BBC Radio 2 host Jo Whiley is the cover star of the June issue of Good Housekeeping. She opens up about about her recent vaccine campaign for those with disabilities, like her sister, who has the rare genetic syndrome Cri du Chat, why she loves being in her 50s, and why her relationship with her husband works so well.
On the campaign she started to prioritise vaccines for adults with learning difficulties, she says, "I remember watching breakfast TV and they were saying: ‘Everyone in care homes is being vaccinated’. I thought, ‘Hang on, Frances is in a care home – no they’re not.’
"When I contacted her GP, they just said, ‘She’s not in the right tier; we can’t do anything.’ I felt utterly powerless and angry, too. As the nightmare unfolded and Frances became ill, I had this rage inside me. I realised how people with disabilities had been neglected, because they don’t have a voice."
She also speaks about what drives her - last year she did three triathlons in three days for Sport Relief. "I do it because I like adventure and I don’t equate getting older with doing less," she explains. "I never want to be that person who’s doing less because of their age."
She also opens up about how empowered she feels caring less about what other people think - a stark change from how that would have felt years ago.
"I don’t really care what anyone thinks of me any more and it’s liberating," Jo explains. "When you’re younger, you’re so eaten up with worrying about what people think of you; it’s agonising. I see it with my own kids now and my message to them is always: it doesn’t matter. People are never judging you, all they’re doing is worrying about themselves."
Jo's been married to husband Steve since 1991, and credits the longevity of their relationship to them being a good team: "Because we’re so different; I’m quiet and calm and Steve’s loud and vivacious. I also now appreciate what a good team we are.
"When we were going through these horrific decisions with Frances, he was there, asking the right questions and helping my parents. I saw a strength in him that I’d never seen before."
Read the full interview with Jo Whiley in the June issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale now.
It's available in all supermarkets and online at MagsDirect
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