Emma Barnett On Great Hair, IVF & British Comfort Food

Award-winning broadcaster, journalist and creator of the Colour Your Streets books, Emma Barnett, is C&TH’s latest Rurbanist. We sat down with her to talk life-changing moments, IVF success and her ultimate British comfort food.

Q&A: Emma Barnett

What’s bringing you joy at the moment?

My children, my husband, and better health than I’ve had for a long time.

What’s annoying you most right now?

Lack of sleep. It’s an occupational hazard.

Advice you’d give to your 15-year-old self?

Be a human being, not a human ‘doing’.

What keeps you awake at night?

Pain. I suffer from endometriosis and adenomyosis, which can cause the kind of bone-grinding pain that keeps you up.

Best life hack?

Learn how to have good hair. I now have my hair blowdried once a week and then I use dry shampoo the rest of the week. Barnett by name, Barnett by nature. I want all women to learn how to spend as little time on their hair as possible but still feel as good as they can.

A conversation that changed everything?

I was introduced to my husband when I was 20 by a friend. I was about to have the budget cut for my theatre, and my friend said: ‘He knows what he’s doing, he’s good looking, and he’s single’. I asked him out on the spot.

What’s the best way to put a smile on your face?

Give me a big kiss and a hug (provided I know you). I’m a very tactile person.

Can you tell us something no one else knows?

I really like watching snooker.

Where do you go to escape?

Anywhere with a good cup of tea, or into music. I make lots of playlists – I am queen of the digital mixtape.

What would your epitaph say?

‘She came, she danced, she loved. And drank lots of tea.’

What book inspires you most?

Viktor E. Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. He’s a Holocaust survivor who realised the only thing that can’t be taken from you is your ability to choose how you respond in a certain moment. From difficult times in my own life through to interviewing a lot of people, I’ve learnt when people have survived something very difficult, they often come to the same conclusion.

Your greatest failure?

Impatience. I also give myself a very hard time.

Your greatest triumph?

Having two children after seven rounds of IVF. It took perseverance and luck.

What is your greatest treasure?

My engagement ring. The diamond was worn by my great grandmother, my grandmother, my mother, and now by me.

What do you keep by your bed?

Lip balm, magnesium butter for my feet, and the three or four books I have on the go.

If you could change one thing?

To make homelessness a thing of the past.

What has been your most embarrassing moment?

Early on in my journalism career, I was coming off stage having won an award, and my husband’s colleague – who was senior to him – came over to give me a hug. Somehow I managed to put my whole hand into her mouth. I just totally missed her neck and her mouth was open really wide and I felt my hand go in. I still relive it. Every time I tell that story, I die. I was so mortified I couldn’t move for an hour.

Best way to spend a weekend in Britain?

Gorgeous restaurant on Friday night. A great breakfast on Saturday and then a big, big walk so you’ve earned your lunch. A snooze, curled up with the papers, and then rally for a nice evening with more food and talking. And a sauna somewhere; I love heat.

What do you love best about Britain?

Our culture, our sense of humour, our irreverence. The fact we don’t take ourselves too seriously.

What should we bring back to Britain?

Free cups of tea everywhere. Was that ever a thing? And if not free, then tea that costs 30p, versus what we pay today.

What is your comfort dish?

Chippy shop chips. With salt and vinegar.

Quick Fire Favourites

Scent: Rose

TV series: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Chocolate bar: Hershey’s Cookies ’n’ Creme

Song The Time is Now by Moloko

Gadget: My portable radio

Restaurant: The Wolseley

Hero: Emmeline Pankhurst