Olivia's House with Olivia Attwood
Anna Williamson Talks Celebs Go Dating, Anxiety & Escaping an Abusive Relationship!
11 Jun 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What journey did Anna Williamson take from a girl band to children's television?
My audience now probably know you from Celebs Go Dating. Some might know you from the girl band that was named Blush. No one's ever brought this up and I love you for this. You went from the band to Children's TV.
What's it look like? It's so cringe. So I did a photo shoot, right? But he rang me up and he was like, is that Anna? I was like, yes. And he went... I have had these postcards every week for months. If I give you a chance, one shoot, will you stop sending me these ruddy postcards?
On such a positive note, I hate to do such a gear change. Take it down, let's talk trauma. At that time, you were riding high, like you say, a decade of kids' TV, but some of that time was darkened with a pretty horrendous relationship. Very controlling, psychologically abusive.
was life-changing in that I found myself in my early 20s having a spectacular mental breakdown. Meltdown day, as I affectionately call it, probably was the worst, best day of my life in a weird way because it was the day everything changed for the worse and for the better.
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Olivia's house is always open for intimate, nothing off the table conversations. So join me and a very special guest for a live episode next week as we take those chats and turn them into something that actually matters. And if you're not quite sure what you should be looking for, don't worry. Just head to the Tom Bowler and Breast Cancer Now hub.
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Chapter 2: How did Anna cope with an abusive relationship and its impact on her career?
and give them a little nudge to encourage each other to check. Hi, dolls. Welcome back to Olivia's house. My guest in my house today is a TV presenter. She's a therapist, podcast host, author, just an actual legend. It's Anna Williamson.
Oh, babes. Look, right back at you. I mean, I can't move from seeing you. And do you know what? I'm sorry, sorry. No, it's fine. And Liv, firstly, this is fabulous. Thank you. Feels like I need a sort of rum and coke or something, you know, whilst we're here.
We can provide.
Well... Would you like something more exciting? Well, I'm keeping it myself professional.
But you know what? I think the wheels can come off. Why not? We'll be here all day. We've been yapping so much before we even started rolling that my producer Tom was like, should we hit record and actually get some of this on the pod rather than you just having a full on chat? Chat about everything and all the people we know.
All the people. This is why, honestly, I'm so genuinely, no bullshit, I'm so happy to be here because we have crossed over. Yes. So many times, but never actually properly sat down and chewed the card. And also, I am going to say this, I'm going to start off your pod by saying it's so nice to see good, talented people doing great things.
I just think in this world and in this industry in particular we're working, we're in a funny old place. Everyone likes to throw bullshit and hate around. I love seeing good people do good things and women supporting women. So well done you for being everywhere.
Thank you.
Long may it continue.
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Chapter 3: What lessons has Anna learned about mental health and therapy?
We have mutual friends. But there's so much to get into. Before I do it, we have this little format point that I ask my guests if there's something they'd like to leave at the house door. Something you don't want to bring into the room today. Just like leave it in life. Yeah. I know. I'm sure you're going to give me a great one. It's got a feeling. Anna, what would you like to leave at the door?
I feel this is a little niche, but you know what?
I'm used to... You are now my therapist today.
Okay, okay. I don't like saying that wrong.
I would like to leave at the door house renovations. Oh! I am nearly 18 months in to my house renovation, which should have been six months. It's a permanent piss take that people have of me.
I have heard the narrative. Louisa likes to... Take the piss. Yeah, to invite you. Is there a particular reason why it's taking so long?
Well, there is actually a fairly plausible reason, not just being disorganized. But we chose to buy a listed house. Oh, God. In a conservation area.
Oh, my God.
And we bought it just before COVID. Wow. So, yeah, we got planning permission through and then COVID hit and then everyone decided to not do anything. Oh, I had a baby, another baby in that time as well. Oh, God. And then you sort of just get used to living in muck. And we had the delightful red, like 1980s red carpet, you know, that you sort of see in a pub or something.
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Chapter 4: How does Anna navigate motherhood and work-life balance?
We are so trapped here. We're trapped. We're trapped. We're trapped. And now we're at a point, and a friend of mine the other day, she's a financial advisor. It's quite interesting. We come from two different perspectives on relationships. She comes from the financial point of view. I come from the relationship point of view.
She's like, even if you half like each other, make your marriage work because the costs are great. And you know what? On that one with the house, it's an expensive one. So we're in there, Liv. We're in there for a while.
Yeah.
Anna, your law is pretty unmatched when I was researching you. I think that most people listening to this podcast, I imagine, I'm generalizing my audience now, probably know you from Slabs Go Dating. But some might know you from the girl band that was named Blush.
Blush.
This rocks my fucking world.
I can categorically say not one of your listeners.
You don't... Guys, if you were a Blush fan, you need to get in touch because there has to be at least one of you was. Do you know what? No one, Liv, ever, in all the work I do, has ever brought this up and I love you for this.
Not properly, no.
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Chapter 5: What insights does Anna share about relationships from her work on Celebs Go Dating?
Although, do you know, I mean, I'd love it, right? But what makes me laugh, I've been in this industry longer than I haven't, basically. Yeah, that's so true. It's all I've ever known. But it was one of our best gigs we ever did in Blush was we supported five. Okay. at the Birmingham NEC.
And then fast forward just over 20 years, and then I get abs from five sitting opposite me on Celebs Go Dating wanting a dating coach.
It was like, this is so weird. Isn't life just mental? Like actually mental when you really think about it? It's wild.
It sounds really cheesy, but it's why I just love life and the unpredictability of it. And I really do just try and live in the present. And Someone taught me years ago back in the days, you know, never piss anyone off on the way up because you'll need him on the way down. And it's so true. And the more and more people that... I hope I've never done that. But it is so true.
And like moving through this industry for like 27 years I've been in it, you know, telly, broadcasting, podcasting now. That's obviously a new thing. I've been in it for a long time as well doing that. And it's so true. There is no coincidence that the people who are still here, I'm not saying me by that point, are the ones who have...
stayed true and stayed quite humble and you'll you'll know that you you have a really good reputation in this industry you do but you do and everyone and I think and I be completely real with you I know you're a good egg because people that I really know and like and respect on and off screen speak really highly of you.
So I think, and not that I don't know you very well, but I'm thinking, well... You trust their opinion. I trust them because I know them. And I'm like, well, of course you're a good egg. And I haven't. I've never heard anything bad about you. Everyone says how professional you are, how on time you are. But to my point on that, word gets around very quickly.
And word gets around very quickly when you're a dickhead as well. So yeah, I think...
Thank you. And likewise. I say this as well to people when they ask me for advice, like Love Island and stuff. I'm like, there are people in Love Island who are runners, who are getting us our dinner and changing our mic batteries, who are now key players at development and ITV. And they will remember you.
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Chapter 6: What advice does Anna offer for navigating financial transparency in relationships?
I actually got that job.
You did milkshake?
I did milkshake. I actually did milkshake. And he said to me, he went... If I give you a chance, one shoot, one shoot, and then will you stop sending me these ruddy postcards? And I said, yeah, all right, fine. He went, one chance. If you blow it, I never want you to darken my doorstep ever again. Leave me alone. No more postcards. And I remember going, yep, that's fine.
So like, you know, Eager Beaver, I remember going into town, I remember getting paid £50 for that shoot, which to me was like, I'm making money from doing telly? Yeah. This was it. I've made it live. And I remember I got sent to, I think it was Birmingham or something. I think it was like Smash Hits Winners Party.
Chapter 7: How does Anna discuss the role of porn in relationships?
And they asked me to do the backstage interviews on like the pop bands that came. And then I was like, oh, well, I know a bit about that because I've just been doing it. And I did it. I look back now at that early footage. I was shit. Absolutely dreadful. But he must have seen something in me. God loves a trier. And I got a job on that show.
And then as they say, then 10 years, 10 years then of kids telly, I went through every single TV show. Kids Telenetwork from ITV to Channel 5, Sky, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel. And I presented all the flagship shows on all of them.
It's incredible.
Chapter 8: What are Anna's thoughts on blended families and dating someone with children?
And like you say, that wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been kicking down that door. It wasn't going to land in your lap. You were the one that said, this is what I want to do. And I'm going to keep going.
shall we now i'm gonna keep put my face in front of you until you give me a chance activity breeds activity and one of the biggest things i kick back with with people who people are very quick they might be listening to this again oh let me go roast into your glasses all right for you that's why i always go back and look at someone you know where someone's head space is in someone's mindset is i've got good friends of mine that are in shitty jobs hating life hating what they're doing and when i say change your job
Oh, it's easy for you to say I can't do that. And I'm like, look, okay, cause and effect. You know, there's always a cost for something. But I'm like, but if you really are unhappy in that job, have a think about what steps you need to do in order to change that, you know, where you want to go with it. Because there are always options out there. Now, no one's saying it's easy. No, no.
No one's saying everybody has a, you know, of course it's not. There are some very, very difficult decisions for some people. But I think being stuck, but I think for me, it's mindset is everything. Yes.
Yeah.
I love it. On such a positive note, I hate to do such a gear change. Take it down, let's talk trauma. Yeah, and I think we have to touch here because I think it brings us to how you've combined your two loves and your two passions now. But at that time, you were riding high, like you say, a decade of kids TV, but some of that time was darkened with a pretty horrendous relationship. Yeah.
How long into that journey did that relationship start?
It was sort of halfway through my kids' telly career. So I went into kids' telly at 17, 18. And I sort of came out of kids' telly just through natural sort of evolution in my early 30s. So it was in my mid-20s. So I was pretty well established within the kids' telly arena. I was earning good money. I bought my first flat in central London.
You know, this was like I was living my best life, really. It was a good place. A really good place. And I think often...
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