Begin Again with Davina McCall

What happens when you stop seeing your hardest tests as failures and begin to see them as a life well lived?

In this episode of Begin Again, Gary Lineker joins Davina McCall for a deeply personal conversation about fatherhood, relationships, football, leaving the BBC and learning to embrace change.

Gary opens up about the terrifying moment his son George was diagnosed with leukaemia at just six weeks old, the fear his family lived with during seven months at Great Ormond Street Hospital, and why they “could never relax” even after returning home.

He also reflects on his two marriages and challenges the idea that divorce means failure. Gary reveals why he considers both marriages a success, how he has remained close to his ex-wives, and why, after years of being single, he has become comfortable with his own company, while remaining open to finding love again.

After 30 years at the BBC and 25 years presenting Match of the Day, Gary shares what it feels like to step into a new chapter, why life outside the BBC means no longer “treading on eggshells”, and how he built Goalhanger into a hugely successful podcast business.

From his father quietly believing in his football talent to becoming a dad himself, this is a warm and moving conversation about family, divorce, love, resilience, career change and finding the courage to begin again.

🌟Like, comment and subscribe for more honest conversations about purpose, resilience, love, loss and beginning again.

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(00:00) Intro

(01:28) Gary’s Latest TV Show

(05:35) How Gary Built Goalhanger From the Ground Up

(10:56) Gary’s Son George’s Battle With Leukemia

(18:35) Monzo GBL Ad

(20:06) How Gary’s Childhood Led Him to Football

(23:19) How Harry Kane Broke Gary’s Record

(24:50) Why Gary Ended His Football Career

(29:35) Monzo 90 Days Ad

(30:42) How Gary Made the Leap Into TV

(36:05) How Gary Became the Face of Match of the Day

(39:57) Why Gary Left the BBC for Netflix

(42:18) What Gary Really Thinks of England’s World Cup Performance

(45:09) Why Gary Wants the Super-Rich to Pay More Tax

(47:11) How Two Marriages and Divorces Played Out in the Public Eye

(51:34) Why Gary Is Still Single

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In this episode of Begin Again Moments, we bring together two powerful conversations about confidence, self-belief and finding the courage to become who you truly are.

Confidence expert Susie Moore shares the secrets to building inner confidence and explains why self-belief is something we can create, rather than something we are simply born with.

Eleanor Mills reflects on her own journey of rediscovering confidence in midlife, sharing how letting go of expectations and embracing who she really is helped her step into a new chapter of life.

Together, these moments explore what it takes to trust yourself, find your voice and build the confidence to begin again.

To hear the full conversations, watch the complete episodes on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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What happens when the life everyone sees as extraordinary has been shaped by trauma, loss and the constant need to survive?

In this episode of Begin Again, Patsy Kensit joins Davina for an emotional and deeply personal conversation about childhood fame, love, grief, PTSD, motherhood, addiction, losing everything and finding the strength to start again.

Patsy looks back on an extraordinary life in the spotlight: beginning her career at just four years old in The Great Gatsby, becoming one of Britain’s most recognisable young stars, working alongside Hollywood icons and finding herself at the centre of 80s and 90s pop culture. She shares unforgettable stories from Lethal Weapon 2, meeting David Bowie and the surreal experiences that came with growing up famous.

But behind the success was a childhood filled with fear. Patsy opens up about being told at six years old that her mother could die, growing up with a father who was repeatedly in prison, and the secrets she carried to protect her family. She reveals how a PTSD diagnosis decades later finally helped her understand the sadness, depression and fear she had lived with for most of her life.

She also reflects honestly on love and marriage, including her relationship with Liam Gallagher and the pressure of becoming one half of one of the most famous couples of the 90s. Patsy explains how the relationship became “bigger than me”, why she felt she lost part of who she was, and how becoming a mother ultimately forced her life to change.

Now, after losing her home and everything she had financially, Patsy is rebuilding from scratch. As she returns to Emmerdale more than 20 years after first playing Sadie King, she reflects on survival, gratitude, getting older and why, after everything life has thrown at her, she still chooses to see each new day as another chance to begin again.

This is a conversation about fame, family, grief, identity, survival and what it really means to find yourself again.

🌟 Like, comment and subscribe for more honest conversations about purpose, resilience, love, loss and beginning again.

