Gabby Logan has been a mainstay of the BBC Sport presenting team for many years, but she was given a reality check by her daughter when she tried to push her into certain sports
15:42, 04 Nov 2025Updated 15:43, 04 Nov 2025
Gabby’s daughter was determined to follow her own path(Image: Kate Green, Getty Images)
Few individuals could be better suited to front BBC Sport than self-proclaimed sports fanatic Gabby Logan.
Gabby, who competed for Wales in rhythmic gymnastics at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, has remained a familiar face for decades through her contributions to ITV and BBC, presenting World Cups, Olympic Games, Six Nations and countless other sporting occasions.
Following Gary Lineker’s exit from the corporation’s premier football programme, Match of the Day, she has joined the presenting roster tipped to succeed him. However, Gabby was decisively “put in her place” by her daughter Lois when she tried to guide her towards the sports she herself was most passionate about.
She explained to The Telegraph: “I always used to say to Lois, when she first got into horses at the age of nine: ‘Oh, if you played golf, I would play with you every night. If you played tennis, I’d play with you all the time.’
“And she’s like: ‘Mummy, those are your dreams, not mine.’ So I was very much put in my place… I used to tell Clare Balding that I’d had her love child.”
Gabby’s Clare Balding reference proved rather fitting.
Now aged 20, Lois works as a show jumper and recently took part in her first horse race as a jockey.
Lois’s twin brother Reuben has also inherited the family’s athletic streak, featuring as a back-row forward for Sale Sharks.
As a mum, Gabby admits she finds it challenging watching both her children pursue physically demanding and potentially dangerous sports. “They’ve not made it easy for me, have they?” she quipped.
“Or for Kenny, in terms of a nice, sedate sport – something a little less frenetic and potentially fraught with danger.
“Still, for me it was important that they had a passion and did something they wanted to do in life, and they both love sport.”
Reuben may have regretted his choice to go into professional rugby on one particular occasion, though.
One of his regular gym sessions at the club turned into a toe-curlingly embarrassing experience when one of his mum’s podcasts was played over the PA system.
It happened to be the episode in which Gabby, 50, was discussing changes in her sex life since her husband – former rugby international Kenny Logan – had his prostate removed following a cancer diagnosis in 2022.
Gabby has been outspoken about reconnecting with intimacy after menopause. She told The Sun: “Taking HRT saw my libido returning. I started with a very small dose of oestrogen and testosterone gels, and progesterone in tablet form. I noticed massive changes within a few weeks. It was a lovely feeling – like myself again.
“My libido came back within about a week. I felt a massive improvement there, and that was important to me and also to Kenny. Once I was on HRT and my libido returned, our sex life was back on track – even to the extent of having daytime sex. There are plus points to becoming empty nesters!”
Bianca Perry complained her family were ‘left abandoned’ after their journey home as they were struck with stomach issues after ‘eating meat casserole’ on plane
The Perry family became suddenly violently ill during their travels(Image: Jam Press/Bianca Perry)
Bianca Perry, 45, her husband David, also 45, and their three children Lauren, 15, Belle, 11, and William, eight, had spent six blissful weeks in Brazil before disaster struck on their return flight.
The horror began mid-flight when young William suddenly fell violently ill after eating the in-flight meal, and it wasn’t long before Belle, David and Bianca were similarly affected.
Only eldest child Lauren, who had avoided the meat casserole served, managed to escape the gut-wrenching illness.
The family began suddenly comiting while at the airport gate(Image: Jam Press/Bianca Perry)
Upon landing at Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport in the early hours of 2 September, the family were seen vomiting uncontrollably at the gate as shocked fellow passengers looked on.
However, instead of rushing to help them, they claim airline staff treated them like a “problem”, allegedly refusing Bianca’s desperate pleas for assistance and a wheelchair for her husband, who was still recovering from painful dental surgery.
“The whole dinner was on the floor in front of everyone,” said Bianca, who hosts her own cooking show, speaking to NeedToKnow. “When we got off the plane, my daughter was sick in front of everyone.
“It was like a scene from The Exorcist. The airline staff weren’t looking at us like, ‘Are they okay? Can we do something?'”.
“They were looking at us like we were a problem.”
The family claims that TAP Air Portugal staff advised them against boarding their connecting flight due to their illness.
They were suggested to take the next flight, but the family claims they were not informed that this wouldn’t be until 7pm the following day on 3 September. This left them scrambling to find and pay for their own £330-a-night hotel and transport without any assistance.
Bianca stated: “We were scared to be sick on the plane; we weren’t sure if we had a bug and didn’t want to share it around the flight.
“When we accepted the offer of the new flight, we didn’t think it would be at 7pm the next day. They were so rude on another level.
“They just had no empathy – and thank Goodness I can speak Portuguese.”
At the hotel, the nightmare only got worse.
The family claimed they got little assistance while vomiting violently(Image: Jam Press/Bianca Perry)
Bianca had to help David – still in agony with stitches in his mouth – through the lobby as he was sick repeatedly. Both Belle and William were still poorly too, leaving the family desperately washing vomit-covered clothes in the bathroom sink and trying to rest between bouts of illness.
And when they finally got back to the airport the following day, the ordeal wasn’t finished. Back in the UK, Bianca’s suitcase containing vital menopause medication had reportedly vanished whilst another turned up damaged.
When it was later discovered, she was informed she would either have to retrieve it herself or fork out a £45 delivery charge. Left with no alternative, David made the trek to collect the suitcase, knowing the medication was desperately required.
Bianca revealed: “There was no assistance whatsoever from them. We had to hand-wash vomit-covered clothes in the hotel.
“We were vomiting in the lobby. It was a nightmare.”
The family firmly believe their sickness stemmed from the airline meal – alleging they observed other passengers also falling ill following the flight.
Bianca continued: “Our experience with TAP Air Portugal was truly distressing on many levels. Despite being in a vulnerable and difficult situation, we were left to deal with everything ourselves.
“The lack of empathy and assistance was shocking – we were treated with disregard, not even as people, let alone as customers. No one deserves to be treated this way, especially not by a company of this size and visibility.
“It’s not just disappointing – it feels inhumane.”
EXCLUSIVE: Amy Dowden talks about returning to Strictly, menopause, IVF and marriage to Ben as she discusses life after chemotherapy and finding her new normal
Amy Dowden thought her life would return to normal after completing cancer treatment(Image: Instagram)
When she rang the bell to mark the end of her breast cancer treatment, Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden thought her nightmare would end. Instead she found herself at an “all time low” as she came to terms with her new reality – she was bald, menopausal and too weak to dance.
Amy told The Mirror: “I thought my life was going to get back to normal. I was deluded. I honestly thought that I’d be back dancing on Strictly in no time and that my hair was going to grow back far quicker than it did. I thought that I’d be back to the old Amy, and it hit me really hard. I was scared and petrified. It was a very daunting, difficult time as well as being put into menopause.”
Amy had been diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023, less than a year after marrying her husband Benjamin Jones. She was 32 and preparing for a new series of Strictly. Almost immediately, she had a mastectomy, followed by IVF two weeks later to try and preserve her chances of having a family.
Amy said: “I started IVF treatment two weeks after the mastectomy. I was still recovering from surgery and then that was another journey. And then two weeks after I started chemo.”
Amy reflects on her journey after ringing the bell(Image: PinPep)
After eight rounds of chemotherapy, Amy completed her treatment and rang the bell. Sadly it didn’t herald an instant change in fortune and just a few days later Amy broke her foot, compounding her fears she’d never dance again. Amy said: “A few days later I broke my foot. I felt more of a cancer patient than ever. I felt isolated and lonely. And I didn’t know what my life ahead was going to be.”
Menopause is a notoriously difficult time for any woman, but coming after chemotherapy, it left Amy exhausted, emotional and suffering debilitating hot flushes. She said: “When I finished treatment, I actually hit an all time low. I went from this super fit young lady used to the spotlight and hair and make up to not liking to look in the mirror. But also there was a voice in my head saying, ‘Cancer can’t take away your dancing.’”
Amy has always dreamed of being a mother and thanks to the IVF wedged in between her mastectomy and chemotherapy, she has five frozen embryos that could hold the key to her future happiness.
Amy Dowden shared her cancer journey in her BBC documentary(Image: BBC/Wildflame Productions)
However, doctors have warned Amy that even though she’s cancer free, she cannot yet risk undergoing IVF as the hormones she would have to take could raise her risk of the cancer returning.
Amy said: “I always wanted the honour of being a mother. My oncologist said he won’t speak to me about it yet. It’s too soon. We were lucky enough to get five embryos, but right now, it’s still too soon. I only finished active treatment just over a year ago. My body has just got to recover first, hopefully.”
Amy is sharing her recovery story after making a short film called Beyond the Bell, which is part of the Keep Ahead campaign from Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK, to shed light on life post-breast cancer.
While ringing the bell might appear as a moment of joy for people outside of cancer treatment, Amy wants to prepare people going through treatment for the reality.
Amy on Strictly Come Dancing(Image: BBC/Ray Burmiston)
In hindsight, Amy realises her return to Strictly was too soon for her physically – though she believes dancing on the show was vital to her mental and emotional recovery.
Amy said: “I went back to Strictly far too early last year because I just wanted to get what I thought was my normal back. I needed it mentally to go back, otherwise I don’t think I would have ever gone back. I needed that normality. I couldn’t have watched another series from the sofa. It was killing me. Physically I wasn’t ready, but I thought I was. The BBC put so much in place to ease me back in gradually and I’m so grateful for them and they constantly had my best interests at heart.”
