This is who I am. Take it or leave it. I love myself anyway
Naked Attraction presenter Anna Richardson talks to ABI JACKSON about post-pandemic body image and why her rescue dog is the love of her life
AFTER five years presenting Channel 4’s Naked Attraction, there’s not much that makes Anna Richardson blush.
“I am absolutely passionate about bodies,” declares Anna, 51. “I’m passionate about image, I am not embarrassed at all about nudity. I think it’s a conversation we need to embrace in this country.”
The Shropshire-born TV host and writer says working on the series has been “the greatest teacher” for her.
“On the surface, it can seem like a funny entertainment show, and it’s quirky and out there and there are lots of laughs to be had. But when you scratch the surface, it’s actually a factual entertainment show. It’s educational and it’s about supporting body positivity and identity and that’s the reason I do it.
“I’ve also been really taken aback by how embracing people are of their own bodies,” she adds. “It’s wonderful to see people being so accepting of themselves, and that goes across the range of fat, thin, disability, trans, the lot.”
Bottom line, the show demonstrates the power of showing up as we are. As Anna puts it: “This is who I am. Take it or leave it. And if you leave it, that’s fine, because I love myself anyway. I’ve found it hugely positive.”
Anna, who has previously talked about experiencing her own share of body-confidence struggles and fluctuating weight, admits she’s “very worried” about the impact the pandemic is having on these things.
“I think, what we are experiencing, not only with the pandemic, but an epidemic in terms of mental health, an epidemic in terms of how our emotional health affects our body image, currently we’re going in two split directions,” she reflects – explaining that on the one hand there’s increasing “concern around young people having eating disorders”.
At the other end of the scale, meanwhile, there are many people who might be “becoming quite unhealthy, because let’s face it, we’re lonely, we’re isolated, we’re not necessarily eating properly, we’re far more comfortable in our joggers and elasticated pants, sitting in front of Zoom where nobody can see you from the waist down. It’s not simple”, Anna adds. “We are in the middle of a very difficult time.”
In terms of her own wellbeing, it’s all about taking the physical and the emotional into account. “Your emotional health always affects your physical health,” says Anna, who is also a trained cognitive hypnotherapist and coruns online mental wellbeing resource Mindbox (mindbox.co.uk), which offers a range of programmes for things like stress and anxiety.
“So, first off, I would say be very, very aware of your emotional health. That then feeds into supporting our physical health.”
She is re-doing her qualification – “just out of interest, because I find psychology and the mind fascinating” – and has embraced these things in her own life too.
“I have regular psychotherapy so that I keep myself in tip-top form in terms of any triggers that come up, particularly over the pandemic. “I am also part of a meditation class online, which is again very stabilising in terms of keeping you present and as calm as possible in a mad world.
“I’m very interested in energy healing as well,” Anna adds. “It sounds mad, but I know a very good energy healer in London who is like a shaman really. I do a lot of work with her.”
The presenter, who was previously in a relationship with former Bake Off presenter and comedy star Sue Perkins (the couple reportedly split last summer after seven years together), splits her time between London and the Peak District, which provides lots of opportunity for getting out in nature and mixing up her fitness regime. “If I’m in London, I try to hit my three classes a week if I can. There’s a trainer who at 9am on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday gets a group of local mums and women together and, come hell or high water, rain or shine, he puts a class on in the local park, and we do an hour of HIIT training and weight training.
“I’ve started tennis lessons as well, with an amazing local female teacher, so I’m learning to properly play tennis. And if I’m in the Peak District, I’ve got a rescue dog called Tiggy and I’m a big fan of doing a lot of hill-walking and being outdoors as much as I possibly can. “I probably drink a little too much wine, I’m very conscious of my alcohol intake,” she admits, “so I’m using apps to try to track how much I’m drinking and how many steps and exercise I’m doing.
“One of the most important things I’ve discovered is my dog has just been the absolute love of my life, basically. She is my spiritual companion. She forces me to get up out of bed and walking, forces me to nurture,” says Anna. “And it’s true, having that holistic approach, the spiritual, the physical, the mental, is everything.”
(Naked Attraction) is actually a factual show. It’s educational and it’s about supporting body positivity and identity. That’s the reason I do it
Anna Richardson hosted the first ‘Currys Presents, Below the Belt’ to help men feel more confident when manscaping and remind them how to check their testicles while they’re at it. The event is available to watch on Currys’ YouTube channel