Begin Again with Davina McCall

Could you be at risk of a heart attack without even knowing it - and are the risk factors different for women?

In this special episode of Begin Again, created in partnership with British Heart Foundation, Davina McCall meets heart attack survivor Louise McGill and cardiologist and British Heart Foundation-funded researcher Dr Rouchelle Sriranjan-Rothwell to explore what every woman should know about heart health.

Louise was just 45 when she had a heart attack, despite being considered low risk after a recent health check. She shares the symptoms she initially mistook for indigestion, the moment she kissed her young daughters goodbye, and how surviving changed her relationship with life itself.

Davina also speaks to Dr Sriranjan-Rothwell who explains why cardiovascular disease in women is too often misunderstood, the connection between menopause and cardiovascular health, and why factors including cholesterol, blood pressure and pregnancy history could matter when understanding a woman’s risk. She also reveals how British Heart Foundation-funded research is working to detect silent heart disease earlier and build a better understanding of women’s cardiovascular health.

This is an emotional and potentially lifesaving conversation about heart attack symptoms in women, menopause, cardiovascular disease, recovery, medical research and the importance of listening to your body.

🌟Like, comment and subscribe for more honest conversations about purpose, resilience, love, loss and beginning again.

Follow us here:

📸www.instagram.com/beginagain

🎥https://www.tiktok.com/@beginagainpod

✨Sign up for the Begin Again newsletter for behind-the-scenes access, recommendations and much more: https://linkly.link/2g2xm

To support lifesaving British Heart Foundation research, follow the links below:

📸https://www.instagram.com/the_bhf

🎥https://www.tiktok.com/@bhfcharity

🌐https://www.bhf.org.uk/

SHE-HEALS is a $10m global study funded in part by BHF through the Global Cardiovascular Research Funders Forum.

00:00 Intro

01:09 Louise's Story

02:27 The Warning Signs Before Her Heart Attack

04:18 What A Heart Attack Really Feels Like

06:24 Having A Stent Fitted

10:31 Recovering Through Cardiac Rehab

11:19 Why Louise Is Grateful For Her Heart Attack

12:42 A Letter From Louise's Husband

18:03 Dr Sriranjan Rothwell And BHF's Research

18:21 Why Heart Disease Is So Dangerous for Women

20:45 The SHE-HEALS Women's Heart Health Study

Sponsored by:

British Heart Foundation funds lifesaving research into preventing, diagnosing and treating women's cardiovascular disease.

More research means more breakthroughs. And those breakthroughs can mean more time.

More time to live. More time to start over. More time to begin again.

To help fund lifesaving research, visit http://bhf.org.uk/beginagain to donate now and keep us beating.

If you are interested in being a part of SHE-HEALS you can sign up here: https://linkly.link/2wh41
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you begin again after losing someone who was a huge part of your life?

In this heartfelt episode of Begin Again, Hairy Bikers star Si King joins Davina McCall for a conversation about grief, friendship, love and finding purpose after the heartbreaking loss of his best friend and TV partner, Dave Myers.

Si opens up about the extraordinary bond he shared with Dave, from their first meeting to building the beloved Hairy Bikers together, and the devastating reality of watching his closest friend battle cancer. He reflects on navigating life without Dave and how he's slowly learning to embrace a new chapter while keeping Dave's memory alive.

He also shares his own remarkable journey of resilience, from losing his father at just eight years old to surviving a life-threatening brain aneurysm, experiencing a mental health breakdown and learning to rebuild his life.

Alongside these personal moments, Si discusses the healing power of food, family and community, his passion for bringing people together, and the exciting new projects giving him renewed purpose and joy.

🌟Like, comment and subscribe for more honest conversations about purpose, resilience, love, loss and beginning again.

Follow us here:

📸www.instagram.com/beginagain

🎥https://www.tiktok.com/@beginagainpod

✨Sign up for the Begin Again newsletter for behind-the-scenes access, recommendations and much more: https://linkly.link/2g2xm

Follow Si King here:

📸https://www.instagram.com/sikingofficial/

🎥https://www.youtube.com/@SiKingOfficial

Buy ‘Proper Home Cooking’ by Si King at: https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/titles/si-king/proper-home-cooking/9781399642842/

We'd love you to share your Get Busy Living stories with us at https://getbusyliving.beginagainshow.com/

(00:00) Intro

(01:14) Si's new cookbook 'Proper Home Cooking'

(06:53) Losing His Dad At 8 Years Old

(10:29) How Grief Led Him To Motorbikes

(17:53) Monzo GBL Ad

(19:29) Working With Ant & Dec

(24:09) How Si Met Dave Myers

(31:00) What Brought Si & Dave Together

(33:08) How The Hairy Bikers Began

(34:48) Monzo 90 Days Ad

(35:53) Opening His Own Restaurant

(39:48) Processing Dave's Death

(41:26) Finding Out Dave Had Cancer

(44:35) Life After Losing Dave

(45:09) Si's Brain Aneurysm

(46:37) Divorce And Staying Friends With His Ex-Wife

(57:01) Starting A YouTube Channel

(59:25) His New Business

(01:00:18) What's Next For Si?

