Happy Place

You might have recently seen Hamnet at the cinema, but did you read the book along with the Happy Place Book Club in January? In this chat, Fearne and author Maggie O’Farrell talk about how Jessie Buckley’s award-winning performance brought Agnes to life in the film, why it’s vital to remember women’s place in history, and why Maggie chose not to name Shakespeare in the book. Maggie uses her intui...

Do you find it hard to look in the mirror? Have you found yourself controlling what you eat or exercise you do? Actor Sam Claflin has struggled with his body image since he was a child. In this chat with Fearne, Sam explains what having body dysmorphia means to him, and reflects on how it continues to affect everything from the food he eats to his willingness to watch his own films back. Fearne an...

There’s a bit too much pressure on reaching an unwavering state of happiness isn’t there? It’s just not realistic. So Fearne’s going to be dropping into your feed every week for some candid nattering about what’s making her feel great, and what’s making her feel crap.  This is a cosy little corner for all of us to explore what’s been on our minds, what’s been getting us down, inspiring us, an...

Everyone deserves a safe and dignified birth, but when Louise Thompson gave birth to son Leo, she was left with post-traumatic stress disorder. In this chat with Fearne, Louise talks through how her PTSD manifests, the way she disassociates, and the therapies she’s tried to work through it, including CBT and EMDR. She explains why her own experience has led her to petition the government. She want...

Struggling to know if you’ve achieved enough? If you’re happy enough? Worry everything you’ve built could fall apart? Even national treasures Ant and Dec don’t feel like they’ve ‘made it’. In this chat with Fearne – their first ever podcast appearance – Ant and Dec explain that nearly four decades into their careers they’re still laughing together just as much as they did at the beginning, but now...

What would you do if you weren’t afraid? That’s the question spiritual teacher and intuitive guide Sonia Choquette wants you to think about. In this chat with Fearne, Sonia explains how to have more agency over your own mindset. It’s time to stop thinking the worst, and start expecting the best! Sonia talks through how neuroscience is showing that our guts, skins, and organs are all conscious enti...

Do you constantly replay conversations, wondering if you said the wrong thing? You’re in good company; actor Erin Doherty’s biggest demon is overthinking. In this chat, Fearne and Erin explore how fearful cancel culture has made us all, as well as how to have the courage to speak your mind, even if it means being disliked. Erin has an unapologetic attitude towards ambition, and explains why she wa...

Fundamentally tells the story of Nadia, an academic who's been disowned by her puritanical mother and dumped by her lover, so she decides to get away by accepting a UN job in Iraq. Meanwhile, Sara is a precocious and sweary East Londoner who joined ISIS at just fifteen, and Nadia is astounded at how similar they both are: they’re feisty and opinionated, they’re from a Muslim background, and they b...

Which episodes of Happy Place have stayed with you this year? Reflecting on some of the chats she’s had this year, Fearne explores her own OCD diagnosis, how she copes when she’s gripped by shame, and why her attitude towards periods has shifted. She also talks about just how powerful her friendship with Davina McCall is, and why her recent episode with Malala has prompted conversations about wome...

You’ve heard Fearne talking about them loads over the years... now it’s time to meet her best school mates! This episode is basically your girls’ Whatsapp chat come to life; Becky, Rebecca, Lucy, Ally, and Fran are here to talk through navigating Christmas when you’re co-parenting, sober, grieving, single, or just desperately trying to find a new place to put the bloody Elf on the Shelf. Everyone’...

Footballer Chloe Kelly has played a huge part in the Lioness’ immense success over the last few years, but severe anxiety has meant she’s often had to put on a brave face in public. In this chat with Fearne, Chloe opens up for the first time about how emotional stress led to hair loss, and why being sick often felt like the only way to release the anxiety. She talks through the work she’s done wit...

Grief can make you feel unnervingly vulnerable; this is how Kate Winslet reflects on losing her mum in 2017. In this chat, Fearne and Kate share their own experiences of both grieving and co-parenting at Christmas. Regularly labelled as “fat” by the media, Kate explains what effect that scrutiny had on her self-esteem, and why it’s made her even more passionate about setting an example to younger...

