Great Company with Jamie Laing

There's nothing quite like finding your people. The ones who make you feel completely at home, just as you are. For some of us, it’s the family we're born into. For others, it's the family we find along the way.Louie Spence is a British icon who lights up every room he walks into. He’s an incredibly gifted dancer and choreographer who performed on world tours with the Spice Girls before becoming a household name at Pineapple Dance Studios. In this Great Moment, Louie opens up about how dance has always meant so much more than what happens on stage. He shares how it's given him a way to connect with people in everyday life and ultimately, the second family he always needed.Listen to the full episode HERE!If you enjoyed the show, you can also follow us: Instagram- @greatcompanypodcastTikTok - @greatcompanypodcast And if you've got thoughts, questions and comments, you can email us at: [email protected] THE CREDITSProducer: Helen BurkeAssistant Producer: Issy Weeks-HankinsVideo: Jake JiSocial Media: Laura CoughlanExec Producer: Ewan Newbigging-Lister & Jemima RathboneGreat Company is an original podcast from JamPot Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gareth Gates became a household name overnight. When the first series of Pop Idol aired in 2002, it was the first show of its kind and Gareth instantly captured the nation's hearts as the boy who defied his stammer to sing.Growing up in Bradford Gareth was severely bullied at school for his stammer, so convinced he was defective that he almost didn't audition for Pop Idol at all. In our conversation, Gareth opens up about the whirlwind of Pop Idol fame, and how he's spent the years since learning to accept the very thing he once felt ashamed of. In this episode, Gareth shares:Being bullied at school and how joining a choir became his escapeWhy he almost didn't audition for Pop IdolThe reality of being thrown into the whirlwind of fameHow his relationship with Katie Price changed the way he approaches loveHow he's finally learned to accept his stammer as part of who he isGareth Gates is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. He reminded me that being different isn't something to hide - it's the thing that makes you, you.Gareth Gates is Great Company. Check out Gareth’s tour HERE Gareth’s Instagram - @gareth_gatesIf you enjoyed the show, you can also follow us: Instagram- @greatcompanypodcastTikTok - @greatcompanypodcast Jamie - @jamielaingAnd if you've got thoughts, questions and comments, you can email us at: [email protected] CREDITSProducer: Helen Burke Assistant Producer: Issy Weeks-HankinsVideo: Josh BennettSenior Social Media Manager: Laura CoughlanAudio: Rafi Amsili GeovannettiExecutive Producer: Ewan Newbigging-ListerGreat Company is an original podcast from JamPot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you're going through a tough time, it can feel like there's no way out. But it's often in those moments that we find the strength we didn't know we had.Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu knows that feeling all too well. Since winning Love Island in 2022, she's gone on to become the Queen of Reality TV, from Love Island All Stars to Celebrity Big Brother and now Vanderpump Villa. But behind her confidence is a young girl who lacked self-belief, was severely bullied at school, and developed disordered eating in an attempt to change herself to fit in.In this Great Moment, Ekin-Su opens up about meeting her bully later in life, and the powerful process of unlearning the idea that other people's opinions get to define you. She shares why the things that once held her down ultimately made her the woman she is today.Listen to the full episode HERE!This episode contains sensitive topic discussions including disordered eating and bullying. If you or someone you know is affected by anything in this episode and need support, please see the suggested helpline and website links below. BEAT - 0808 801 0677 - beateatingdisorders.org.ukSamaritans - 116 123 - samaritans.orgIf you enjoyed the show, you can also follow us: Instagram- @greatcompanypodcastTikTok - @greatcompanypodcast And if you've got thoughts, questions and comments, you can email us at: [email protected] THE CREDITSProducer: Helen BurkeAssistant Producer: Issy Weeks-HankinsVideo: Jake JiSocial Media: Laura CoughlanExec Producer: Ewan Newbigging-Lister & Jemima RathboneGreat Company is an original podcast from JamPot Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emma Barnett is an award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster, with more than two thousand interviews under her belt and a seat on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Emma was encouraged to ask questions from a young age and she’s built her entire career around them. Whether she's holding a politician to a 12-second silence on live radio or interviewing the Prime Minister, she’s known for running towards difficult conversations, not away from them.She’s also become a powerful voice for women. In our conversation, Emma opens up about her IVF journey and the miscarriage that left her so defeated she nearly didn’t go through another round of treatment - the one that led to her daughter. In this episode, Emma shares:What it's like interviewing the UK's biggest politicians Her IVF journey and why she chose to speak openly about treatment when it failedRemembering the people who wanted children and can’t have them How she shut down a troll and their surprising responseWhat intimidates her most in the world… Emma is proof that the best interviewers aren't the ones with all the answers, they're the ones brave enough to keep asking the questions of others and of themselves.Emma Barnett is Great Company.You can follow Emma on Instagram HERE Listen to Emma’s podcast, Ready To Talk, HEREDiscover Colour Your Streets - Emma’s family colouring book company HEREIf you enjoyed the show, you can also follow us: Instagram- @greatcompanypodcastTikTok - @greatcompanypodcast Jamie - @jamielaingAnd if you've got thoughts, questions and comments, you can email us at: [email protected] CREDITSProducer: Helen Burke & Faye LawrenceAssistant Producer: Issy Weeks-HankinsVideo: Josh BennettSenior Social Media Manager: Laura CoughlanAudio: Rafi Amsili GeovannettiExecutive Producer: Ewan Newbigging-ListerGreat Company is an original podcast from JamPot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Faith is a deeply personal thing and, for many of us, our relationship with it changes over time. Some people drift away from it, some come back to it, and others are still figuring out what it means to them. It’s a journey that’s rarely a straight line.Big Zuu knows that better than most. Over the years, he has struggled to work out what being a Muslim means to him. In this Great Moment, the BAFTA-winning TV chef and Grime artist opens up about reconnecting with his faith, how the process has shaped him and how he's found a way to balance two loves of his life: his music and his religion.Listen to the full episode HERE!If you enjoyed the show, you can also follow us: Instagram- @greatcompanypodcastTikTok - @greatcompanypodcast And if you've got thoughts, questions and comments, you can email us at: [email protected] THE CREDITSProducer: Helen BurkeAssistant Producer: Issy Weeks-HankinsVideo: Jake JiSocial Media: Laura CoughlanExec Producer: Ewan Newbigging-Lister & Jemima RathboneGreat Company is an original podcast from JamPot Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.