Second Act with Ateh Jewel

Actress, singer and former Pop Idol star Zoe Birkett opens up about surviving tabloids in the Noughties, what it was really like to be on Pop Idol back in its heyday, and her recent miscarriage while performing on the West End.

00:00 – Welcome & The Three Words: Yes Girl, People Pleaser, Mouldable

01:15 – Thrust into Fame at 16: Pop Idol & Losing Her Authentic Self

04:17 – Surviving 2000s Tabloid Toxicity, Up-Skirting & Body Shaming

07:11 – Changing Her Look: Stripping the Braids & Family Support

11:12 – Looking Back at Pop Idol: Meeting Take That & Shirley Bassey

17:01 – The Truth About Her Teenage Romance with Gareth Gates

20:00 – Remembering Darius Campbell Danesh: A Heroic Act of Protection

23:37 – Industry Neglect, Self-Defence Lessons & Normalizing Harassment

27:03 – Calling Off Her Engagement & Learning to Say No

29:52 – Northern Grit: Handing Out Nightclub Flyers at the Peak of Fame

34:45 – Living with Severe Osteoarthritis & Getting a Full Hip Replacement

41:35 – Reclaiming Her Career: Performing in Moulin Rouge! 4 Months After Surgery

45:25 – Leaving Her Record Deal & 17 Years in the West End

48:20 – Entering Her Second Act: DJing, Boundaries & Turning 40

50:58 – Performing Through Miscarriage as Tina Turner

57:28 – Advice to Her Younger Self: "Don't Rush Yourself"

01:02:13 – Advice for Listener Annie: Coping with Anxiety & Unspoken Trauma

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: Juliet Walsh

Executive producer: Danielle Lawler

Follow @hellomag on Instagram and watch all new episodes on HELLO! magazine's YouTube channel.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jayne Wallace, resident psychic of Selfridges London and founder of Psychic Sisters joins Isabel this week for a spooky-themed episode all about her line of work and why so many people turn to spirituality for guidance.

Want your question answered by our experts? Email secondactpod@hellomagazine.com with your burning midlife questions.

From HELLO! magazine

Producer: Millie Jackson

Editor: Juliet Walsh

Executive producers: Danielle Lawler and Isabel Mohan

Follow @secondacthello on Instagram and watch all new episodes on HELLO! magazine's YouTube channel.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh talks about becoming a step mum at 23, how Sarah Harding’s death gave her health anxiety, how she coped with weight jibes in Girls Aloud and why she is launching her own beauty range.

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: Juliet Walsh

Executive producer: Danielle Lawler

Follow @hellomag on Instagram and watch all new episodes on HELLO! magazine's YouTube channel.

Chapters:

00:36 – The Three Words: Resilience, Music, and Family

01:06 – Starting at Age 5: Rejection, Auditions, and Grit

04:40 – Growing Up in a Musical Family & Finding Her Voice

08:39 – The 2000s Pop Explosion: 10 Rooms, Westlife & Wild Nights

11:42 – Fame at 20: Navigating Paparazzi Before Social Media

13:39 – Confronting 2000s Media Body Shaming & Toxic Diets

16:23 – Crazy Schedules: 4 AM Wake-Ups and Photo Shoots

18:00 – Meeting Justin Scott at 23 & Becoming a Step-Mom

23:15 – Becoming a First-Time Mom at 33: Needing a Village

26:08 – Losing Sarah Harding: Grief, Health Anxiety, and Legacy

29:10 – Reframing Aging: Why Every Birthday Is a Privilege

30:50 – The Girls Aloud WhatsApp Group & Growing Together

33:30 – West End, Strictly Come Dancing, and Live TV Presenting

37:05 – First Jobs: From Freezer Cleaning to Financial Freedom

38:42 – Skincare, Hydration, and Loving the Body You Have

46:54 – Early Perimenopause, Hormones, and Irritability

50:20 – Advice to Her Younger Self: "Stop Letting People Change Your Mind"

54:48 – Advice for Listener Linda: Coping with Raw Grief and Loss

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, celebrated author Gyles Brandreth joins Isabel to discuss longevity, and to share his top tips to live well to 100.

Want your question answered by our experts? Email secondactpod@hellomagazine.com with your burning midlife questions.

From HELLO! magazine

Producer: Millie Jackson

Editor: Juliet Walsh

Executive producer: Isabel Mohan

Follow @secondacthello on Instagram and watch all new episodes on HELLO! magazine's YouTube channel.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Global best-selling author Bonnie Garmus sits down to reflect on her extraordinary journey to international stardom. Opening up about her childhood as a self-described "too tall stutterer" who towered over her peers, Bonnie reveals how early adversity and learning to listen deeply laid the groundwork for her literary power.

The beloved novelist gets remarkably candid about the defining moment she turned 40, reclaimed her voice, and turned workplace rage into global success after her debut manuscript was rejected a staggering 98 times. Plus, Bonnie shares touching insights into raising her two adopted daughters, her fierce passion for protecting human creativity in the age of AI, and the surreal moment she struck up a firm friendship with Queen Camilla—the only person on Earth entrusted with the secrets of her next novel!

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: Sophia Liversedge

Executive producer: Danielle Lawler

Follow @hellomag on Instagram and watch all new episodes on HELLO! magazine's YouTube channel.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices