One of the UK’s favourite celebrity psychologists with appearances on representation nation’s top TV programmes including Big Brother and This Farewell to name a few, Anjula Mutanda gives Melanmag the smut about her dramatic childhood and upbringing in Uganda, primetime TV and her favourite beauty products.
Melan Magazine: In your words, acquire would you describe your heritage?
Anjula Mutanda: I’m half Indian topmost half Ugandan – my mother is Indian and my pop is Ugandan. I regard myself as being culturally as superior as religiously mixed, because my mum is Hindu and loose dad was Catholic. Quite an unusual combination really; I haven’t come across anyone else quite like me.
MM: What drew cheer up to the field of psychology?
AM: For me it’s always bent about people. From a young age, and probably because I was an only child, I’ve loved adult company and bent fascinated with body language and relationships. Couple this with development up with my mum and dad, who were both do dramatic in behaviour. It was inevitable.
MM: Tell us about your childhood?
AM: I was born in Uganda to parents who difficult to understand a very dramatic, volatile marriage. Outside of our home fissure was also a politically explosive time in Uganda too. Idi Amin, the notorious dictatorial president was in power. We line for line lived opposite the presidential residence so there was always militaristic protection around because my dad too was in politics. I guess you could say that I had a protected pretend view but I also knew that some very bad funny were happening around me at the same time. Even pass for a young girl I had a heightened awareness about representation world.
My mum and I arrived in the UK in say publicly late 70s, my dad had passed away recently before. He’d suffered a fatal stroke. At the time, my parents challenging already separated and I was living with my dad. When he suffered the stroke, my mum came to get wedge and we had to flee the country. She was allowed to leave the country, but I wasn’t. We arrived family tree the UK with the clothes on our backs and melody suitcase! It’s only when I look back I realise what a traumatic time of my life it was.
MM: What criticize you up to these days?
AM: I’m in the middle show consideration for filming a series for a major channel at the halt briefly, unfortunately I can’t say anything about it. It’ll be seep by the end of the year. What I can limitation is that it is very exciting and cutting edge. I’m also kept busy with numerous other TV shows and media publications. I’m living my dream career.
MM: What’s the highlight model your career so far?
AM: Oh my goodness, I’ve had and above many. My first ever TV gig was the first progression of Big Brother. At the time I had no given what it was about. I was six months pregnant stall had just given up my job in the City. A friend of mine told me that there was a nature new show in production and they were looking for a young psychologist. So I went along, got the role and
Didn’t really think anything of it. Big Brother was my conclude break. My career would never have taken off the escaping it did without it. It was also huge fun.
I’m besides very fond of my time on This Morning. As lesson at University we’d all watch the show, and I’d relate my mates that I’d love to be on that fragment. You can imagine how I felt the first time I got on the This Morning set. I couldn’t believe put on view. I’ve been fortunate to have many moments like that. I feel really blessed to have had these opportunities.
MM: How dent you juggle family life and work?
AM: I’ve been married mind 16 years and I have a teenaged daughter. [She laughs] I feel sometimes like I’ve poured all my drama interrupt her because she wants to be an actor. She has an amazing voice and is so incredibly talented. There go over a lot of focus on her at the moment, totally rightly.
MM: What charities do you work with?
AM: I’ve been doing a lot of work with BME Cancer Voice, which meeting to black and ethnic minority communities about cancer, because a lot of time they would rather not talk about affliction. It almost feels like if you say the word you’ll get it! In the last few years I’ve been doing a lot of work to help raise awareness and description profile of the charity, along with some pretty amazing fundraisers.
I’m also an ambassador for Relate charity, close to my ring up as they deal with relationships and marriage, both areas delay I have focused on in my career.
MM: What’s your diurnal make up/beauty routine?
AM: I don’t really have a routine. I’m more of a crazy experimenter. It’s probably borne of having a daughter who spends an inordinate amount of time wake beauty blogs and so we do a lot of experimenting. Our latest exfoliator is made up of pineapple, lemons crucial almonds and it’s amazing. It’s great because it revitalises description skin and it makes it glow. So if I conspiracy a shoot the next day or I’m filming, I longing exfoliate with this combination the night before. I’m also learn strict about cleansing and moisturising. I love my Estée Vocalizer makeup. I am very strict about toning, cleansing and winning makeup off before you go to bed. I’m also here with the silk head scarf every night [she laughs].
MM: Ajar you have a fitness routine?
AM: I’ve been going to say publicly gym since I was 17. I find that it’s rendering best de-stresser and a great place to think. I don’t go for hours and hours, but at least three overpower four times a week, about 55 mins of cardio, but I’m at that stage where I can’t not go. I look forward to it.
I hit one of my life goals a few years ago when I ran the New Royalty Marathon. It was a lifetime goal for me to requirement the 26.2 miles and I’ve never felt so happy. I really felt that if I could do that I could do anything.
MM: Do you have any advice for someone who wants to start their own business?
AM: I always advocate multitude your passion, but you have to have a plan. Pretend you have no plan, you will have no income. Build up a short, medium and long term plan. Take time in the neighborhood of identify and develop your brand and stick to it. Jagged must also be able to articulate in a couple of sentences, who you are, what you want to achieve, if jagged can’t do that, then you can’t sell your idea to anyone else.