There are role models in life, work and wellness – and then there’s Gabby Logan. As she fronts Women’s Health months after her 50th birthday, the broadcaster talks busting female health taboos, modelling healthy habits and the power of possibility
When Gabby Logan walks out of her dressing room and on to the set of her Women’s Health cover shoot – wearing a high-cut monochrome leotard and Perspex heels – there’s an audible hush from the 15-strong crew. This doesn’t happen very often. Everyone gathered in the north London studio this morning has been on enough cover shoots not to be stunned to silence by the sight of A Very Good-Looking Woman, in the shape of her life, striding out in front of the photographer’s lens. And yet... here we are. It isn’t about aesthetics (although I didn’t know there were that many muscles in the upper back). Nor can it be explained by the physical prowess that sees her navigate the parallel bars with the majesty of a dressage horse (before pulling a silly face and trotting over to review the shot). It’s her energy: the sports presenter walks with the silent swagger of someone who’s smart, self-assured and in love with the career she’s moulded around her interests. This is her first Women’s Health cover shoot, for our Fit At Any Age issue. But screw the age qualifiers: this is a woman running her own race – and winning.
Wellness unlocked
Within minutes of enquiring after her formula, it becomes clear that there are no silver bullets. The Gabby Logan I meet on set – and then again for a Friday afternoon Zoom call – keeps her hazel gaze fixed on the mission at hand, gets the damn thing done and finds joy in her work. A former competitive rhythmic gymnast, Gabby loves to move her body. There are thrice-weekly, at-home Pilates sessions with yoga and Pilates instructor Emily Rogers, supplemented by strength and conditioning sessions with personal trainer Robbie Fotheringham twice a week. That’s before the tennis matches, golf (oh, she’s carrying her own bag) and running into freezing bodies of water with a friend.
Hers is a healthy house: Gabby is one half of a two-decades-long marriage to former Scotland rugby player Kenny Logan. Their son Reuben, 18, is on track for a glittering rugby career, while twin sister Lois, a keen equestrian who calls halfway through our chat to let her mum know that her history A-level exam went ‘great’, is fully on board with her mum’s wellness MO. She’ll happily sit at the dinner table to enjoy Gabby’s tasty meals – think: oven-baked salmon and roasted vine tomatoes with lentils – while Reuben bemoans any reduction in m
