Frankie Bridge says she wouldn’t say no to a reunion with The Saturdays
This week TV Magazine gets to know the new host of Cannonball
I think I was 21 when I met my husband [retired Premier League footballer Wayne Bridge] on a night out. We had a mutual friend.
But I did have preconceptions about him being a footballer and that was probably the first thing that put me off, to be honest – you don’t hear great things about them! Wayne played for England and I was a lot younger [Wayne is 37, Frankie is 28].
I know nothing about football, but my parents are massively into it. I asked my mum and dad: ‘This footballer’s asked me out on a date, does he have a bad reputation?’ And they said: ‘No, not at all.’ So I went. Whereas I think if my mum and dad had been like: ‘Ooh no’, things might have been different. But everyone who meets Wayne loves him and he always kills that footballer stereotype. He proved in the jungle [Wayne took part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2016] that he’s a nice guy.
It’s not off the table for The Saturdays to reunite. Luckily, we didn’t fall apart and we’ve all said maybe one day we will, but there are no immediate plans. We have a group chat so I always know what they’re doing. I have days where I think: ‘I do kind of miss being a pop star.
I don’t really have any celeb friends. All of my friends are those I grew up with from back home in Essex and they keep me grounded like you wouldn’t believe! I’ll do a red carpet and afterwards they’ll say: ‘You look a bit dodgy here, Frank!’ That’s what I love about it, it’s no different to anyone else.
I don’t dance much any more [Frankie was a Strictly Come Dancing finalist in 2014], but I would like to do a tap class. It’s just having the confidence to walk into a room full of people you don’t know, and I’m kind of not used to that any more. I’m used to going out and performing with The Saturdays, but I always think one-on-one, closer situations are a lot more nerve-racking. Put us on stage at Wembley Arena and it’s fine because you can’t see every single person, but if you do a performance in a room in front of five people, it always feels a lot more intimate.
When my sons, Parker, three, and Carter, two, are playing together and belly laughing, it makes me so happy. Carter is still quite young so he can’t do everything Parker wants him to, but they’re both obsessed with trains and dinosaurs. And when Wayne is throwing them around, it’s just so nice to see your family having fun together. I think I’m probably a lenient mum, Wayne is definitely stricter than me. You have all these ideas of what you’ll be like as a parent and it’s so easy to say until they’re yours because I just want them to be smiling 24/7. If the boys want something, they should ask me rather than Wayne and they know it!
I do love a spa and a massage. I’m lucky, I’ve got a friend who’s amazing at massages. She’ll come over and do my nails and give me a massage and a facial. I think just having that time to relax and try to feel like you’re doing something to make you look less tired is always quite nice! I also love a night on the sofa, whether it’s with some of my girls round having a glass of rosé, or with Wayne. Sometimes it’s really nice to just be with Wayne and go to the cinema and do something other than talk about work or the boys, and I think that’s important as a couple.
I have no idea what I’ll be doing in 10 years’ time. Nothing’s ever the same and that’s why I love my job. If you’d have told me five years ago that I was going to have two boys and be married, I wouldn’t have believed you. Hopefully I’ll still be in the same position as I am now, with my family and doing a job that I love. Going from singing for 15 years to this [presenting new ITV series Cannonball] is nerve-racking, but it’s nice to try new things.
NEW! Cannonball, Saturday, 7pm, ITV