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Megan McKenna
I was robbed really badly in my own home. Woke up to my whole house shaking like. I get goose pimples now thinking about it. They were inside my house, but I lock my bedroom door and they're three masked men with machetes and they managed to hack a hole in my wall. And they were in my house for seven minutes. Like seven minutes. It was the longest seven minutes I've ever experienced in my entire life. I was on the phone to the police and they were like, we're on our way, we're on our way. And I was like, no, they're hacking my wall down. That is my biggest fear. And it happened to me.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What does it do mentally when you experience something like that?
Megan McKenna
Well, it changes you forever. Your home is your safe space. That's not my safe space.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I don't have the right words to even.
Megan McKenna
It's like. Almost took that away from me having this, like, being at home and feeling safe with London.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
Sorry.
Megan McKenna
Now I'm really crying. It's something I will work through. Hi, I'm Megan McKenna and I'm in great company.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Megan McKenna.
Sponsor Voice 1 (Grow Therapy)
Fuck down.
Megan McKenna
When I met Ollie, you just get a feel who isn't a dickhead? And I have dated a lot, but Ollie doesn't give me a reason. I went away with an ex. Something was a bit off. I go down the phone, a picture of her sexy legs and underwear in it, mugging me off.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Can I ask a really personal question?
Megan McKenna
Go on.
Sponsor Voice 2 (Progressive Insurance)
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Sarah Gibson Tuttle
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Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Hey guys, welcome back to Great Company. Okay, we have Megan McKenna. You probably think you know Megan McKenna if you've seen the show she's been on. Maybe you like her music, maybe you like her cooking. But trust me, today is totally different. So get ready for this. Okay? And before we start, if I can just ask that one favor that I always ask. If you can click that subscribe button, it's completely for free, but it does us wonders. I cannot even explain to you. If you do that one thing, I'll thank you forever. Okay, here we go. Enjoy this incredible episode of Great company with Meghan McKenna. Ah, yes.
Megan McKenna
Megan, man, I don't really. Do you know podcasts a lot?
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Why not? Because you're worried about what you're gonna say or what is it?
Megan McKenna
Yeah, maybe it's from like being on reality TV for so long. I think I've always been so worried about how people edit me. Maybe that's the thing. I think it's like a thing subconsciously that I'm like, do you know what? I'd rather just not talk.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I get it, man. I listen. Having done reality TVs for so long, you then become such a like control freak over your own life and everything.
Megan McKenna
You really do.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Oh, man.
Megan McKenna
And I think that's why I kind of like social so much like my own. Because I'm like in control.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah. I was just saying to you before, watching your socials is like. It's makes me feel so good. I don't know what it's like and why.
Megan McKenna
I don't know. It's weird. I always ask people, like, people say I'm therapeutic. I'm like, really? You wouldn't said that 10 years ago, would you?
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
It's the most. If you haven't seen Megan's stuff. It's so beautiful. You're always cooking with your son. You're always doing different things. You look like it's so wholesome and lovely and wonderful and just delicious. I want to be married to you. I want you to be my mother. I want you to just be everything. It's just crazy. What was the first thing that you started on?
Sponsor Voice 1 (Grow Therapy)
What?
Megan McKenna
As in reality, as in reality show reality was X on the beach.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Was it really?
Megan McKenna
Yeah, yeah, it was X on the beach. And I got that show thinking. I was doing this show called. It was called like, are you the one? It's like a similar show, but not a negative one. It's like they tricked you. They actually didn't tell me what I was doing. And I kid you not. Gospel, true story. When I went to the airport to go and fly to film X on the beach, I signed a contract not knowing it was X on the beach. Really. I wasn't allowed to tell my mum or anyone where I was flying to. They told me where I was flying to when I got to the airport and they took my phone off me. But my mum knew it was real because she come to the MTV meeting with me.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Right, okay.
Megan McKenna
You know, she knew it was real, but they said to me it was an ongoing series. You know, I was thinking, is this going to be more like a Geordie Shaw thing, like, away? And then I'm going to do loads of series. And I remember thinking, I, like, I had, like, no money. And I remember I was like, barmaid. And I, like, was working also in a estate agent job. And I just sacked the estate agent job off. I was like, see ya. Like, I'm gonna be on tv. And then went shopping with my mum. And I was like, can I borrow a thousand pound? I always remember, can I borrow a thousand pound? And I think I got, like, two grand to do the show.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
Wow.
Megan McKenna
I was away for a month and I was like, she's like, okay, you need to get back to me. I was like, yeah. When I bought loads of bikinis, like really nice ones from Victoria's Secret. Really nice. Anyway, I went away, and when I got to the airport, I bought a little ipod nano thing with me that you can go onto Facebook with. Yeah, yeah. Do you remember them?
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah, yeah.
Megan McKenna
So I was obviously being a little bit tricky, and I thought, I'm gonna contact my mum on Facebook when I arrive at the next WI fi spot, because obviously I didn't want her to be worried. So I got to the next stop and I said I couldn't even get through tomorrow. I don't know what happened, but it was some weird way of Facebook on this thing. So I messaged someone to say, can you tell my mom I'm going to Mexico? And when I r. And I land, you need to don't say where I've said I am, because I'm just gonna say I'm arrived and I'm safe. And she was like, okay. So I land in Mexico. The producer's probably gonna watch this. Like, she. For real. But I got to Mexico, rang my mom, pretended that I hadn't told her where I was, and I was like, hi, I'm here now. She was like, okay, right. Love you. I was like, okay, love you. Speak to you in a month.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Whoa.
Megan McKenna
Put the phone down. Got to my hotel room. They obviously to go through your cases. They took the ipod off me. It's fine. Cause I thought, she knows where I am.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah, yeah.
Megan McKenna
And then I had to stay in, like, in this hotel for, like, a couple of nights on my own with this lady. And there you go. Put me in the villa.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Why do you think you wanted to go and do a show like that?
Megan McKenna
Well, I wanted to be A singer?
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
And I had no in. No contacts. We were just like normal family, you know, normal jobs. So I thought, I'm just gonna get my own way in there. And to be honest, I didn't even apply. They contacted me on Twitter. Yeah. Cause I was during a season in Marbella, and they'd seen online that I was, like, on Twitter at the time, that I was a party girl and I was promoting T Boo, this club in Marbella. So they knew I was, like, a good laugh.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
And that's how I got it, really. I met them in a club in London as well, and they said, we
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
want you to come do the show. We think you'd be great for it.
Megan McKenna
That was my first audition in the club. I did a shot of Jaeger Bomb before I went in. So classy. Shot a Jaeger. I went into the meeting and I was like, boom, I'm getting this show. Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Okay, so. So you do X on the Beach Experience. What do you find the Experience? Like it? Enjoy it.
Megan McKenna
I loved it. I loved it. But the problem is with me is I had just come out of a not very nice relationship with a boy that I was so in love with, and he broke my heart a thousand times and cheated on me. And I was in such a bad place, where my mum said, you know, this would be good. You'll be meeting new people, and all this. And little did we know, I'm coming into X on the Beach. So when I got into there, I think they're trying to be. Try to get him on it. He didn't do it. They just brought the girl on that he was shagging who became my friend, and then told me she'd been shagging him. Yeah, yeah. That was a finale. And then put him on a date with the guy I was getting with, and they kissed. It's a shambles, but can I just actually give you a little bit of a backstory on why this hit so great? It's a great episode. Now I look back, I'm like, wow, that is.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
That's good. That's good tv.
Megan McKenna
Yeah, that's great tv. And they're proper, you know, sneaky tv.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
They know what they're doing.
Megan McKenna
When I went in for that first day and I had that shot of Jaeger Bomb, it was the night before. I kid you not, everything happens for a reason. She told me that she had shagged him in my mum's kitchen. No, no, no. She didn't shag him in my mum's kitchen. I know. She told me.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I Was like, this is juicy.
Megan McKenna
Sorry, sorry, sorry. No, she shagged him. She told me in my mum's kitchen.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
She told you in my mum's kitchen?
Megan McKenna
Yeah, we were sitting down. We just got back from Westfield.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
She said it, she's read it.
Megan McKenna
She just couldn't hold it in anymore.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What was your reaction?
Megan McKenna
Why have you made friends with me?
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What are you doing?
Megan McKenna
I'm like, why have you become a friend? Because I liked you and I couldn't. I got too far being your friend. I was like, this is so fucked up. Get out.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
When you see old clips of yourself.
Megan McKenna
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What does it make you feel? Do you feel sorry for that person? What do you feel?
Megan McKenna
Yeah, I do actually feel sorry for me sometimes. Not all the times, I think could have held back. Not really. I'm like, did I say that? I, I. That isn't even in my brain.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
To say maybe it was the alcohol. I do think a lot of it was alcohol.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
100%.
Megan McKenna
Back in the day, we was allowed to drink what we wanted when we wanted. We would get up in the morning, if we want to drink a beer, we could have a beer.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Could you do that on the Only Ways Essex?
Megan McKenna
No.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
You weren't allowed to?
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
No.
Megan McKenna
A lot of the time to be there on the Only Ways Essex, I wasn't drunk. It's just me.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah, because you joined.
Megan McKenna
I wasn't even bad on that show. You know like when people like, you's crazy. I'm like, really? You ain't seen nothing yet because you
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
had a public relationship on that one as well.
Megan McKenna
Yes. Yeah. And you know what? Like, Pete, we're friends. I'm like, happy for him and he's happy for me. And when I see him at events, we say hello, and I'm always with me and Pete, we dealt with something that not a lot of people can relate to, which is being in the public eye so much. Like every single thing, people that are on it understand, but people that are in relationships that aren't in the public eye just don't get it. We couldn't do anything right and people were really picking holes in us all the time. It was on the show. People were using our storylines for their storylines and everything was really messy. It was messy. A messy relationship. But we was friends before. We was friends through it. We decided to part ways. It just weren't working because, again, there's just no trust there. And I just think we just was better as friends. We did a show after that together. Celebs go dating friends. It's nice I think that's a nice. That's a big growth for me as well, because with my other exes, I'd be like, Don't talk to him.
Sponsor Voice 3 (Zocdoc)
And we're out.
Megan McKenna
You know, I used to be like that. I really did. Whereas now I would never be like that.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Do you ever think that people may have used you for storylines?
Megan McKenna
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And that must be hard.
Megan McKenna
Yeah. I just started to worry about what I was saying, like, off camera to people, like, to friends, really, because they
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
would then bring it or they would say it, or they would use it to say.
Megan McKenna
To produce really, like, personal things that weren't even on the show. They'd use it.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
That, and that then builds the paranoia, and then you don't trust people.
Megan McKenna
Oh, paranoia. I miss his paranoia over here. Yeah. But when I come off of the show, not so much now, really. A little bit. If you ask any of my old friends from before telly, they're like, megan wasn't like that. It was when I started to get into really toxic relationships, it just sent me loopy, like. And then you get hurt, and then you're trying to get yourself out, and I'd be hurt, and then I'd get into a new relationship. Probably not healed from the recent one.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What do you. What do you like when you're in love?
Megan McKenna
I am all in, really. Ollie has it great.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I can only imagine he does. So this. So this person, was this your first love?
Megan McKenna
Sometimes I'm like, was it love? Because I don't know. I think so.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
Why?
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Explain. What does love mean to you?
Megan McKenna
Well, love. Now I've met Ollie and I'm married, and I see the way what we have, that's love. Because what I had before, you know, it was a little bit.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
It's like obsession.
Megan McKenna
Maybe a little bit of that. But also, it was just so toxic with cheating and going out. And. Look, we was young, and there's only so much you can take as a young girl, like, going out, worrying all the time, like, is he gonna be with another girl?
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
You know, if you got. If some young girl's listening now and she feels like she's in that space, what would you say to that person?
Megan McKenna
Firstly, like, they're never gonna change. Sorry? They're never gonna change. Get out now. Because you give them chance after chance after chance. And I've had it with other previous boyfriends, and they never change. And also, sorry, this is really neggy, but, like, no, it's fine. You can never trust them fully.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And do you know what? My biggest thing with What I think creates love is you gotta have respect and trust. Trust is everything.
Megan McKenna
Then you're sweet, then you're great. You have the best life in the world. Do you know what I mean? Ollie can go out. I'm like, cool, I can go out. Not that we go out.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah, but you can. But you can. When you have that trust, you can kind of just. Everything's cool.
Megan McKenna
I would never go down Ollie's phone. I've been down all my ex's phones. All of them sat in the bathroom. No PIN code.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Have you ever. Worst experience, when you went on someone's phone and found something, what was it?
Megan McKenna
I went away with an ex in Barcelona and I remembered the code on the safe in the room. Anyway, I kept that code in my brain. We get home, something was a bit off. You always feel, you know something's not right. And he was asleep on the sofa and I thought, you know what? I'm just going to test this code on the phone. And it was the phone code.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
So I'm in the phone.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What was the phone code? Can you remember it?
Megan McKenna
Oh, I can't remember. I can't remember. That'd be weird if I did. Yeah. No. And you got the phone. I got the phone. And I go down the phone and it is when I say a picture of myself on TV sent to my boyfriend with her sexy legs and underwear in it, and they're having a conversation, marking me off.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
So that was another really crap time in relationships. I've not had the best ride with relationships.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
How do you trust men? How do you then trust men?
Megan McKenna
I didn't. I didn't for a very, very long time. And I think when. When I met Ollie, you just get a feel.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Really?
Megan McKenna
You. You just get a feel who is. Who isn't a dickhead? And I have dated a lot.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
How do you find that? How does your radar. If your. If your radar is. And I just know this with, like, so many young women, and there's young men, but let's focus on young women, right? Young women who've been through that, they've been cheated on, they've been, like, disrespected. They've had these things happen to them. How do they then. Their radar doesn't always go to the negative. They're going to be like this. It's going to be this. They're going to be like this.
Megan McKenna
It does. Look, it does. But Ollie doesn't give me a reason.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Really?
Megan McKenna
Yeah. And I think that is why we work, because he doesn't Give me a reason to feel that way. Or like, if he was out, he's calling me. Or. I like what Ollie does with work, I think. I like. He's got his own thing and it's different. He's in sports, he's into his health. Ollie is very like, we'll go for a coffee. He's quite. He's got. He likes simple things, but he likes what I like.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Beautiful.
Megan McKenna
And we get on, we can go for a walk for hours on end
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
and just be mates.
Megan McKenna
Four coffees out.
Sponsor Voice 1 (Grow Therapy)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
And just chat and chat and chat and have a lovely time and go home and watch. He'll watch Kardashians with me, like, find a husband that watches Kardashians. I'm sorry, you're mine. So, yeah, he's just not giving me a reason to feel that way. And I think all my other ones always gave me that feeling, that reason. And I had a lot of therapy, to be honest. You know, after a few relationships, I had to have real deep therapy for a long time. And then I had a break. My mum was like, have a break? And I was like, I'm 30. She's like, you've got loads of time. I said, I haven't. I need to find a man. She said to me, it will all come at once. I said, really? I swear. She said this to me in the living room. And then it was that Christmas, I wasn't even looking for it. And. And it just come up with Ollie.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
So you're on a date. You're on a dating app? Yes, a dating app called Rare, which I was rejected from. I think I was too good looking for it.
Megan McKenna
I can't believe you're rejected from Raya. Okay, that's really funny.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
So then you. You come across Ollie.
Megan McKenna
Yeah, I actually come off of Raya because I was fuming with it. I was like, I hate you all. Then I went back on it. Yeah, I was actually in Scotland. Ollie's from Scotland, so it's like. It's really weird how these things happen. And I remember I was in the hills in Scotland. I was on tour with. I think I was on tour with Michael Ball and Alfie Beau at the time.
Sponsor Voice 3 (Zocdoc)
Wow.
Megan McKenna
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
So that is so cool. That's so cool.
Megan McKenna
Yeah. And then Ollie pops up and I'm like, okay. You know, I looked at his profile, got cool song, dress is really cool. I'm like, I like this because also, I used to date a lot of, like, Essex people, and I did never want to date Essex people again. Basically, I Never wanted to do that again.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
So you thought Scottish? This works.