Sponsored by:

Download Monzo. Monzo Current Accounts are for 16+ and UK residents. Ts&Cs Apply.

Integrated accounting with Pro and Team business plans start from £9 a month. Only for UK sole traders or limited company directors. Ts&Cs apply.

Join the 'Say Yes Club' and hear more about our events here - https://events.beginagainshow.com/

Sync ID is: MB01TIUBXXBQEFZ
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Begin Again Moments, two powerful conversations explore the importance of discomfort, why we’ve become so afraid of difficult things and how embracing life’s challenges can help us grow stronger, happier and more resilient.

Buddhist monk and meditation teacher Gelong Thubten joins Davina to explore why modern life has left us in a crisis of comfort, how our constant pursuit of happiness can leave us feeling unfulfilled and why learning to accept uncomfortable emotions could be the key to finding inner peace.

Bestselling author and personal development expert Robin Sharma shares why meaningful change is never easy, how stepping outside your comfort zone can unlock your true potential and why the most rewarding things in life often require us to do the hardest work.

Together, they explore the relationship between stress and personal growth, the importance of rest and recovery, and why facing discomfort rather than avoiding it can transform the way we approach life. A hopeful reminder that struggling doesn’t mean you’re failing, and sometimes the most difficult moments are the ones that help us become who we’re meant to be.

To hear the full conversations, watch the complete episodes on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you find love again after losing the person you wanted to spend the rest of your life with?

In this deeply moving episode of Begin Again, legendary British television writer Russell T Davies joins Davina McCall to reflect on his extraordinary life creating some of Britain’s most groundbreaking television, from Doctor Who and Queer as Folk to It’s a Sin and Years and Years.

Russell opens up about growing up gay in Swansea, how he found belonging through youth theatre, and how friendship, identity and the AIDS crisis shaped his writing.

We also hear the story of his 20-year relationship with his late husband Andrew and his eight-year battle with brain cancer.

This is a beautiful conversation about grief, continuing bonds with those we’ve lost, and unexpectedly finding love again without leaving the love that came before behind.

🌟Like, comment and subscribe for more honest conversations about purpose, resilience, love, loss and beginning again.

Follow us here:

📸www.instagram.com/beginagain

🎥https://www.tiktok.com/@beginagainpod

✨Sign up for the Begin Again newsletter for behind-the-scenes access, recommendations and much more: https://linkly.link/2g2xm

We'd love you to share your Get Busy Living stories with us at https://getbusyliving.beginagainshow.com/

Follow Russell T Davies here: https://www.instagram.com/russelltdavies63

The Queerest of Folk by Russell T Davies is out on 8th October, hardback, £25

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-queerest-of-folk-a-life-in-television-russell-t-davies/a290496f474a1f8c

(00:00) Intro

(01:41) Russell And Davina's Friendship

(03:35) When His Mother Was Sectioned

(07:36) Russell's New Book 'The Queerest of Folk'

(08:35) Being A Young Doctor Who Fan

(11:00) On Realising He Was Gay

(14:25) The Inspiration Behind 'It's a Sin'

(17:31) A Letter For Russell

(19:58) Monzo GBL Ad

(21:35) On Making 'It's a Sin'

(28:17) How 'Queer as Folk' Came To Be

(35:59) Monzo 90 Days Ad

(37:04) Making 'Tip Toe' with Alan Cumming and David Morrissey

(44:01) A Letter From Kate Bush

(45:57) On Making 'Years and Years'

(48:30) Meeting His Husband

(50:46) After His Husband's Cancer Diagnosis

(59:16) His Husband's Death

(01:04:42) On Finding Love Again

(01:07:58) Writing Doctor Who

(01:11:52) His Writing Process

Download Monzo. Monzo Current Accounts are for 16+ and UK residents. Ts&Cs Apply.

Integrated accounting with Pro and Team business plans start from £9 a month. Only for UK sole traders or limited company directors. Ts&Cs apply.

Join the 'Say Yes Club' and hear more about our events here - https://events.beginagainshow.com/

Sync ID: MB01FISPPUMJOWC
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October is Menopause Awareness Month, so for this week’s episode of Begin Again Moments, Penny Lancaster and Natalie Imbruglia join Davina McCall to explore the reality of perimenopause and menopause, and why no woman should ever feel ashamed of what she’s going through.

Penny opens up about experiencing anxiety, rage, hot flushes and the unsettling feeling of no longer recognising herself. She shares how her menopause symptoms were initially mistaken for depression, the impact they had on her family life and how conversations with other women finally helped her understand what was happening.

Natalie reflects on her own experience of perimenopause, from anxiety and changes in her emotions to the shame women can feel when they suddenly don’t feel like themselves. She explains why speaking openly about menopause became so important to her, helping to remove the stigma for the women coming next.

Together, they explore HRT, menopause symptoms, female identity and the power of women supporting women through this life-changing transition – reminding us that menopause isn’t simply an ending, but the beginning of your best chapter yet.

To hear the full conversations, watch the complete episodes on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices