‘I DON’T SEE MYSELF AS A NATIONAL ICON’
heat speaks to the queen of daytime TV
Mr Motivator kept our hearts pumping on a weekday morning, but it was Trisha Goddard who had us begging our mums to let us pull a sickie, so we could watch her try and sort out some thrillingly sticky situations. From 1998 onwards, the now-64 year old was the UK’S answer to Oprah Winfrey-meets-jerry Springer, hosting her eponymous chat show and shining a light on some, ahem, interesting people along the way. She’s since made a name for herself in the States, but next month, she’s back on Channel 5, hosting the revamped version of another iconic show, You Are What You Eat. Speaking to heat, the legendary lady tells all…
How does it feel to be such a national icon? It’s interesting. I never actually see it like that. I just love doing what I do. I always say to young people who say they want to be famous, “What is your passion? Go and do that.” How do you look back at your time on the UK version of your talk show? There’s a lot that I wouldn’t do in the same way today – times have moved on. But the thing I’m most proud of is how we recruited people. We took people from wide backgrounds, which absolutely reflected the people we had on screen. I wanted people who had travelled the most and were the most diverse. That in itself was groundbreaking at the time.
‘I LOVE PEOPLE’S STORIES’
Do you still get people coming up and telling you their life stories? Oh yeah, every day! But that’s because of the questions I ask. I just love hearing people’s stories. But I have no time for overprivileged people.
What drew you to You Are What You Eat?
It brings together the elements of TV that I like. It’s informative, it tells real stories, it’s about being with people and helping them help themselves. Has Gillian Mckeith offered you any advice? No, this is a totally different show with a totally different ethos. It’s all about the mind, body and soul. You don’t fix anyone’s body without starting with the mind. But we do still have the poo analysis! ■
You Are What You Eat begins 5 January, Channel 5, 8pm