In the middle of perhaps the most autumnal summer, all eyes are on Australia and New Zealand – not Australia and New Zealand. just for a glimpse of the sun. THE Women’s World Cup was every bit as biting, teeth-grinding and voice-fatiguing as we had hoped. But if there’s one woman who’s kept us grounded through all of this, it’s Gabby Logan.
The veteran sports journalist presented coverage of the tournament for the BBC, covering every twist and turn with the commanding calm for which she is so known. But back on these shores, we couldn’t be more excited to have Gabby as our September cover star.
The 50-year-old is one of the industry’s most respected broadcasters, having worked at Sky and ITV before arriving at the BBC. But sport is not the only area in which she receives accolades. Since the launch of his podcast – The midpoint – Gabby has also become a powerful voice for a generation of women, destigmatizing the topics of menopause to male cancer.
In his interview — which you can read in full in the September issue of Women’s health – Gabby talks about her approach to fitness a few months after turning 50th birthday. A former competitive rhythmic gymnast, she’s no stranger to strength training, but even though her goals have changed, her commitment to feeling strong hasn’t.
“My abdominal muscles are probably stronger than they’ve ever been – or more noticeable than they’ve been – and I feel like (even though) I’m getting stronger and stronger… it There is one goal in my training, and that is to continue to be functional.
The Gabby we see on our screens exudes confidence. But describing her exposure to ambient sexism in her youth that saw her labeled “bossy” or “too assertive,” she tells us there were times when she felt she needed to tone down that confidence.
“There is a part of you that (historically) has been careful not to want to be too loud in the room, or to be the person who knows all the answers – even though, uh, I know the answer… There is so probably a period where you step back a little bit, and then (you think) actually, no: I feel confident about this, and I’m 50, and I’ve done a lot of different things that have made me brought to this stage.
Besides her refusal to downplay her own achievements, she also speaks out on the disparity between men and women on television today:
“There is hypocrisy. Sometimes I see a man and I say to myself: your female equivalent doesn’t exist on television… There is no woman who looks so disheveled… .and in a way I don’t think she should do it.either one or the other, because I always feel like with the TV I go into the living room of someone… I want to be respectful of that and put in a little effort. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to have those standards.
Gabby also told us how much she enjoyed getting away from broadcasting. As well as winning Sports Presenter of the Year four times and taking a spin on the Strictly dance floor, she’s been applauded for sharing her own struggles – and those of other midlife stars – on his podcast, The Mid Point. She told us she was excited to have the opportunity to speak to a new audience.
“I feel like I talk to more women now… Because (I’ve been) working out for so long, especially in my 30s, I think women were probably a little wary of me because I was always with men… I’m now able to have conversations that women listen to… it’s women who come up to me – or men who talk to me and say, “My wife loves your podcast,” and I’m just like, “Oh, that’s it.” really nice!’
Tackling the stigma of women’s health is a subject close to Gabby’s heart, not least because of the experience of one of her BBC colleagues, Naga Munchetty – who revealed on her BBC Radio 5 show Live earlier this year that she had been living with pain for decades because of adenomyosis, a disease that causes the lining of the uterus to become buried in the muscular wall.
“Every time I hear him talking to someone about (adenomyosis), I feel sick. It’s so horrible. I was really lucky to have really normal, light periods. I was unlucky to have unexplained infertility, but I was very lucky at that time in my life, because when you hear the kind of debilitating symptoms women had to endure – without getting a diagnosis …’
Her empathetic stance is perhaps shaped by the fact that Gabby has gone through dark times in her own life, from the death of her younger brother Daniel – who died suddenly of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a form of genetic heart disease, to age 15 – until his parents divorced. and her husband Kenny’s cancer diagnosis last year – all of which, she tells us, has made her “robust.”
But enduring life’s tough times has also shaped her health habits. She tells us how her father’s struggle with alcohol addiction impacted her relationship with alcohol. “When I was in my 30s, I was aware that drinking could become a habit that was much harder to break, and that’s what we call alcoholism…and after having that experience in my family, I guess I was more aware of how slippery that slope could be…” she told us, before adding. ‘If you have friends who respect alcohol, we can have a drink together and have a good evening, it’s a nice thing to do.
Extremely talented, extremely driven and passionate about uncovering some of the most misunderstood aspects of women’s health…if you’re looking for someone else to have a great evening with Gabby, you know where we stand.
