Gaby Roslin: "I'm Back On Live Breakfast TV!"

Gaby Roslin: "I'm Back On Live Breakfast TV!"
AP

Gaby Roslin, 50, has been a fixture of TV and radio since she first caught the nation's eye on The Big Breakfast back in the 90s. She currently presents the National Lottery live draw on Saturday nights, as well as hosting her own radio show every Sunday afternoon on BBC Radio London.

She lives with her husband, David Osmon, and two daughters - Libbi-Jack, 13, and eight-year-old Amelie.

You've got some exciting news for us, haven't you?

I'm standing in for Lorraine Kelly this week! (16 - 21 February) I'm utterly delighted and very honoured. She's the undisputed queen of daytime shows.

Did it come as a surprise to be approached?

I've done bits and pieces on Good Morning, Britain, but when they asked me I was amazed! Absolutely delighted. I adore Lorraine, she's fabulous.

What are you most looking forward to?

Live television. I love it - I do it every Saturday night on the Lottery and live radio on a Sunday on BBC Radio London 94.9.

Who's been your favourite ever guest?

Well, over 28 years it's impossible to choose a favourite... Billy Crystal, Tom Hanks, Sean Connery. And Julianne Moore, just the other day. She was so amazing, and a really good person.

And have you ever been star-struck?

Oh, many times! With Julianne Moore, I really was. I came out and phoned my husband and was like: 'I really hope I did an okay interview, I was just so excited to meet her!'.

You've had an incredibly varied career - TV, stage, radio. What's been your favourite experience?

Television. I really love doing my radio show, but we do a television show on the radio. I eat, sleep, think, adore it... It was first love and it still is. I get fed up with people saying the golden age is over - it's not. I absolutely love it!

And is there anything you've yet to do, professionally, that's still on your wishlist?

I'd like to be doing live television every day again. And another Saturday night entertainment show - we're looking at something, it's just bubbling under at the moment...

Intriguing! You've got two daughters - how have you managed to maintain a high public profile while starting a family?

I've been in the business for 28 years, and I've known what I wanted to do since I was three. So as far as I'm concerned, it's a job. It's not about the glitz and glamour, because there is none. I hate the word 'celebrity'. I think of myself as a working mum.

I do the school run every day. My mum died many years ago and I don't have help - I just get on with it! You ring up friends and say: "Hello! Can you take the kids..." wherever it is.

When I was doing breakfast, I didn't take them in in the mornings, but I'd pick them up. And I think it's really important that the kids see that I work. I've got two girls and I want them to go and work. I'm not knocking a stay-at-home mum at all - major respect - but my choice is to go out to work.

Have either of them got an idea of what they want to do when they grow up?

They know exactly what they want to do! LJ, my oldest, wants to be a primary school teacher, and she's known that since she was three. She amazing with little kids. And my youngest, who's eight, wants to be in musical theatre. She's exactly as I was - she knows every word to every musical.

Would you support a performing career or would you have reservations?

They can do whatever they want, as long as they don't become paparazzi photographers!

Your eldest is 13 now - how are you finding the teen years?

It's incredible that you flip a light switch and they go from being little to grown-ups. She's the most amazing big sister and the most amazing daughter.

Is there a lot of sibling rivalry, or do they get along?

They are inseparable. My oldest comes from my first marriage, and when she goes to stay with her dad on Friday her little sister misses her. She phones her in the evening, even though they've been at school together, and she phones in the morning to see if she slept okay. When she gets home, Amelie's the first to run to the door. Long may it continue!

We recently saw you on our screens on Get Your Act Together, trying something a bit new by learning extreme juggling. What are your usual hobbies?

The gym. That's my passion, after television. I do pilates - I love walking, but I just don't have time at the moment!

You've acted in several stage productions, too. Coming from a live TV background, did you enjoy live theatre?

I think it was always in me. That flame was burning, because I trained at GSA (Guildford School of Acting). I always said I wanted to be in a musical where I didn't have to dance, just do a belting number - so being Mama Morton in the West End musical of Chicago was extraordinary.

Would you go back to the stage?

No. It was great fun, and it was something I needed to do. I was doing television at the same time, so it was hard - when I was in Chicago, I was doing the Terry and Gaby Show. It was an amazing time, but I've done it now. There's no flame anymore.

Where do you get the energy?

I eat healthily. You've got to have a little bit of what you fancy, but so much is about what you put in. And taking the right supplements, like Perfect7. I swear by the recipes on Honestly Healthy by Natasha Corrett.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Follow your dreams and don't hurt anybody. That's what my parents said to me, and that's what I say to my kids.

Gaby is currently working to promote Perfect7 by Seven Seas. What's your attitude to age? Take the test at www.perfect7.co.uk.

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