Match of the Day presenter Gabby Logan redefines midlife

It piles on stress for younger folk and feeds the idea that by middle-age and beyond, we’re past it.

Buckinghamshire sports presenter Gabby Logan is glad this is finally starting to change.

“If I could tell my younger self anything, it would be to just back off that whole thing, because it’s so limiting.

“I used to have these real mental barriers on ages where things had to be completed by,” admits the BBC Sports and Match Of The Day presenter.

“Doing the job I do, in my 20s, there was a real feeling that I wouldn’t be on telly in my 40s.

"And I’m now approaching my 50s.”

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At 48, Logan has just been on our screens hosting the Euros – a highlight of the sporting calendar.

Gabby Logan (PA)

Her career continues to flourish and, in a very male dominated field, her talent and dedication have shone (Logan was made an MBE in 2020 for her services to sports broadcasting and promoting women in sport).

She likens middle-age to being “almost like the second teenage years – there’s so much happening to us physically and emotionally.

“And everybody’s take on where they are in life is so different, but one thing that’s kind of constant is that there’s a moment of realisation that you’re not the young person your mind still thinks you are, physically things are changing, but you’ve still got all this enthusiasm and ambition.”

It’s something she explores in her podcast, The Mid.Point.

Now in its third series, it sees Logan interview fellow high-profile mid-lifers, as well as experts on things like sleep, nutrition and hormones.

It’s an honest, informative and often funny look at things that crop up during this life chapter – like menopause – and a celebration of the joys it can bring.

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Logan – who lives with her husband, retired pro rugby player Kenny and their 15-year-old twins, Lois and Reuben, in Buckinghamshire – is happy to admit her motives were personal.

“I suppose it was an ambition to not go, ‘Oh ok then, whatever, I’ll just throw in the towel a bit’.”

She’s had “the joy of chatting to some really diverse people” too – Davina McCall, Claudia Winkleman, Richard Osman and John Bishop, to name a few – and every interview brings new food for thought.

A recent favourite was chatting with Penny Lancaster, the model and TV personality who recently became a Special Constable with City of London Police.

“What I love about [Lancaster] is she’s so honest about what she’s going through with her menopause, but she was so passionate about becoming a Special Constable, and that’s the kind of guest I love.”

Energised, genuine and witty, it’s easy to believe it when Logan says she’s “loved” talking to all her guests.

The Mid.Point with Gabby Logan is available on major podcast platforms.