Frankie Bridge jokes she’d love to know where that elusive work/life balance is hiding. With a busy career and two young children, she has yet to find it.
“People ask me how I’m doing and I can’t remember the last time I didn’t reply ‘tired’. I think anyone with kids who’s also working finds it hard to get that balance and there’s this never-ending mum guilt.
"Am I going to make it back for the match? Am I there enough for them? And then at the other end, worrying about whether I’ve given enough of myself to the job.”
Frankie, 33, who runs her own fitness programme with RWL, heads fashion range FW Bridge, works as a brand ambassador for Vitabiotics Perfectil and is a Loose Women regular, acknowledges she’s in the fortunate position of having ex-footballer husband Wayne, 42, at home to take some of the pressure off.
"They share their Surrey mansion with his parents, Wendy and Mick, who are also on hand to help with sons Parker, nine, and seven-year-old Carter.
The former Saturdays singer says: “It means we don’t have to rely on a nanny or a babysitter. We’re lucky in that everything is either me, Wayne or his mum and dad, and that’s perfect for us.”
While she might be run off her feet, she is, however, grateful to be in demand. When The Saturdays went their separate ways in 2014 after seven years, finding a new identity and going it alone was a nerve-racking prospect.
“It was daunting. I came off the last tour and went straight into Strictly, which was scary. It took me a while to find what I wanted to do and to realise that I did have a voice outside of the band.
“I’d never felt like I was very clever. I’d meet people who were really intelligent and good with words and it made me scared to speak because I haven’t got that.”
Over the years, though, she has grown in confidence and with age and experience has come to the self-belief she was lacking, especially since joining the Loose Women panel in January 2021.
“I was first approached by Loose Women a year before I started, but didn’t feel I had anything to offer. I wasn’t comfortable voicing opinions, I’d never had to do it before,” she says.
“But I’ve learnt to say when I don’t understand something because there will be people watching in the same position. I can be honest about what I think and feel without being embarrassed and that comes with confidence. I’m not confident all the time, but I know now that putting myself in uncomfortable situations generally turns out fine.”
Perhaps her biggest achievement has been her mental health advocacy. She first spoke about her depression in 2012 after a period in a psychiatric hospital and has written two books about her experiences, Open and Grow.
Putting herself forward has not been easy, but she thinks having honest conversations is important.
“There have been times where [talking publicly] has affected my mental health. You take on a lot of other people’s issues and it opens up old wounds. But it’s been amazing to see how the stigma of [talking about] mental health has faded.
"Now we need the government to pick up the slack as people still aren’t able to get the help they need,” she says.
She was advised to remain silent on the subject of mental health in case there were repercussions for her career.
But she adds, “I felt I owed it to our young fans to say, ‘This is the life I’ve always wanted and yet I still have this fundamental unhappiness in me and it’s an illness.’ I started talking about it but then kind of retreated because I was told, ‘You don’t want to be the poster girl for mental health.’ But then after The Saturdays I just thought, no. I decided to take that power back and start talking again.”
Frankie plans to be open about the issue with Parker and Carter.
“They’re aware I’ve had days where I don’t really want to get out of bed. If I’m having one of those days, we’ll just say, ‘Mummy’s fine but she’s not feeling very well.’ But as they get older I’ll be happy for them to know because I want them to understand why I am the way I am. I also want them to talk about how they feel."
Frankie went on: “When I put them to bed, I ask them what made them feel happy today and what made them feel sad. It’s a way of getting them to think about emotions – and a way for me to know what’s going on.”
Frankie manages her mental state with therapy and medication, but she takes other steps, too.
“I have antidepressants, but what else can I be doing to help pull things along? So I exercise and go for walks. If I’m looking after myself in every way possible, then it has a knock-on effect. Eating right, doing exercise, taking vitamins, it all helps.”
Part of her daily routine is taking Perfectil supplements, including her go-to products, Collagen Skin Drink and Hair Crush Gummies.
She says: “I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to taking tablets. I have to take so many and I do that head nodding thing trying to get them down. So gummies and the collagen drinks are perfect for me. I keep them where I know I’ll definitely see them and remember to take them.
“I’m more aware of how I take care of myself now and how that affects the way I feel. I want to look healthy without make-up on and it’s about looking after yourself within to look good on the outside.”
Since they got together in 2011, Wayne has supported Frankie through all her ups and downs. They married in 2014 and she says their relationship is so strong because they communicate.
“I’ve learnt to ask when I need help rather than expecting him to figure it out, and he’s learnt that I don’t want him to fix everything. Sometimes I just want him to be there,” she says.
Wayne’s tendency to overshare has become notorious – his revelations about their sex life made headlines in 2016 when he appeared on I’m A Celeb.
Does Frankie ever tell him to rein it in?
“Ha! We come from very different backgrounds. I grew up doing interviews and one of the things I liked about him was that he wasn’t from that world. He is such an honest person and that means he puts his foot in it sometimes. But he is who he is.”
The couple have tentative plans to renew their vows on their 10th anniversary in 2024 – “I asked Wayne about it and he said, ‘How much will that cost?’” – but another baby is not on the cards.
Frankie says, “Looking back through pictures of the boys makes me broody. But I think we’re so far out the other end now that it would be really difficult to go back.”
The Perfectil range starts at £9.15 for a monthly supply. Get it at perfectil.com, major pharmacies and supermarkets
