Jan and Feb 2018

Hello lovelies

I am so late writing this – thanks to being busy – that we have gone from a bitter cold and properly looong winter to a sudden heatwave, so I am now struggling to remember those early months of this year. But I’ll do my best to have a bit of a catch up…

I am always curious looking back on the same time last year and seeing how my job evolves. It’s not necessarily always me choosing to take my work in another direction, more that I simply respond to it happening. Though in this case, I am trying – and doing OK – to pursue more of a TV career behind the scenes, rather than simply being on it. It seems more of a challenge while also being less unpredictable – my TV appearances are often news reactive, so it’s either a call late on evening for the following morning or a call at lunchtime to go on in the evening. And just sometimes it’s so near the wire, that the call to appear only just works in terms of getting to a TV studio in time! And for those who follow me on Twitter and read my meanderings, you’ll know how much I HATE winter (and a SAD sufferer) so very unlikely to be camera ready or willing at a moment’s notice 😉

So, I’ve done a fair bit of TV recently including C5 NewsSky News and Good Morning Britain, but also a lot more psych assessments for reality TV, which I love.

I am also very happy on the radio (and very possibly have a face for it!) so have pretty regular slots on Talk RadioBBC Radio LondonRadio 5 Live and Heart Radio – talking everything from dating (always a winner in Jan/Feb!) to Trump’s mental state (not good…), phone hacking, bearing grudges and micro cheating. I love that news radio, which can’t rely on music, just current affairs/topical subjects is really flourishing right now. It attracts some really high profile presenters like Eamonn Holmes and makes my job that much more interesting.

But in spite of that, I am still writing a lot of psych observations of celebrities for magazines and newspapers, so I need to keep a handle on what’s going on in la-la land. I’ve written about Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan – becoming regulars now – for Reveal and also about Scarlett Moffatt, Cheryl and Liam (another constant topic of speculation and interest) for them, as well as my regular musings for New! which in the past few weeks have included Lauren Goodger promoting supplements to lose weight, Coleen Nolan’s marriage issues, the problems that Ant McPartlin is currently going through and numerous comments on Kim Kardashian and how she and Kanye are airbrushing their new baby out of their celebrity life. In fact this maybe the first time I haven’t written about Katie Price in the 10+ years I have been doing this job!

I’ve written a lot for The Sun recently, an open letter to Cheryl and Liam and how a tidy bedroom is good for your sex life. It’s not everyone’s paper of choice I know, but for some curious reason the red tops always pay better than the broadsheets. In fact some broadsheets pay nothing at all, apparently I am supposed to work for the ‘honour’ of writing for them… Hmmm.

I’ve also written for the Daily Express on how to spot a cheater and why the French don’t embrace the #MeToo movement, as well as the Daily Mail on playing hard to get as a dating strategy – not necessarily a good thing these days and the Guardian on how it’s more likely that we find it easier to end a relationship with a person than a bank.

Other than that and a few comments for Elle and Style, it’s always a busy time for coaching – both singles and couples seem to struggle in the early part of the year. But given that we’re now some way through the year and I resolve to write my blogs on time, next time around, I wish you a (very) belated Happy New Year!

Much love

Jo
xx