Walking The Dog with Emily Dean

This week Emily and Ray head to Yorkshire for a stroll with England rugby star, World Cup winner and Sports Personality of the Year runner up Ellie Kildunne, joined by her beautiful cocker spaniel cross, Otis.After spending a little time exploring the Yorkshire Dales, Emily meets Ellie at her parents' home before heading off for a walk and a chat about her remarkable journey from rugby-mad youngster to one of the biggest names in world sport.Ellie talks about growing up in Yorkshire, often being the only girl on the rugby pitch, and the challenges of balancing her studies with an increasingly demanding England career. She also opens up about her ADHD diagnosis and how she's learned to harness her focus, energy and determination both on and off the field.The conversation covers some of the defining moments of her career, including representing England on the biggest stage, being nominated for Sports Personality of the Year, and the surreal experience of becoming a Barbie doll.If you'd like to learn more about Ellie's story, her memoir Game Changer is out now and well worth a read.It's a funny, honest and inspiring walk with one of British sport's brightest stars. And while Ellie may be driven by elite-level ambition, Ray remains fully committed to a training regime consisting primarily of naps, treats and avoiding cardio.Ellie is an ambassador for Nulo - uk.nulo.comInstagram: Nulo UKFollow Emily:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadeanX: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_emWalking The Dog is produced by Will NicholsMusic: Rich JarmanArtwork: Alice LudlamPhotography: Karla Gowlett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll through Finsbury Park with actor, comedian and Saturday Night Live UK star George Fouracres.George is having quite the moment. His scene-stealing performances on SNLUK have made him one of the breakout comedy stars of the year, with sketches like What Kind of Irish Is Your Grandad? and his take on Kier Starmer becoming instant viral hits. In fact, one of them was even reposted by Donald Trump, which may be one of the more unexpected endorsements in comedy history.On the walk, George chats to Emily about growing up in the Black Country surrounded by a big, close-knit family, how he once considered becoming a priest, and the school production that first made him realise performing might be his future. They also talk about his time at Cambridge, where he became close friends with comedians Pierre Novellie and Phil Wang, and began developing the comedy skills that would eventually take him from Shakespeare to sketch comedy.As well as his television work, George is an acclaimed stage actor who has tackled roles ranging from Hamlet to Falstaff. Emily has even seen him perform at Shakespeare’s Globe and can confirm he’s infuriatingly talented.It’s a funny, warm and joyful conversation with one of the nicest people in comedy. And while George and Emily got on brilliantly, it quickly became apparent that the real love story here was between George and Ray.Follow Emily:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadeanX: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_emWalking The Dog is produced by Will NicholsMusic: Rich JarmanArtwork: Alice LudlamPhotography: Karla Gowlett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.