00:00Hi everyone. So we are here with Gemma Atkinson. If we look a bit shiny, glossy, glossy we'll go with,
00:08it's because we've just completed an amazing 45 minute dance class with the wonderful Cassius. Great.
00:14It's a good job you can't smell us because I'm plonging right now. It was a proper good workout.
00:18I've had five minutes to do a quick change and top the makeup up. We're here because it's really exciting.
00:23It's launch day for Gemma for your new fitness collection.
00:27So tell us about that. When did it first come about?
00:30Basically, it was a couple of years ago. I mean, I'm in a very fortunate position in my job.
00:35A lot of people used to send me sports gear and say, please, can you put this on your Instagram
00:39and we'll send you some stuff, which is a lovely position to be in.
00:42But a lot of the time I was sent things that I wouldn't necessarily wear or I wasn't comfortable in.
00:47And I'm very wary about, you know, promoting things that I don't do myself.
00:53So I said to my agent, rather than do that, why don't we just do our own range?
00:57I said, that way it's stuff that I'll definitely wear, stuff that I'm comfortable with.
01:00And with me having a genuine passion for fitness, I saw it as a little project to get working on.
01:07So that was a few years ago. We had the discussion and slowly but surely we've got today we've teamed
01:12up with merch and it is only the first one.
01:14So it's very simple. It's nothing too extravagant at all.
01:18It's high-waisted leggings, crop tops, hoodies, tracky bottoms, yoga mats, things like that.
01:23But I'm really, really proud of it. Really proud.
01:26And although a lot of people will know you as an actress or a presenter, and of course from Strictly,
01:32your fitness journey has been well documented.
01:35Did you have pet peeves with certain exercise clothing that you were kind of keeping your eye out for when
01:42you were designing or testing the range?
01:44Yeah, I was very aware a lot of girls don't want leggings that go see-through when you're squatting.
01:49So that was a must for me.
01:51With regards to sweating and stuff, I think you sweat in every material.
01:54I tried leggings that were over £100 and I had sweats in them.
01:59I tried leggings that were £11 and I had sweats in them.
02:02So I was like, OK, that's fine.
02:04But it was just something to feel comfortable in.
02:07I wanted women to feel not out of place in gym gear.
02:11I like high-waisted leggings because I feel more support when I'm wearing them.
02:15Obviously these tops I like. It's a crop but it's a high neck because I've got a bust.
02:21Hopefully the next step forward with this is we've not done sports bras in the range because we've done crop
02:28tops.
02:28But the sports bra is so, it sounds ridiculous, but it's so technical to get a right sports bra with
02:33the clasps and the cups.
02:35And that's something that I do struggle with.
02:36So hopefully the next step in the next six, seven months or so will be to work on a proper
02:41sports bra so women of a certain size bust feel comfortable.
02:46And feeling comfortable is really important.
02:48But also, when it comes to gym gear, a lot of people don't want to spend loads and loads of
02:52money on what they are going to sweat through.
02:54But it is important, isn't it, in terms of getting your head in the game.
02:57I feel so much more motivated when I'm not, you know, hiding my face from the mirror before I go
03:02to the gym.
03:03I want to feel good. Is that important to you as well?
03:05Yeah, I think if you feel good on the inside, you're going to look good on the outside.
03:09That's the most important thing.
03:11And, you know, there's some days where, you know, there's times of the month I just want to be in
03:14baggy jumpers and baggy joggers.
03:17And it just kind of demotivates you a bit.
03:19You're like, you feel sluggish.
03:20So I think if you can wear something that, you know, tucks your waist in, lifts your bum a bit,
03:25kind of gives you a nice kind of feel, it doesn't motivate you a lot more to go out and
03:30do something.
03:31You know, I always say if everyone can do just like 10, 15 minutes a day, either a good stretch
03:36or some jumping jacks, skipping, just something, it does mentally make you feel a lot better.
03:42And it's really nice that you've already talked about encouraging women and being sort of positive about going to the
03:48gym.
03:48And you've handled really well the kind of unwelcome criticism from certain trolls and stuff online.
03:54But how in your experience have you been able to kind of team up with other friends or women to
03:59kind of meet each other to stay positive about exercise rather than competitive or negative comparison?
04:05I think for me, the main focus has always been your health as opposed to what you look like in
04:10a bikini.
04:10And I think that's where, that's what I've loved.
04:13I like women kind of like, you know, Alicia Moore, the singer Pink, who go for health and strength over
04:20just looking a certain size.
04:22I'm 5'9", I'm broad-shouldered, so I'm never going to be a size 8.
04:26I won't get my thigh in a size 8.
04:29So to stop trying to do that was so kind of refreshing.
04:32It was just a case of, if I work with what I've got and be the best version of me,
04:37it won't be to everyone's liking.
04:38But I know I can run up five flights of stairs without getting out of breath.
