Gemma wears our ATHENS MANDARIN LINEN ROBE

Gemma wears our PRAGUE MANDARIN LINEN SHIRT

Gemma Cairney, broadcaster and television presenter, talks to ASCENO about the joy of humankind, not falling back into bad habits, why escaping to Scotland was her salvation; and why Grace Jones will forever be the coolest person she has ever met.

Styled by herself in ASCENO HS21

Interview by Steph Sleap

Gemma wears our VALENCIA DUSTY ROSE SILK SLIP DRESS

I AM NOT NATURALLY A MORNING PERSON.

In the first hour of my day, I feel almost like a creature, emerging from under the ground. I have never enjoyed springing out of bed, I just love being cosy too much. But, in a dream world, I would wake up and do at least 10 minutes of Kundalini breathing and dunk myself into cold water!

THE TWO YEARS BEFORE LOCKDOWN WERE LIKE A DOMINO EFFECT.

I am a very sensitive person, and I have, like everyone, suffered a lot of bad luck and loss. So, to be suddenly forced to rest and contemplate gave me the time to experiment with what I actually needed - What do I like? What makes me feel good? And I was able to do this by myself, without the responsibility of anyone needing me.

During that time, I ran in and out of the sea where I live in Thanet, tried different meditations, and had loads of baths, LOADS of baths. I listened to so many entire albums, watched really weird films, and stared at the sunset ritually. I did try to socialise on some bizarre apps at first (remember House Party?!) but that just highlighted the fact that I was all alone, which didn't make me feel good. I think it was a time of letting quite a lot go.  

"lockdown gave me the time to experiment with what I actually needed - What do I like? What makes me feel good?"

Gemma wears our MANDARIN LINEN SHORT SET

SO MUCH OF LIVING IS AMAZING, EVEN THE SIMPLEST OF THINGS.

That is where we are - on a swinging pendulum, all the time. In my personal experience, as soon as I realised that we deserve not only to survive, but to reach for genuine joy, even in quieter moments, life felt better.

I THINK THE UNIVERSE IS TRYING TO LET ME NAVIGATE REST.

During lockdown, many of us were on this strange journey of enforced rest, which was a really pivotal time for me. I did the first lockdown completely alone, as I was exhausted and pretty burnt out, to be honest. I knew I wanted to be by the sea; when I am at my lowest, the sea provides something for me that a human can't. Most of my work was cancelled and I was going through an intense period of personal grief, my friend had died and lots of hard stuff was surfacing, yet there was also discovery. It is all a bit Eat, Pray, Love - but it happened on the South East Coast of England, rather than India. Though everyone was going through it differently, it was contradictorily very unique, because it felt like everyone was connected by a fear and a period of processing, monotony even, but collectively.

"When I am at my lowest the sea provides something for me that a human can't."

LEARNING FROM THE PAST YEAR, I'M TRYING NOT TO FALL BACK INTO UNHEALTHY HABITS LIKE, TAKING ON TOO MUCH.

Yearning for freshness and nature has led me to Scotland [Gemma now lives in Edinburgh]. I don't know how many people here, but I know some and they are special souls. I also know I love this part of the world and have done so for a long time as I also have Scottish heritage. Being in a different place means refreshment for me. Growing quite literally upwards feels positive.

"It is incredibly empowering to realise which habits are actually not good for you, even if they were once."

I AM A RADIO PERSON.

I like listening to good radio. I listen to a lot of BBC Radio 6 and love Cerys Matthews on a Sunday. She loves the arts - one minute she will do a poem on sausages, and the next she will play West African music!

I have worked in so many countries, and have found myself in the studios of many different radio stations - St. Lucia, Bali, Sierra Leon, Ghana. I once did a live show for this East Village based radio station in New York City. These two girls turned up who had found a picture online from when I was at Radio 1 (years previously) and had got the One Direction logo shaved into the back of my head as a dare. I was trying to do this really cutting-edge, super-cool, left-field show and I was feeling really excited about it. And these girls were like 'Oh my god! We came to find you as you're the girl who got the 1D logo shaved into your head!' And I was like, 'Ermmmm....., that was like, totes ages ago....ahem.'

Gemma wears our ATHENS MANDARIN LINEN ROBE

THERE IS ENOUGH ROOM FOR EVERYONE IN THIS INDUSTRY AND WE SHOULD SHARE WHAT WE HAVE.

