‘A smile can transform the way you feel – and how others feel, too’

ITV News presenter and Loose Women anchor Charlene White on the fun of planting seeds and the power of spreading positivity Connecting with people has been vital to finding joy recently.

It’s no secret that Covid disproportionately impacts ethnic minorities, and I’ve seen that first-hand; my aunt died from it early on and almost every day I hear from friends who have been affected by it. It’s been hard, but sharing fun stories and videos with my brother and sister, and forming unexpected friendships with neighbours, has peppered the past year with some lovely moments. We have a road Whatsapp group and we all raised a glass in the middle of the street over Christmas. I’ve even done Pilates on the common with a lovely woman who lives nearby! All this has reaffirmed the idea of community for me and how important it is in moments of great stress.

Planting seeds has generated a lot of happiness at home.

During the first lockdown, a neighbour dropped some sunflower seeds round to all the families in our street, so we could see how big everyone’s grew. My elder son, Alfie, got really involved in the planting process, and it was wonderful seeing him so excited to see how big they were every day. Ours grew about four times bigger than anybody else’s, and everyone kept saying, ‘What on earth did you feed them?’ It was hilarious.

I turned 40 in lockdown and, while I didn’t get the big party I’d hoped for, I felt positive about it. With age, I’ve become much more sure of myself, I’m enjoying life a bit more. I remember turning 30 and being in floods of tears because I felt like I wasn’t where I thought

I’d be by then – married with a ton of kids. My best mate took me to the pub and got me very drunk!

I soon realised, of course, that life can change very quickly; I met my partner when I was 35 and now we live together and have two kids.

I try to spread a bit of positive energy wherever I go.

We’re all having different struggles at the moment, whether it’s supporting family or homeschooling, and some days going into an office can feel like a lot. So I say to my team, ‘We can smile our way through it, it’s going to be fine.’ Smiling is such a simple act that doesn’t just transform the way you feel, but also how others feel, too. It can completely change a day.

I’m thrilled to have joined Loose Women as an anchor.

I love a chinwag more than anything and, for me, that’s essentially what the job is! When I found out I’d got it, my partner and I celebrated with a bottle of bubbly, but I think the real celebration will happen when

I can be around people.

Charlene is on Loose Women on weekdays at 12:30pm on ITV; follow her on Twitter and Instagram @Charlenewhite

I love a chinwag more than anything