I’ve realised that they all develop in their own time, and that my kids are happy and healthy and that is all that matters. That if they eat something other than some steamed veg and some organic milk, then that’s ok. What’s your biggest pressure? [She turns to Shayne]

Shayne – “That’s pretty much the answer. I think that it’s just because we stress because we want to be the best parents that we can be and we just want them to feel loved and protected. That they know they can come to us at any time at any place. I think being aware of how fast time goes too, and not wanting to wish time away is a pressure too.”

Sophie – “I think social media adds to the pressure too, that wasn’t around years ago, but now you can feel like you’ve got to keep up with things. I find that a pressure and I catch myself thinking, ‘I should be doing that.’ ‘I should be doing this’ 

Sophie you’re currently studying, how have you found juggling parenthood around your studies and what do you do to keep yourself motivated to keep going? 

Sophie – “I’ve always been interested in counselling, especially person centred counselling and the reason why I finally decided to start at Uni was purely because, it was taking a bit longer to fall pregnant with our second and I needed something to give me a bit of sanity around that time, as it was quite a tough time. So. I thought now is the perfect time to start this, Willow was starting school. And I loved it, and I was good at it. So I’m in my third year and I think the thing that keeps me going is – well first of all when I start something I find it really hard to stop! But I think what’s kept me motivated is that I actually really love Willow seeing me studying. I go every Thursday and she says, ‘Are you going to college Mummy?’ and the fact she sees me as an older person, not saying I’m old, but I mean as an adult she’s seeing me going learning something new and gaining knowledge, and I love that she sees that, and I love the fact that she’s proud of me. I also think a lot of my motivation just comes from the fact that I love it and that I enjoy it. I do find it hard juggling though, especially as Reign is not in a nursery and Shayne can be away at times working, but I just try and make it work. We don’t really have a lot of childcare up here, so we just try and muddle between the two of us and my mum comes up [from down south] to help which is great.”

 

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    Navigating Divorce: Essential Tips to Support Your Children

    Navigating Divorce: Essential Tips to Support Your Children

    Navigating Divorce: Essential Tips to Support Your ChildreN

    Divorce can be a challenging and emotionally turbulent time for all involved, especially for children who may struggle to understand and cope with the changes happening in their family dynamics. As a family lawyer at JMW, I’ve witness firsthand how parents sometimes struggle to navigate their children through these changes. However, I’ve also seen how parents can make a significant difference by providing the right support and guidance. Here are some tips to help parents navigate divorce while prioritizing their children’s wellbeing:

     

    Open and Honest Communication:

    One of the most important aspects of supporting your children through divorce is maintaining open and honest communication. It’s crucial to create a safe space where your children feel comfortable expressing their thoughts, feelings, and concerns. Encourage them to ask questions and assure them that their feelings are valid and respected.

    Be prepared to have age-appropriate conversations about the divorce, providing them with information that helps them understand the situation without burdening them with unnecessary details. This part is crucial. There are some things that your children needn’t be privy too. Whether that may be because isn’t age appropriate or perhaps the  Reassure them that the divorce is not their fault and that both parents will continue to love and support them.

      Navigating Divorce:

      Consistency and Routine:

      During times of uncertainty, such as divorce, children crave stability and routine. As much as possible, try to maintain a sense of consistency in their daily lives. Stick to regular routines for meals, bedtime, and other activities to provide a sense of security and predictability. This will help your children but the routine along with prioritising. 

      Additionally, strive to maintain consistency in co-parenting arrangements to minimize disruption and confusion for your children. Collaborate with your ex-partner to establish clear schedules and guidelines for visitation, custody, and other parental responsibilities. Consistent and predictable routines can help alleviate anxiety and reassure your children that they are still cared for and supported.

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      Emotional Support and Validation:

      Divorce can stir up a whirlwind of emotions for both parents and children alike. It’s essential to acknowledge and validate your children’s feelings, even if they may be difficult or painful to hear. Let them know that it’s okay to feel sad, angry, confused, or upset about the divorce.