With the 2025 series of Strictly looming, Amy believes she’s fitter than ever and is grateful that her body has adjusted to the menopause.
She said: “I still get the occasional hot flush. This time last year it was really tough but now I really feel my body’s adjusted to it.”
Amy and Ben have just celebrated their third wedding anniversary and despite the traumatic start to their marriage, their love is deeper than ever before. Amy said: “We’re even closer than ever now, especially this past year getting our life back together, enjoying holidays and doing our house renovation. My husband said to me earlier this year, ‘I love my life and I’m really happy.’ It makes you realise how precious life and your loved ones are after a cancer diagnosis. We just enjoy every little bit of time we get together.”
Part of Amy’s new normal is saying ‘no’ more often and prioritising her recovery. She said: “I would always work myself into the ground. I wouldn’t take a day off. I’d run Dance Academy, I’d be saying yes to absolutely everything and I’ve learned that now, actually, I need time off to recover. I need a day off or I need to go and see my family. That’s what I learnt most about cancer – life is precious.”
Another unexpected side effect of cancer is that Amy has lost close friends who never reached out to her after her diagnosis, leaving her hurt and confused. Amy said: “There were people sat at my wedding six months before and I still haven’t heard from them today. Everyone deals with it differently, but it’s still very tough. So much has changed for me.”
Amy and her husband Ben are closer than ever(Image: Amy Dowden Instagram)
However, cancer has brought new people into her life and her true friendships and relationships have strengthened. Amy said: “I learned who my true friends and family were and I only surround myself with them, that’s the new normal for me.”
Amy has shared her early breast cancer journey from the beginning, hoping her story helps others who are also affected by the disease. She said: “If a lady’s diagnosed with cancer she can say it, ‘Well, Amy got back on the dance floor or she can say to her little girl, ‘Look, Mum’s got what Amy’s got and she’s back on Strictly, she’s got a smile on her face.’”
While her recovery has been gruelling, Amy believes that she’s now fitter than she’s ever been. She said: “Everyone is different but actually I feel stronger and fitter than I did now before my cancer treatment. I’ve done that hard work in the gym and I’ve really loved seeing the differences made and doing one up on cancer.”
So it’s with an unflinching smile that Amy heads into this year’s Strictly.
While she dreams of being victorious and lifting the glitterball trophy with her celebrity partner, Amy admits just completing the competition would mean the world to her.
She said: “Watching your celebrity fall in love with dancing, that for me is a win. It would just be wonderful to be able to complete the whole Strictly series. I just can’t wait to just soak myself in all the Strictly magic.”
A quarter of holidaymakers have travelled without insurance all together, according to new research
One in six British holidaymakers confess they haven’t been entirely truthful about their health when buying travel insurance. The study reveals that a quarter of travellers have jetted off without any cover whatsoever, whilst a fifth have embarked on trips knowing their policy wouldn’t fully protect them.
The research found that a quarter of holidaymakers believe it’s acceptable to conceal details about health conditions they don’t consider serious in order to secure cheaper premiums. Some felt under pressure to keep holiday expenses low, with a quarter thinking it was fine to omit health information because they only wanted basic protection for cancellations or lost luggage.
Travellers have paid the price after hiding health conditions on their insurance(Image: Getty Images)
A Staysure spokesperson, who commissioned the study, remarked: “This survey paints a worrying picture.”
“When buying a travel insurance policy, you want to know you’ll be in safe hands if the worst should happen so be as honest and detailed as possible about your current health.”
Most travellers were oblivious to the fact that weight loss medications must be disclosed, along with HRT, a treatment used to manage menopause symptoms.
Moreover, a quarter of holidaymakers didn’t think it was necessary to mention high blood pressure or recent surgery, or that they have previously had a heart attack or severe organ condition.
“Many people don’t realise that their NHS medical records are checked when they make a medical claim to verify their policy against their current health,” the spokesperson added.
“Any undeclared medical conditions, or recent GP and hospital visits that are not covered on their policy could invalidate their cover – leaving them high and dry to foot a medical bill alone.”
Seven out of ten revealed their greatest worry was having their claim rejected and being stranded overseas with an unaffordable medical bill. For 14 per cent they know someone whose medical claim was refused because they failed to disclose a health condition beforehand.
The spokesperson continued: “Declaring all your medical conditions ensures you are financially protected if you need medical treatment abroad or repatriating home – last year the average cost of an air ambulance from Spain alone was £45,136.”
Among those surveyed, 81 per cent believed their travel insurance represented good value for money, with 26 per cent having previously submitted a claim.
“We urge people to tell their insurer if they’ve recently seen a medical professional as not all heath changes will increase the price of their policy but may just save them thousands of pounds in unexpected medical costs.”
TOP 10 CONDITIONS TRAVELLERS DIDN’T REALISE YOU HAVE TO DECLARE:
