Happy Place

Dynamo brought epic magic into a lot of people’s lives, but now Steven Frayne is taking off the mask and choosing to notice the moments of magic he’s experienced around him. In particular, that’s the people – friends, family, doctors, strangers – who’ve helped him find joy again after hitting rock bottom.   In this chat with Fearne, Steven talks about the devastating reality of trialling diff...

Do you get rid of your body hair? Do you hate your periods? Are you debating a nose job? Why? Writer and broadcaster Afua Hirsch has been tracing how we’ve become so loathing of our bodies.   In this chat with Fearne, Afua explains where our modern, Western notions of beauty come from, and why she’s advocating for us to celebrate how powerful our bodies are.   She’s rediscovering and rec...

Are you able to balance being resilient with being vulnerable? Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor has spent time figuring out when to keep moving forward, and when to let painful emotions wash over him.   In this chat with Fearne, Chiwetel reflects on how a childhood trauma has shaped his character – everything from his fierce ambition to his optimistic outlook. He also reveals the moments self-doubt has...

Do you dream of pivoting your career or lifestyle later in life? Poet Donna Ashworth did just that. She began to question the busy, fast-paced, perfectionist lifestyle she assumed was the norm, and decided to start posting and performing her beautiful poetry in her 40s...   In this chat with Fearne, Donna explains how she copes with the nerves that come with doing something so new, including...

What is happiness to you? And do you think you deserve to be happy? Our Happy Place Book Club pick for January was Frequently Happy, by author and poet David Larbi. In his book, he combines poetry and journal prompts to help you find the glimmers in your lovely, ordinary life.     We’ll have objectively terrible days, and days that are clearly the best ever, but most days fall somew...

Actor Naomi Watts went through early menopause at 36. She was experiencing symptoms she couldn’t explain, like itchy skin, night sweats, and anxiety, but struggled to find any real information or stories about this midlife transition.   In this chat with Fearne, Naomi explains why she’s become passionate about shining a spotlight on previously taboo topics like fertility, menopause, and sex....

Do you want to make 2025 the year you start therapy? Maybe you’re still a bit hesitant because you’re not completely sure how it works or what it might feel like... Fearne has pulled together a load of Happy Place chats that will help you get a clearer idea of the benefits of therapy, and in turn make you feel bold enough to send that first booking email. Plus, she talks through the ways therapy h...

When does a coping mechanism become a problem? Millie Mackintosh talks through the big moments she realised her drinking was affecting both her own health and the people she loves.   In this chat Fearne and Millie cover panic attacks and intrusive thoughts, which can both get particularly bad when secrecy and shame are driving risky behaviours. Then, how do you start to forgive yourself for t...

How loud are the voices in your head that tell you you’re definitely going to screw up that big opportunity? Sophie Ellis-Bextor is trying to make a point of talking to herself more kindly.   In this chat, Fearne and Sophie talk about reminding yourself that your thoughts aren’t facts; sometimes you have to override the voice that says you’re not good enough and just get on with it to prove y...

Ben West was 17 when his younger brother died by suicide. He’s since gone on to become a mental health campaigner, and has found humour can help communicate deeply traumatic messages.   In this chat with Fearne, Ben talks through what signs to look for if you’re concerned about someone’s mental health. Then, how do you break the awkward silence when you both know you need to talk about a big...

Making better food choices isn’t about changing who you are, but about making you the most energetic, vibrant version of you. Emily English, aka Em the Nutritionist, talks through how food directly impacts mood.   In this chat Fearne and Em both share their experiences of having eating disorders. Was it more about weight and appearance or control and secrecy? They also offer advice for those...

Do you find yourself keeping quiet when you have plenty to say? Dame Harriet Walter – who has played 21 of Shakespeare’s female characters – has written She Speaks, which goes between the lines and imagines what Shakespeare’s women might really have wanted to say.   She Speaks was our Happy Place Book Club read for December. In this chat with Fearne, Harriet explains why she felt it was so im...

It’s been a big year on Happy Place! Who was Fearne “shitting her pants” to meet? Who does she want to go for a spicy marg with? And who is she surprised went viral?   In this episode, Fearne reflects on the 2024 episodes that you really resonated with, and that have changed the way she lives her own life too. Plus, she’s got a lot of behind the scenes gossip to share!   You’ll hear from...

  Sometimes you have to just power through the self-loathing. Doing stand up comedy has helped Joanne McNally build resilience, take responsibility, and not take things so personally.   In this chat, Fearne and Joanne share experiences of being hyper-independent; but can trusting and relying on yourself go too far? They chat about learning to delegate and ask for help too.   Joanne...

Do you feel pressured to look a certain way as you age? CEO and beauty expert Caroline Hirons reckons it’s no one else’s business if you want to get tweakments or simply wash your face at night.   In this chat, Fearne and Caroline pivot looking after your face from something you do to look good... to something you do to feel good. Concerned about the texture or structure of your skin? Carolin...

There should be no shame in being who you are. Musician and actor Olly Alexander has felt first hand how grappling with your identity can lead to poor mental health.   In this chat with Fearne, Olly explains why he feels there’s such a high level of mental distress in the queer community, and how acting in It’s A Sin helped him unpack his own lived experience.   Both Fearne and Olly shar...

Is your fate already pre-determined? Or do you feel you have true free will to dictate your own destiny? ...and if you could, would you want to find out when you’re going to die? These are the questions Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment grapples with.   Here One Moment was our Happy Place Book Club read for November, and Liane joins Fearne to chat about why she wanted to explore chaos, chance,...

How good are you at letting yourself feel your feelings? Actor Riley Keough thinks it’s important to embrace the sad and angry moments as much as the joyful, hopeful ones.   In this chat with Fearne, Riley explains how her own grief at losing her brother and mum has taught her that fighting or repressing emotions only makes you more anxious in the long term.   Riley’s mum was Lisa Marie...

How good are you at saying no to people, plans, and dynamics that don’t serve you...? Just in time for the festive season (A huge work load! Time with family! Social events!) Fearne is reflecting on Happy Place chats that’ll help you stop people pleasing and start setting boundaries...   In this episode: Melissa Urban is the queen of boundaries – what are they, and how do we set them? Life co...

Did you have dreams of being extraordinary when you were a kid? For many of us, adult life starts chipping away at those big hopes and goals, but actor and disability campaigner Adam Pearson has no interest in being ‘normal’ or ‘mediocre’.   In this chat with Fearne, Adam explains how never having the luxury of being invisible – he was born with neurofibromatosis – has given him confidence to...

You’ve got to give new things a go and not give up when you’re a bit crap at first. Team GB Olympic rower Helen Glover is clear that a huge part of her success is thanks to her mindset that it’s better to try and fail than not try at all.   In this chat with Fearne, Helen explains how to have the discipline to stick at stuff that feels important to you, even if it doesn’t always feel easy. By...

How good are you at being honest with other people? Go on, be honest with yourself about that one! Coleen Rooney would always rather tell the truth before a situation escalates.   In this chat with Fearne, Coleen explains how she’s instilling that honesty is the best policy in her four sons, as well as why she’s so grateful to have a village around her to help raise her boys. With four childr...

Do you cringe at other people’s joy? Author and illustrator Florence Given reckons cringing at others is telling you something about how you feel about yourself...   In this chat Fearne and Florence get into how to really start living unapologetically as your full delicious self. Cringing at others might be showing you’re a bit pissed off that someone else is able to do something you want per...

Would you rip up your current life and reinvent yourself if you had the chance? Do you have desires you’d want to explore? Maybe there are hidden parts of yourself you’ve never had the chance to get to know? Which societal rules would you want to ignore?   Author Miranda July asks all these questions in October’s Happy Place Book Club novel: All Fours. She picks apart how we can fall into the...

A panic attack can feel like you’re dying from a heart attack; this is something former Little Mix member Perrie Edwards has experienced numerous times over the last few years.   In this chat, Perrie talks about how her anxiety feels like her adult is ‘going offline’, leaving the child in her crying for help, and Fearne shares how she’s managed to stop having panic attacks (for now, at least)...