Megan McKenna
Scottish. Oh, okay. He plays in a German league. This is interesting. He travels a lot. And then. Yeah, just something really attracted to me. Like the way he just held himself through these pictures. I was like, he's interesting. So I went into this date not overthinking it. And I always used to overthink, like, am I going to marry this person? I swear, like, before the date, like, could this work? Like, how's this going to work? And then would you sit down with
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
someone straight and go, I'm not going to marry them. This is going to be.
Megan McKenna
No, I would just know straight away.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Really? Straight away?
Megan McKenna
I just know straight away. Yeah. And then I'd think, like, oh, let's just have a nice date. And then that'd be it.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
But I knew when he was waiting for me at the door and I was a little bit late, and he just, like, turned around to me and gave me this, like, feeling of. I almost wanted to, like, hug him. It was, like, really weird. And I was like, I'm not like that. Because I'm not really that affectionate out in public.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
Anyway, and then I kind of was like, I'm really sorry I'm late. And he was dressed so nice, and I was dressed, like, really nice. Like, you look lovely. And I was like, I've waited for you. They said to go in, but I wanted to wait. And I was like, that's such a gentleman move. Yeah. And then we just sat down, and within the space of 20 minutes, me and him are on our first margarita. He goes to me, what are you doing New Year's Eve? I was like, should I pretend I've got plans? I have nothing to do. I was like, well, I might go to my bro. He went, do you want to come with me to this party on New Year's Eve for my family? I thought, he must really like me. So I said, yeah, all right. Thought, oh, my God, I'm so keen. I'm such a keno. I thought, sod it. I'm just going to go. And then the date was amazing. Went to a club.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Apparently, you. Apparently you. You dared him. You said, I dare you to kiss me.
Megan McKenna
I did. I thought, how am I going to get around this? About, like. I also like to kiss test, you know? You have.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
You do?
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
Because I think you need to have that connection.
Sponsor Voice 1 (Grow Therapy)
Wow.
Megan McKenna
We had such a good kiss. And we was kissing all night in this. We had a little corner table in this club, and we was having the time of our lives. And I just thought, wow, I'm having so much fun. Like, this is so fun.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
And then he dropped me home and the rest was history.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And I heard he proposed after five months of dating.
Megan McKenna
I think it's a little bit longer, but, no, it was quite soon.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
But you just knew.
Megan McKenna
Yeah, I just knew. I had this feeling. And it was really weird how things happened because he was in loan in the uk. It was almost like the, like, the world. The universe gave us this time for him to be in the uk. So I, like, was living with him in Canary Wharf, and we was just having this, like, this bubble relationship that was insane. And then. Then we went away and he proposed. And it was the most. When I say incredible, it could have been a wedding, he just went all out.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Walk me through it. What happened?
Megan McKenna
He. Well, firstly, he was so clever because he knows I love to, like, do videos and stuff on Instagram. He bought me an outfit while we was in Canary Wharf, and he got it for me, showed me it, you know, knew it was a whole little Prada kit set. Like, kitted me out of this little Prada set. And I was like, oh, my God,
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
this is the best.
Megan McKenna
I've never had, like, a full kit Prada set before. Like, this is amazing. And it was all, like, nylon, and he used to wear the nylon Prada and everything. Anyway, so I didn't realize that was going to be my engagement outfit. He literally was just checking did I like it? And he said, we're gonna go and do these boat trips, and we're gonna have so much fun. Like, we should get really cool pictures in front of the mountains. And I was like, yes. I was like, oh, my God, it's gonna be so good. I can't wait. And then as soon as we get to Montenegro, it was gonna rain, and he was stressing on the plane, like, oh, it's gonna rain. I was like, oh, really? He was like, yeah. And I was like, I don't think it's gonna rain all day. And he was like, no, no, it's gonna rain. And I was thinking to myself, jesus, all right. Like, get over it. Okay? Like, we are going for, like, five days. Anyway, we get there, and he takes me down to this boat, this unbelievable, like, vintage boat on this lake, and we go out. We are out on the boat for two hours. No toilet. I'm taking pictures galore. Like, can you get a picture of me like this? I mean, my outfit, my Prada. I'm like, oh, this? Like. And he's probably sitting there, like, absolutely bricking it.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
And then he's like, we're gonna go for dinner. We're gonna get off at the port around the corner. So we went around and I said, I'm busting for a wee, I've got to go away. So now I'm going on about, I need a wee, I need a wee, I need a wee. Not that I knew he had a mic on him. He had a mic on his thing and he had a drone following us on this last 15 minutes of the journey. And he's like, I think when we get off, there's no toilet. You're going to have to just go into the restaurant first. No, no, I need to get off and go to the toilet, I swear. And he's thinking, fuck me, mate. I've got fireworks going off.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah, yeah. This whole thing.
Megan McKenna
This whole thing. Anyway, we go around the corner and this is a part of our story we've never actually told, but we have to laugh about it. He's now put blindfold on me. I'm like, oh, my God, he's gonna propose.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
You're like, here we go.
Megan McKenna
Now I know. So I've got the blindfold on and
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
what are you thinking? You're like, oh, my God. Are you like.
Megan McKenna
I'm like, I can't believe this. But also, we've been on this boat for so long. Like, I actually didn't. I would not have expected us to then get engaged. So then all I'm hearing is my song. This. This isn't planned, by the way. This is what's funny about it. My song. This, that I sang on X Factor, is blaring into the mountains. I'm like, what is going on? So I'm thinking, is this, like a thing for my Instagram? Like, I'm like, now am I getting engaged? Like, what is going on? Anyway, he takes it off. Little did I know Ollie's going to the people, get off, get it off. Get the song off. He'd organized a band. There's a band standing on the thing on the corner of the beach with our song. Like, it's called Forever and Always. But they've decided to take it on themselves to play my song. Can you believe that? And I don't like that. No, no, no, no. That is cringe. So I'm thinking, oh, bless him. He's done this to, like, help my boost on Spotify for my video. I'm like, swear, this is crazy. Anyway, I didn't know. Anyway, I took the blindfold Off. Now they're playing our song forever and ever and always with the band. And I'm like, took my fold off. There's fireworks going off. There's, like, roses everywhere. We're on this beach, there's a table set up. There's, like, people with flowers. There's just. Honestly, I was like. I didn't even know where to look. I was like, wow. And he got down on one knee and did the whole thing. And I was like, oh, my God. I just couldn't believe it. I was like, I can't believe this is happening to me that you're proposing, like, I can't believe. Finally met someone that I love, like, that loves me. I was like, wow. This is actually what I dreamed of forever. So he put the ring on. He organized a playlist of all our favorite songs and they sang them live. And we, like, was on the beach. It was best night. It was the best night ever. He ordered my favorite food, my favorite drinks, and it was just the most romantic thing I've ever experienced. Apart from our wedding.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah, that is.
Megan McKenna
I know. And then he told me, so he's like, do you like dinner? I'm like, I love it. And he goes, listen, I've got to talk to you about something. I'm like, what? He went, I did not organize your song to come on. I went, that is. I did think that's a bit weird.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
So how long have you been back in the UK then?
Megan McKenna
So I actually live here 50% of the time now.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Really?
Megan McKenna
Yeah, it's. It's. It's a whole different ball game living in Germany.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah, well, the language, firstly.
Megan McKenna
Well, firstly, I don't speak German. I understand some German now. Ollie's great. Ollie can speak a bit of German, but I don't have it like my family there. And you know what? It's like. You need your team around you and it can be quite hard.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah, I think. You know, I think that's the hardest thing that I didn't realize when you have a kid is, like, how. Firstly, how important family is.
Sponsor Voice 1 (Grow Therapy)
Really?
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
You don't even realize that.
Megan McKenna
I know.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And also when you marry someone, they've got their family, and I love my wife's family more than anything. But also, you need your family. Yeah, you need that kind of, like homebody time. And if you're abroad, you don't have that.
Megan McKenna
No, literally.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Can I ask what made you move out to Germany rather than stay in the uk?
Megan McKenna
Well, obviously, Ollie went back to his team he was playing with in Germany, basically. He's playing with Werder Bremen. But we had a incident in the UK that made me move to Germany full time and I had to get away from the UK because I. To be honest, I don't. I don't talk about this with a lot of people because I was worried and scared at the time because people were in prison for it. And when there was a trial going on, so I wasn't able to talk about it. But I was robbed really badly in my own home. Yeah. And it scared me so much to be in the UK and to live in the UK on my own, because obviously Ollie's in Germany.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Oh, man.
