TV presenter Clare Balding, 41, talks to Metro about how the Olympics and Paralympics boosted her career and her new autobiography My Animals And Other Family.
Clare Balding is happy to admit she's no Justin Bieber (Picture: PA)
In the book, you say you shoplifted as a teenager. What did that teach you?
Not to fall in with the gang if the gang is doing something wrong. It's better to be different.
Each of the chapters in your book is themed around a different pet you've had – was it traumatic to write?
I was certainly crying at various points. Animals teach you about love at an early age and also about loss. You experience grief because they tend to die during your childhood. It's pretty traumatic – and writing about it brought it all back.
There are 19 chapters – that's a lot of animals...
Yes but the chapters don't all end with a dog or a horse dying – that would be too many tears to deal with.
Why did you conclude the book when you're 19?
The title, My Animals And Other Family, is based on a Gerald Durrell book. All of his books were about his childhood, so 19 seemed a good age to stop. You need perspective on your life. It's taken me 30 years to work out what I was like at 11, so I can't start writing about myself as an adult just yet. I will write another book but it won't be another autobiography.
Of the 19 pets, which was your favourite?
Frank. He was an ugly pony but I thought he was gorgeous. He needed suncream on his nose because it was pink and he'd get sunburnt. He understood me.
In what way?
In the way that only a pony can. At 13, I genuinely thought he was the only thing on the planet who understood me and, of course, he wasn't able to speak. You do that as a child with pets – you have long conversations where you talk to them, then provide their replies.
What impact did the Olympics have on your career?
It made a huge difference to me. Millions of people were watching and if you make them feel good about sport and feel that they know you, that will last. Both the Olympics and Paralympics made people realise life is about what you can do, not what you can't.
Why did you prove so popular?
There was one article entitled 'Why can't everyone be Clare Balding?' which is a feat… I know! I'm getting it laminated. I was very lucky. I was in a great location and had a great partner in Mark Foster and I was lucky with the Bert Le Clos interview. I wanted to make it a conversation with the audience, rather than make a speech at them. The second week, I covered a lot of gold medals – the show jumpers, dressage, boxers – so a lot of it is getting that reflected glow from the athletes.
Do you get recognised more now?
A lot more. I still get the Tube and take the bus but sometimes it's strange when people get excited to see me – I'm not Justin Bieber.
Are you worried about being overexposed?
I've said no to a lot of things. I'm conscious of not being on everything. What I do in the next four years is more important to me than what I do in the next four months. You certainly don't say yes to a naked photoshoot – some things are easier to say no to than others.
What do you think of the coverage of women's sport?
The absence of women on last year's Sports Personality Of The Year list was a reflection of a society that doesn't give coverage to women's sport other than during Olympic years. It's next year I'm concerned about – 2013 and 2015. We'll get coverage at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 because British female athletes will win medals.
How would you rectify this?
The new BBC director general [George Entwistle] has said he wants to hear more about women's sport in news bulletins, which is crucial. If you listened to the bulletins over Christmas, you'd think all the women were in the kitchen cooking Christmas lunch but, of course, they were out training.
Why is women's sport under-reported?
There's an assumption that no one's interested, but this summer proved that people are. From the feedback I get, a lot of people are disappointed that reporting on the sports pages has so quickly gone back to just covering football. Football is easy copy because there's so much information about it. We need to make sure that easy information about women's sport is available. Men's football can suck the oxygen from other sport. Traditionally in this country, because all the sports editors are male, they go for those key alpha male sports of football, cricket and rugby union.
What's been your most extravagant purchase?
I bought a racehorse called Free To Air. He won a couple of races but I held on to him a bit too long because I thought he'd win The Derby.
What are people's misconceptions of you?
How can you know what people think of you? Too many of us waste time being concerned about other people's opinions. The only person whose mind you really know is your own. Why would you even waste half a minute trying to second guess somebody else?
My Animals And Other Family is out now.
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