I have been inspired and enriched by the most generous characters, who have acted as 'angel type' mentors. This can be a terrifying industry but there absolutely are those that are very much collaborators, who are caring and generous in spirit and advice etc...They're the ones I choose to learn from.  

"I have been inspired and enriched by the most generous characters."

WHEN I INTERVIEWED GRACE JONES IT CHANGED MY LIFE.

I am drawn to disco queens and can't get enough of going down a rabbit hole and looking at pictures of Studio 54. Grace Jones is so unapologetically herself - she's so feminine AND fearless and that combination is very cool to experience first hand!

HAVING FUN AND PLAYING DRESS UP IS ACTUALLY IMPORTANT TO ME.

When I was younger I was such a fangirl of certain people. Like most people my age, I watched Sex and the City; and I thought the mismatch of Carrie Bradshaw's outfits was pretty cool, she wasn't dressing for anyone but herself. I love getting dressed up, so I appreciate others who do that, too.

My ultimate style icon is the earth mother Erykah Badu. The way she presents herself is rooted in spirituality and soul. When she wore a giant head wrap in the '90s as an ode to the African diaspora - I feel incredibly connected to that, both as a look and a lifestyle.  

"My ultimate style icon is the earth mother Erykah Badu. The way she presents herself is rooted in spirituality and soul."

Gemma wears our RHODES CORAL SILK TWILL MAXI DRESS

YOU CAN ONLY HAVE LOVE, IF YOU LOVE YOURSELF.

It is so annoying because when you can't reach it and you're not in a place to love yourself, even the concept of true self worth can be exhausting. It's private - and it is not for me to share my precise cultivation of self-love, it has to be something that you do for yourself. For me - it's something I have found in travel, bodies of water, reading, therapy and acceptance and of course so much more...

"I think it is important to surround yourself with people who want to create change."

IF YOU STAY OPEN AND STAY CURIOUS, THAT IS LIVING - AND I DON'T THINK WE ARE NECESSARILY TOLD THAT.

I think it is important to surround yourself with people who want to activate positive change on different levels (and not just by getting angry and using a hashtag). I lived at a million miles an hour throughout my twenties, and early thirties as it felt like that's what I needed to do to achieve 'success' and prove myself. Many around me were doing the same or part of the structures and systems that provided endless hoops for me to jump through. It felt right in many ways, for that time - I had a lot of energy and learnt so much about myself and career. I have now done and accomplished things I wouldn't have dared dream of as a teen. I worked really hard and I am proud. I never would have expected to have the opportunities when I was a young woman.

Growing up I was very aware that no one who looked like me was doing the things I have ended up doing. I've since learn that, they were of course there but that they definitely weren't being celebrated for it, they weren't visible to me. But, at the same time, of all of this 'career achievement'...I didn't know how to be calm or feel like I really deserved it. So now there's so much more to do, but lots of it is stuff that people might find more boring than interviewing stars or working at festivals around the world.

"There are so many things I wish I had known at 20."

DON'T WORRY ABOUT MAKING MISTAKES.

By proxy of my sensitive nature...I'm a bit...dramatic - something is either wonderful or terrible. It has taken me a long time to find the balance, and actually, that place in the middle can be totally fine. There are so many things I wish I had known at 20, so many! I hope we all feel like that? I am learning every day how to actually feel comfortable in my ever-changing body...for starters, especially since I broke my leg.

Gemma wears our RHODES CORAL SILK TWILL MAXI DRESS

I HAVE BANNED THE PHONE FROM THE BEDROOM.

I am trying to read more in bed. But, since injuring my leg, I also have this sports recovery pillow that I refer to as my "boyfriend" and spoon, which my actual boyfriend is not too sure about!

"I am in love with life and people. I find them infinitely fascinating and beautiful."

IF ALL ELSE FAILS, THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO TO BE JOYFUL ABOUT.

I am fundamentally hopelessly in love with life and people. I find them infinitely fascinating and beautiful. I think we have kindness beyond what we give ourselves credit for, and a resilience, which is remarkable.

IN BED I WEAR...

Silk, darling!

Gemma is hosting the BB6 Music Breakfast Show Mon-Fri from 7.30am till 30th July, her new series Landmark airs on Sky Arts in September and she is currently writing a book called the Immortal Sisterhood which will be published by Canongate in 2023.