04:42I know I can deadlift 70 plus kilograms.
04:45I know I can bench press.
04:47I know I can physically do things with my body.
04:50And that for me was a lot more important than just looking a certain way.
04:53So I think more girls who do that, they're the women who inspire me, women who go for personal bests
05:00in the gym as opposed to a number on the scale.
05:02For your best self, really.
05:03Yeah, because, you know, like you said, we're never going to look the same ever.
05:07We're completely different heights, shapes, everything.
05:09So, yes, doing it for yourself is really important.
05:12So today has been so much fun.
05:13Lots of dancing, like high-energy Beyonce stuff.
05:17But what's your normal training regime?
05:19I do five days a week and I do three weight training days and two cardio days.
05:25No more than an hour, 45 minutes to an hour max.
05:28I have a trainer at Ultimate Performance, Evil Steve, and he's great.
05:33He doesn't sound it by his name, but he is a great trainer.
05:35And it's lots of kind of compound movement, so heavy lifts.
05:39It sounds very hard, but it's not.
05:41And we work in a superset fashion.
05:44So there's very little rest, but you just get it done, smash it out.
05:47And cardio-wise, I love doing the Stairmaster.
05:51I love doing that in the morning, just 20 minutes or a bike.
05:55I love the Watt bike.
05:56And then if it's a nice day, like yesterday it was lovely,
05:59and I said to Gorks, I don't want to go to the gym today.
06:02Let's take the dogs for a power walk instead.
06:04So we did an hour around the park with the dogs.
06:07That's so nice that it's not from a place of guilt or thinking,
06:10oh, I have to go today.
06:10I'm beating myself up because I didn't go.
06:12Sun shining, change up the routine.
06:14It's lovely to have Gorka here today.
06:16Our readers have obviously followed your relationship since the beginning.
06:21And I think part of it was because for a while it was will they, won't they?
06:24But now you seem really happy to kind of share with everyone how in love you are.
06:28Yeah, it's lovely.
06:29It's kind of like, it's the first relationship I've had
06:32whereby we were friends for a good while first.
06:34Like I've always been set up on a date or met someone and dated.
06:39With Gorks, it was a case of we knew each other for six months.
06:43And I kind of got to know him through his friends.
06:45You know, I was spending most of my time with Ali Ash, who knew him.
06:48So it's kind of been a very, very slow burner.
06:51And I think that's why it's so nice.
06:52I get to literally hang out with my best mate every day.
06:55It's great.
06:56So nice that you call him Gorks.
06:57And it sounds, I mean, in my Somerset accent, it sounds terrible.
07:00But in your northern accent, it sounds really cute.
07:02Does he have a nickname for you?
07:03He doesn't.
07:04He just calls, I love the way he says it.
07:06He goes, Jim Ma.
07:07Jim Ma.
07:09But no, I've already called him Gorks since day one, I think.
07:12I felt a bit silly saying Gorker.
07:13So it's just like, all right, Gorks, nice to meet you.
07:15I'm Gemma.
07:16And it just stuck.
07:18You didn't worry about sort of friendzoning each other by being too pally?
07:21That's normally my mistake.
07:23And when I told my girlfriends that I liked him,
07:25my best mate, Laura, said, don't call him mate, whatever you do.
07:28Because I call everyone mate.
07:29It's a Mancunian thing.
07:30I was just like, do not call him mate.
07:32Just call him his name.
07:33I was like, right.
07:33So every time I saw him, I go, hi, Gorks.
07:36Not I, mate.
07:36That was my instruction from my best mate.
07:39Well, today is about you.
07:40And we're really, really excited.
07:41And congratulations on the launch.
07:43And where is next for you?
07:44You've got so many strings to your bow.
07:46Is it fitness, fitness, fitness at the moment?
07:48Where's next?
07:49Well, I'm with the radio still, with the Hits Radio,
07:53with myself, Gethin, and Dave.
07:55And that's gone national, as of yesterday.
07:57We've got another big announcement, but it's embargoed till Saturday.
08:00No.
08:01But there's a lot more from the GA brand, so to speak.
08:04This year has just been incredible.
08:06And this is just the start of it.
08:08As I say, we want to do the sports bra.
08:10On Saturday, I'm just going to be jumping from the rooftops.
08:13So can we call you on Saturday?
08:15Yes.
08:15We'll catch up with Gemma then.
08:16We can catch up then.
08:18But I'm going to be very, very busy until Christmas,
08:20but in a very good way.
08:21So I'm very lucky.
08:22I'm very grateful.
08:22And people can follow the range on Instagram and where else?
08:25Yes, Instagram.
08:26It'll be online on merch.
08:28On my page, I'll be posting things.
08:30And it's gemmaatkinson.co.uk.
08:33Perfect.
08:34OK, thank you so much.
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