Podcast Summary: How To Fail With Elizabeth Day — Natasha Hamilton: ‘We were young and working-class. We were dismissed.’
March 18, 2026

Episode Overview

In this candid and deeply personal episode, Elizabeth Day welcomes Natasha Hamilton, singer-songwriter and member of iconic girl group Atomic Kitten. Natasha discusses her life in and out of the music spotlight, navigating fame from a young age, the impact of bullying, postnatal depression, financial missteps after divorce, and the journey towards self-acceptance and healing. True to the spirit of the podcast, Natasha explores her three “failures” and the profound lessons she’s learned, offering insight, empathy, and hope for listeners facing their own struggles.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Natasha’s 40s: Finding Clarity and Confidence

• Acceptance and self-assurance: Natasha describes entering her forties with trepidation, but finds the decade liberating.
  • “Turning forty was a great marker for me... this is the decade to be unapologetically me.” (05:15)
  • Emphasizes clarity about what she wants and sheds concerns about external judgment.

Writing “Numb” and Her Creative Rebirth

• Creation of “Numb”: Natasha describes attending a songwriting camp in Spain on a whim, confronting her own tendency to cut off emotions after years of pain.
  • “From fear of making another wrong move... I’d cut myself off from feeling... This song has to be called Numb. This moment now, everything that happens beyond this is my rebirth.” (06:54)
• Founding Morpho Records: Natasha now mentors young talent, motivated by her desire to nurture, not mould, artists as happened to her.
  • “First and foremost, it’s duty of care... for me, it’s giving back before we take.” (09:35)

Failure 1: The End of Atomic Kitten and Surviving Media Scrutiny

Early Experiences

• Childhood bullying: Natasha recounts severe bullying due to her mixed-race heritage and red hair.
  • “To step outside of that front door, it was brutal at times... I had people picking on me and chasing me and fighting me.” (10:03)
• Refuge in performance: Singing became her escape—a place where her voice brought her respect.

Joining Atomic Kitten

• Initial friction with Kerry Katona: “We clashed... I was just trying to be myself. I was trying to suggest dance moves... but that was seen as being too bossy.” (13:52)

Navigating Fame and Tabloid Culture

• Tabloid pressure and self-doubt: Natasha felt valued for her talent, only to have the press undermine her self-image.
  • “I liked the way I looked... Then people start to highlight what is wrong with you... All of a sudden you go, ‘Oh, well, maybe that does need to change.’” (16:48)
• Impact of cruelty: The scrutiny was emotionally devastating and isolating, with moments of intense loneliness.
  • “I cry in bed... feeling really vulnerable, scared, not good enough. But then you have to open that door the next day and be like, ‘Hey, I’m Natasha from Atomic Kitten.’” (19:10)
  • “How dare people be that mean... We were fodder for the tabloids, fodder for the magazines. I don’t know why it’s still so raw.” (18:32)
• Coping mechanisms: Emotional pain was often boxed up and ignored rather than processed—a norm for the era.

Dismissal for Being Young, Female, and Working-class

• Industry resistance: Despite outselling competitors like U2, the band was “so dismissed” by radio and industry gatekeepers, partly due to being young, northern, and working-class.
  • “Atomic Kitten in the midweeks were outselling U2 two to one yet no one would play our song on radio, we were so dismissed.” (29:43)

Failure 2: Breakdown After Childbirth and Postnatal Depression

Tough Personal Circumstances

• Unexpected pregnancy and loss of family support: Natasha’s pregnancy with Ella followed a “painful divorce,” health issues, and a fallout with her family.
• Mental health crisis after birth: She describes terrifying intrusive thoughts and the subsequent breakdown, receiving intensive care at home following hospital intervention.
  • “I was cooking tea in the kitchen one day and had a sharp knife and a flash came through my mind... It was quite joyous... It scared the hell out of me.” (37:53)

Road to Recovery and Agency

• Therapy and self-realization: Intensive CBT taught Natasha to trust her decision-making and gave her back agency after a life of being managed by others.
  • “No one’s telling you what you should think and how you should be and what the next step is... I am capable of making my own decisions.” (45:19)
• Rediscovering passion outside music: She trained as a skin specialist, opened her own clinic, and learned to trust herself again.

Failure 3: Financial Loss and Hard Lessons After Divorce

Business Naivety and Consequences

• Being financially uninformed: Natasha admits to letting her ex-husband handle all finances — she did not even have her own online banking login post-divorce.
  • “When I went through my divorce, I didn’t even have the login details to my online banking.” (53:38)
• Losing years of work and assets: During “clean break” divorce, years of work establishing businesses together vanished financially.
  • “All of this is going to one day be my rainy day pot... Going through divorce, all of that just fell down all around me.” (53:17)
• Recovery: It took her seven years to recover financially, achieved through relentless work and adaptability.
  • “I never stop working. I’ve learned how to pivot... If I can get through that, I can launch a record label.” (58:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Turning forty was a great marker for me... this is the decade to be unapologetically me.” (05:15) – Natasha Hamilton
• “You know, I’ve got an 11 year old daughter, a 15 year old son, and you just think, how dare people be that mean and disgusted about kids.” (18:32) – Natasha Hamilton
• “There is no wrong decisions. All you can do is try. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.” (44:11) – Natasha Hamilton
• “I didn’t even have the login details to my online banking… It took me seven years to financially recover after my divorce.” (53:38, 57:22) – Natasha Hamilton
• “How dare people be that mean... We were fodder for the tabloids, fodder for the magazines. I don’t know why it’s still so raw.” (18:32) – Natasha Hamilton
• “Sometimes I do look back and think, God, in a previous life, I must have been a pain in the ass, because... it was like this chain of events... this steam train coming at me through my life.” (57:40) – Natasha Hamilton
• “If you can find the courage, just a little bit of courage, to reach out... just confide.” (52:57) – Natasha Hamilton

Important Timestamps

• [05:15] Natasha on embracing her 40s with a new clarity and self-acceptance
• [06:54] Story of writing “Numb” and finding her voice after shutting down emotionally
• [09:35] Founding Morpho Records and her commitment to supporting young artists
• [10:03 - 18:32] Harsh childhood, entering fame, bullying, and destructive tabloid culture
• [29:43] On being dismissed as young, working-class women in music industry
• [37:53 - 45:19] Breakdown after Ella’s birth, mental health crisis, and recovery through therapy
• [53:38 - 58:07] Financial devastation after divorce and long road to recovery

Takeaways for Listeners

• The pressure of fame and scrutiny from a young age can leave lasting emotional scars, especially when combined with class and gender-based bias.
• Mental health struggles can affect anyone, regardless of apparent success, and reaching out for help is critical.
• Regaining agency—financial, emotional, or creative—can require hitting rock bottom, but the journey builds remarkable resilience and empathy.
• It’s never too late to rebuild: Natasha’s story is a testament to adaptation, hard work, and believing in your capability to thrive after setbacks.

For those who haven’t listened, this episode is an unflinchingly honest account of surviving extraordinary highs and lows, with Natasha Hamilton offering solidarity and advice to anyone who’s felt dismissed, misunderstood, or alone.

Closing Note

• Elizabeth Day: “Do you have the login details to your own bank account? Because I don’t want to be back here in three years time.” (63:20)
• Natasha Hamilton: “Yes, I can confirm I have access to my online banking. Thank you.” (63:28)

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