Coronation Street star Natalie Anderson: 'I nearly cry every week, but I don’t care.'

Bradford-born has appeared on our screens for three decades. Currently in Coronation Street as Danielle Silverton, her previous serial drama incarnations include Stella Davenport in The Royal and Alicia Metcalfe in Emmerdale.

She also starred in Harlen Coben’s Netflix thriller Fool Me Once and in Martin Campbell’s 2022 action thriller Memory alongside Liam Neeson and Guy Pearce, and is a regular features presenter on ITV for This Morning and Loose Women.

And then there is Natalie’s acclaimed Women & Wellbeing podcast, launched six years ago, long before the world and its great-aunt got miced-up for the digital era. Her fashion shoot here with Yorkshire-based photographer Stevieroy celebrates its rebranding (it used to be called The Capsule In Conversation).

With more than four million audio downloads and a top two per cent global podcast ranking, Women & Wellbeing has become a trusted space for honest and expert conversations about the issues that matter most to women today, covering all aspects of well-being from financial to hormonal health, nutrition and more.

So, how does Natalie, who lives in West Yorkshire with her husband, James Shepherd, and their son, manage to combine a successful acting career with her demanding podcasting work?

“It’s very much a juggle and it's hard,” she says, “but I love both things and I think I've always been one of those people that has to have a million irons in the fire, or juggling a million plates all at once.

“I'm very lucky because I have an amazing husband who very much meets me in the middle of all the family chaos and everything. We both do our fair share. And I also have a great support network in my mum and my mother-in-law and in my friendship circle.”

Working in television and the entertainment industry has shaped her conversations around wellbeing.

“You hear a lot on set between actors, the make-up team, costume. Maybe things that often don't get said on camera in interviews,” she says.

“All of the big topics, menopause, perimenopause, pregnancy, all those things that we might have a chit chat about, on set or when you're getting ready to go on set, in the make-up chair or the dressing rooms, I’m able to ask those questions.

“It's been six years now and what started as a bit of an accident, a bit of an experiment, now feels established, and I’m really proud, as over the years, we’ve built an amazing archive of episodes, over 110.”

Previous guests have included Dr Louise Newson, Dr Shahzadi Harper, Dr Liz O'Riordan, as well as actors, writers and presenters such as Faye Brookes, Donna Ashworth, Michelle Ackerle, Scarlette Douglas and Denise Welch.

The current season features Suzy Reading, Ateh Jewel, Karen Newby, Sarah Jayne Dunn, Victoria Ekanoye and Karen Arthur, each bringing expert insight, experience and practical tools.

Presenter Christine Talbot loves to shop, dine and walk here

“There’s still a long way to go in terms of research, funding and awareness of women’s health issues,” Natalie says. “When you look at menopause, for example, something that women have been experiencing since the dawn of our existence, only now are we really looking at those physiological, mental changes, what actually happens to a woman's brain and body. And how, in the past, there's been countless times that women have been misdiagnosed because of a lack of education around this area.”

Natalie herself talks openly on the podcast about her own mental health. “I was suffering with anxiety terribly all through my 20s and early 30s and I never talked about it,” she says. “Especially when I had a much higher public profile, I kept everything to myself.

“Putting on a mask constantly is very difficult if you're struggling, and that really took a toll on me, particularly as I had also become a new mum.

“I wanted other women to feel like they weren't alone if they were going through difficult times. Because we don't do coffee mornings anymore, do we? We don't do meet-ups, we don't do the things that we used to do, we’re not as connected as we used to be in terms of being a society, it's very digital, and human connection is really important just to learn and to grow and to know you're not alone.

“When I was in my teens I used to laugh at the women that went to ‘mother’s meetings’. I’d associate them with my Nanna, but now I really understand just how much of a lifeline they are for people. They build a community.

“Honesty has been and will always be a huge part of what drives this podcast. I nearly cry every week, but I don’t care.

“When I was in the depths of anxiety, we had a number of brilliant coaches, Anna Mathur, Sarie Taylor and Suzy Reading (who’s coming back this season), who really helped me take back control of myself and my mental health. Those episodes were like my own therapy sessions.”

Natalie, who is also ambassador for Yorkshire women’s employment charity Smart Works Leeds, hopes that Women & Wellbeing will help women to advocate for themselves.

“It's alright to go armed to your doctor with a load of information, because you deserve the right answers,” she says. “But don’t self-diagnose. Always make sure you see a doctor with any health concerns.”

Natalie’s own advice to someone who feels overwhelmed is to start small. “Break it all down into little sections and write a couple of lists and, even if you only manage to tick off one of those things, that's fine, that’s brilliant. Even if you only manage to take 50 steps in one day rather than 5,000, great, it's a start.

“I think that's the thing, it’s not looking at the end game and especially on social media going, ‘oh, I need to look like this,’ or ‘that person's got a perfect house,’ or ‘that person's got an amazing career’.”

Sleep is an essential to protect health and wellbeing. “Restorative sleep is so important for our mental health, our stress levels and how we heal,” she says. “I have to get at least a good eight hours and I swear by NEOM’s pillow mist. I’ve used it for absolutely years and it always travels with me.

“My other non-negotiable is nature. I’m a Yorkshire girl through and through and If I can’t get out into nature, it really upsets me. I feel claustrophobic.

“When I wasn’t very well just recently, I was advised to not walk much, and for someone who tries to do a 5km every other day outside, I found that very difficult.

“And finally, family time. My family is my world and spending quality time with them, preferably in nature, helps me to feel really centred.”

Women & Wellbeing itself has moved on from being an audio podcast. “The setting now, the new studio, it feels very much more like a lifestyle show and a talk show,” Natalie says.

She is also looking at taking the podcast in the direction of TV and literary projects. “I could never have imagined at the start that I would still be doing this and that it would become such a huge, full-time part of my life. But it’s something I really love and it’s enabled me to meet the most incredible people and build creatively in areas alongside my acting career.”

Women & Wellbeing is available to stream and download on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major platforms. New episodes released weekly until March 22.