The Couch to 5K Podcast

Podcast host, radio presenter and stand-up comedian John Robins opens up to Giovanna Fletcher about his journey from addiction to becoming a runner. It's a frank and honest conversation where addiction recovery and mental health issues meet running. John tells Giovanna he never thought he would be a runner but he now finds himself preparing for a marathon. He talks about the process of becoming so...

Giovanna Fletcher introduces Jodie Ounsley as her latest Couch to 5k guest. Jodie has a remarkable back-story. She was profoundly deaf as a baby and became the youngest person in the country to have a cochlear implant. She takes us on her journey to being a sport loving youngster and taking up rugby despite the risks of a contact sport. Jodie became a professional rugby player but her life took an...

McFly’s drummer Harry Judd talks about his switch from a pop star lifestyle to running marathons…quickly. Whilst his wife Izzy, an author and presenter, reveals her exercise journey was surrounded by fertility issues and mindfulness. The pair are great friends with presenter Giovanna Fletcher, who’s husband Tom is also part of McFly. And they’ve known each other for twenty years….in fact back to a...

Javeno McLean brings his enthusiasm and inclusiveness to this episode. Javeno is a Pride of Britain award winner for helping to transform the lives of sick, elderly and disabled people through exercise. He's become known for his viral videos, where he shares his messages of showing gratitude and inclusivity. He tells Giovanna he's driven to try to make people passionate about exercise in order to...

Today's conversation is about running with a life-changing condition. Couch to 5k coach and TV and radio presenter Reece Parkinson talks about his relationship with running after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Alongside him is Sally Chambers, who used Reece as a coach on the app and became a friend. She talks about how she uses running after being told she has stage 4 bowel cancer. Reece is...

This is an incredible story. From addiction to drink and drugs... to running the London Marathon in just a bra and knickers. Bryony Gordon's story is full of laughs, astonishment and courage. Bryony has had a lot to deal with. OCD, mental illness, depression and addiction. She was an alcoholic when she ran her first London Marathon, which proved a life-changing moment. Her world was falling apart...

Giovanna’s guest today is one of the greatest names in British Athletics, Steve Cram. If you’re doing the NHS Couch to 5k programme, you’ll know he’s one of the coaches. He still loves running and the grassroots of the sport after an illustrious career. Giovanna finds out how the boy from Jarrow went on to become such a great. He talks about taking up running through to becoming an Olympian and Wo...

Savannah Sachdev chats with Giovanna Fletcher about her life-changing decision to run every day. She began in 2021 and hasn't stopped. She's now a successful content creator and contributor to running publications and tells Giovanna that she can't quite believe what happened. Savannah had little interest in sport or running until her remarkable daily streak began. She now mixes work with being a s...

Comedian Maisie Adam joins Giovanna Fletcher to chat about her running journey. Maisie is great fun as she talks about her sporty life but also the difficulty she has in enjoying running. A pile of pizzas at the finish line was her highlight when she finished the London Marathon, an event she ran for charity. But she tells Giovanna she didn’t enjoy the training and was glad when it was all over. M...

We’re starting the second season of the Couch to 5K Podcast with two guests from the BBC TV series The Traitors joining Giovanna Fletcher. Minah Shannon and Freddie Fraser were two of the most popular contestants in series 3 of The Traitors UK. With their energy and humour they take us inside the programme and reveal their own running journeys... from representing the UK to tackling half marathons...

Giovanna Fletcher is back for 2026 with more inspiration and motivation wherever you're at on your running journey. She returns with a great guest list sharing their running stories. And we now have bonus episodes exclusively on BBC Sounds to answer all your running questions inlcuding how to start, technique, health issues and gear.

In this episode of the Podcast Giovanna Fletcher sits down with the unstoppable Sara Davies MBE, entrepreneur, star of Dragons’ Den and crafter. Couch to 5K has played a significant part in Sara’s life. It didn’t start with a dream of being fit or fast. It began with a warning from her mum that running would give her saggy boobs! But things changed dramatically a few years later, after a visit to...

In this episode Dr Alex George shares his inspiring journey from struggles with grief, mental health and weight into fitness and running…and finding joy in life. Dr Alex is a former A&E doctor who attracted a large social media following after appearing as a contestant on the TV show Love Island. During the pandemic, he became a trusted voice with his insights from the frontline. He’s now an a...

Strictly’s Jowita Przystal is Giovanna Fletcher’s guest on today’s podcast. She tells how a life-long love of dancing has now been joined by a complete love of running. Jowita started dancing as a little girl in Poland. Giovanna discovers that she loved all forms of dance…except ballroom. Eventually, encouraged by her mother, Jowita took to it, started competing and took the path to becoming a pro...

Britain’s most successful female Olympian is Giovanna Fletcher’s guest on this episode. Dame Laura Kenny talks about her switch from full-time cyclist to being a runner and a very busy mum, competitiveness with her husband Sir Jason Kenny and a heartbreaking time trying to conceive. Laura was born with a collapsed lung and had asthma as a child. The consultant advised being active and going swimmi...

Giovanna Fletcher welcomes Colson Smith, the Coronation Street actor who’s been through a remarkable body transformation and running journey. Colson joined the Street aged 11 and his character, PC Craig Tinker, has just been killed-off. Colson believes he was originally hired because of his looks; ‘the ginger fat kid’ is how he describes it. He talks to Giovanna about how he hated running and PE a...

In this episode Giovanna Fletcher is joined by Dr Punam Krishan – GP, mum, and passionate supporter of Couch to 5K. Dr Punam shares her personal journey into running, reflecting on the physical and mental health benefits it’s brought her and why she often recommends the Couch to 5K programme to her patients. A regular on the BBC’s Morning Live, Dr Punam is both a medical expert and a realist. She...

Giovanna chats today to Lindsey Burrow, the widow of rugby legend Rob who passed away in June 2024 after a very public battle with MND. Lindsey is a mum of three, a physio in the NHS and she’s also written a book about caring for Rob, called Take Care. Lindsey and Rob shared their journey of MND to raise awareness of the condition. Her conversation with Giovanna is raw and authentic but also uplif...

Giovana Fletcher’s guest today is Charley Marlowe, Tik Tok star and TV presenter, who’s fun and energy is infectious. She talks about the pressure she finds working in the media in her early twenties. Charley’s dad was in the Army – so fitness and running has always been around her. But she didn’t really embrace it. She once did a charity 10K in Cyprus to support her dad but she and her mum walked...

Welcome to the first Couch to 5K podcast where we’re helping you along your running journey. Giovanna Fletcher’s guest today is Jo Whiley, Radio 2 presenter, Glastonbury host, lover of music, nature and exercise and running ‘coach’. Jo is one of the Couch to 5K coaches on the app which is partnered by BBC Sport and the NHS. She reveals that taking on that role has been one of the best things she’s...

Giovanna Fletcher presents the Couch to 5K Podcast new to BBC Sounds. You'll find inspiration and motivation as you head off on one of your runs.