      Provide emotional support by actively listening to their concerns, offering comfort and reassurance, and validating their experiences. Encourage healthy outlets for expressing emotions, such as journaling, drawing, or talking to a trusted friend or family member. Let your children know that you’re there for them every step of the way, ready to listen and support them through this challenging time.

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      Minimize Conflict and Put Your Children First:

      Perhaps the most critical tip for supporting your children during divorce is to prioritize their well-being above all else. While it’s natural to experience heightened emotions and disagreements during divorce proceedings, it’s essential to minimize conflict and maintain a cooperative co-parenting relationship. Apps such as OurFamilyWizard can help with his.

      Avoid arguing or speaking negatively about your ex-partner in front of your children, as this can cause them additional stress and confusion. Instead, focus on fostering a positive and respectful co-parenting dynamic, where both parents work together to make decisions in the best interests of their children. A word to the wise, the courts do not look favourably upon those who show clear signs of parental alienation.

      Remember that your actions and attitudes during this time will leave a lasting impact on your children. By prioritizing their needs, providing emotional support, and maintaining consistency and open communication, you can help your children navigate the challenges of divorce with resilience and strength. With patience, understanding, and love,

      Guide them through this transition and show them that they are not alone. Divorce may be a difficult chapter in your family’s story, but with the right support and approach, you can help your children emerge stronger and more resilient than ever before.

      Remember, while divorce may mark the end of one chapter, it also presents an opportunity for growth, healing, and new beginnings for your family.

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      GET CLOSER TO DINOSAURS THAN EVER BEFORE AT JURASSIC WORLD: THE EXHIBITION!

      GET CLOSER TO DINOSAURS THAN EVER BEFORE AT JURASSIC WORLD: THE EXHIBITION!

      JURASSIC WORLD: THE EXHIBITION

      We were lucky enough to be invited down for a special preview of Jurassic World:The Exhibition at the Trafford Centre which following its worldwide success came roaring into Manchester this week, and it did not disappoint! 

      We were honestly blown away throughout our journey round Jurassic World and it truly was an incredible experience for the whole family. 

      Jurassic World: The Exhibition is a family-friendly exhibit of massive proportions based on one of the biggest blockbuster franchises in cinema history. Visitors walk through the iconic Jurassic World gates, explore richly themed environments, encounter a life-sized Brachiosaurus, Velociraptors, including fan-favourite Blue, and the most fearsome dinosaur of all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex. 

      Guests are able to imagine what it would have been like to roam amongst these breathtaking creatures, interact with baby dinosaurs, including “Bumpy” which the children immediately recognised from the popular animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous which is currently streaming on Netflix.

      Bella Italia, Lake Garda, Italy Review
      T Rex Jurassic World The Exhibition

      Following an initial launch in Melbourne, Australia,Jurassic World: The Exhibition, one of the fastest selling exhibitions in history since its launch, has become a global success with over eight million visitors. The exhibition has opened its gates to excited fans in numerous cities around the world such as Sydney, Toronto, Houston, San Diego, Chicago, Paris, Shanghai, Cologne and Berlin.

      At the launch we spoke to Milan Rokic Executive Vice President for Neon Global – who are the producers of Jurassic World, to hear a little more about Jurassic World: The exhibition and its journey so far. 

      “Manchester is our 22nd city on our global tour and currently, we also have Jurassic World in Melbourne, Australia, and in Mexico City. We had taken this exhibition to London in 2022 and we’re looking at a return season to London in the foreseeable future, but we also would like to expand to the rest of the UK as well. 

      It’s a family experience, so it’s from the ages of five through to 95 to enjoy – you know. We’ve had all sorts of people come along, because this movie franchise has been around for 30 years, so we’ve all had different connections with it. But ultimately dinosaurs is something that everyone likes to connect with. So I think that bringing children along and seeing the joy in their face is what it’s all about. 

