Beloved British television icon Jenny Powell opens up about being catapulted into national fame as a bubbly 16-year-old schoolgirl. The former Wheel of Fortune and Top of the Pops star reveals the toll of severe burnout, living with painful health issues including a 1kg uterus before undergoing a life-changing hysterectomy, and how she found love again in a café in Euston station.
This episode is sponsored by L’Oréal Paris True Match Hyaluron Tinted Balm.
Chapters
01:00 – Fast, Fabulous & Formative: Winning TV Fame at 16
03:30 – Falling in Love with Manchester & Becoming an Honorary Mancunian
07:00 – From Podiums to Prime Time: The 1980s TV Industry Grind
11:00 – Breaking Barriers: Heritage, Diversity, and Groundbreaking Firsts
13:00 – Navigating Early Fame Before the Social Media Era
16:00 – Challenging the Patriarchy & Demanding Respect on Game Shows
19:00 – Carrying Young Ant & Dec & Evolving Past Wheel of Fortune
21:00 – Family Roots: Escaping Apartheid in South Africa
25:00 – Turning Trauma into Humour: A Legacy of Resilience
28:00 – Entering Act Two: Overcoming the "Disease to Please"
33:30 – Returning to Work Too Soon: Grief, Surgery, and Burnout
36:30 – Physical Signals: Recognising "No-Go Days"
39:30 – Health Struggles, Disordered Eating, and Hot Yoga Recovery
45:30 – Living with Adenomyosis, Fibroids, and Hysterectomy Recovery
48:30 – Breaking the Taboo: Building a Women's Health Community
51:30 – Meeting Her Model Fiancé in Pret A Manger
54:00 – A New York Proposal & Dating 90s Pop Icons (Take That & Bros)
59:00 – Advice to Her Younger Self & Raising Independent Daughters
1:02:00 – Preserving Family History & Final Words of Wisdom
Second Act is the podcast and community for women in midlife who refuse to fade into the background. Join host, midlifer, mum-of-two and divorcee Ateh Jewel as she navigates her own second act by speaking to celebrity guests about what age means to them, and how they're approaching this new phase of life.
If you've got a question or dilemma you'd like Ateh, her celebrity guests and experts to answer, drop her a line at secondactpod@hellomagazine.com and make sure to tune in to hear the answer.
From HELLO! magazine
Producer: Millie Jackson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Executive producer: Danielle Lawler
Follow @hellomag on Instagram and watch all new episodes on HELLO! magazine's YouTube channel.
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