WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM SERIES 2 OF EAT, SHOP, SAVE?
It's an insight into what is in the food we're eating and the things that you can do in your life that can genuinely transform your – and your family's – sense of wellbeing.
WHO WILL FEATURE?
It features lovely everyday families who work hard to provide the best for their kids, but they've got into some really bad habits. They're stuck in a rut and can't find the money to do things they want to do – not through lack of work but just because that's how it is these days for most families – it's harder to stretch what we've got.
WHAT SORT OF HEALTH ISSUES ARE THESE FAMILIES FACING?
One of the guys worked a 60-hour week and there's a moment where we reveal, quite drastically, what the energy drinks [he'd been consuming] mean for this guy's health. It made me catch my breath. You can't believe it. Another of our families, one of them was a really young dad but he had the blood pressure of a 60-year-old. It was shocking.
IS IT AN EMOTIONAL PROCESS, SEEING HOW MUCH THE SHOW CAN TRANSFORM LIVES?
It's amazing. The families say it themselves: this is not just a change of habits, it's about changing their sense of genuine wellbeing as a unit, and passing on good habits to your kids. They've had a chance to see how to do it and see it's not as hard as it looks, so that's what I hope viewers at home will feel.
AS A MOTHER, CAN YOU EMPATHISE WITH THE STRUGGLE THESE PARENTS FACE?
Oh, absolutely. You're juggling a lot all the time, working full-time, whether you're a single mum or there's two parents. You're just exhausted by the non-stop nature of trying to do everything and feeling like you're not getting it right. Then there's the guilt: you feel like, 'I wish I had more energy. I wish I had a bit more patience with the kids, I haven't seen them properly all week'.
COULD EAT, SHOP, SAVE OPEN UP A CONVERSATION SURROUNDING MENTAL HEALTH, TOO?
Yes. Anxiety about whether you're doing the right thing by your kids, whether you're going to have enough money next month, whether your marriage is going to last under the pressure. Long-term, guilt, fear, worry, and not eating properly is massive in the sense of mental health.
WE ALSO KNOW YOU AS A PRESENTER ON GOOD MORNING BRITAIN. WHAT'S YOUR ROLE?
I've been covering politics and it's astonishing, really, how important politics now is in everybody's daily conversation. I explain what feels like chaos and mess in a way that's understandable, so my job is actually really important for me – translating what I understand as going on to people at home who just haven't got the time to read all the papers, which is most people.
IT MUST BE A CHALLENGE AT TIMES?
I've been getting up at three o'clock in the morning for six years now. And because I'm a mum, and I've got a young son, I can never stay in bed beyond 7.30am, even on a weekend. I turned 40 last year – you know when you just think, 'Oh my God, I'm exhausted'.
:: Eat, Shop, Save returns to ITV on Thursday July 26.
