This week we’re joined by one of our most glamorous guests ever - it’s the fabulous author Coco Mellors… and she met us in Clissold Park straight off the plane from New York!

Coco is the New York Times bestselling author of Cleopatra and Frankenstein and Blue Sisters. She grew up in London and moved to New York as a teenager, where she received her MFA in fiction from New York University.

Coco tells us about her childhood pugs and hamsters - and what it was like to grow up with a therapist mother and creative director father. We find out where her passion for writing came from - and how she chose to become sober at the age of 26.

Follow @cocomellors on Instagram

Blue Sisters is the moving, funny, story of three sisters dealing with grief and addiction in the wake of the deal of their beloved fourth sister Nicky. It’s out in paperback now - and you can get your copy here!

The Sunday Times Bestseller Cleopatra and Frankenstein is an addictive, humorous, and poignant debut novel about the shock waves caused by a couple’s impulsive marriage. You can get your copy here!

Follow Emily:

Instagram - @emilyrebeccadean

X - @divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Faye Lawrence

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re back in West London with Rory Cellan-Jones and Sophie from Romania!

In this part of our conversation, we discuss Rory’s Parkinson’s diagnosis, what it’s like to host a podcast with Jeremy Paxman and how he feels about being known for being Sophie’s dad.

Follow @rorycellan on Instagram

Rory’s written a brilliant book which follows the real journey of Sophie’s adoption – from her battles with anxiety, to the joys of play and her first time outside – as Rory and his wife Diane work to win Sophie’s trust and navigate Rory’s Parkinson’s disease. It is a moving story of love, kindness and a lot of patience, paying tribute to rescue dogs and their tender community. You can buy your copy here!

You can get your copy of Ruskin Park here

You can listen to Movers and Shakers: a podcast about life with Parkinson’s wherever you get your podcasts!

You can listen to Emily and Ray’s walk with Jeremy Paxman from August 2020 here

Follow Emily:

Instagram - @emilyrebeccadean

X - @divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Faye Lawrence

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week - we’re with one of the nation’s most loved dogs, Sophie from Romania - and her fantastic owner, Rory Cellan-Jones.

Rory is a journalist and he is best known for being a BBC News technology correspondent. Rory was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in May 2019 and left the BBC after 40 years in 2021.

Then in December 2022 - Rory and his wife Diane adopted their Romanian rescue dog, Sophie. Rory documented Sophie’s progress settling her new life on social media - and she subsequently grew a huge following, and changed Rory’s life!

In this part of our chat, we discuss Rory’s early life, growing up with a single mother, reconnecting with his father and the experience of welcoming a nervous rescue dog into his family.

Follow @rorycellan on Instagram

You can get your copy of Sophie From Romania here

You can get your copy of Ruskin Park here

You can listen to Movers and Shakers: a podcast about life with Parkinson’s wherever you get your podcasts!

Follow Emily:

Instagram - @emilyrebeccadean

X - @divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Faye Lawrence

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re in Kew for the second part of our walk with the brilliant journalist and presenter of Channel 4 News - Krishnan Guru-Murthy and his Chihuahua, Chubby Chops!

In this part of our chat - we talk about how it Krishnan’s job makes it necessary for him to be confrontational and how he feels about being liked. He also tells us about his love story with his wife Lisa, and what his kids make of his job.

You can watch Ways To Change the World on YouTube here - or you can find it on all podcast platforms.

Follow @krishgm on Instagram

See more of Krishnan’s work on Channel 4 News here

Follow Emily:

Instagram - @emilyrebeccadean

X - @divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Faye Lawrence

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Emily and Raymond in Kew with one of the nation’s most respected news presenters - Krishnan Guru-Murphy.

Krishnan is a journalist and the lead presenter of Channel 4 News - and we were thrilled to meet him and his chihuahua - Chubby Chops! Chubby is very sweet boy with a very self sufficient and independent spirit… he and Ray didn’t exactly hit it off - but that’s what you get when you put two introvert dogs together!

We had such a fascinating walk with Krishnan - finding out all about his childhood in a medical family - and how his passion for performing led him away from following in his father’s footsteps to become a doctor. There are so many interesting facets to Krishnan - and we found out that there is a lot more to him than just being the king of news…

You can watch Ways To Change the World on YouTube here - or you can find it on all podcast platforms.

Follow @krishgm on Instagram

See more of Krishnan’s work on Channel 4 News here

Follow Emily:

Instagram - @emilyrebeccadean

X - @divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Faye Lawrence

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s time for the second part of our walk with bestselling author Jojo Moyes and her Bosnian rescue dog Sisu.

Jojo tells us about selling 14 million copies of her book Me Before You and the experience of having the book adapted by Hollywood…

We find out Jojo’s attitude to writing about people she knows, her thoughts on forgiveness and how therapy has benefitted her life.

We also discuss Jojo’s new novel - We All Live Here - which s a warm-hearted, wry and empathetic novel about a woman getting to grips with her estranged family. You can order your copy here!

Read more about Jojo’s work at https://www.jojomoyes.com/

Follow @jojomoyesofficial on Instagram

Follow Emily:

Instagram - @emilyrebeccadean

X - @divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Faye Lawrence

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we’re on Hampstead Heath with the brilliant bestselling author Jojo Moyes and her gorgeous dog Sisu.

Sisu is a Bosnian rescue dog who had a very dramatic entrance into Jojo’s life which ended up with a call to the pet detective. It’s clear now that Sisu and Jojo have a very special bond - and Raymond absolutely being a part of Introvert Dogs Club!

Jojo tells us about her childhood rebellions, her extraordinary early jobs and how she coped with toxic workplaces in the 90s.

Jojo’s new novel We All Live Here is a warm-hearted, wry and empathetic novel about a woman getting to grips with her estranged family. You can order your copy here!

Read more about Jojo’s work at https://www.jojomoyes.com/

Follow @jojomoyesofficial on Instagram

Follow Emily:

Instagram - @emilyrebeccadean

X - @divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Faye Lawrence

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s nearly time to take to the stage - so join us as we walk from St James’s Park to the Sondheim Theatre with the brilliant Luke Kempner!

In this part of our chat, we discuss Luke’s two stints in Les Miserables, being an understudy for Gareth Gates and the experience of being married to a twin.

Luke will be performing his show, ‘GRITTY POLICE DRAMA: A ONE MAN MUSICAL’, at Phoenix Arts Club on Sunday 16th and Sunday 23rd February – tickets on sale now at www.lukekempner.com

Follow @lukekempner on Instagram

Follow Emily:

Instagram - @emilyrebeccadean

X - @divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Faye Lawrence

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.