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Weekend Woman's Hour: Keira Knightly; Empathy; Sloths

Keira Knightley, the importance of empathy, the impact of media reporting on child abuse on those who've experienced it, triathlons, Lucy Cooke on her passion for sloths and frogs.

Keira Knightley moves from costume drama to wannabe pop star in her latest project. She reveals her thoughts on singing on screen and her marriage in France last summer.

What is empathy? We discover how being empathetic is good for our mental health.

Celebrities accused of child abuse have been all over the media but what is the impact of the reporting of this on people who have been abused. A listener shares her story.

Zoologist Lucy Cooke tells us why she's turned sloths into TV stars and shares her love of frogs. Why have triathlons become such a popular sport for women? We hear from a professional triathlete and an excited newbie.

Cook the Perfect...Pad Thai noodles with Mimi Aye. And the art of social kissing, the do's and the don'ts.

Producer Rabeka Nurmahomed
Editor Jane Thurlow.

Available now

58 minutes

Keira Knightley

Keira Knightley has swapped corsets for guitars, as she moves from costume drama to her latest role as a wannabe pop star in New York in rom-com film Begin Again. And in her personal life too, she mixes film and music, having recently married James Righton of the band the Klaxons. She speaks to Jane about singing on screen, dodging papparazzi, and her marriage in France last summer.

Begin Again is released on 11 July

Empathy

As part of our series, we look at the role of empathy.  There’s plenty of research indicating that being empathetic and altruistic is good for our mental health.  But what exactly is empathy? Are we all capable of experiencing it and is it always a good thing? And is it possible to learn to be more empathetic? Graham Music, child and adolescent psychotherapist and author of a The Good Life: Wellbeing and the New Science of Altruism, Selfishness and Immorality, and writer , author of The Empathy Exams, join Jane in the studio.

The Good Life: Wellbeing and the new science of altruism, selfishness and immorality by Graham Music is published by Routledge.

Child Abuse and the Media

Celebrities accused of child abuse have been all over the media for so long now, but what about the impact of this coverage on people who have been abused? A listener who was abused contacted us saying that she is exhausted by the constant barrage of news coverage. Jenni speaks to the listener and also with psychologist, who specialises in helping victims of sexual abuse. 

Lucy Cooke

Dian Fossey gave her life whilst trying to conserve the natural habitat of the mountain gorillas of Rwanda. Lucy Cooke is the zoologist who turned into TV stars through her internet clips.  From the , Sue MacGregor interviews Dian Fossey about her love of primates. And zoologist Lucy Cooke talks to Jenni about how she managed to popularise the sloth, her love of frogs, and her new programme, .

Triathlons

Why have triathlons become such a popular sport for women? When they first started in the States in the mid-70s, they were male-dominated ultra-endurance events, but now they’re becoming more accessible with competitions of varying distances springing up all around the country. Some criticise the sport as being a middle-class sport – but do you need to have a huge bank account for the bike, the tri-suit and the goggles and Chrissie Wellington’s calves of granite, or can anyone do a triathlon? We will hear from an oncologist who has become a professional triathlete and an excited newbie who is competing in her first Ironman competition in a few weeks’ time.

Cook the Perfect...Pad Thai Noodles

was born in the UK to Burmese parents and brought up with Burmese sensibilities. Having studied law at Cambridge and trained as a solicitor, she went into publishing. But in 2009 she started the food blog ‘meemalee’  to spread the word about Burmese cuisine and to let off steam about TV cookery shows and Asian dishes on the high street which bore little resemblance to the real thing. Her passion for noodles of all kinds led her to write her first cook book simply called Noodle! She joins Jenni to cook the perfect Pad Thai stir fried noodles.

The Art of Social Kissing

As the wedding season hits full swing, increasingly it seems the social kiss is becoming the standard greeting even on first introduction. But how many of us are truly comfortable with it? Jenni asks Kate Fox, anthropologist and author of ‘Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour’ and Lars Tharp, presenter for Â鶹Éç Antiques Roadshow … Have things gone a ‘Mwah!’ too far?

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Jane Garvey
Interviewed Guest Keira Knightley
Interviewed Guest Lucy Cooke
Interviewed Guest Graham Music
Interviewed Guest Lesley Jamison
Interviewed Guest Nina Burrowes
Interviewed Guest Mimi Aye
Interviewed Guest Lars Tharp
Interviewed Guest Kate Fox
Producer Rabeka Nurmahomed
Editor Jane Thurlow

Broadcast

  • Sat 12 Jul 2014 16:00

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