Episode 69: Gemma Kemp
Spinning Plates with Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Kat Rulach
4.8 • 527 Ratings
🗓️ 20 June 2022
⏱️ 72 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Gemma Kemp is a forensic pathologist and a mum of two little girls.
We talked about the juxtaposition of motherhood with a job which is on the one hand fascinating, but on the other hand, unremitting and emotionally demanding.
We agreed that the British attitude to dealing with death is generally unhelpful, from the euphemisms used to talk about it, to our inability to face the inevitable.
Gemma explained in down-to-earth terms how she performs an autopsy, which she does day in and day out. She explained she feels honoured to be present at this final part of a person’s journey. But she also shared that sometimes these encounters stay with and trouble her - especially when they involve children.
Spinning Plates is produced by Claire Jones. Post-production is by Richard Jones.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, I'm Sophia Lusbexter and welcome to Spinning Plates, the podcast where I speak to |
| 0:09.6 | to busy working women who also happen to be mothers about how they make it work. |
| 0:14.4 | I'm a singer and I've released seven albums in between having my five sons aged 16 months to 16 years, |
| 0:20.4 | so I spin a few plates myself. |
| 0:22.3 | Being a mother can be the most amazing thing, |
| 0:24.9 | but can also be hard to find time for yourself |
| 0:26.8 | and your own ambitions. |
| 0:28.3 | I want to be a bit nosy and see how other people balance everything. |
| 0:32.0 | Welcome to spinning plates. |
| 0:35.7 | Hello, I'm just wondering around trying to find a quiet space in the house. |
| 0:40.3 | Let's try this room. No, one in there. |
| 0:43.3 | One in there. I'm going to sit on the stairs. I quite like sitting on the stairs. |
| 0:48.3 | I had a late night last night. I went and sang in Tetschus. |
| 0:56.2 | Oh, now Richard's coming down and says, |
| 0:57.5 | I can't find it anywhere quiet now. |
| 1:03.0 | He had a gentle sound of his Birkenstocks going past. |
| 1:06.7 | Yeah, last night I was in Tetsworth in Oxfordshire, |
| 1:12.9 | singing for Ed Harcourt and his wife Geeta's fundraiser for War Child. |
| 1:13.7 | It was really lovely. |
| 1:14.6 | It sang in the church. |
| 1:16.5 | I got to sing like a prayer in a church. |
| 1:17.6 | Hold on, Jess. I'll be down a second. |
... |
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