GIOVANNA FLETCHER BRINGS YOU TOP TIPS AND INTERVIEWS WITH ROYAL AND CELEBRITY FRIENDS AHEAD OF THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR
GETTING FULL MARKS AS SHE JOINS TEAM HELLO!
Podcaster, author, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! queen of the castle and, of course, a mother of three with her McFly husband Tom: there is nobody better placed than Giovanna Fletcher to guest edit a Back to School special on hellomagazine.com – highlights of which we bring you on the following pages. Giovanna – mum to Buzz, seven, Buddy, five, and Max, two – has all bases covered as we look ahead to September, from tips on helping give your children the best start to school life to Sir Mo Farah’s advice on getting sporty and Nadiya Hussain’s guide to packing a healthy lunchbox, as well as emotive interviews with stars and royalty, including The One Show’s Alex Jones on her son starting school and Princess Beatrice on why dyslexia is “a gift”.
The star – who interviewed the Duchess of Cambridge for her Happy Mum, Happy Baby
podcast and described her as “absolutely amazing” – has also taken part in an exclusive photoshoot and interview herself…
Giovanna, how have you found the whole guestediting experience?
“It’s been great fun. When we were having our first meeting on Zoom back in July, I almost thought I was in some sort of drama or sitcom, where I was pretending to be an editor for a day on Ugly Betty or something…
“I’m working with a team whom I’ve worked with over the years so it’s interesting to see this side of it and all the work that goes into it. And the Back to School issue is obviously very me!
“Whether as a mum or even as a woman, I feel like that time of year there’s a shift in all of us and that’s just something that sticks from childhood.”
You went to the Sylvia Young Theatre School when you were 13. Did you always know that you wanted to go to a performing arts school?
“No, not at all. When I was younger, I didn’t have a really good time at school. I was bullied and then we moved. And it was only through that move that I discovered I really loved singing and acting. So I joined a local amateur dramatics group and I loved doing that.
“I saw Sylvia on [BBC children’s TV show] Live & Kicking one day and there was a little strapline across the bottom saying how to order a prospectus. And so I phoned up and asked for a prospectus; it told you about the scholarships, so I applied for one…
“After the audition, I didn’t get the scholarship. But then a couple of weeks later, Sylvia got in touch and said: ‘How about this deal?’ It was kind of half and half. And so I jumped at the chance, and it was the best thing ever.
“It was a very different school experience when you’re going somewhere where everyone’s got the same passion and it’s not done in a competitive way. It’s just done in a celebration of all things… theatre, really.”
‘I didn’t have a good time at school. I was bullied and then we moved. And it was only through that move that I discovered I loved singing and acting’
You and your husband Tom met at Sylvia’s. What were you both like as pupils?
“I mean, I was the ultimate swot. Tom was super intelligent and loved his science but he was also amazing at art – which is interesting when you’ve got that creativity but you also love the sciences. I loved seeing his artwork.
“We had to do a piece together for GCSE and I remember that being a lot of fun;
we’ve got it somewhere upstairs at home. It was a bit dark, though. The theme was ‘ Inside’, and we decided to go inside someone’s mind and we covered some pretty big topics within that piece.”
You mentioned you were bullied before Sylvia Young. Is that something you worry about for your own sons?
“The conversation around bullying has moved on a lot since I was a kid. I think back then it was a case of: ‘Oh, it’s not happening. It’s just kids being kids.’ And actually, we all know that kids can be quite mean to each other. And we know that because we see how kids are affected and what that can lead to. So we know it’s a very serious thing.
“When I talk to my kids about their day, one of the things I ask is: ‘Who did you play with? Did you have fun? What games did you play?’ And I can remember one time Buzz saying to me: ‘I didn’t play with anyone.’ And I was thinking: ‘Why? Why didn’t you play with anyone?’
“So I ended up ringing the school and they said he was absolutely fine. He’d been playing with everyone. He clearly just couldn’t be bothered to talk to me!
“I do think it’s about keeping that dialogue open with them… I can remember my mum marching down to the school a few times and I’m so glad she did. Because it’s so important that someone is listening to you, validating how you feel and letting you know that it’s not appropriate, it’s not on. So maybe I’ll be that marching mum.”
‘When I talk to my kids about their day, I ask: “Who did you play with?”’
Before you had kids, did you have any ideas of what kind of mum you’d be and did you fulfil those expectations?
“I thought I would be Maria from The Sound of Music mixed with Mary Poppins mixed with the Oxo mum from the adverts, because she made the family. I just thought she was great! But I don’t think I am.
“When I grew up, my mum was at home most of the time, and that was what I always thought I would do. And then I became a mum just as my writing career was taking off, so that didn’t happen. And I don’t regret that at all.
“So for me, I feel like I juggle more than I thought I would, in terms of family and work life. But in many ways, it’s so much better than I thought it would be. I mean, when it’s stressful, it’s super stressful and it’s loud and it’s chaotic, but I think it’s a case of embracing all of that craziness.”
What’s the best thing about being a mum?
“The best thing is when you can block everything else out and just be fully with your kids. Everyone knows kids are most engaged when you can give them your whole self. Seeing them laugh with each other, with you, the cuddles, the love.
“Sometimes it’s a simple thing, like someone putting their hands in yours. It’s just that love, there’s nothing quite like it.”
Like many families, your sons will have spent pretty much all of lockdown
together. Have they grown closer over the past year and a half?
“Absolutely. Like any siblings and like myself and my brother and sister growing up, they argue. But there is this definite protectiveness between them. I’ve felt they’ve been so lucky to have each other.”
What are your lasting memories of Buzz and Buddy’s first days of school?
“I remember being really nervous and quite emotional because it feels like the end of something and the beginning of something else brand new. You are no longer part of their every single second. Someone else is now taking care of that role. You don’t know what they’re up to all the time, and just realising that that will be to age 18 and beyond.”
Describe your typical school run…
“I’m quite organised when it comes to getting the kids sorted in the morning. The night before, I will get everyone’s uniform out and lay them in piles, along with their shoes and their socks, and have their bags packed, because if they’ve got PE that day, they have a whole other kit.
“Their bags will be ready by the door so that when they come down about seven o’clock- ish, they have a quick breakfast and then they’ll grab their things. At the moment, we have to leave at eight o’clock so it’s quite a quick turnaround. If anyone lies in, they get toast thrown at them as they leave…
“I quite like the organisational parts of being a mum. There’s something quite nice about knowing that everything is in place, everything’s running smoothly. But there’s always the odd day where a water bottle or a snack gets forgotten. We’re only human.”
Is Tom just as organised?
“Oh yeah, he’s really good. And he has to be because if there are times when I’m not there, he’s on it. It’s definitely a joint team effort to get them all dressed in the morning. In fact, I’d say Tom probably does the school run more often than I do. But it is shared.”
What are your top back- to- school organisational tips for parents?
“Label everything! Either use stick-on labels or Stamptastic stamps, which are particularly great for any white-coloured items. It’s literally an ink pad with a stamp. It’s amazing. I feel like you’re calmer knowing that those things are done. It’s just one less stress.”
‘There’s always the odd day where a water bottle or a snack gets forgotten’