Ed Balls: life after politics, Strictly, and how he learned to live with a stammer

Описание: Ed Balls joins Dr. Hilary to talk candidly about the challenges that have defined his life—from battling altitude sickness on Kilimanjaro with Little Mix, to running three marathons while in cabinet, and managing the osteoarthritis that now impacts his knees and hands.
He opens up about life with a stammer and why, even after reaching the highest levels of government, it took years of therapy—and going public—to find peace with it. The conversation spans his media career, Strictly Come Dancing, and the surreal moment he played the banjo for the Queen with Frank Skinner and Harry Hill.
And while he doesn’t rule out a return to politics, Ed explains why he feels he’s doing more public good now—from the outside.

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Timestamps
01:05 – Kilimanjaro with Little Mix, altitude sickness, and a steroid shot at sunrise
03:24 – Running marathons while in cabinet and raising £160,000 for charity
06:21 – Shin splints, ibuprofen injections, and marathon hacks
08:04 – Dehydration and training lessons that changed his habits
09:00 – Knee pain, osteoarthritis, and strength training as treatment
11:05 – Why the knee is often just the symptom
12:36 – Political press football games and the unforgiving lens of photographers
14:16 – Osteoarthritis in hands and why playing piano helps
15:13 – Dr. Hilary explains Heberden’s nodes and supplements that work
18:11 – Living with a stammer and learning to go public
20:40 – The iceberg model of interiorized stammering
24:02 – Delivering speeches with a stammer—and the real reason he memorized 5,000 words
26:52 – Good Morning Britain and why he rewrites autocue links in real time
27:37 – Would he ever go back into politics?
31:55 – Strictly Come Dancing and the turning point in week two
35:04 – Gangnam Style, BAFTAs, and the ibuprofen mistake on tour
36:37 – Playing piano, learning banjo for the Queen, and a surreal moment with King Charles
38:49 – Can the NHS be saved? His answer—and his experience from the Treasury