Megan McKenna
Yeah. It was terrible.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What happened.
Megan McKenna
Well, it's just. It's a. It's a really weird one because I never talk about it.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Sure.
Megan McKenna
Because obviously I've been scared, but now I feel like it's been two years. It was basically just after I got engaged and we come back from Montenegro. It was the most insane trip and everything, and it was just. I was on this huge hire and Ollie had to travel back the day we landed, the day after we landed. You know, we're drawing such a high of getting engaged. And I drop him to the airport. I get back about 6pm, obviously, park the car, go in, get myself ready for bed. And I remember I had, like. I was sitting on my landing on my own and I was chatting to Ollie on FaceTime. And I was like, oh, I'm a little bit nervous, you know, because the whole world just found out, we just got engaged and I was obviously on my own. And you, obviously, you kind of worry about things happening to you, but then you think, surely it's not going to happen to me? And then I just went to bed. 11pm, and I had a terrible headache, so I took tablets, quite strong Nurofen tablets. And then I went to bed. I put the Aircon on because it was hot. It was like July or something. And then I put a podcast on, Catherine Ryan's podcast. I remember listening to it and then I must have fallen asleep within the first 15 minutes. I woke up to my whole house shaking and I just couldn't. I was in such a disorientated mess. I was like, what? And then I just knew that I knew it was happening to me and I was like, oh, my God. Like, I get goose pimples now thinking about it. Like they were inside my house. But I lock my bedroom door every night because I always worry about something happening to me when I'm on my own. The next thing I know My mirror has come off my wall, and they're hacking a hole through my wall with a baseball bat. Yeah. And they're three masked men with machetes and baseball bats. And they managed to hack a hole in my walls. It was a fake wall going onto my dressing room, linked to my bedroom. The hole was like this. And they've demanded everything I had on me because obviously they were going to get in and harm me. And if my door wasn't locked, actually, they probably would have woken me up and probably killed my dog. Like, I was more worried about my dog getting killed than anything. But I was on the phone to police. They were in my house for seven minutes. Like, seven minutes is. It was the longest seven minutes I've ever experienced in my entire life. And the police were saying to me, don't speak to them. And I said to them, have they got weapons? I said, I can hear they've got weapons. They're hacking my wall down. And they were like, we're on our way. We're on our way. And I was like, no, they're hacking my wall down. And they were like, please don't talk to them. I said, if I don't go and talk to them and ask them what they want, they're going to come in and kill my dog. Honestly, like, they were like, this girl must be crazy. So I went over to them. I was naked.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Oh, Megan.
Megan McKenna
He's seen me naked. I was talking to this man, balaclava, and he grabbed my hand and he took the jewelry off of me. No, I actually was holding hands with the robber, and they had a conversation outside the wall, and they made a phone call, and I was shaking. I'd cut my foot. There was blood everywhere. It was like a bloody murder scene. And then I'm standing naked, and they just left with nothing, with nothing else. So they come for one thing and one thing only. It was obviously targeted. I know. And it was. Then I was like, I'm not safe in my own home. I didn't want to. I didn't go back to that home. And then I. Obviously, the police and everything were. Were amazing at the time, but I was then going through IVF to have Landon, and they wanted me to go on trial. And I just said to them, like, I actually can't physically do that, go through it. They got caught, and then they went on trial. And then a year later, they just got let out. They're just roaming the roads, man. Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Oh, my God.
Megan McKenna
So I moved to Germany full time.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I am so sorry. I. I don't have the right words to even.
Megan McKenna
It was honestly, like. It was horrendous.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
It's like, you're in hell.
Megan McKenna
It was honestly, like, my biggest. That is. That is my biggest fear. And it happened to me. And I always think now, like, my whole life now is different because of it. I'm really, really a nervous person when it comes to, like, going to bed at night.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Are you really?
Megan McKenna
Yeah. Like, it's really taken over my life, and I'm actually in trauma therapy for it, and I have. I've had therapy for it through the police. Actually. I had trauma therapy straight away, but now I'm actually going into it again. And to be honest, I've only just really opened up to my. Some of my friends about it, and they're always like, I feel really bad leaving you at night. I'm like, no, it's fine. I've got Landon. I have to be a big girl.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
But Landon sleeps in the room with me, and that's why.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Really?
Megan McKenna
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What can.
Megan McKenna
You can't have him in his own room. Can't you.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Can't do it.
Megan McKenna
No, can't do it. It's the problem that I have to deal with, but it's something I'll get over in time.
Sponsor Voice 3 (Zocdoc)
But.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah, but, Megan, it's not a problem. It's what you need to do to make you look. The most important thing I think about any mum is to make sure that you feel comfortable and safe. If you feel comfortable and safe, your baby's gonna feel comfortable and say, pray. If you want to sleep with your baby wrapped in bubble wrap with you because it makes you feel better, freaking do it. What does it do mentally, when you experience something like that?
Megan McKenna
Well, it changes you forever.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Really?
Megan McKenna
Yeah. Because you got to think, like, your home is your safe space. Do you know what I mean? And I'm like, obviously, that's not my safe space. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, it's hard, but are you okay now? I'm all right. Yeah. It's just.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Can I give you a hug? I want to give you hug. Oh, man. I am so sorry, because that is so terrifying.
Megan McKenna
It's obviously, like, taken over my life a lot.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah. But it's so brave of you to talk about it, like, honestly.
Megan McKenna
You kidding me?
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
It's like, no, because, Meg, I can't even, like. Yeah, it's also. We all have our immense fears, right? And I can imagine if we spoke to anyone in this room or anyone who's listening right now, that's up there with the fears and when it actually happens to you as an individual.
Megan McKenna
Yeah, it's just annoying that it happened before, Landon. It's like, almost took that away from me. Having this, like, being at home and feeling safe with London. Sorry. Now I'm really grinding.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Oh, buddy, don't worry. It's so okay. It's okay.
Megan McKenna
It's just. It's something I will work through, but it's something that, like. It's really weird. It's like these things get thrown at people. Obviously, just have to handle it. I always say to my mum, why do these bad things happen to me? It's just annoying because obviously I'm not in a normal situation. Ollie is abroad, and I don't have that comfort of going home to Ollie every night. So, like, I'm the one that's in charge at home. So, yeah, it's. It's difficult, but it happened. And thank God I'm okay. It could have gone a lot worse, you know, if I didn't have that lock on my door, they could have. You know, I don't even like to think about it, but they had weapons for a reason. But it does scare me that obviously they're just there, out there. Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What did. What was Ollie's response?
Megan McKenna
Ollie was. To be honest, I didn't even ring him that night. Cause it was the day before he started the new season. Yeah. I didn't ring him that night because I thought, what is the point? I can't ruin his. Like, he was going back into his team. He was in a good spot. So I obviously had my mum. I drove to my mum's, obviously my mum picked me up. She comes to my house, obviously. And the police were obviously at my house all night, guarding the house, because obviously everything was smashed up.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And the police were good.
Megan McKenna
Yeah, they were good. Yeah. And like, you know, it's. They done what they can, but, you know, there's only so much they can do.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Have you. Do you know what? There's a. There's this amazing therapy called edmr.
Megan McKenna
Yeah. I think this is what I'm starting.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I. It will change you.
Megan McKenna
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I'll tell you my experience, right? I went through. I went through something which was nowhere near as bad as that, but I went through something. And by the way, trauma works in really strange ways.
Megan McKenna
It really does.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And I had a. Just. I went through an experience which is really quite hard, like, emotionally for me. And I went to a therapist. I said, I just don't. I just don't feel great. And she was talking to me and she said, look, I think you have PTSD from this event. And I went really, like, it doesn't feel that. I didn't go to war. I didn't go what you experienced, I don't think it's bad. And he said, the way you're describing it feels that way. Will you do this thing called edmr, Right. Anyway, with edmr, what happens is this, is that it basically helps you process the trauma. It came from this person. My limited knowledge is where her daughter died.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
Right.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And she couldn't process the trauma of it. And what she would do is she would sit, she would sit there and she'd watch these swings going back and forward and her eyes would move. And edmr, basically when you could fall asleep, your eyes move from left to right because it helps you process the day. When you go through trauma, you don't process it. You basically, your body protects yourself so it sits there. So you have to process it. EDMR is these two things that vibrate and you basically, you talk through what happened.
