NEW SPOTLIGHT SERIES: Meeting the local women involved in the Ladies First Charity Calendar - Kirsty Leahy

KIRSTY LEAHY – Leamington – MISS JULY – Supporting Safeline

Tell us a little about yourself

I’m Kirsty Leahy, broadcaster, live-event host, DJ, mum, step-mum (though I really dislike the outdated term!) and professional chatterbox!

I spent a few years presenting on BBC CWR and I’ve worked in radio, TV and live events for more than 15 years. These days you’re just as likely to find me hosting an awards ceremony or food festival as DJing, interviewing someone or running around after my five-year-old daughter.

Why on earth did you say yes to the calendar?

Because apparently abseiling down a hotel wasn’t far enough outside my comfort zone!

I’m a big believer in saying Yes to things that scare you slightly, although I may have questioned that philosophy when it was actually time to stand in front of the camera in Mallory Court’s beautifully quaffed gardens behind a couple of disco balls! (I’m Miss July - so naturally we were out in the sunshine!) 

But I loved what this calendar stood for. Women of different ages, shapes, backgrounds and personalities coming together, having a laugh, pushing themselves outside their comfort zones and raising money for causes they genuinely care about.

And frankly, women in their 40s, 50s and beyond are definitely not disappearing quietly into the background. Quite the opposite.

Were you nervous?

Erm… YES!

Put me on a stage in front of thousands of people with a microphone? Fine. Put me in front of a camera like this? Suddenly I’m thinking about every lump, bump and angle! But that’s exactly why I wanted to do it.

Confidence isn’t walking into every room thinking you look fabulous. Sometimes it’s feeling terrified, applying lipstick and cracking on anyway.

Did the experience teach you anything? That us girls really need to stop being so flipping hard on themselves.

We can look at a photograph and immediately zoom in on the one tiny thing we don’t like. Everyone else looks at it and sees a woman smiling, laughing and having a brilliant time.

There are about 38 women supporting around 30 charities in this calendar. We all look different. We all have different stories. And that’s precisely what makes it fabulous.

Has becoming a mum changed how you see yourself? Massively. I became a mum in my forties and suddenly there was this little girl watching everything I did.

I don’t want my daughter growing up hearing me constantly criticising my body or worrying that women have to look a certain way to be valuable. Yes my body has changed a lot - a C-section, hernia op and feeling peri-menopausal. I’ve had a couple of setbacks over the last 18 months or so - but I feel like I’ve turned a corner now. 

I want my daughter  to see women being loud, funny, ambitious, adventurous, kind, occasionally ridiculous and completely comfortable taking up space.

Do I still have days when I’d happily swap a few bits of my body? Obviously! I’m human. But these days I’m much more interested in living my life than waiting until I look “perfect” to enjoy it.

What would you say to another woman who doesn’t feel confident enough to do something like this?

Do it anyway. Don’t wait until you’re thinner. Don’t wait until you’re younger. Don’t wait until you’ve bought the perfect outfit or suddenly woken up overflowing with confidence.

Wear the dress. Get in the photo. Apply for the job. Book the trip. Say yes. We waste far too much time waiting to become some imaginary ‘better’ version of ourselves. You’re allowed to enjoy being the version you are now.

Why did you choose your charity?

This is the really important bit for me.

Safeline does incredible work supporting survivors of sexual violence and abuse, but they also work with children and young people around healthy relationships, boundaries, consent, online safety, misogyny and sexual harassment. As the mum of a young daughter, that really hits home.

Of course we need organisations supporting people when something awful has happened. But if we can educate children earlier and give them the language and confidence to understand boundaries and recognise unhealthy behaviour, that’s incredibly powerful.

Find out more here: https://safeline.org.uk/

Which woman inspires you?

My mum.  Total unconditional love.  She helps me achieve my goals with childcare help and support and recognises when I need a bit more help and understanding. 

What advice would you give your 16-year-old self?

Oh Gosh. SO MUCH. Stop worrying about whether everybody likes you. Say yes more. Trust your gut. Don’t shrink yourself to make somebody else comfortable.

You absolutely do not need to know what you’re doing with the rest of your life yet. And PLEASE appreciate that you have no idea what’s coming.

Finally, what does being part of the calendar mean to you?

It’s cheeky. It’s brave. It’s slightly terrifying. And it’s raising money and awareness for some brilliant charities. But I also love what it says about women.

There are 39 of us in this calendar and none of us needed to become younger, thinner or ‘perfect’ before we were allowed to step in front of that camera. We just showed up.

We’re here. We’ve got stories to tell. And we are absolutely not fading into the background!