      We own an animatronics company in Nashville, Tennessee, so we create the dinosaurs there. And it takes a lot of work to put these together, and then to make it theatrical, because you want it to be close to what the movie experience is as well.” 

      And it was exactly that. We were fully invested in the experience and it’s hard not to get swept up into believing the dinosaurs are real! 

      If you’re looking a for great family trip this Summer, then make sure Jurassic World; The Exhibition is on your list. 

      Information and Tickets

      Jurassic World: The Exhibition will be presented starting 2nd August, 2024 for a limited time at the Trafford Centre Manchester, Peel 7 car park, opposite John Lewis. Tickets are on sale now exclusively on www.ticketmaster.co.uk

       

      General admission prices for Jurassic World: The Exhibition start at £13 for children (ages 3-15). Family and group tickets are also available as well as special pricing for senior citizens and students. Please note that all tickets are valid for a specific time slot.

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      Jurassic World The Exhibition
      Jurassic World The Exhibition
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      The ultimate (and actually achievable) skincare routine

      The ultimate (and actually achievable) skincare routine

      THE ULTIMATE (AND ACTUALLY ACHIEVABLE) SKINCARE ROUTINE

      By Rachel D’aguiar, Business Owner (@onetruth818nz)

      __________________________________

      If the thought of ‘another thing’ to do sends you into entrepreneurial/parental spasms – you’re not alone.  Typically when I see the words ‘Ultimate Skincare Routine’ I think, ‘great, here’s something else to make me feel like I’m not on top of everything’ – am I right?

      My advice is different.  I promise.

      And to put your mind at rest I’m a professionally qualified skin aesthetician who works with an award winning micro-biologist recognised as one of the world’s leading experts in the science of reversing ageing. 

      Lisa Morton
      Hair Made Easi

      So let’s start with what you’re doing now.  For many of you – it’s too much – yes, that’s right, you can probably do less and achieve more (if younger, healthier functioning skin is what you are after).

      If you currently do absolutely nothing then this will start you on the right track.

      Unwittingly those of us who care for our appearance the most have fallen into a trap of accidentally ageing our skin faster.  Anything you do to your skin that causes damage or forces cell turnover is ageing your cells faster on a biological level.

      Turns out spending thousands on a course of laser treatments or micro-needling for example, will give you a short-medium term glow but at their core your cells have aged (it doesn’t actually ‘reveal’ younger skin, it reveals older skin cells that are inflamed and therefore look plumper).

      the ultimate skincare routine

      It’s the same with products that promise to ‘increase cell turnover’, they forget to mention the part about the ‘new’ cells being older than the cells you just replaced and that old cells have diminished ability to produce collagen and elastin, the stuff that makes you look young. You are accidentally racing towards the appearance you were trying to avoid.

       

      We’ve heard the wrong advice for so many decades that no-one questions where it came from, it is certainly not following the science of how cells age, because cell division = ageing.  It’s so important to educate yourself on how your skin ages biologically because the skin industry is getting ‘better and better’ at damaging skin to reveal ‘younger’ skin.  Machines will literally combust cells with laser-focused heat, send thousands of holes per second into your skin and remove the first few layers of your epidermis.  The generation before us had none of these ‘advanced’ treatments being thrust on them, sadly we are the guinea pig volunteers being led to believe that more is more.

       

      I was contacted recently by an Australian actress who had seen one of my presentations and the penny had dropped for her.  She said ‘I’m 42 and my skin is crepey and unnaturally thin.  I’ve had over 30 laser treatments and now I understand it – my problem is absolutely that I’ve aged my skin faster’.  Marketing would have you think that after 30 laser treatments she would have the best skin of anyone, right?  Wrong.

      Rachel D'Aguiar
      Introducing Rachel D'Aguiar

      Rachael D’Aguiar has been in the professional skin industry for over 20 years. She is an internationally qualified aesthetician who owned her own skincare clinic for over 10 years. She is the CEO and Founder of the One Truth 818 skincare range and a passionate advocate who educates on the science of ageing in order to stop outdated skin practices that damage the skin.

      If you are going out of your way and out of pocket to do treatments that cause inflammation and damage to your skin – stop them.  Your future self, your bank balance and your stress levels will thank you for it.

      Every time your cells divide your telomeres, found on the tips of your DNA to protect it, shorten a bit.  When they get too short the cell cannot divide and it dies.  These telomeres are quite literally the clock of ageing on our cells and they tick down with every cell division – approximately 50 divisions is all they get.  It’s really not something you want to speed up!  Cells can die (and nicely dispose of themselves) or transition into Senescent/Zombie cells, wreaking havoc and encouraging healthy cells to transition faster, it explains why people can look a little aged then all of a sudden very, very old.  Again, not something you want to encourage.

      The moral of the story is to aim to keep telomeres long for as long as possible.

       

      We’ve covered how to stop accidentally speeding up ageing (brilliant, you’ve already saved time, money and face!) now how about we get back to the Ultimate Skin Care Routine?  

       

      Cleansing.

      Cleansing will remove makeup and also remove toxins and debris that may have accumulated during the day, so a nighttime cleanse is vital, it also means that your evening skincare regime is reaching your skin and not sitting on dirt.  Opt for a cleanser that does not strip the skin.  Be aware if your cleanser has acids (AHA’s, BHA’s, glycolic, salicylic etc) they can be ok, but if your other leave-on products also contain acids and retinol you are probably over-exfoliating your skin on a daily basis. 

       

      Hydrating.

      Your skin may need oil, water or both.  The difference is that dry skin needs oil, a dehydrated skin needs water.  If your skin is flaky and rough to the touch it is probably dry – use an oil-based moisturiser (generally thicker feeling).  If your skin feels tight after cleansing (no – it’s not a good thing!) And has very fine lines stretched across it, it is likely dehydrated, its not retaining water.  Opt for a water-based moisturiser, a spritz/mist product will also be great for you.

      Dry skin and dehydrated skin can both lead to sensitive skin where tiny cracks form in the skin’s barrier and the skin gets irritated easily, so choose your moisturiser wisely. 

      Don’t know where your skin sits?  Go for a hydrating moisturiser first and see how you feel, if it’s not enough for your skin to feel plump and juicy grab a nice face oil and layer it over at night.  This can be something super affordable like a bottle of jojoba, grapeseed or rosehip oil from your local health shop as its job is to sit on the surface of your skin for protection and to soften the outer layers of your skin.

       

      Protecting.

      Leaving the shelter of your home exposes you to UV radiation.  Yes, we need vitamin D and the sun is a great source but we also need to be aware that UV rays can cause the skin to mutate leading to wrinkles and skin degradation at best, cancer is the worst case scenario.  If you are working to have your skin look younger and you don’t use SPF you will never achieve your goal.  Period.  Over exposure to UV rays will age you, many suggest a zero exposure tolerance but I question missing out on vitamin D altogether as it is vital.

       

      Want to do more for your skin? Great!  (No it’s not an expensive product or treatment that is going to cause damage…)

       

      Reduce Stress

      Stress has been shown to shorten telomeres faster and therefore will play a role in your skin looking older than you are.  Do something for yourself each day where you get to slow your heart rate and relax.  I know that harassed feeling of not being able to find time for that, so heck it might even just be your cleansing and moisturising routine!  If that is all the time you feel you can make for yourself then turn your cleanse into a 2-minute deep breathing massage.  Every deep breath counts.

       

      Stop Smoking

      Not only is smoking the fastest way to cleave off chunks of your telomeres and the number one cause of accelerated ageing of your skin cells from the inside, but on the outside the toxins in the smoke that your skin is exposed to cause free radicals, another contributor of accelerated ageing.  If you are a smoker there is no way around it, you’re going to age yourself and your appearance faster.  Please stop.

       

      Feed Your Skin

      There are supplements and nutrients that can extend telomere life and others that can make skin look younger. In terms of your skin, the longer the telomere the younger your skin (and all your cells actually).  A young skin produces collagen and elastin, has even balanced pigmentation and is strong, not sensitive.

      Omegas, whether from your diet or in supplement form, have been shown to be linked with longer telomeres as has a diet rich in antioxidants.

      Other supplements, like collagen and hyaluronic acid, can help fatten out what I call ‘the mattress’, of your skin – the structure under the surface.  The stronger and plumper this is the less likely skin will ‘fall’ in and become a wrinkle.  It also holds capillaries securely so they don’t weaken towards the surface of your skin causing a ruddy appearance.

       

      The Gold Standard Ultimate Skin Care Routine

      Is one where a telomerase activating product is used on the skin, this will release the enzyme telomerase that re-lengthens the skin’s telomeres – literally undoing the biological ageing process and making the cells young again.  In fact it is the only way to make a cell biologically younger again.

       

      Your life is already busy! 

      Step one of your New Ultimate Skin Routine: Ditch the stuff that is costing you precious time and money and that you now know is actually ageing you faster. (See, I promised you this advice was different and that you’d like this new routine, didn’t I?)  I’m serious, even if you’re half-way through – cancel that course of facial laser treatments!

       

      Cleanse, hydrate appropriately and protect.

       

      Relax a little, but not with a cigarette.

       

      Feed your skin from the inside and if you want to add one ‘sophisticated’ step to your new Ultimate Routine, make it a telomere lengthening product, one that activates the enzyme telomerase and can actually make your skin younger. 

       

      The science makes sense, use it to both minimalise and increase the effectiveness of your skincare routine.

       

      Short-term you may not see a problem with this, however the times between your treatments will become shorter and shorter as you see your skin deteriorate faster due to the damage caused.

      Dean Holden and Danielle Nicholls
      BROOD Live

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      LUCY MECKLENBURGH – Mum of two, tv star, entrepreneur, wellness expert and property developer

      LUCY MECKLENBURGH – Mum of two, tv star, entrepreneur, wellness expert and property developer

      “We try and live up to this expectation that we should be making sure that everything is picture perfect!”

      Mum of two, TV-star, entrepreneur, wellness expert and property developer, Lucy Mecklenburgh, knows all too well the juggle of running a business alongside bringing up two young children, Roman 3 and Lilah, 18 months. Each week she is spinning a variety of different plates from boardroom meetings developing her renowned fitness app RWL – (which has been hailed as ‘the world’s most comprehensive online fitness and nutrition app’) to bringing together her loyal community by hosting retreats abroad. Alongside RWL, Lucy also works with many different brands such as developing her own clothing lines, creating content for social media plus she is also building an impressive portfolio as a property developer. As both Lucy and her fiancé (well-loved actor Ryan Thomas) are both self-employed, no two weeks are ever the same, and with that, comes the added pressure that so many of us face day-to-day. We sat down with Lucy to chat about how she manages everything from the strains of running a business, to mum guilt and how having children inspired her to change the focus of her whole app. Lucy is incredibly down to earth, and very humble and it’s an absolute pleasure to have Lucy as our Edition 2 cover star.

      Lucy Mecklenburg BROOD Edition 2
      LUCY MECLENBURGH COPYRIGHT FOR BROOD MAGAZINE ©

      THE LATEST EDITION:

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      Lucy Mecklenburg

      INTERVIEW WITH LUCY MECKLENBURGH

      Tell me what your weekly work-juggle looks like?

      “There’s always lots to do for my wellness app – which is 10 years old now, and I’ve also got the wellness treats that I work on, they’re new. Creating content for social media is a huge part of my job now. Whether that be for my app, or for brands that I work with. Doing photoshoots and attending events are as well. That’s kind of my juggle on a weekly basis workwise. Sounds quite a lot when you say it out loud! [She laughs]”

      At what point in your career did you become a mum and how did you find that transition?

      “Do you know what, I was at a really nice point in my career actually. I was late twenties – which was actually a lot younger than I thought I was going to be. I’d had my app for a long time, it was going really well, and I had got to the point where I was really happy with it and loved everyone I was working with. I had done a few TV shows and then me and Ryan met whilst we were doing the Bear Grylls show – which was probably one of biggest challenges to date, apart from having children! [We laugh] And I was very happy, moving behind the scenes into the business world a little bit more, then I fell pregnant. Having my kids changed my business in a huge way! We had a very small part of the app dedicated to pre and post-natal and now that is a massive part of RWL. I can remember looking at it as soon as I had a baby and just realising immediately that the existing structured-part of the app for post-natal, needed to go. I was like, ‘There shouldn’t be any pressure to work out three times a week and do this and follow this etc. I want there to be loads of information on there that offers information on sleep, mental health, breast feeding. I want there to be support and a community within the app so that people can talk to each other and share in their journeys.’ We have Midwifes, Doctors on there, and that came from me googling things at 2am and getting overwhelmed with information. I wanted a platform that I could trust – so I created it! And now it’s a huge part of the business that I’m really passionate about, and I’m really proud of that.”

      What has been your career highlight to date?

      “Oh gosh, that is so hard! I think actually getting my fitness app to 10 years was a huge moment for me, because it’s not easy – running a business is not easy and there has been so many highs and lows over the last 10 years within the business, so reaching that point was a huge milestone. I think especially as people would think, ‘Oh it’s just another celebrity fitness fad’ – particularly in the early days and actually I’ve seen a lot of brands come and go but we’ve stuck it out and we’ve got years’ experience now. We didn’t always make the right decisions over the years, but you learn from that and I’m really proud of it. It’s not been easy, it never is but if you stick at something and you work hard then you can make a success of it. Also, to branch out into to doing the retreats abroad and bringing that community together was really important too.”

      Charlotte Hawkins
      IMAGES COPYRIGHT OF BROOD MAGAZINE ©

      What has been the biggest challenge that you have had to overcome since having a business?

      “I think accepting that every decision that you make isn’t going to be the right one and being ok with that. Like at first when I made decisions that didn’t work out, I would find it really hard to accept that, but as I’ve moved forward I can reflect and go – ‘It didn’t work out for this reason and I learnt a lesson.’ And actually all the things that go wrong when you start a business are actually the best things to happen to you, because you’re better doing it then, rather than five years down the line because you learn so much. So yes, learning to accept the mistakes that you make and then turning them around into a positive, realising that everything that happened has happened for a reason.”

      What have you found the hardest thing about being a parent?

      “I really struggled with the early days. Maybe more so as Roman was my first and a lockdown baby. I think its because you’re going from what is a selfish life – we don’t realise it but we all do whatever it is that we want and you only have to think about yourself and then all of a sudden you’re have this amazing thing given to you and your totally responsible for and suddenly everything revolves around them. You suddenly think – ‘What was I doing with all my time before I had children!’ [We laugh in agreement] I just found it really tough. Also, Roman was quite poorly and so I would also say the worry of being a mum was something that I hadn’t prepared for, and I think that it probably the hardest thing about becoming a parent. You have that worry because you love them more than anything you’ve ever loved in your life before.” [Roman was diagnosed with an unsafe swallow.] I think that the fact people don’t talk enough about how hard it is – especially that first 6 months – is really tough. Even at 6 months I remember thinking with Roman, ‘God, this is still really hard and I’m not feeling completely fulfilled.’ And then you start thinking, ‘why am I not feeling fulfilled ‘just as a mum’. And actually, being a mum is the hardest job in the world and we crave adult conversations and work environments and I think that’s really normal and natural. I think you need good friends around you, like I remember ringing my friend one day and saying, ‘I’m really bored! I’m watching Peppa Pig on repeat, I’m washing and ironing.’ It just felt like Groundhog Day every day and actually I needed to make a decision to change that, to reach out for help; share more between me and Ryan; to arrange some childcare so that I had some time for me – whether that was in a work capacity or meeting friends for coffee, you need that. I don’t think that day in day out ‘just being a mum’ wouldn’t work for me.”

      Mum guilt is something that most people encounter in one way or another, what has your experience of Mum guilt and how have you dealt with it?

      “Hugely! I remember going to work, quite early on – because I had my own business you see so I didn’t get a maternity leave as such and also I really missed it, and I really wanted to get back in and see what was going on because I have to run a business, and I can remember going in for a day and feeling like an awful person because I wasn’t pining for my child. I felt guilty for not worrying and missing my child. I can remember thinking this is ridiculous. We’re so hard on ourselves, if my friend would have said that to me, I would have said, ‘Well that’s good, you’ve been to work, your brain has been focused on other things and then you’ll go back to your child thinking I can’t wait to see them!’ But I felt so guilty. I think just being busy – I’ll have a week where I’m really busy with work and I always feel like I need to let them stay up an extra hour before bed, because I feel guilty because I’ve not seen them as much as I would have wanted to. Unfortunately, I think – especially for us women – because I’m sure Dad guilt exists but you don’t really hear of that as much, but the phrase Mum guilt is used so much and I feel like whatever we do whether we’re a working mum, whether we stay at home, or whether we do a bit of both, whatever we do there’s always going to be that guilt and that pressure put on us. You can’t wait.”

      Do you think that pressure comes from ourselves, or societal pressures, or a bit of both?  

      “I think it’s society and us. I think society can be too quick to deem things either right or wrong when actually we all just need to support each other more. Even like childcare, everyone has an opinion on childcare, when actually a lot of the time the mums and the dads have to go back to work, they don’t have a choice they have to, so they need childcare. But even if its not down to needing to go back to work, its that they want to that’s ok. Having childcare in place is absolutely ok and actually my son absolutely loves nursery, and he does way-more in a day than I could ever think up for him!”

      Becoming a parent changes your life so dramatically that its can be easy to feel like you have lost of identity, did you experience that feeling at any point?

      “Oh 100% you do lose your identity. I can remember thinking one day, ‘When was the last time I put make up on, I’ve not got out of my joggers or pyjamas for weeks – and that was probably even worse than it would have been because of covid – but me and Ryan tried to make an effort so that I would feel like myself, so we would do date night every other Friday for example. We have this thing now that we call a mini reset, where we look at what is working and not working in our week, what can we do to make this situation better? For example, childcare – what’s working and what’s not working, and what can we do differently. It gives us an opportunity to say, well next week I need to make time for this – be that going for a walk on our own, or to get a coffee etc. We try and plan our weeks as much as possible because our lives are so crazy and we don’t have a 9-5 job, the mini resets really work for us, and it helps us to improve our lives. Everyday is a real juggle and when you are putting your children first, it can be hard to make sure you get what you need out of your week as well, there never seems to be enough hours in the day to fit everything in!”

      We usually ask what tips you would give to other parents, do you think that is your number tip?

      “Yes, I would say the mini resets, but just communication too – with your partner and people around you. That could be your mum or your mother-in-law, and you could say to them ‘this is what would be helpful for me this week. I think communication is so important and when you have kids you have to have that, you really do.”

      How easy have you found asking for help? We all put ourselves under so much pressure, sometimes reaching out for help can feel like admitting defeat – that we can’t do it all. How did you find that?

