Nadia Sawalha
What was Christmas like, growing up? Magical. The stocking was everything because you really felt Santa had touched it. Mum would put glitter in there to show the fairies had been, too – it was very imaginative! Mum’s a great cook, so we’d have a fabulous Christmas dinner.
Your dad is Jordanian, do you have any non-British traditions?
Dad, to this day, comes downstairs and goes, ‘Oh, is it today?’ He has no concept of Christmas! So, it’s strange being married to a man who’s so into it. Mark had quite a poor upbringing, and has this embedded fear there won’t be enough for the kids.
What’s your favourite thing about this time of year?
Watching a box set and playing charades. We had Retro Week on Loose Women recently, and it whetted my appetite for old shows like Only Fools And Horses! We don’t get sloshed – Mark is in recovery, as is his mum. But I’m obsessed with my Baileys Irish Cream.
Your mum, Betty, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s earlier this year. Will the mood be different this Christmas?
Not at all. Mum takes it all in her stride. She always says, ‘Life will get me before Parkinson’s does.’ She’s so easy-going. She’s in the early stages, so the doctors aren’t prescribing medicine yet. Mum’s fabulous, so this Christmas, it’s business as usual.
What’s Christmas Day looking like?
A huge family affair. I’m desperate to go away, but because my eldest, Maddy, 15, was born on Christmas Day, she chooses – and she always wants to be home! When I was younger, we rented a house in Cornwall, but the girls are having none of it.
You go all out with decorations, don’t you?
Oh, yes. I didn’t have lights outside last year so, before the kids get too grown-up, I want a jumping Rudolph and a Santa climbing through the window. I want tacky!
Any plans with the Loose Women?
A big Christmas party for sure, and we’re currently trying to organise a little trip to the Scilly Isles for next Easter. We’ll just rent a cottage. Kelly Brook went, and said it was one of the most beautiful places she’s ever been to!