Sophie Ellis-Bextor: The Moment I Said Yes to Saltburn & Why I'm Happier Than Ever at 46!

Begin Again with Davina McCall

FlightStory

Society & Culture, Mental Health, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Education

4.6 • 972 Ratings

🗓️ 4 September 2025

⏱️ 73 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode of Begin Again, British singer, disco icon, and mother of five Sophie Ellis-Bextor opens up about the unexpected resurgence sparked by Saltburn and how it reconnected her to the song that changed everything, Murder on the Dancefloor. From topping charts in the early 2000s to performing in her kitchen during lockdown, Sophie shares the real story behind her many reinventions. She talks candidly about the highs of her solo career, the heartbreak of a band breakup at 21, and the challenges of early motherhood, pre-eclampsia, and building a creative life around family. With signature humility and sharp insight, Sophie reflects on the strength she found through setbacks, and how saying “yes” to joy, and to herself, made her happier than ever at 46. 👉 Follow us on Instagram: @beginagain 🎥 Watch more on TikTok: @beginagainpod (01:13) Introduction to Sophie (02:41) The ‘Saltburn’ Phenomenon & Recent Success (09:37) Sophie's First Record Deal (11:36) Losing Her Record Deal (13:27) Almost Turning Down "Groovejet" (18:12) The Joy of Aging & Falling in Love With Disco (20:46) Parenting and Sophie’s Famous Parents (31:02) Airbnb Ad (32:05) Adobe Ad (33:13) Motherhood, Lockdown & the Beginning of Kitchen Disco (38:30) Meeting Richard at 22 and Getting Pregnant at 24 (42:29) Preeclampsia and the Miracle of Birth (49:04) Protecting Our Children From the Public Eye (53:44) Embarrassing Our Kids and Loving It (55:35) Sophie & Richard's 20-Year Marriage (01:01:01) Giving Advice & Guiding Our Children (01:03:50) The Joys of Kitchen Disco (01:06:02) Naming the New Album 'Perimenopop' – Sponsored by: Airbnb - https://www.airbnb.co.uk/host – Sponsored by: Airbnb - https://www.airbnb.co.uk/host Adobe - http://adobe.ly/Davina Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	When the band split up, it was pretty devastating.
0:02.5	It's over and I'm 20.
0:03.7	But now I'm 46 and I could see saltburn sparking this whole resurgence of emerging on the dance floor.
0:09.4	What does it feel like to suddenly become iconic again?
0:13.7	As soon as I did my first gig in that band, age 16, it was like all the dots joined up.
0:18.8	We signed a record deal front cover of melody maker
0:21.9	went straight from my A levels to be on the enemy brat bus tour I was like here we go but then
0:27.3	all the wheels fell off I genuinely just thought there's there's not going to be a comeback from this that's
0:31.2	that and then this song came to me and I thought it'll give me back the thing I love doing
0:36.3	richard's an amazing support to you, isn't he?
0:38.6	We just had our 20th wedding anniversaries. I mean, in today's day and age, it's a massive achievement. How have you done that? We've been dating for six weeks and then I realised I'm pregnant. I just didn't feel that great. I was getting headaches. went for a checkup, and they said, you are being taken straight to a hospital that has a neonatal unit.
0:58.6	Wow.
0:59.3	And I was younger.
1:00.1	I was much more inhibited.
1:01.7	The final piece of the puzzle was getting older.
1:04.0	Losing my inhibitions and worry about who I was and what I was supposed to have achieved.
1:09.4	I could just be myself.
1:10.9	I really love you.
1:14.1	Sophie.
1:15.2	This is so nice.
1:16.8	I know.
1:17.4	I've been really happy to be doing this.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from FlightStory, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of FlightStory and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.