Megan McKenna
This is what I'm about to do.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
It's hard.
Megan McKenna
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
But you go back to the moment. Yeah, when I did it, I thought it was woohoo. I was like, this doesn't work. Whatever. After about six sessions it like, was so overwhelmingly like, really? It like made me process the whole moment. So you'll do this and it will just help you through everything, I promise you. It's incredible.
Megan McKenna
That's amazing.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
She did explain because obviously I have someone that I've been seeing, but we haven't started this yet. She mentioned about this that she feels will work for me.
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Sponsor Voice 3 (Zocdoc)
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Host (possibly a male podcaster)
When did you decide to get pregnant?
Megan McKenna
We decided so after we got engaged. Listen, I've done my party days.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah, same. Don't worry about that. We've had that time.
Megan McKenna
I've had it hard.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
You know what? Those hangovers I don't need anymore.
Sponsor Voice 3 (Zocdoc)
I don't need it.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I care.
Megan McKenna
I care about him. When I met Ollie, I was like, okay, I don't want to mess around here like, I want to have a baby with you. And he's like, I want to have a baby with you. I'm like, great. Okay, so naturally, you know, we're just doing our Thing. And then it just. Nothing was really happening for a little while. And I was just thinking, well, it's only been like. I don't even know how many months. It was like three or four months. I don't know really to the exact. But I'm not doing the ovulation things. I'm like, I'm in the right time. This should be happening. What's going on? Something didn't. It just felt a bit off. So I went to get checked as you do, and I wanted to freeze my eggs. Have to have as backup. So when I got there and I said to the lady, like, what I want to do and stuff, she scanned me and she said, your womb lining is really thin. And I was like, oh. And then, you know, I had went through to a consultant and I got checked and everything. And it. I had to have something put in my body to make my womb lining thick enough to basically hold an embryo. So what was happening is, you know, I could be doing it for as long as possible. I might have been doing it for a whole other year. I would never have got pregnant because my womb lining was too thin. It was too weak. So when I found that out, I thought, oh, okay. So I'm going through the process now of like, all the injections and everything to get my womb lining thicker. But then I also said to the man, I want to freeze my eggs. He said, you should freeze your embryos because there's more chance in your embryo surviving than your eggs. So I went through the whole process of. And it's really intense. Yeah, real intense doing. It's not ivf. Yeah. I had. We actually ended up having icsi. It's when they put the sperm into the egg actually on the side. And we had like 16 eggs that thawed. Amazing. Like really high grade something. But then when it went through to putting them with the sperm, like, literally just two worked.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Two.
Megan McKenna
And I was like, out of all these. All these months, I was in hospital for a week because I got ohss, which is overhyped stimulation of your ovaries. It's really dangerous when they rupture. So I was being monitored and oh, my God, the pain, it was just. It was awful. I felt like I was six months pregnant. I was nothing in my tummy. It was just my ovaries were, like, huge. They scanned them and was like, whoa, you need to be admitted to hospital. This is dangerous. So all of this time, and then we found out we had two. I was like, oh, my God. I don't think I can go through that again.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Wow.
Megan McKenna
So I had to wait a little bit of time to let my body calm down because I had this situation. And then we had Landon put in work straight away because there's nothing actually wrong with my insides. It's just the outsides that needed to be fixed.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
You know, it's when life is weird, right, because you go through this whole time saying, don't get pregnant, don't get pregnant, don't get pregnant. And then suddenly you're like, we've got to get pregnant now. And loads of people and I have a lot of friends, getting pregnant is actually much trickier than we actually think. So hard, you know, it's so hard. There's complications. There's so many things that go on. And it takes a toll on you physically and emotionally, doesn't it? Emotionally? How did you handle that?
Megan McKenna
Well, in. Yeah, it was. It was hard because I'd just been robbed. Yeah. So the stress was really on top of me. So I was going through therapy, and I was also going through a lot of pregnancy, acupuncture to calm my body and just to get my body, like, ready to have all these injections because I didn't want it to stop what I was doing. Like, I wanted to still go through with the process even though this had happened to me. But maybe me getting ill with the RHSS happened for a reason, because it kind of delayed me falling pregnant. Things happen. In a funny way, when it did happen, I felt like I was in a bit of a better place.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
You know, you and Ollie went through so much in such a short space. You meet, you get engaged, the robbery happens, the pregnancy happens. How do you think that changed your relationship?
Megan McKenna
It did put pressure on me and Ollie. Yeah, it did. We. We say it now like, God, how did we even get through it? Because the only topic of conversation is, like, I'm scared, you know, at night, and, oh, I really want to get pregnant, and, oh, okay. It doesn't. You know, it's. It really takes over. And then it's like falling pregnant goes from being really excited to, like, are we going to do a nursery? Or what are we going to do? And what should we call him to? Why is still happening now? Why now? Like, do you know what I mean? My body needs to be relaxed, and I was so not relaxed.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And then you start to freak out what that does and everything. Yeah.
Megan McKenna
Then you start like, okay, it's not going to work. Then you're, like, reading the forums, like, oh, honestly, when I had the embryo Put in, mate. I was a psycho. I was like, I am not lifting a thing. I always go, test God, carry a bag. And I'd feel like a little twinge. And I'd ring my mum, something's wrong. She'd be like, just chill out. It's not wrong. Like, my mom is my rock.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Is she really?
Sponsor Voice 3 (Zocdoc)
Yeah.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
I call my mum for everything.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What's her name?
Megan McKenna
Tanya.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Tanya. Shout out Tanya.
Megan McKenna
Yeah, she. I call her for anything, really. Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What's the most amazing thing about Tanya?
Megan McKenna
She just knows how to make me feel at ease if I'm in a stressful situation or worrying.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
She has that language with you?
Megan McKenna
Yeah. She just puts it into the right way in my head for me. Yeah. Look, don't get me wrong, I have a lovely life. I'm so appreciative of it. Like, with Ollie, we have, like, two homes now. I go to Berlin, I'm back here, it's cool. But even that, like, the fly in, you know, I've got all the bags, the pram, London, everything. I'm dripping with sweat at the airport. And then, bless my mum. She always picks me up, she helps me and she flies to Germany when she can. But, you know, everyone has their own lives as well. Everyone's working. It's just. It's intense. It's something I didn't think was gonna happen when I had a baby, but it happened. Like, you never know what's gonna happen with football, so I kind of just had to go with it. But it's definitely not what I thought was gonna happen when I had a baby.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I think people forget, right. When you marry a sportsman.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Firstly, there's a lot always up in the air. Everything's always changing. And as their partner, you kind of have to follow where it goes. Unless you don't follow where it goes, but you kind of have to do that.
Megan McKenna
You have to. Or you've got no relationship. But this is where I'm at now is Ollie's very supportive of what I do. I'm very supportive of what Ollie does. But I've moved with Ollie, like, three times, actually, when I first did the move as well, I was, like, eight months pregnant. And it was really intense. And then we was also building a home in the UK at the same time, so we had two different homes. And look, I know this is like. What's that thing called when they say,
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
yeah, first world problems. Yeah, I totally get it, but it's your reality, right? And it's a lot.
Megan McKenna
It's a lot when I'm there on
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
my own and trust me, I've renovated, I've moved, I've had a baby.
Megan McKenna
Yeah, you get it.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I get it. Moving country with a baby not being settled. It's crazy.
Megan McKenna
No. It was literally on a mattress in this apartment in Germany and I was eight months pregnant. To get down and up on this mattress. I was like, ollie, we need to get the bed. And he was like, it's not coming for, like, another few weeks. And then my mom was like, just don't move that much before, just because I want to come out when you have the baby and I'm worried you're going to go into labor on your own in Germany. And Ollie was away and doing away games and I was on my own, heavily pregnant, and I was like, this is actually crazy. If I go into labor right now, I'm genuinely on my own. Like genuinely on my own.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And you don't speak the language.