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We'd love you to share your Get Busy Living stories with us at https://getbusyliving.beginagainshow.com/

(00:00) Intro

(01:17) Returning to Emmerdale After Years Away

(05:17) A PTSD Diagnosis and the Childhood Fear That Never Left

(08:56) Growing Up With a Father in and out of Prison

(11:30) The Reality of Life as a Child Star

(14:04) Davian Reads Your Stories (Monzo Ad)

(16:40) Behind the Scenes of Lethal Weapon 2

(26:34) Clubbing at 14 at the Famous WAG Club

(29:24) Memories of Working With David Bowie

(31:55) Marrying First Husband Dan Donovan

(33:13) Davina tries Monzo (Ad)

(34:21) Garnier Ad

(38:19) The Deep Importance of Marriage

(42:38) Meeting Jim Kerr and Their Relationship

(49:19) Losing Her Mother and Coping With Grief

(57:13) Inside a Turbulent Relationship With Liam Gallagher

(01:01:10) Alcohol, Addiction and Finding AA

(01:02:49) Living With Depression and PTSD

(01:06:41) Hysterectomy and the Reality of Perimenopause

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In this special Begin Again Moments episode, inspired by this week’s solar eclipse, two of Britain’s most brilliant minds explore the extraordinary power of the Sun and Moon.

Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock explores the mystery and influence of the Moon, while Professor Brian Cox turns our attention to the Sun, the star at the centre of our solar system and the source of the light and energy that makes life possible.

As the solar eclipse captures attention around the world, these two fascinating conversations offer a chance to look beyond the spectacle and understand the remarkable relationship between the Sun, Moon and our place in the universe.

To hear the full conversations, watch the complete episodes on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
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What does it take to keep going when life keeps testing how badly you want the dream?

In this episode of Begin Again, Alexandra Burke joins Davina for an emotional and deeply personal conversation about X Factor, grief, motherhood, love, faith and the determination that has carried her through every chapter of her life.

Alexandra looks back on the extraordinary road to becoming a star: singing alongside her mum as a child, Stevie Wonder wanting to sign her at just 12 years old, being sent home from X Factor at 16, and the mother who eventually pushed her to go back and try again. She opens up about what was really happening in her life during that first rejection, why she now knows she wasn’t ready, and the remarkable full-circle journey that followed.

She also speaks movingly about losing her mum, the grief she still carries and how becoming a mother herself has changed the way she understands the sacrifices her own mum made. Alexandra shares why she has fiercely protected her two boys, how she met her partner Darren after years of choosing the wrong relationships, and the moment she realised the family life she has now is everything she once prayed for.

Now, playing Chaka Khan on stage in I’m Every Woman, Alexandra reveals why the most challenging role of her career is bringing parts of her own past back to the surface, why she has had to learn to leave Chaka at the theatre, and why she plans to return to therapy when the show ends.

This is a conversation about rejection, grief, resilience, faith and refusing to give up on the life you know you’re meant to have.

Follow us here:

📸 www.instagram.com/beginagain

🎥 https://www.tiktok.com/@beginagainpod

✨ Sign up for the Begin Again newsletter for behind-the-scenes access, recommendations and much more:

https://linkly.link/2g2xm

We'd love you to share your Get Busy Living stories with us at https://getbusyliving.beginagainshow.com/

(00:00) Intro

(01:20) Why “I’m Every Woman” Means So Much

(06:51) How Her Mum Inspired Her

(15:08) Alexandra’s Bond With Her Mum

(18:57) Singing With Her Mum as a Child

(20:06) Why She Turned Down Stevie Wonder

(25:49) Get Busy Living With Monzo

(27:24) Monzo GBL Ad

(28:35) Leaving School at 16 for Music

(30:21) Her Abusive Relationship at 16

(31:50) Rejected by The X Factor at 16

(32:50) Coming Back to Win The X Factor

(38:15) How Chaka Khan Helped Her Heal

(39:23) Performing for Chaka Khan

(41:51) Why She Keeps Her Children Private

(48:35) How She Met Her Husband Darren

(53:58) Finding Out She Was Pregnant

(58:20) Going Back to Work After Giving Birth

(59:42) Pregnant Again Seven Months Later

(01:01:46) Pre-Eclampsia During Her Second Pregnancy

(01:03:12) Why She Wants More Children

(01:06:20) How Alexandra Found Her Confidence

(01:09:15) Honouring Her Mum Through Her Foundation

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