EXCLUSIVE: YouTuber and author Louise Pentland spoke to the Mirror recently about her life, including discussing having turned 40 this year and the release of her first children’s book
Louise Pentland is navigating new experiences in her life after celebrating 15 years on YouTube. From marrying her partner Liam O’Neill and releasing her first children’s book to reaching a milestone birthday and reevaluating her life, the last seven months have brought about some change.
Now 40, she’s surprised that her venture into vlogging back in 2010 has led to the life she has. Her channel, once known as SprinkleofGlitter, began on the platform as a hobby in her twenties, but has launched a career that now includes her being an author, radio host and content creator.
Speaking to the Mirror ahead of releasing her new book, Adventures in Lylaland, Louise said: “I was a receptionist and [YouTube] was something I did as like just something to do in the evening for fun. So no way did I ever think that this would carry on.” She even recalled once thinking that there wouldn’t be interest in her content once she hit 30.
She told us: “It just sort of took off in ways that I couldn’t imagine that it would.” Louise added: “I feel very fortunate to have been part of [the Brit Crew] era but also really fortunate now to have carved out a space for myself that feels very authentic and very me.”
More than a decade since her channel launched, Louise still has more than 2 million subscribers, whilst her Instagram page boasts over 3 million followers. Her content now ranges from family updates as a mother of two children to collaborations with brands like Avon and Hobby Craft.
Asked how the industry has changed over the years, she said: “I think it has both changed and not changed. I think the production value has really increased, like, I started on a really old Sony webcam and now y’know iPhones create beautiful content. And we all know about lighting and tripods and transitions and editing and all that kind of stuff.”
She went on to say in our interview: “But I think the crux of social media is authentic connections and real passion for things and I think that that hasn’t changed. The core of what makes social media special is still there.”
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Following the anniversary of her channel, Louise married her now-husband Liam back in February, before having a wedding reception in May. Louise, who said that she is still “pretty loved up” after her nuptials, celebrated her 40th birthday shortly after tying the knot earlier this year.
She said: “I remember being 29 and absolutely dreading turning 30 and then it’s actually completely fine. And this time again I was like ‘ugh turning 40’ as if like at midnight I was going to like crumble and decay. But it’s actually been fantastic. I mean, touch wood, I’ve only been in my forties for a few months, but it’s gone pretty flipping well. […] So if this carries on until fifty I’ll be pretty pleased.”
Describing it as a “really nice marker in life” to reflect, she said that it’s an opportunity to “reevaluate” what’s important to her and make sure that “everything is still aligned” how she wants it to be. She said: “So taking care of my health a bit more and [being the] mum of a teenager, and of course [my youngest] just growing up into her childhood. So yeah, it’s a really nice milestone to take stock and to just make sure we’re going ahead well.”
In a recent ‘life update,’ Louise questioned whether her “rollercoaster” experience with her mental health is linked to the perimenopause, noting that she’s now in her forties. Asked about the idea of it having once been ‘taboo,’ she told us: “I actually didn’t know it was ever taboo because when it was taboo it just wasn’t on my radar. Like I wasn’t really in the age bracket to be thinking about that.
“But I will say, I really don’t know much about perimenopause or menopause at all. But the more I find mental health to be something that I’m aware of and that is personally challenging, the more people will say ‘oh is it perimenopause?’ and I think ‘yeah? I don’t know’. So it is something that I need to look into.”
Louise added: “But I’m getting a lot of mixed messages because sometimes people will say ‘oh perhaps you’re feeling a bit wobbly because it’s perimenopause’ but then also I’ve said to a couple of people ‘oh, I think it’s perimenopause’ and they’ll be like ‘no, you’re far too young for that’. So which is it? I don’t flipping know! But I’m definitely learning about it.”
Although still learning about the perimenopause, she shared her gratitude for the likes of Davina McCall, who has raised awareness around the menopause, including through her documentary Sex, Myths and the Menopause. She said: “I do think there needs to be more on it and I’m really grateful to people like [Davina] who’s really like opened up the conversation around it.
“Sort of these women, who are maybe not the generation above us but kind of like half a generation above me, have really paved the way and kind of like set some really good information out there for us. So I am very grateful to them and I hope that my cohort can continue that.”
As a parent, Louise is also navigating the “juggle struggle” of balancing family life and work. She said: “We just make it all work. I’m really fortunate that my job is super flexible, I get to work from home, so I can make it work. I just have quite a lot of late nights and a lot of bubble baths with spa music.”
Reading to her kids was part of the inspiration for her decision to write a book aimed at young readers, which led to the Adventures in Lylaland. A spin-off from her Wilde trilogy, which began in 2017, it shifts the focus from Robin Wilde to her ten-year-old daughter Lyla Wilde, who escapes to her “very own dream world” amid dealing with her parents’ divorce.
Louise said: “So I am a mummy myself and I read a lot of children’s books with my children. Also, I had always had the idea for Lyla because she is the daughter of Robin [who] was from my first three books.” She added: “I always knew I wanted to write a story for Lyla and now just felt like the right time.”
She said that life is “a bit more settled” and that she’s had “that experience of raising two little girls now,” adding that she thought it would be a “fun” experience. Louise said: “I just thought it would be really nice to write a children’s book, something a bit fluffy and lighthearted.”
The author, who is a supporter of the National Literacy Trust, is now preparing to visit schools as she promotes the book. She said: “It was really important to me to do school visits because a lot of children don’t have access to come to travel into London for big book events.” Louise recalled novelist Jacqueline Wilson once visiting her school, adding: “That really transformed the way I felt about reading and literacy.”
She told us that she’s “so passionate” about children reading, saying that it’s important for more than academic success. She said that it’s beneficial for emotional development, social development and as an “escape”. She added: “So if I can go into schools and even excite three or four children to go into their library and read some books, I think that’s a success.”
And years on from Jacqueline, known for books like the Story of Tracy Beaker, visiting her school, Louise came face-to-face with her “hero” to record a podcast for Cosmopolitan UK that was released last month. She said: “[It] was just like a bit of a childhood hero moment. That was so cool.”
It’s just one of the highlights from her decade-long career in the public eye. Louise said that the “greatest privilege” though has been building an online community with “warm parasocial relationships” and “being able to live a very free life”. She shared gratitude for having the flexibility to attend her children’s sports days and show.
Asked what the future may hold, she said: “If I could carry on doing what I’m doing now for 15 years, which is putting out positive content on social media and engaging with a really lovely audience, writing books, meeting fabulous people, I would be very, very happy. Specifically, I would love to dip my toes back into the podcast space, that would be wonderful, and I would love to share a bit more of my creative passions online. […] And just live a calm and happy life. I’m a gentle soul and I just want to be calm and happy.”
Adventures in Lylaland by Louise Pentland (Piccadilly Press) is out now.
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