SIXTY SECONDS
THE FLYWEIGHT DOUBLE OLYMPIC CHAMPION, 38, ON RETIRING, FOOD POVERTY AND HER OWN BATTLES WITH ALLERGIES
Do you still have an urge to get in the boxing ring?
Nah! It’s completely gone. I felt really good when I retired [in 2019], I felt like I could start the next phase of my career, so it was exciting.
So it’s not too weird not competing in the Olympics in Tokyo this year?
No!
Who have you been enjoying watching?
All the fighters and the young skateboarder Sky Brown, who’s just got a bronze. She’s really good and our youngest ever Olympian at 13, so it’s been cool to sit back and watch her do her stuff.
She also got a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2019 and then fifth at the
X Games as well – she was awesome on that. You need to have a lot of confidence to be able to deal with that kind of pressure at such a young age.
There are no crowds at
Tokyo because of Covid. How would you have found that?
It wouldn’t have bothered me. I’m there to win – that’s all that matters! Having a crowd or no crowd, I know what I’m there to do.
It’s tough for some of the athletes being in a bubble without their families…
I feel like once you’re at the Olympics, you know what you’re there to do – you’re there to go and win medals, and regardless of who’s watching, this only comes around every four years – five years this time. So I don’t think many will have let the fact their family members aren’t there hold them back.
You became the first British woman to win a medal in boxing at the 2012 Games, then retained gold four years later. Can anyone really beat that?
It feels really good to be able to have done that but it might happen. Zou Shiming from China has won three Olympic gold medals in men’s boxing so who knows? And I don’t mind, I just want to see women’s boxing excel, regardless of whether somebody ends up going to three Olympics and winning three gold medals.
What’s been your most ‘pinch yourself’ moment so far?
The most fun thing I’ve done was The Crystal Maze. I’d watched the show and always wanted to be on it. Doing Strictly was really cool too.
I was allergic to anything processed. Having ADHD didn’t help with sweet stuff
How did you get involved with the Strong Roots Make Veg Poverty History mission?
I was shocked to find out that one in four families can’t afford all the food that they need, particularly fruit and veg. Something needs to be done. Food banks weren’t really designed to feed families day in and day out, they were meant for a stop gap when you’re struggling to get back on your feet. But as the pandemic’s gone along, it’s become worse and worse, so people are relying on them more.
How can people get involved?
We need more vegetables in the food banks and we all have a pack of frozen peas or vegetables sat there at the back of the freezer – people can give them to the food banks.
Did you have much veg in your diet growing up?
Yeah, because I suffered with a lot of allergies, everything had to be cooked from fresh. I’m allergic to nuts, and fish, and then, when I was really young, I was allergic to anything processed – my body just wouldn’t tolerate it. Having ADHD didn’t help with sweet stuff or processed food.
How did your diet change when you started boxing?
I found out a lot more about how important it is to have a healthy diet. I’d find if I had something really unhealthy and tried to train, I wouldn’t have the energy I needed. It was quite controlled too. We had a nutritionist who’d arrange our meals, which were delivered, so that was a little bit of a pressure taken off, not having to think about it. And because it’s a weight-controlled sport, you don’t always get enough food or as much as you’d like to eat!
So did you go a bit crazy when you retired?
Yeah, I just ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted because I didn’t have that control then. And I found myself in a place where I was like, hang on a minute, I don’t actually know how much I should be eating. It was
something I had to work on.
What were you most excited about being able to eat?
Ooh, cupcakes! I just had to find a balance. My relationship with food is really good now. I’ve learned how I can eat pretty much whatever I want while maintaining that balanced diet. I still work out once a day – it makes me feel good.
So what’s next?
Getting more into TV presenting and acting. I’d love to act in movies, that’s the main goal. I’d love to work with The Rock – he’s awesome.
For more on Make Veg Poverty History, visit makevegpovertyhistory.com