The broadcaster and author talks about her marriage to Alice Arnold, their new home and the dogs and horses that have shaped her life.
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The past year has involved multiple changes and firsts for TV presenter and author Clare Balding. She and her wife Alice Arnold moved from London to a leafy suburb; she published her first novel, Pastures New; appeared as a contestant on the first series of the hit TV show The Celebrity Traitors; and very sadly lost her father, renowned racehorse trainer Ian Balding.
And this month, she is launching her first commercial business – a range of dog-grooming products under the brand Unconditional Love by Clare Balding. Clare’s knowledge of horses, dogs and the countryside was poured into her debut grown-up novel, Pastures New (she’d previously written a few children’s books).
Admittedly, the fictional racehorse trainer Dickon is far from the success story of her father and brother, but his equine understanding was inspired by them.
"It was Jilly Cooper who first told me to write a novel, and her advice was to write about what I know – and it is dogs and horses I know best," says Clare. "She asked me why I was writing books for children and not adults and said: 'Come on, you need to get on with it!' She was fundamental to me getting started."
Clare says she also enjoyed conjuring a loving relationship in the book. "I wanted to write about falling in love because I thought, 'I know that'. I know what real, deep love is and meeting someone I want to grow old with."
She and Alice have now been together for 24 years and recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. Seeing them together, they are clearly blissfully happy – something viewers of Celebrity Gogglebox are also witness to.
"It’s great being able to do that programme together. There is real impact in showing that two women can live very happily together," says Clare.
"Of course, in changing the status of single-sex relationships, politics matters, law matters, marches matter, but there is soft power in showing people what our relationship is about, what it looks like and what it sounds like.
"We get an extraordinary amount of positive feedback across all age groups for that." It’s clear that Clare thrives on constantly challenging herself.
As she welcomes Saga Magazine to her new home in Esher, Surrey, she’s just back with Alice from an 18-hole round of golf, a sport at which she’s making steady progress.
"Alice is much better than me and has a handicap of seven but I’m working on getting better and now have a 14 handicap," she says. "It’s one of our favourite ways of spending time together."
The couple are enjoying playing at a new club near the modern and stylish home they built and moved into in the spring.
"We created the building we wanted. It’s energy efficient and it’s a house full of light with great views from every window.
"There’s nothing chintzy about it – it’s based on natural materials: wood and stone."
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