Follow her news @gemcairn on Twitter / @gemagain on Instagram

Gemma Cairney, broadcaster and television presenter, talks to ASCENO about the joy of humankind, not falling back into bad habits, why escaping to Scotland was her salvation; and why Grace Jones will forever be the coolest person she has ever met.

Styled by herself in ASCENO HS21

Interview by Steph Sleap

Gemma wears our VALENCIA DUSTY ROSE SILK SLIP DRESS

I AM NOT NATURALLY A MORNING PERSON.

In the first hour of my day, I feel almost like a creature, emerging from under the ground. I have never enjoyed springing out of bed, I just love being cosy too much. But, in a dream world, I would wake up and do at least 10 minutes of Kundalini breathing and dunk myself into cold water!

THE TWO YEARS BEFORE LOCKDOWN WERE LIKE A DOMINO EFFECT.

I am a very sensitive person, and I have, like everyone, suffered a lot of bad luck and loss. So, to be suddenly forced to rest and contemplate gave me the time to experiment with what I actually needed - What do I like? What makes me feel good? And I was able to do this by myself, without the responsibility of anyone needing me.

During that time, I ran in and out of the sea where I live in Thanet, tried different meditations, and had loads of baths, LOADS of baths. I listened to so many entire albums, watched really weird films, and stared at the sunset ritually. I did try to socialise on some bizarre apps at first (remember House Party?!) but that just highlighted the fact that I was all alone, which didn't make me feel good. I think it was a time of letting quite a lot go.  

"lockdown gave me the time to experiment with what I actually needed - What do I like? What makes me feel good?"

Gemma wears our ATHENS MANDARIN LINEN ROBE

SO MUCH OF LIVING IS AMAZING, EVEN THE SIMPLEST OF THINGS.

That is where we are - on a swinging pendulum, all the time. In my personal experience, as soon as I realised that we deserve not only to survive, but to reach for genuine joy, even in quieter moments, life felt better.

I THINK THE UNIVERSE IS TRYING TO LET ME NAVIGATE REST.

During lockdown, many of us were on this strange journey of enforced rest, which was a really pivotal time for me. I did the first lockdown completely alone, as I was exhausted and pretty burnt out, to be honest. I knew I wanted to be by the sea; when I am at my lowest, the sea provides something for me that a human can't. Most of my work was cancelled and I was going through an intense period of personal grief, my friend had died and lots of hard stuff was surfacing, yet there was also discovery. It is all a bit Eat, Pray, Love - but it happened on the South East Coast of England, rather than India. Though everyone was going through it differently, it was contradictorily very unique, because it felt like everyone was connected by a fear and a period of processing, monotony even, but collectively.

"When I am at my lowest the sea provides something for me that a human can't."

LEARNING FROM THE PAST YEAR, I'M TRYING NOT TO FALL BACK INTO UNHEALTHY HABITS LIKE, TAKING ON TOO MUCH.

Yearning for freshness and nature has led me to Scotland [Gemma now lives in Edinburgh]. I don't know how many people here, but I know some and they are special souls. I also know I love this part of the world and have done so for a long time as I also have Scottish heritage. Being in a different place means refreshment for me. Growing quite literally upwards feels positive.

"It is incredibly empowering to realise which habits are actually not good for you, even if they were once."

I AM A RADIO PERSON.

I like listening to good radio. I listen to a lot of BBC Radio 6 and love Cerys Matthews on a Sunday. She loves the arts - one minute she will do a poem on sausages, and the next she will play West African music!

I have worked in so many countries, and have found myself in the studios of many different radio stations - St. Lucia, Bali, Sierra Leon, Ghana. I once did a live show for this East Village based radio station in New York City. These two girls turned up who had found a picture online from when I was at Radio 1 (years previously) and had got the One Direction logo shaved into the back of my head as a dare. I was trying to do this really cutting-edge, super-cool, left-field show and I was feeling really excited about it. And these girls were like 'Oh my god! We came to find you as you're the girl who got the 1D logo shaved into your head!' And I was like, 'Ermmmm....., that was like, totes ages ago....ahem.'

Gemma wears our MANDARIN LINEN SHORT SET

THERE IS ENOUGH ROOM FOR EVERYONE IN THIS INDUSTRY AND WE SHOULD SHARE WHAT WE HAVE.