Megan McKenna
Don't speak the language. I literally had to have on my phone the area I was living in. Obviously then, because it's not the same. 999.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah, yeah.
Megan McKenna
And then I. We was near a hospital, so I knew where that I would have to go if I needed to go hospital. I had to think of all these things do. I mean. And even when I had London, I had to have, like, all the instructions on my phone when Ollie was away, just in case something happened and I didn't know what to do because I had no one's call. So, like, you have to think of all these things when you're. When you're abroad, living abroad.
Sponsor Voice 3 (Zocdoc)
Just know what I mean.
Megan McKenna
But I do know, like, certain words in German now have to.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Like what?
Megan McKenna
Don't ask me. Thank you. Bye. I'm sorry. No, like the gist. I understand the gist of things when they talk to me, so.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
So talk me through this experience. Right, so you're out in Germany.
Megan McKenna
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
You give birth.
Megan McKenna
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
That's a wild thing in itself.
Megan McKenna
Wild. I had a C section, so planned
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
or unplanned, I had to have it
Megan McKenna
planned because obviously if it wasn't, and I went. Had a natural birth life, potentially, Ollie wouldn't have been there, so I would have been on my own. So I had to plan it. So I had a C section so he could be there. Yeah. And then obviously, so my mum could be there. And to be fair, quite liked that because I, like, had control of it. And I think, again, it goes back to, like, not having control back in the day and having my own Control now. And I think in a weird way, I kind of liked that I was having a C section. Plus, Landon was the age.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
How big?
Megan McKenna
Nearly £10. He came out. I was like, I was expecting some teeny thing on my chest. He's huge across my shoulders. I was like, this is crazy. But he was big. He's a big boy now.
Sponsor Voice 3 (Zocdoc)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
So thank God.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Wow. And so birth experience you enjoyed. Scary.
Megan McKenna
Yeah, it was okay. Like, the care out there is insane. I can't fault it. And I feel like I actually got possibly better care where I was because our room was like a hotel room. It's just incredible. The hospitals are incredible in Germany.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Do you know what, Megan? We had when. So when Sophie didn't want to have a planned C section, right when we went in there, everything changed. And suddenly it was a C section. And watching Sophie go through that and experiencing the whole situation going. I was in bits. I was like, this is crazy. Like, what's happening here? And watching Sophie stay so calm, I imagine you would have just been that rock solid, like, right, here we go. We're going for it.
Megan McKenna
Yeah, it's in. You have to be. There's no way out. Like, I even did think when I was going into the theater room, Ollie wasn't allowed in with me. I had to go in and have the epidural on my own and stuff. And obviously they were speaking German, and it was quite scary because they were really lovely. They kept, like, rubbing my arm and that, but they're speaking German to me. And I was, like, thinking, oh, God, there's actually no way out here. Like, this is it.
Sponsor Voice 1 (Grow Therapy)
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I have to go for it. He's got a.
Megan McKenna
He's got to come out. So I'm like, have to just brave this. Do it.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
When London was first born, what do you. What emotions are you thinking? What is that moment like for you?
Megan McKenna
It was really weird. It's like you don't know them, but you're like. You're like. You've just come out of my body. And, like, he's just. His little face and everything. And I was just looking at him. Like, to be honest, I was just kind of looking at him up and down like, oh, my God, Is everything okay? Like, you know, you're, like, looking at them, like, is everything okay with them? And I just. It just. Honestly, I swear, like, I just felt so natural. I was. It was like I was a mum already. It was just like, I just knew how to hold him. It didn't feel alien to me. It's Just the weirdest experience. Like they just come out of you and then you're there, they're there and then they're there and it's like they've always been there.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And becoming a mum, the pressure of becoming a mum and making sure everything's. It's a lot, isn't it?
Megan McKenna
It is a lot. It's a lot in a foreign country as well. Yeah. I just think if there was anything I could change, it would be being around my family as well.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
100%.
Megan McKenna
Ollie had to go in the next day. Yeah, yeah. No, they don't get no time off. He's like, okay, I'm gonna go now, but I'll come. Obviously he come back in the afternoons,
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
but where are you at now? So what's happening?
Megan McKenna
So we have a home now in the uk. Made life a lot easier. But then basically me and Ollie have a relationship on FaceTime because otherwise we wouldn't have a relationship. So FaceTime is a big part of our world.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And can I ask with you and Ollie, because you have this sort of distance, as you said, you love FaceTime. You have this long distance relationship. Someone listening now who is experiencing the same thing. Maybe their partner's weighed you to work. What advice would you give that person to keep it working?
Megan McKenna
You have to keep. You have to like, almost. Even though you're not there, you have to kind of talk as though you're there. Like, you know when I do, like Landon's bath time, Ollie's up on the phone on FaceTime. Like, I have him involved. Because as soon as you just stop that and you start, life can go quick and you forget things and then you're like, oh, I've not called. That's when it starts. It can go bad. You need to keep them involved.
Sponsor Voice 1 (Grow Therapy)
Also.
Megan McKenna
It keeps the relationship fresh. You know, when you miss each other and you see each other, it's nice, it's good, right? Yeah,
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
yeah. Maybe Sophie and I need to miss each other a little bit.
Megan McKenna
It's nice to miss sometimes.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Because I think what happens when you're. Sophie and I spend so much time with each other, when we do get to that moment, it's a bit like, ah, so buddy. Ah, you gonna.
Megan McKenna
No, I feel that as well. I feel that as well. Me and Ollie have been there too. It's like. Cause when you're like, you catch each
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
other's eyes, you're like, you're my friend, when also the person I love. This is weird now.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
I feel you.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I feel you trust me as reality Stars, right? People put us in boxes and they say, you can't step outside of this lane. And in life, I sometimes think people say, you gotta stay in this lane because that's where we think. I love it more than anything when I watch people, people I know, people I care about absolutely killing it and stepping out of that place where people go, you can't do that because you did a reality show. Cause you did Made in Chelsea or whatever it is. And your music career is just going from strength to strength to strengthen. Because you never take no for an answer. You want to do it and you have this incredible talent.
Megan McKenna
Thank you. See, my plan was to obviously get into the reality world to then become a singer. I actually have made becoming a singer a lot more harder for me.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I get that.
Megan McKenna
Yeah. And I have been put into a box, not just reality as crazy. And it is only. I would say it's only been the last five years. I would say I've just been starting to be taken seriously. Really?
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And what does that mean? When do. Why, what do you feel that suddenly shifted? What was the moment that shifted for you?
Megan McKenna
Because I think once I had London and I went to Germany and it was just me at home in Germany and I started to feel myself at home. Real, just natural, raw content. I think people started to realize, oh, she's actually normal.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
So when can we expect new music?
Megan McKenna
I can't even give you a date, but I would be hoping for the end of this year.
Sponsor Voice 3 (Zocdoc)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
And I really want to like, do this right.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Have you. So have you made some?
Megan McKenna
Oh, I've made loads.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Is it good?
Megan McKenna
I write all my own music. I co write with people, real amazing producers that write with everyone. And I'm really, you know, I feel like I've worked my way to be able to be in the room of these people and they believe in me. They know I'm like, I am a singer and I can write my own stuff and I can perform and I can do all this stuff. Like it's not easy writing a song. Do you know what I mean? And just to go in there and be creative and stuff, that's another place where I'm really happy. And now I have so much to write about.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And being sort of a country, that sort of country singer.
Sponsor Voice 1 (Grow Therapy)
Right.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What is country, for some reason is this genre that is just like, yeah,
Megan McKenna
it's beautiful, it's Umrah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And country is in itself. Because you don't. Doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, what your age is, what you look like.
Megan McKenna
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Doesn't really have boundaries like a sort of pop star has or other ones you can kind of be anyone and go into. Which I love about it. What artists have inspired you?
Megan McKenna
God, there's so many. Carrie Underwood, massively, because she come from American Idol, and I liked that she was from a reality show, and you would never think of her as a reality show winner. Yeah, she inspired me a lot back in the day. But then there's also artists now that have, like, blown up that I've loved for a long time. Like, there's Elainey Wilson, Ella Langley.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Ella Langley is so. Come on, baby.
Megan McKenna
I mean, I love it. I love it.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Come on, baby.
