Last updated on October 3rd, 2022 at 05:31 PM
After five years presenting Channel 4ās Naked Attraction, thereās not much that makes Anna Richardson blush.
āI am absolutely passionate about bodies,ā declares Richardson, 51. āIām passionate about bodies, Iām passionate about image, I am not embarrassed at all about nudity. I think itās a conversation we need to embrace in this country.ā
So, teaming up with Currys recently on their āmanscapingā campaign was a natural fit for the Shropshire-born telly host and writer.
After a survey found 62% of men were using their beard trimmers to preen their pubic hair, they hosted a live āBelow the Beltā event on safe manscaping, alongside advice on checking for testicular lumps and bumps in support of menās health charity, Movember.
Talking about these topics makes total sense to Richardson, who was previously in a relationship with former Bake Off presenter and comedy star Sue Perkins (the couple reportedly split last summer after seven years together).
āIf this is a trend thatās going on, which it is, then how do you do it correctly, safely, and while youāre at it, how can you check yourself for cancer and cysts and all the rest of it? Believe me, I see it all the time on Naked Attractionā¦ā
It would be easy to dismiss the dating show Richardsonās fronted since 2016 ā which sees her and a clothed contestant discuss a line-up of naked bodies before they pick one to go on a date with ā as just a load of bare bits.
But Richardson says working on the series has been āthe greatest teacherā for her.
āOn the surface, it can seem like a funny entertainment show, and itās quirky and out there and thereās lots of laughs to be had.
But when you scratch the surface, itās actually a factual entertainment show. Itās educational and itās about supporting body positivity and identity and thatās the reason I do it.
Iāve also been really taken aback by how embracing people are of their own bodies,ā she adds. āItās wonderful to see people being so accepting of themselves, and that goes across the range of fat, thin, disability, trans, the lot.ā
Bottom line, the show demonstrates the power of showing up as we are. As Richardson puts it: āThis is who I am. Take it or leave it. And if you leave it, thatās fine, because I love myself anyway. Iāve found it hugely positive.ā
Richardson, who has previously talked about experiencing her own share of body-confidence struggles and fluctuating weight, admits sheās āvery worriedā about the impact the pandemic is having on these things.
Itās not simple… We are in the middle of a very difficult time.
āI think, what we are experiencing, not only with the pandemic, but an epidemic in terms of mental health, an epidemic in terms of how our emotional health affects our body image, currently weāre going in two split directions,ā she reflects ā explaining that on the one hand thereās increasing āconcern around young people having eating disordersā.
At the other end of the scale, meanwhile, there are many people who might be ābecoming quite unhealthy, because letās face it, weāre lonely, weāre isolated, weāre not necessarily eating properly, weāre far more comfortable in our joggers and elasticated pants, sitting in front of Zoom where nobody can see you from the waist down. Itās not simpleā, Richardson adds. āWe are in the middle of a very difficult time.ā
In terms of her own wellbeing, itās all about taking the physical and the emotional into account.
āYour emotional health always affects your physical health,ā says Richardson, who is also a trained cognitive hypnotherapist and co-runs online mental wellbeing resource Mindbox, which offers a range of programmes for things like stress and anxiety.
āSo, first off, I would say be very, very aware of your emotional health. That then feeds into supporting our physical health.ā
She is redoing her qualification ā ājust out of interest, because I find psychology and the mind fascinatingā ā and has embraced these things in her own life too.
āI have regular psychotherapy so that I keep myself in tip-top form in terms of any triggers that come up, particularly over the pandemic.
I am also part of a meditation class online, which is again very stabling in terms of keeping you present and as calm as possible in a mad world.
Iām very interested in energy healing as well,ā Richardson adds. āIt sounds mad, but I know a very good energy healer in London who is like a shaman really, I do a lot of work with her.ā
The presenter splits her time between London and the Peak District, which provides lots of opportunities for getting out in nature and mixing up her fitness regime.
āIf Iām in London, I try and hit my three classes a week if I can. Thereās a trainer who at 9 am on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday gets a group of local mums and women together and, come hell or high water, rain or shine, he puts a class on in the local park, and we do an hour of HIIT training and weight training.
āIāve started tennis lessons as well, with an amazing local female teacher, so Iām learning to properly play tennis.
And if Iām in the Peak District, Iāve got a rescue dog called Tiggy and Iām a big fan of doing a lot of hill-walking and being outdoors as much I possibly can.
I probably drink a little too much wine, Iām very conscious of my alcohol intake,ā she admits, āso Iām using apps at the moment, to try and track how much Iām drinking and how many steps and exercise Iām doing.
āOne of the most important things Iāve discovered is my dog has just been the absolute love of my life, basically.
She is my spiritual companion. She forces me to get up out of bed and walking, forces me to nurture,ā says Richardson. āAnd itās true, having that holistic approach, the spiritual, the physical, the mental, is everything.ā
Anna Richardson hosted the first ever āCurrys Presents, Below the Beltā to help men feel more confident when manscaping and remind them how to check their testicles whilst theyāre at it. The event is available to watch on Currysā YouTube channel.