I have been inspired and enriched by the most generous characters, who have acted as 'angel type' mentors. This can be a terrifying industry but there absolutely are those that are very much collaborators, who are caring and generous in spirit and advice etc...They're the ones I choose to learn from.  

"I have been inspired and enriched by the most generous characters."

WHEN I INTERVIEWED GRACE JONES IT CHANGED MY LIFE.

I am drawn to disco queens and can't get enough of going down a rabbit hole and looking at pictures of Studio 54. Grace Jones is so unapologetically herself - she's so feminine AND fearless and that combination is very cool to experience first hand!

HAVING FUN AND PLAYING DRESS UP IS ACTUALLY IMPORTANT TO ME.

When I was younger I was such a fangirl of certain people. Like most people my age, I watched Sex and the City; and I thought the mismatch of Carrie Bradshaw's outfits was pretty cool, she wasn't dressing for anyone but herself. I love getting dressed up, so I appreciate others who do that, too.

My ultimate style icon is the earth mother Erykah Badu. The way she presents herself is rooted in spirituality and soul. When she wore a giant head wrap in the '90s as an ode to the African diaspora - I feel incredibly connected to that, both as a look and a lifestyle.  

"My ultimate style icon is the earth mother Erykah Badu. The way she presents herself is rooted in spirituality and soul."

Gemma wears our RHODES CORAL SILK TWILL MAXI DRESS

YOU CAN ONLY HAVE LOVE, IF YOU LOVE YOURSELF.

It is so annoying because when you can't reach it and you're not in a place to love yourself, even the concept of true self worth can be exhausting. It's private - and it is not for me to share my precise cultivation of self-love, it has to be something that you do for yourself. For me - it's something I have found in travel, bodies of water, reading, therapy and acceptance and of course so much more...

"I think it is important to surround yourself with people who want to create change."

IF YOU STAY OPEN AND STAY CURIOUS, THAT IS LIVING - AND I DON'T THINK WE ARE NECESSARILY TOLD THAT.

I think it is important to surround yourself with people who want to activate positive change on different levels (and not just by getting angry and using a hashtag). I lived at a million miles an hour throughout my twenties, and early thirties as it felt like that's what I needed to do to achieve 'success' and prove myself. Many around me were doing the same or part of the structures and systems that provided endless hoops for me to jump through. It felt right in many ways, for that time - I had a lot of energy and learnt so much about myself and career. I have now done and accomplished things I wouldn't have dared dream of as a teen. I worked really hard and I am proud. I never would have expected to have the opportunities when I was a young woman.

Growing up I was very aware that no one who looked like me was doing the things I have ended up doing. I've since learn that, they were of course there but that they definitely weren't being celebrated for it, they weren't visible to me. But, at the same time, of all of this 'career achievement'...I didn't know how to be calm or feel like I really deserved it. So now there's so much more to do, but lots of it is stuff that people might find more boring than interviewing stars or working at festivals around the world.

"There are so many things I wish I had known at 20."

DON'T WORRY ABOUT MAKING MISTAKES.

By proxy of my sensitive nature...I'm a bit...dramatic - something is either wonderful or terrible. It has taken me a long time to find the balance, and actually, that place in the middle can be totally fine. There are so many things I wish I had known at 20, so many! I hope we all feel like that? I am learning every day how to actually feel comfortable in my ever-changing body...for starters, especially since I broke my leg.

Gemma wears our RHODES CORAL SILK TWILL MAXI DRESS

I HAVE BANNED THE PHONE FROM THE BEDROOM.

I am trying to read more in bed. But, since injuring my leg, I also have this sports recovery pillow that I refer to as my "boyfriend" and spoon, which my actual boyfriend is not too sure about!

"I am in love with life and people. I find them infinitely fascinating and beautiful."

IF ALL ELSE FAILS, THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO TO BE JOYFUL ABOUT.

I am fundamentally hopelessly in love with life and people. I find them infinitely fascinating and beautiful. I think we have kindness beyond what we give ourselves credit for, and a resilience, which is remarkable.

IN BED I WEAR...

Silk, darling!

Gemma is hosting the BB6 Music Breakfast Show Mon-Fri from 7.30am till 30th July, her new series Landmark airs on Sky Arts in September and she is currently writing a book called the Immortal Sisterhood which will be published by Canongate in 2023.

Follow her news @gemcairn on Twitter / @gemagain on Instagram

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