Megan McKenna
I know. Do you know I actually performed with Riley Green, who sang the song with her, you look like you love me on his UK tour.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Have you heard? I think it's Ella Langley's remix of Is it Bed of Roses?
Megan McKenna
I don't know.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Oh, God, I've got it.
Megan McKenna
Like, oh, I have to listen to it probably. Yeah. I love her. She's insane. But I watch her journey and I see all her videos and I'm just like, wow. Like, we are all in it the same way, like, fighting. And it's just that one song that makes you. You just need that one song. And obviously, I'm with a completely different team now. I've been through, you know, years and years and years of. I've had times when I've been on the phone to, like, management and my old label. Crazy. Crying down the phone, like, why is this not happening?
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I think everyone gets that point, right? There's always that thing. You get to that point where you're about to give up because you don't think it's gonna happen. At the point of giving up is when things start to happen.
Megan McKenna
It's so true.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Without a doubt. And I see it so many times with founders, with musicians, with artists, with athletes. They're just like, this is tough. I just can't be bothered. And you just have to keep.
Megan McKenna
But the ones that make it are the ones that never give up.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Never.
Megan McKenna
And this is.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
You never give up.
Megan McKenna
You can never give up. And listen, I've taken a few years off. I've had Landon, I've had my. I've actually, like, had to really get my head around a lot of things, as you know.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
And I think this year has been my time now. Fresh start, new team. I'm married. I've got a baby. I look at life so differently since I had a baby. And having Landon, literally waking up to London every morning is the best thing ever in the world, as you know. So I'm like, okay, you know, let's just, let's roll with this if this is going to work because I'm still here and I'm sticking to it. But at the end of the day, like, I have this other huge thing to think about in my life. So I think it helps with my head with things.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Do you ever sing to Landon?
Megan McKenna
Always. Every day.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Do you know I sing to my baby?
Megan McKenna
Do you?
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Five little ducks went swimming one day.
Megan McKenna
I actually see this video over the
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
hill and far away.
Megan McKenna
It's actually quite good. It's actually quite good.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What do you think, Landon?
Megan McKenna
We actually like to sing a little bit of Ella Langley, me in London.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Do you really?
Megan McKenna
Yeah. And I actually used to play Landon. Taylor Swift when I first had him. And I. He come to a Taylor Swift concert with me in my tummy.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
That Taylor Swift concert was the greatest thing.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
Insane.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
It was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had.
Megan McKenna
How did I not even say her name when you said who inspired me? Taylor Swift.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Also, we haven't even touched on the fact that you can cook so amazingly.
Megan McKenna
Thank you.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Like, honestly. And I want to encourage anyone to do it. If you guys want some wholesome content, some beautiful content, or just know how to cook some most delicious things, go on tune. I think you do it. You do a dish pretty much every night.
Megan McKenna
Yeah. Yeah, Always.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Every night.
Megan McKenna
Always. That's what I'm eating for dinner.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah, but it's every night.
Megan McKenna
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I mean, you've done this for. And how many cookbooks have you done now?
Megan McKenna
Two cookbooks.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Amazing.
Megan McKenna
Yeah, they're great. Gluten free cookbooks.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
It's so good.
Megan McKenna
Landon eats what I eat now so it's easier. Whereas before I had to make him baby food and then me. But I love it and he loves food and I love food and we sit and we eat together and it's great.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Honestly, you are. You're incredible. I know. We don't have too much time. Before we go, I want to play a quick game with you.
Megan McKenna
Go on then.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Are you ready for this? I'm going to read you a line and you have to try and guess which TV show it's from.
Megan McKenna
Oh, God.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Are you ready for this? Hold my drink before I do something stupid with it.
Megan McKenna
X on the beach. Towie really thought all went bad on that one.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
She needs to calm the fuck down because I'll go ham on that bitch on the beach. It's unbelievable. I'VE had enough. I'm starving. Let me in. I'm hungry. I'm hungry. All I want to do is have a fucking piece of toast.
Megan McKenna
Big Brother.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And in Big Brother, you were in that iconic Dave is dead. I know you and your fucking fringe can fuck off.
Megan McKenna
That one is Taoi. That was a great scene.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
You fucking walk around in your high horse like you're better than everyone else. So good you need to get some straighteners on your hair because you look like a fucking lion. That's X on the beat.
Megan McKenna
That's X on the beat.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I clean my shit up. I clean everyone's shit up. It's lovely, brother. Yeah, Be bright, shut your mouth and shut your legs.
Megan McKenna
What was that one on X on the beach? I was so ruthless. I meant it as well and I said it.
Sponsor Voice 3 (Zocdoc)
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Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Can I just say fuzzy, like, just congratulations on everything. Like, truly. Like I said before, I love it when people try and put people in a box. They do it with me. They do loads of different people. And when you fight and you get out of it and you achieve what you're achieving and being the mom that you are, being the credible, wholesome sort of cook that you are, but also with your music, that is just going to go from strength to strength. You should be so immensely proud of yourself and I really hope you are.
Megan McKenna
I am. No, it's taken me a lot of time to kind of get where I am. I am really proud.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
You should be because it's incredible what you're achieving.
Megan McKenna
Thank you. I just want to be the best mum I can to London. Do you know what I mean? And I feel like I've had a lot going on. I feel like I can kind of handle the little things. Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Listen, before we finish, we'd like to do a quick fire question. So you ready for this? What's the saying or phrase that makes you smile or cheers you up when
Megan McKenna
Landa says, mama,
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Best compliment anyone's ever given you.
Megan McKenna
That I'm actually nice, like really nice to speak to. And I'm like, okay, thanks.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
People always say to me, you're actually, you're actually not bad looking in real life. I'm like, brilliant. What do I do with that? That's great. Thanks. You too.
Sponsor Voice 3 (Zocdoc)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
That's crazy.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What scares you most about yourself?
Megan McKenna
My overthinking.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
When was the last time you cried? Apart from today?
Megan McKenna
Last time I cried.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
What?
Megan McKenna
What? A big cry.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
A big cry.
Megan McKenna
Basically, I went to the Brit Awards. It was amazing. Had an amazing night, beautiful table, sat down, watched Harry Styles. It was great. And then me and my manager, we went to a. We went to a walnut after party, right? Had the best time ever. And then we thought, let's meet our friends, let's go to a couple of bars afterwards in my ball gown. We get to the door of somewhere and I'm like, got papped at the door and everyone's coming out. Megan, like, hey, how are you? Are you coming up? I'm like, yeah, see you in a sec. See you in a sec. I get to the door, the security get all funny. You're not allowed in. I was like, oh, okay.
Sponsor Voice 3 (Zocdoc)
Why?
Megan McKenna
Someone above has text us and your name's on the list and you're not allowed in.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
No.
Sponsor Voice 1 (Grow Therapy)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
So I had to walk away. No. Then I said, can I just walk in because I've been pictured and. And I'll go out the back door and I'll get my taxi to pick me around the back door. No stress call. It's fine. No, I said, you're not allowed through the doors. I said, am I not even allowed to just stand there? And then a lift?
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
No.
Megan McKenna
Okay. I'm literally, like, gobsmacked. Never happened to me in my entire life.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
So I had to leave. Cry the whole way home.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
It's. You know what? It happened to me in a club when I was really young and I did it with on when I was on Made in Chelsea.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And I remember they said, you're not allowed in. And I was so embarrassed.
Megan McKenna
So embarrassing.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
And I had to walk past everyone. It was just. And it's. And I just.
Megan McKenna
It's so belittling.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
So belittling for some reason.
Sponsor Voice 1 (Grow Therapy)
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I just. I didn't.
Megan McKenna
And there's also ways of saying it, like these security men were so rude. Like, I was a power member of.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
And there's like three of them. And they just. It was so dark, the treatment I got, and intimidating. So horrible. It ruined my whole night. I didn't even go to the other clubs that we wanted to go to. And then we sobbed and we checked into the hotel. And just to top it off, there was a guy sitting down on the sofas and he went, are you that Megan McKenna? I swear, I turned round and I said, yeah. He went, car, you used to look well better or something. What did he say? You used to look well better on tv. And I looked at him, I went, oh, that's lovely, isn't it? And I just walked through the doors. I was done. I'm dumb. And that was my night.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
That's perfect. Thank you.
Megan McKenna
You look beautiful.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
You look beautiful.
Megan McKenna
Do you know what? As well. I was really glam.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah, you look great.
Megan McKenna
I thought. Are you joking? Yeah. I've just spent three hours getting glam for this night.
Sponsor Voice 1 (Grow Therapy)
Yes.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
Taking it.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Thank you. What's something you can't let go of?
Megan McKenna
Something I can't let go of. Okay. Really deep. But it is. Feeling scared in the nighttime.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
100%. Yeah.
Megan McKenna
And I get that at the moment,
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
but I really think you will get past that. An edmr. Promise you. Promise you. What's your guilty pleasure?
Megan McKenna
Dallas Cheerleaders Reach out.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What do you love about Dallas cheerleaders?
Megan McKenna
There's something about that process, auditioning stages that reminds me of being in theatre school. But also they're so Ruthless. And I love it that they just say what they want to say. And I feel like that's what it was like when I was on tv. And I love it.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What's your biggest turn off?
Megan McKenna
When someone pretends that they don't know who you are and they'll come over and say, are you. That I don't watch you, but. Can I have a photo for.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
My mum happened to be in Ibiza with a DJ recently.
Sponsor Voice 3 (Zocdoc)
Oh, really?
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
He went to this. He went. He went. I went, hey, man, so good to see you again. And he went, sorry, who are you? This guy messaged me. This guy messaged me and I was like, oh. I was telling my little brother, who's like a genuinely quite cool kid, and I was like, it's me. And he was like, don't know who you are. So I took my hat and glasses off and my brother went. My brother went, not the hat. I did it.
Megan McKenna
Oh, it doesn't. It kills me when people do it. Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What's your biggest turn on?
Megan McKenna
Someone's aura.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
100.
Megan McKenna
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
What do you like most about yourself?
Megan McKenna
I like. I'm really good with just like. Like, holding. I feel like I could meet new people and like, make them feel. It is.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Yeah.
Megan McKenna
Yeah.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
I love that. I'm good at that and I couldn't agree more with that.
Megan McKenna
Yeah. Thank you.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
You have it. When you see you for the first time, just openness.
Megan McKenna
That's really nice.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
It's so beautiful.
Megan McKenna
It's really nice. My mum would be proud.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Favorite song of yours that you love to sing on stage.
Sponsor Voice 3 (Zocdoc)
Oh.
Megan McKenna
I mean, it has to be this, the one I sang on X Factor because for me that means everything. That song. And now I can relate it to Landon of. All I wanted was this. It's just the words are so beautiful.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Megan McKenna, thank you so much. You are fantastic company. You're the best.
Sponsor Voice 3 (Zocdoc)
Thank you.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
That was amaz.
Sponsor Voice 2 (Progressive Insurance)
You're either all in on this model or maybe you're building with another speed.
Megan McKenna
Or is it security?
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
Or you're AWS AI.
Megan McKenna
Don't pick a side. Pick them all.
Host (possibly a male podcaster)
AWS AI is how most people don't
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Release Date: August 4, 2026
Host: Jamie Laing
Guest: Megan McKenna
In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Jamie Laing sits down with singer, TV personality, and cookbook author Megan McKenna. Megan opens up about life-changing trauma after her home was violently robbed, the challenges and joy of motherhood and marriage, life in the public eye, and her journey of healing and self-reinvention. It's a raw, optimistic, and compassionate conversation touching on resilience, vulnerability, and the determination to claim joy after unimaginable fear.
Megan’s Account of the Burglary
“I woke up to my whole house shaking... They managed to hack a hole in my wall... It was the longest seven minutes I’ve ever experienced in my entire life.”
— Megan McKenna [00:00]
The Psychological Impact
Aftermath
Accidental Beginnings
“When I went to the airport to go and fly to film X on the Beach, I signed a contract not knowing it was X on the Beach.” [06:41]
Early TV Experiences & Relationships
Relationship with Pete Wicks
"We couldn’t do anything right and people were really picking holes in us all the time. Everything was really messy." [12:35]
Paranoia and Trust Issues
Finding Real Love
“You just get a feel who is and who isn’t a dickhead. And I have dated a lot, but Ollie doesn’t give me a reason [to distrust].” [17:39]
"They’re never gonna change. Get out now." [15:30]
Modern Dating & the First Date
“When he was waiting for me at the door... he just turned around to me and gave me this, like, feeling of—I almost wanted to, like, hug him.” [21:07]
Engagement Story
“I just couldn’t believe it. I was like, I can’t believe this is happening to me.” [25:29]
Why Megan Moved to Germany
“It’s a whole different ball game living in Germany...You need your team around you and it can be quite hard.” [28:00]
Motherhood After Trauma
“Landon sleeps in the room with me, and that’s why... I can’t have him in his own room. Can't do it.” [34:09]
Therapy, Healing, and EMDR
“After about six sessions, it was so overwhelmingly—like, really—it made me process the whole moment... You’ll do this and it will help you through everything, I promise you. It’s incredible.” [38:25]
Journey to Motherhood
“We actually ended up having ICSI... Out of all these months, I was in hospital for a week... and then when it went through to putting them with the sperm, literally just two worked.” [43:51]
Pressure on Relationships
“We say it now, like, God, how did we even get through it?... The only topic of conversation is, like, ‘I’m scared at night and I really want to get pregnant.’” [46:00]
The Role of Her Mother
“I call my mum for everything... She just knows how to make me feel at ease if I'm in a stressful situation.” [46:57]
Birth Experience
“I kind of liked that I was having a C-section. Plus, Landon was nearly 10 pounds!” [50:47]
Adapting to Motherhood Abroad
“You have to almost—even though you’re not there—you have to kind of talk as though you’re there... If you stop that, that’s when it starts to go bad. You need to keep them involved.” [53:51]
Overcoming Stereotypes
Jamie celebrates Megan’s refusal to be boxed in as just a reality TV personality:
“I love it... when you fight and you get out of it and you achieve what you’re achieving and being the mom that you are, being the credible, wholesome sort of cook that you are, but also with your music... You should be so immensely proud of yourself.” [64:23]
Megan reflects:
"My plan was to get into the reality world to then become a singer. I actually have made becoming a singer a lot more harder for me." [55:30]
Notes that only in the last five years has she been taken seriously as a musician. [55:38]
Songwriting and Inspirations
“Carrie Underwood, massively, because she came from American Idol...” [57:26] “How did I not even say [Taylor Swift] when you said who inspired me?” [60:17]
On Resilience After Trauma:
"It's something I'll get over in time... It's just annoying that it happened before Landon. Almost took that away from me—having this, like, being at home and feeling safe with Landon."
[33:33]
On Empowerment:
“No matter what, if you want to sleep with your baby wrapped in bubble wrap because it makes you feel better, freaking do it.”
— Jamie Laing [34:19]
On Never Giving Up:
“The ones that make it are the ones that never give up... You can never give up.”
— Megan McKenna [58:59]
| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|-------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Megan’s Home Invasion Story | | 06:41 | How Megan Got Cast on Reality TV | | 12:25 | Public Relationships (Pete Wicks) | | 14:35 | Finding & Marrying Ollie | | 28:46 | Moving to Germany After Trauma | | 34:39 | Ongoing Effects & Therapy for Trauma | | 41:40 | IVF and Fertility Journey | | 50:12 | Giving Birth in Germany | | 53:23 | Advice on Long-Distance Marriage | | 55:30 | Rebuilding Career & Pursuing Music | | 60:26 | Cooking, Content Creation, and Family | | 61:08 | TV Quotes Game | | 65:13 | Quickfire Questions & Reflections |
This episode is equal parts raw and uplifting. Megan’s honest recount of trauma and her journey through healing sets a tone of courage, while the banter with Jamie keeps the energy compassionate and warm. Listeners will take away hard-won advice on love, trust, trauma recovery, and following creative dreams—even when boxed in by public perception or haunted by fear.
Closing thought from Megan:
“I just want to be the best mum I can to Landon. I feel like I’ve had a lot going on—I can kind of handle the little things.” [65:02]
Listen if you want a heartfelt masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and the power of speaking your truth.