Jo Whiley on Couch to 5k, Coercive control and suicide, Queen's legacy

Jo Whiley on Couch to 5k, Coercive control and suicide, Queen's legacy

From Woman's Hour by BBC Radio 4

April 21, 2026 · 56 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the Couch to 5k app's impact, the rise in coercive control cases linked to suicide, and the decline in childhood vaccination rates in the UK.

Earlier this year, the UK lost its status as a measles-free country after a rise in deaths from the disease and a fall in the proportion of children having the MMR jab. Yesterday, the House of Lords Childhood Vaccinations Rates in England Inquiry questioned witnesses from a range of healthcare settings, including GPs and practice nurses, health visitors and midwifery experts to find out exactly what is happening and why vaccination rates are falling. Presenter Nuala McGovern is joined by the Chair of that inquiry, Baroness Joan Walmsley. Women make up 75% of those who have used the Couch to 5k app, which turns 10 years old today. Over the past decade, the running companion has been downloaded more than eight million times and inspired an incredible one billion minutes of movement. Nuala is joined by Jo Whiley, the most popular coach on the app, and Claire Baird and Ellen Morris, who have completed the challenge. Earlier this month, in a landmark verdict in the Scottish courts, Lee Milne was found guilty of culpable homicide after his wife Kimberly took her own life. Culpable homicide is similar to the charge of manslaughter in England and Wales. His coercive and controlling…

People in this episode

Host: Nuala McGovern

Guests: Jo Whiley, Claire Baird, Ellen Morris, Laura Buchan, Kate Ellis, Baroness Joan Walmsley

Topics covered

  • coercive control
  • suicide
  • vaccination rates
  • measles
  • Couch to 5k

Keywords

  • healthcare
  • running
  • mental health
  • public health

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Couch to 5k app

Books & works: Lest We Forget: War and Peace in 100 British Monuments

Places: UK, England, Wales

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