RUN.. DON’T WALK
From Blind Date contestant as a teenager to a GMTV and This Morning regular, telly host and author Falconer refuses to be pigeon-holed.. or to stand still
TV PRESENTER Jenni Falconer has revealed that she is terrified of change but admits writing her first book has been a “total joy”. The 48-year-old, who has worked on a host of shows including GMTV and This Morning, never imagined herself as an author but is delighted to have taken the plunge.
Jenni, who launched podcast RunPod in 2019, describes her writing debut Runner’s High as “the ultimate guide to finding your running groove” and hopes it will inspire others to put their trainers on.
The Smooth breakfast show host, who runs a collagen supplement business with hubby, former Coronation Street actor James Midgley, said: “My husband is actually very good as he encourages me to try new things. I’m quite terrified of change. I’m like – oh I don’t know, what if it doesn’t work? What if I make this change and it’s a disaster?
“If you’d asked me 10 years ago if I’d be running a business, turning over a lot of money and we’d have like, eight staff, I would never have believed you.
“And if you told me I’d have a podcast, and I’d have a book, I would never have believed you. So, I think sometimes you just have to try things.”
Runner’s High brings together everything Jenni has learned from her own experiences as a lifelong running aficionado and from speaking with various podcast guests over the years who include Gabby Logan and Gok Wan.
Part guide, part running memoir, it weaves in stories from other runners, covering training, kit, the devastation and learning curves of injuries and everything in-between.
Jenni, who is mum to Ella Rose, 12, says her ultimate goal was to showcase the reward that comes from pulling on your trainers and getting out there, whether it’s a pavement plod once a week or chasing Pbs in a marathon.
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he Glaswegian, who will run a ninth London Marathon in April, said: “The minute I tell anyone I’ve done a book, they’re like, ‘Is it about running?’ I’m like, ‘How did you know?’
“Wherever you go, you take your kit and find a window, you just see running opportunities everywhere. I’ve always tried to run my commute home, whether from GMTV or This Morning, or now the radio.”
Jenni, who grew up in Milngavie and bishopbriggs, wanted the book to feel inclusive and appeal to all runners regardless of their pace or their distances.
The Leeds University graduate said: “That was key to me. When I first had meetings with the publishers, I said, ‘you have to realise I’ve created a podcast that is wholly inclusive’.
“I want to chat to people who are olympians who’ve won golds for running, but I also want to chat to people who hate running – who’ve just started, aren’t enjoying it, but some for some reason keep coming back.
“because running is so beneficial to so many, and there are so many joys to it, and there are also moments when everyone hates it. but it doesn’t matter whether you are a newbie, a rubbish runner but you give it your best shot, or at the top of your game, there is something in it for everyone.”
Jenni, who has aired more than 350 episodes of her podcast, added: “There is a lot of fear of failure which can often hold us back from doing things, in case we’re not good at them.
“I wanted to do a book that reminded
You see running opportunities everywhere. i’ve always tried to run my commute home JENNI FALCONER ON HER LOVE FOR RUNNING
people it doesn’t matter, because the only person you’re competing against is yourself.”
Superfit Jenni, who hasn’t eaten crisps or chocolate in more than 34 years, is delighted to be able to combine her work and pastime. She said: “People always say, if you can turn your passion into your work, you’re winning. I never once thought running could be something I’d do in a work capacity, it’s just something I’ve always done.
“A lot of people go to the gym and feel good, or go for a swim, some people go for a walk. Some people write journals, some people meditate. My meditation is running.”
Jenni, who started work as a TV presenter after appearing on Blind Date at 18, grabs every opportunity and refuses to be pigeon-holed.
The presenter, whose big break came when she landed the gig of co-host of GMTV’s Entertainment Today from its launch in 2000 until its end in July 2008, said: “If you have an opportunity, then go for it because you never know how many opportunities you’re going to have.
“When I started, I was doing an action-adrenaline sports show on BBC Scotland, but I’d come from Blind Date and people were like, ‘Oh no, you’re the Blind Date contestant, not interested’. Eventually, I earned a reputation as a presenter but was then only known for the programme I’d just done.
“I went on to do documentaries and consumer shows, then travel and lighthearted things and they went, ‘Oh, you’re a bit serious for this’.
“Eventually they gave me a shot, and I got known for travel. Honestly. You’re only known for your last show! I have no problem being known for doing something but everyone’s capable of doing so much more. That’s why I’ve written a book.” ●Runner’s High: How To Squeeze The Joy From Every Step by Jenni Falconer, by Orion Spring, £16.99. Available now.