      “I think society puts so much pressure on us and you look on Instagram and you see everyone’s houses that supposedly look perfect and clean, I can tell you now, that there will be a pile of clothes behind the camera, and that it’s been placed at a perfectly placed angle to hide it! [We laugh] I’m guilty of doing it as well, because we try and live up to this expectation that we should be making sure that everything is picture perfect. I love that there is a change in social media though now because its real life is being normalised. There are people doing funny reals that are showing the reality of everyday scenarios that we can all relate to, and you find yourself going, ‘Oh my god, I’m so glad she thinks that as well, or she has to deal with that as well.’ I love that people are normalising the mundane and stressful parts of parenthood too. I think sometimes you wait until you’re at rock bottom before you ask for help, and it doesn’t need to be that way. I remember calling my mum once and admitting that I was really struggling and that I needed help, and of course she was straight around! I think it is really hard to ask for help though, especially when you’re a new mum.”

      Do you think the same applies in business too, that it can be hard to admit that you need help as we feel the need to portray success?

      “Yes, I think so. I’m 10 years into my business, it’s not been plain sailing, I’ve made lots of mistakes and that’s ok. Anyone who’s in business knows that it’s really, hard work and there’s going to be loads of things that come along to challenge you. But you shouldn’t feel embarrassed by that because you can grow from that and make better decisions going forward because you’ve learnt a lesson. It’s a bit like life in general, you have to grow certain things to grow, and it’s those things that make your stronger in business and as a person. And I couldn’t do it at the beginning but now I could for help if I needed it. Learning to delegate is a skill, to trust someone else to take care of things in your business can be really hard, but you learn that you aren’t always the best person to deal with everything and actually someone else can do a much better job, so you learn to trust them and let them get on with it.”

      Did you feel more pressure to ‘snap back’ after having a baby and being in the public eye, as well as having a fitness app, and how did you deal with that?

      “I think everyone presumed that I would be really small, really quickly but actually as soon as I had Roman, I didn’t care – I did not care! And I thought I really would, and I had put on 4 stone whilst I was pregnant and he was a big baby, but he wasn’t 4 stone, that would have been a hard if he was! [She laughs] But I thought I would really care but I didn’t. I had such little sleep, and I just was really kind to myself. I decided to just wait and then start to move once I felt ready, and I thought I would have had that 6 week check and be straight back to training, when actually I didn’t start training again until Roman was 6 months old. And I would always say to say anyone, please don’t put yourself under any pressure you’ve just done a huge thing. I mean obviously I would say please look after yourself in terms of eating good to make sure your well in all aspects, but if you’re not ready to train and you’re exhausted then it doesn’t matter. I’m a lot kinder to my body since having children. A healthy body is a lot more important than achieving this so-called view of perfection in any way possible! My biggest concern used to be my appearance, now it’s about making sure I’m as healthy as possibly so that I can be around for as long as possible for the kids. And being a healthy role for the children is massively important, and that goes past trying to encourage them to eat healthy food, it’s about how you talk about food and how you talk about your body in front of them. I would never talk about my body in negative way in front of my children. I don’t ever want Lilah to her me say, ‘I’m not going to eat that because I’m on a diet’ and so many people do without fully realising they are even doing it or understand the damage that can do to a child in the future. I think the best way to promote good health is by encouraging them to be active in a way that they enjoy.” 

      And to end our interview on positive, what do you love most about being a parent?

      “I think just all those proud moments. Like today when someone has said to me, ‘You should be so proud of Roman, he’s got amazing manners, he’s such a funny character’ and I started welling up. I think that being proud of them and watching them grow – there’s no feeling like it. As much as there is all the worry and all the other stuff, it’s all completely worth it! [She pauses] But I don’t want anymore! [We all laugh]”

      Lucy Mecklenburg
      IMAGES COPYRIGHT OF BROOD MAGAZINE LIMITED ©
      Simon Wood
      Written by
      Tom Pitfield and his daughter Iris

      PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM PITFIELD

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