Bucks &amp; Oxon

Training for one Olympics is gruelling enough, but going for gold in your fourth Olympics while juggling family life with her TV adventurer husband Steve Backshall and their three young children (Logan, 6, and twins, Willow and Kit, 4), would make any human buckle. But Team GB rower Helen Glover is no ordinary woman – or athlete for that matter. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/HelenGloverGB.jpg" alt="Helen Glovr" class="wp-image-166943" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/HelenGloverGB.jpg 1200w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/HelenGloverGB-800x450.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/HelenGloverGB-1000x563.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/HelenGloverGB-400x225.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></figure>



The 38-year-old is part of the women’s four alongside Esme Booth, Samantha Redgrave and Rebecca Shorten, with the final Thu 1 Aug. She&#8217;s been something of guinea pig for sportswomen having babies and returning to top level sport, coming out of retirement twice, having quit rowing following both the Rio and Tokyo Games. 



But she&#8217;s back with bells on for the Paris Olympics, chosen to be a flag bearer for at the opning ceremony alongside Tom Daley in his knitted budgie smugglers and with her family all in attendance. She’s also dead nice and is local to the area (we’ll forgive her being just over&nbsp;Bucks/Oxon borders in Cookham), so there&#8217;s only one thing for it – a Muddy catch up.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="794" height="880" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_0E96EC32CA28-1.jpeg" alt="Heleng glover rower with her children" class="wp-image-166939" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_0E96EC32CA28-1.jpeg 794w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_0E96EC32CA28-1-722x800.jpeg 722w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_0E96EC32CA28-1-361x400.jpeg 361w" sizes="(max-width: 794px) 100vw, 794px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Instagram/ @Helenglovergb</figcaption></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-take-us-through-a-typical-day">Take us through a typical day</h4>



Mornings begin early and typically entail dropping the kids at school and nursery before two sessions on the water, followed by weights or Watt bike work at home, before setting off to school pick-up. Then we might go swimming. We live by the river in Cookham so I’m paranoid about the children being a safe swimmer. Then we&#8217;re back home for dinner, bath and bedtime, the latter of which begins at 7pm but sometimes runs to 8.30pm, before collapsing into bed.. Steve and I are keen on making sure the children are getting outside a lot – there’s a lot of wellies across fields! If Steve’s home we take them out on the canoe. It’s a very simple, normal existence.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1179" height="1171" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_99708DFE6A28-1.jpeg" alt="Helen Glover and rowing team sat in olympic rigs in Paris" class="wp-image-166938" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_99708DFE6A28-1.jpeg 1179w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_99708DFE6A28-1-800x795.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_99708DFE6A28-1-1000x993.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_99708DFE6A28-1-400x397.jpeg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1179px) 100vw, 1179px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Instagram/ @HelengloverGB</figcaption></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-are-you-rowing-s-greatest-fan">Are you rowing’s greatest fan?</h4>



I’m so grateful to the sport now, but I didn’t even pick up rowing until after university, when I was 21. When I started I didn’t care if I enjoyed it or not, it wasn’t a factor. I’d applied to the Sporting Giants initiative for people of a certain height (I’m 5ft 10), and I had a dream to go to the Olympic Games and just had to take it. A staggering 3,000 girls applied, and 30 of us were accepted, so even then we were told it was unlikely we’d succeed.



But I felt a sense of desperation that it was my last chance to do something incredible. I threw myself into it like I’d never done anything in my life before. Something shifted in me, and I knew I’d do whatever I could do make it. I didn’t love rowing at all in my first year. I was working as a teacher, juggling work and training, and was absolutely shattered. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1179" height="841" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_4A4EDE165A0C-1.jpeg" alt="TEAM GB ROWING TEAM WOMEN'S FOURS" class="wp-image-166944" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_4A4EDE165A0C-1.jpeg 1179w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_4A4EDE165A0C-1-800x571.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_4A4EDE165A0C-1-1000x713.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_4A4EDE165A0C-1-400x285.jpeg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1179px) 100vw, 1179px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Team GB Women&#8217;s Fours</figcaption></figure>



That kind of drive is so unusual – describe your personality



Well, yes, but the person I am in rowing isn’t who I am away from the river. I’m really disorganised and I’m not particularly driven or focused. I grew up enjoying the wild outdoors lifestyle in Cornwall, and have always loved sport, but at university was a bit of a party animal, I’m very laidback by nature.



Where do you keep your medals? 



Our house doesn’t even a hint of rowing apart from a few photos in the downstairs loo of me winning and the medal wrapped around a cactus that Steve and I found on a beach during our honeymoon. I’ve actually lost my medals many times and I’m ashamed to say I broke one a week after the Rio Olympics too – it was dropped on the concrete floor and I had to take it into the jeweller in Bourne End to mend it.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1179" height="1175" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_2F1A3B4D92AC-1.jpeg" alt="HELEN GLOVER AND STEVE BACKSHALL CORNISH BEACH WITH KIDS" class="wp-image-166937" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_2F1A3B4D92AC-1.jpeg 1179w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_2F1A3B4D92AC-1-800x797.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_2F1A3B4D92AC-1-1000x997.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/IMG_2F1A3B4D92AC-1-400x400.jpeg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1179px) 100vw, 1179px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Instagram/ @Helenglovergb</figcaption></figure>



You’re from Cornwall – but does Cookham now feel like home?



Steve used to tell me off for saying I was going home whenever I went to Cornwall. But we’re more integrated in Cookham now and this is definitely home. When you bring children up somewhere you get to know it better and make those connections.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-do-you-like-to-hang-out-locally">Where do you like to hang out locally?</h4>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/Cliveden-River-Walk.jpg" alt="Cliveden River" class="wp-image-166935" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/Cliveden-River-Walk.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/Cliveden-River-Walk-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/Cliveden-River-Walk-400x266.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



The river for us is a hub of activity – we use it for paddleboarding, rowing, kayaking. My favourite stretch is by Cliveden and Cookham Lock, it’s just so beautiful and tranquil. For breakfast and coffee, I love <a href="https://www.cooperstradingcompany.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Coopers</a> in Marlow, and for Sunday lunch we walk across the field to <a href="https://belandthedragon-cookham.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bel&nbsp;&amp; the Dragon</a>&nbsp;in Cookham.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-give-us-some-insider-tips-on-where-to-head-in-cornwall">Give us some insider tips on where to head in Cornwall</h4>



I’m from Penzance originally and Steve and I got married in Prussia Cove which just the loveliest spot, it’s one of our favourite places in the world. Lands End and the Lizard are beautiful – we just took six friends on a three-day kayak around there which was amazing. For beaches, you have to head for Porthcurno. And make sure you don’t forget to stop for an ice-cream in Newlyn at Jelberts – that’s my dad’s shop!

How Helen Glover, Team GB’s superwoman rower, does it

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