“It was a horrific time”: Gaby Roslin on why she’ll never apologise for being happy again

Few people are able to spread joy quite like Gaby Roslin. In fact, she’s so good at it that it’s spawned a hit podcast, Reasons to be Joyful, and a book, Spread the Joy. But in an exclusive interview with Good Housekeeping, Gaby opened up about the poignant reason she wears her joy with such pride – and why she’ll never apologise for being happy again.

Appearing as a guest on the second series of GH’s flagship podcast, My Life in a Biscuit Tin, Gaby explained how her positive attitude came naturally to her from a young age. “I was always Pollyanna as a child. All my school reports, which we found recently, say the same thing: Gaby never stops talking and giggling. And I thought, ‘Oh my God, I still do that,’” she explained.

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“But I’ve gone through awful things and I talk about it very openly, like my mum and dad both had cancer at the same time. And my mum died, dad survived and then he had a stroke and that was a horrific time.” What struck her during that period, Gaby shared, was how much time she’d spent apologising for being happy in the past.

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“I went on This Morning with Richard and Judy and they knew what had happened and I had a brand new Saturday TV show at the time,” she recalled. "And they said, with everything that’s been going on and your dad having cancer and having had a stroke, it’s amazing [you’re so positive].

“And I said, do you know what, for years and years and years, every journalist used to say, ‘Are you always this happy?’ and I’d always say, ‘Oh yes I am, sorry’ – and I said live on air, ‘I’m never saying sorry again. It’s a privilege to be alive, so I’m not apologising for being happy.

Gaby also had some words of wisdom for young people, who might be unsure of their place in the world, or how they can get to where they want to be. “The thing that I’ve told my kids and the thing that I tell every single person that says to me, ‘All I want to do is…’ is just please, please, please follow your dreams,” she said.

“When I was growing, my parents always said the same thing – follow your dreams and don’t hurt anybody in the process – and I think it was really good advice. Oh, and be kind. I know people say it’s overused, but just be kind. The news is so bleak and so dark at the moment that we need to be gentle and be kind to one another.” Amen to that.

You can listen to My Life in a Biscuit Tin series 2, sponsored by DFS, including the full episode with Gaby Roslin, on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch the full interview on the Good Housekeeping YouTube channel.

Meet Gaby Roslin at Good Housekeeping Live

Don’t miss the chance to meet Gaby Roslin at Good Housekeeping Live with Country Living Christmas Market this November! In partnership with L’Oréal Paris, the four-day festive extravaganza is returning to London’s Business Design Centre, with star speakers, delicious food and drink, taste testing, pampering and more. Head to goodhousekeepinglive.co.uk  to book your tickets now.