Begin Again with Davina McCall

She was given just 18 months to live. They got 12 more years together.

In this episode of Begin Again, motivational speaker and bestselling author Pete Cohen joins Davina to share the extraordinary love story that changed his life forever.

Pete opens up about meeting his wife Hannah by chance, falling in love as she was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour, and why leaving was never an option. Together, they faced impossible decisions, raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for life-saving treatment, and defied every expectation to build another twelve years together.

But this conversation is about much more.

Pete reflects on the regrets that still stay with him, why he wishes he'd been more present with Hannah, and how grief transformed the way he thinks about love, fear and what really matters. He shares how watching Hannah embrace life in the face of death changed him forever, and why her legacy continues to shape the way he lives today.

Davina and Pete also explore the fear of losing the people we love, what it means to truly show up for someone in their darkest moments, and how grief can become a reminder to live more intentionally rather than something we simply survive.

This is a conversation about love, loss, resilience and the extraordinary impact one person can have on your life, even after they're gone.

If you've ever loved someone deeply, lost someone you couldn't imagine living without, or wondered how to carry on after heartbreak, this episode is for you.

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(00:00) INTRO (01:14) Pete Cohen and Team Hannah (01:53) Growing Up With Learning Difficulties (03:12) Struggling at School (04:17) Becoming a Fitness Coach (05:12) How Pete’s Parents Shaped Him (07:32) How Pete Met Hannah (09:45) Hannah’s Brain Tumour Diagnosis (12:31) Chronic Fatigue and Finding a Mentor (14:32) Raising Money for Cancer Treatment (16:14) Falling in Love Through Cancer (17:05) Experimental Cancer Treatment in America (19:48) Ancient & Brave Ad (20:50) Do Health Ad (22:00) Why Pete Filmed Hannah’s Journey (24:14) Grief and Celebrating Through Suffering (27:16) Pete’s Biggest Regret (31:33) Hannah’s Love of Quilting (36:50) Ten Years Cancer-Free (37:47) A Gift From Hannah (39:32) The Team Hannah Documentary (43:23) Davina’s Mission for Begin Again (44:07) Pete’s Next Chapter (47:44) Advice for Grief and Caring for Someone

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In this uplifting episode of Begin Again Moments, Melanie C shares the love story she never expected to find.

After ending a long-term relationship, the Spice Girl turned solo artist found herself navigating dating apps for the very first time. She opens up about meeting her partner, Chris, the calm and safety he brought into her life, and how finding love in her 50s has transformed the way she lives. From being a self-confessed workaholic to discovering joy beyond her career, Melanie reflects on why she's happier, more confident and more creative than ever before.

She also shares why it's never too late to start something new, embracing new challenges, finding love later in life, and redefining what happiness looks like.

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

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The people who benefit most from your lack of boundaries are often the ones who react worst when you finally set them, boundary expert Nedra Glover Tawwab explains why.

In this episode of Begin Again, licensed therapist, relationship expert and bestselling author Nedra Glover Tawwab joins Davina to explore how to create healthy connections without losing yourself. Together, they unpack what a boundary actually is, why different relationships require different boundaries, and how speaking up for your needs can transform the way you love, work and live.

Nedra explains why setting a boundary can feel so frightening, particularly when you fear rejection, conflict or abandonment. She shares how to respond when someone becomes angry, withdraws or gives you the silent treatment—and why another person’s reaction does not necessarily mean your boundary was wrong.

Davina and Nedra also explore codependency, hyper-independence and healthy dependency. They discuss why constantly rescuing, fixing or supporting other people can leave you exhausted and invisible, and how fear of losing a relationship can lead you to give up too much of yourself to keep it.

Nedra opens up about growing up around addiction, being exposed to adult problems from a young age, and learning to listen before she was able to speak freely for herself. She reflects on how those experiences shaped her understanding of people and led her towards a career helping others build healthier relationships.

They also discuss parenting, consent, vulnerability and the patterns we carry from childhood into adulthood. Nedra explains why your children are not younger versions of you, why healing cannot happen entirely in isolation, and how relationships give us the opportunity to practise everything we have learned about ourselves.

At its heart, this is a conversation about loving people without abandoning yourself. Nedra reminds us that we are not permanently trapped by our childhood, attachment style or past relationships. Change may feel uncomfortable, but as long as we are alive, we have the ability to show up differently.

Nedra Glover Tawwab reminds us that boundaries are not about pushing people away. They are how we protect our energy, communicate our needs and create relationships in which both people have space to exist.

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(00:00) Intro

(01:02) Meet Nedra Glover Tawwab

(01:24) What Is a Boundary?

(03:36) How to Set Boundaries With Your Children

(08:13) How Growing Up Around Addiction Shaped Nedra

(11:11) Becoming the “Therapist” as a Child

(13:37) The Client Who Changed Nedra’s Career

(16:08) When People React Badly to Your Boundaries

(17:59) How to Respond to the Silent Treatment

(21:42) Why Other People’s Reactions Aren’t Always About You

(25:18) How to Set Boundaries Around Sex

(27:02) Do Health Ad

(28:13) saily Ad

(29:07) How to Open Up and Be Vulnerable

(32:50) Loving Someone Who Struggles to Let You In

(34:01) Codependency, Hyper-Independence and Healthy Dependency

(39:32) How to Build a Healthy Relationship After Unhealthy Love

(42:32) What Your Breakup Can Teach You About Yourself

(45:18) How to Stop Passing Your Triggers to Your Children

(49:31) Why Asking for Help Feels So Hard

(51:42) How Small Acts of Kindness Can Change a Life

(54:33) How to Reconnect With Your Inner Child

(58:34) What’s Next for Nedra

Sponsored by:

Do Health - The waitlist is open. Begin Again listeners get fixed early access pricing when they sign up today at dohealth.co/beginagain use code BEGINAGAIN

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In this heartfelt episode of Begin Again Moments, we bring together two moving conversations about the powerful relationship between mothers and daughters, and how the way we are raised can shape the parents we become.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor reflects on her close relationship with her mother, Janet Ellis, and the influence her childhood has had on the way she raises her own children. From growing up with a famous working mother to having a strong, grounded family around her, Sophie shares the lessons she has carried into motherhood and the importance of creating a safe place her children will always want to return to.

Katie Piper then receives an emotional letter from her mother, Diane, reflecting on Katie's extraordinary journey through trauma and recovery, and the strength, resilience and compassion she now passes on to her own daughters. Katie shares how becoming a mother has allowed her to carry forward the greatest gifts her own mother gave her, while using the wisdom of everything she has lived through to shape the parent she wants to be.

Together, these moments explore the invisible threads that pass from one generation to the next, the lessons we inherit, the love we carry forward, and the profound journey of daughters becoming mothers.

To hear the full conversations, watch the complete episodes on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
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For years, Lorna Luxe has let people into her life. Now, she opens up about the loss that changed everything.

In this episode of Begin Again, Lorna Luxe, also known as Lorna Andrews, joins Davina for her first and only interview since losing her husband John. Together, they speak honestly about grief, love, loneliness, resilience, and what it means to begin again after losing the person who made you feel safe.

Lorna opens up about John’s cancer diagnosis, the final year of their marriage, and the fear John carried at the end: not for himself, but for whether Lorna would be okay without him. She reflects on the deep love they shared, how John protected her, supported her, and filled the space in her life in ways she is only now beginning to understand.

Davina and Lorna also explore the experiences that shaped her long before grief: her dad leaving when she was four, the rejection sensitivity that followed, her relationship with her fiercely protective mum, her eating disorder and how Instagram became the place where her creativity, perfectionism, and eye for beauty turned into a career.

At its heart, this is a conversation about great love, unimaginable loss, and the quiet courage it takes to keep going. Lorna speaks with honesty, humour, and extraordinary openness about learning to live alone, honouring John’s legacy, and discovering that she is more resilient than she ever knew.

Lorna Luxe reminds us that grief does not follow rules, love does not disappear, and sometimes beginning again means carrying the person you lost into everything you do next.

🌟 Like, comment, and subscribe for more honest conversations about grief, love, identity, healing, and beginning again. Tap the bell to stay connected with new episodes of Begin Again.

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(00:00) Intro

(01:29) How Lorna is doing following the death of her husband

(06:41) Lorna's experience of loneliness

(08:11) Lorna learning resilience and being independent in the wake of John's death

(12:39) How Lorna's dad leaving when she was young affected her

(15:34) How Lorna's dad leaving when she was young affected her

(18:11) Lorna's relationship with her mum

(19:28) Lorna's eating disorder and starting her job as a Virgin Atlantic hostess

(26:43) Do Health Ad

(30:48) Lorna's journey to recovering from her eating disorder

(32:37) How Lorna got into Instagram

(35:59) Meeting and falling in love with John

(45:51) How Lorna and John maintained such a strong relationship

(48:50) How Lorna and John used Love Languages

(51:35) Lorna on her final year with John, beginning again and honouring his legacy

(1:00:54) What John wanted for Lorna after he died

(1:01:50) How Lorna is dealing with grief

(1:04:14) Lorna reads a letter from her mother

(1:07:58) Davina's admiration for Lorna

Sponsored by:

Do Health - The waitlist is open. Begin Again listeners get fixed early access pricing when they sign up today at dohealth.co/beginagain use code BEGINAGAIN
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices