I LIVE IN YOGA LEGGINGS
Television presenter-turned-jewellery designer Kate Thornton talks to KATIE WRIGHT about what she’s been wearing in lockdown and finding a new passion
Thinking about the ups and downs of lockdown life, Kate Thornton is counting her blessings.
“You watch the news and think ‘I’m not a nurse, I’m not a doctor, I’ve got nothing to complain about’,” the 48-year-old tells me on the phone from her home in South London, where she lives with son Ben, aged 12. “Those guys, I mean they must be on their knees by now, it’s remarkable.” The TV presenter and podcast host, who was born in Cheltenham, says she’s taken heart from the many positive stories that have emerged during these dark days.
“We’re seeing people be kind, generous, passionate. I think we’re seeing a lot of the best of people in the worst of times.” Kate says she’s been lucky to be able to continue with a variety of work projects during the pandemic. “I can join TV shows remotely. I can do the podcast from home, I can design jewellery from home.” Jewellery design is a string she added to her bow back in 2019 when Maxine Becker, founder of Bibi
Bijoux approached her about collaborating.
“It was a very modern romance – it started on Instagram,” Kate smiles. At first, she was reluctant, but after being persuaded to visit the design studio, found she loved the creative process.
“I realised I do have a passion for this and it’s really nice to discover that you can do something you didn’t think you could at this stage in your life.” And she’s thrilled about how the collections, which focus on gold and silver-toned pieces with diamante embellishments, have been received by consumers and fellow celebrities alike.
“I just did the podcast with
Susannah Constantine and I was dreading her response to my range. I was thinking ‘Oh no, she’s really fashion’, but she was so kind. I felt like I’d been given a merit certificate!” As for her own shopping habits during lockdown, Kate says: “I got a couple of tracksuits, that’s it. And the rest of the time, I live in this brand called Yoga Leggs. They do great sports leggings.” Admitting exercise has been “a bit of a lifesaver”, she adds of lockdown: “I thought, I’m either going to come out of this like a human bottle of wine or I’m going to get fit, and I went with the fit route.” Working out with a trainer and a group of friends online five days a week for nearly a year, she says: “I’ve never been fitter.”
The only time she’s got glammed up in recent months has been while filming a series about the royal family called The Royal Beat.
“For that, I get to go into the studio, dress up and wear clothes and underwear and heels and make-up, and it feels really weird and really exciting. “It’s a bit like stepping through the door into Narnia.” She is excited about the thought of dressing up in real life when lockdown is over, but most of all, she’s looking forward to “being with people in a way that is free and easy, where you can touch and hug. And maybe jump on a plane and go somewhere nice. “I don’t think I have big ambitions beyond that. It’s just, ‘please can we go back to something like our old life?’ “The idea of having a house full of people and the table overspilling with food that I haven’t cooked just seems like a dream right now.”