Kate Humble Why I don’t want kids
Kate Humble on coastal trail in new TV series IT’S GOOD TO WALK
KATE Humble spent last summer walking along the splendour of Britain’s coastlines, an experience which brought back plenty of warm childhood memories.
“The enduring appeal of the coast is enjoying those simple pleasures that we want our children and grandchildren to enjoy,” she says. “There is something about swimming in a wild place, whether it’s the sea, river or a lake, or a pond, that connects you with your childhood again.”
But even though the 52-year-old wants future generations to enjoy the beauty of our great outdoors, she’s never wanted her own kids. And the coronavirus pandemic has made her more certain of her lifelong conviction than ever.
“This sounds very apocalyptic, but we’re living in a world which is hugely unpredictable and if the last year has taught us anything, it’s taught us that,” she says. “And you really want to think, ‘Do I want to bring a child into this world?’ That is an entirely valid reason. The world’s population is going through the roof.”
Since she turned 40, the TV presenter, who is godmother to best mate Ben Fogle’s two children, has spoken out about the stigma she’s faced for not wanting kids, something she was sure of aged 14.
“If people want to have kids that is totally fine, but no one should feel that somehow they are inadequate or selfish – that’s something I’ve been called a lot – or just weird if they don’t want kids,” she says.
“To me it is just as sensible a decision to decide not to have them as it is to have them. No one has the right to tell any woman that she should have children.”
In her latest programme, Kate Humble’s Coastal Britain, she explores less familiar sections of our country’s coastline, discovering the remains of a millennia-old tribe in Exmoor, exploring a remarkable oyster farm in Suffolk, and learning how adders have colonised the rubble of 16th century factory ruins in Yorkshire.
The six-part series was filmed last summer during the window when lockdowns were eased – and the pandemic affected how she and the crew worked.
“It was me and a camera director and sound person on the road,” she says. “We couldn’t stay in hotels, we stayed in self-catering cottages. I had to make everyone packed lunches at 6am before we went out. We had a good system – we’d be up at six, I was on breakfast duty, then I’d make the packed lunches and we’d leave at 7am and film for 12 to 14 hours.
“It was a very long day! Not so glamorous, and lunch was either sitting in a hedge or in the car. But we all felt it was really important to celebrate what’s fantastic about our countryside and our coastal walks and just to think about something else other the pandemic.”
The power of walking and nature is something Kate benefits from every day.
Each morning she goes for a long walk in the countryside near her home in the stunning Welsh Wye Valley, often to watch the sun rise, and she uses the time to reflect on life.
“Very often I won’t have a phone or anything with me on a walk. People go, ‘Gosh really?’ But I grew up in an era when we didn’t have phones and we somehow all got through the day.
“You don’t have to be wedded to your phone all the time.
“It sounds silly to say that it is a very simple but miraculous way to make you feel better, but it really is.
“I’m not saying it’s the only answer to cure people suffering from mental health issues but it really, really helps. That’s been welldocumented for centuries actually, we just keep forgetting.”
When Kate was writing her book Thinking On My Feet, her father Nick was very unwell, and she credits walking with helping her slowly process the devastating realisation that her dad was dying.
“It’s very good at helping you get things into perspective and help you order your thoughts,” she says. “But it’s also a very therapeutic thing to do.
“When I was writing my dad was very ill and we knew he was going to die and I had to get my head around that.” Nick died aged 82 in 2019 and the grief is still understandably raw.
“There were days where I felt really sad,” she says through tears. “There are days when we all feel really sad and sometimes where we can’t deal with stuff and sometimes it can be big things and sometimes it can be really little things that really bother you.
“What I’ve found with walking is that if you want to have a really good cry, it’s a really good release.”
It’s also been a sad
time for Kate recently as her beloved rescue dog, Badger, one of three, died last week
She said: “We are unimaginably sad. But he taught us a very valu able lesson. If you give a dog – of any age, even one that has had a rough start in life – love, care, time and food, they will be the best friend you’ll ever have.”
Her rock through everything has been her husband, TV producer Ludo Graham, who she’s been married to for almost 30 years.
They left London city life
Spring is coming... we need that optimism
KATE HUMBLE ON LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Walking is very good at getting things into perspective
KATE HUMBLE LACES UP HER HIKING BOOTS
behind in 2007 to live on a working farm and have never been happier. So what’s their secret?
According to Kate, it’s all about the little things in life.
“I will never love my husband more than when I’ve been stuck in my office doing 100 interviews a day and just when I’m thinking I’m at the end of my tether, he’ll come in with a really big mug of tea,” she laughs. “Then I know I have married the right man! It’s the silly little things.
“When you’ve been together for a long time you can take each other for granted or forget that actually a little gesture, however small, can mean the world.
“We didn’t do Valentine’s cards, we’re way past that, but I made the tea. I drew a heart on a piece of paper and said ‘We all love you’ and put dog paw prints and my handprint. The key to a long relationship is to still be able to be silly together.”
They are both feeling optimistic about the future, as life on the farm is flourishing and spring is just around the corner.
Kate says: “Lambing is still happening, our pigs are about to farrow. It is really important for all of us to remember there are aspects of life that can carry on. Spring is coming... we need that optimism.”
■ Kate Humble’s Coastal Britain starts tonight at 8pm on Channel 5