Elizabeth Day had an urgent need to say something about the way we’re living – about the power, politics, class, sexism, and discrimination that plague the world around us. She explores all of that, plus perimenopause and female rage, through the entertaining lens of her latest novel One Of Us. In this live Book Club chat with Fearne, Elizabeth talks about how she realised that – and wanted to wri...

For ten years of her life, Fearne was gripped by a deep feeling of shame; she chats through how she’s now learning to let it go. Shame breeds in silence, so we’re talking about it loudly in this episode... -Shame researcher Brené Brown talks through how to cope with feeling ashamed through self-compassion -Comedian Dawn French explains that we all need to embrace being a bit of a twat sometimes be...

Nervous and embarrassed? Don’t let it show! Comedian Jack Whitehall has died on stage plenty of times, but never gives people the satisfaction of knowing it’s got to him. In this chat with Fearne, Jack explains how to power through the awkward moments and give off an air of confidence, no matter how you’re feeling inside. He also reflects on some of the awful feedback he’s received and how to stay...

What limiting beliefs do you hold about yourself? Spencer Matthews has embraced his sense of adventure in order to explore his full potential. In this chat with Fearne, Spencer gets into the shame he felt while he was drinking, why he’s now channelling his addictive nature into running instead, and how to avoid blaming everyone else for your own issues. He also explains how seeking approval from h...

You might know Elizabeth Gilbert as the author of Eat Pray Love; now, she’s written All The Way To The River, charting her electric, heart-breaking relationship with her partner Rayya, who died in 2018. In this Book Club chat, Fearne explains that she chose this to be part of the Happy Place Book Club because she recognised so many of her own behaviour traits in it – see: chaotic relationships and...

Malala Yousafzai was shot by Taliban gunmen when she was 15. She then became the youngest ever recipient of the Novel Peace Prize, but since then she’s been desperate to discover who she really is underneath the weight of the world’s expectations. In this chat with Fearne, Malala explains why skipping classes, smoking weed, and chasing bad boys have all played a part in finding herself, and why he...

Do you have a chip on your shoulder? Actors Daisy May and Charlie Cooper say growing up working class made them angry, but that feeling like outsiders in their industry has been a powerful motivator. In this chat with Fearne, Daisy May and Charlie explain how they’ve dealt with feeling threatened by authority and power. They also reveal why This Country almost didn’t happen because a contract mean...

Fearne’s anxiety and OCD have been pretty loud recently, so she wanted to find a bit of solace in listening back to some other people with their own experiences of feeling anxious, low, having panic attacks, going through therapy, and accepting they’ll never be fully ‘fixed’...   In this episode – -Musician Perrie Edwards explains why she brings her therapist to work with her -Actor Will Poul...

We can learn a lot from scientists about getting comfortable with being wrong, says physicist Professor Brian Cox. In this chat with Fearne, Brian explains the difference between ‘having an argument’ and ‘making an argument’. The latter gives us confidence to ask curious questions, come to our own conclusions, and remain open to being wrong, without letting ego get in the way of connection or prog...

Broadcaster and entrepreneur Jamie Laing had big fears about having kids... and yet he’s about to become a dad any day now. In this chat with Fearne, Jamie’s honest about the pros and cons he deliberated over before deciding to have children. He talks through how his parents’ divorce expanded his world in beautiful ways, as well as why he chose to re-kindle his relationship with his dad as an adul...

Blame isn’t helpful. Illustrator and author Charlie Mackesy thinks learning to forgive yourself and others will lead to more peace. In this chat, Fearne and Charlie talk from personal experience about just how physical shame can feel. Charlie explains how fear of abandonment keeps us silent about our insecurities, but that in reality the moment we start talking about our shame is the moment real h...

What did you love doing when you were 10 years old? Broadcaster Greg James reckons we all need to prioritise fun and silliness more, and thinking about your childhood passions is a great place to start. In this chat, Fearne and Greg talk about how bleak, boring, and anxiety-inducing being a responsible grown up can be sometimes, and why that means it’s vital to choose to laugh every day. Greg also...

Loved Ones – the Happy Place Book Club pick for September – tells the story of Julia, whose first love Gabe dies aged 29, launching her into a world-wide quest to recover the possessions he left with friends and acquaintances across the world. It also brings her into contact with the last woman Gabe loved... In this chat, Fearne and author Aisha Muharrar wonder what would happen if you met ot...