What separates celebrity workouts from yours and how to bridge the gap

Money can undoubtedly aid your fitness efforts; you can afford the best food, enlist expert help and invest in time-saving measures such as meal delivery services – or a private chef, if work is going particularly well. But speaking to a selection of A-list fitness trainers, I found the workouts themselves are surprisingly similar to those you or I might try.

I did, however, spot some key differences between their exercise routines and it is these disparities can be filed under four main pillars: specificity, consistency, intensity and a bespoke approach.

Having spoken to those responsible for keeping Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Chris Hemsworth and Stephen Graham in shape, I now know what we can all borrow from their clients’ behaviours to elevate our own fitness plans.

For actors and those in the public eye, part of the motivation to stay in shape can be linked to a specific goal. For example, in the case of Chris Hemsworth, he usually has a set date when he will be filming a top-off scene for a film and needs to look his best.

“I think for celebrities exercise is a bit more specific,” says Hemsworth’s long-time friend, trainer and Centr coach Luke Zocchi. “Most people want to do more general fitness work, but training a celebrity is more like training a sportsperson; you’re training for a specific thing.”

He compares it to preparing an athlete for a bodybuilding show, engineering their diet, recovery and exercise plans to achieve a desired aesthetic on a specific day of filming.

“With the current film we’re working on [Marvel’s upcoming Avengers: Doomsday], for example, he’s seen the costume and you can really see his shoulders and his arms, so we’re focusing on those body parts to try and build them.”

But Zocchi says the foundational principles underpinning Hemsworth’s heavy lifting sessions are the same as any other gym-goer – there are no magic exercises or rep schemes.

“People want to do something different to stand out, but you can’t beat the basic movements if they’re done correctly; squats, press-ups, shoulder presses, pull-ups,” he says.

“As a basic rule of thumb, you need progressive overload for building muscle. If you’re not challenging yourself when you go into the gym and putting your body in that stressed position where it needs to adapt and grow, you’re probably not going to get the result you want. If you’re training and pushing yourself hard then you’re probably on the right track for building muscle.”

He says training will also depend on your goals. Building and maintaining muscle tends to be a priority for Hemsworth, and the success of this is dictated by his training. But if losing fat is the goal, results are largely determined by diet.

Setting a goal can still be a major motivator to stick with your fitness plans long-term. However, an arbitrary goal like “look better” or “get stronger” isn’t going to cut the mustard.

You’re better off setting a SMART goal – an acronym that stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. For example, this could be lifting a certain amount of weight for an exercise, achieving a set running PB or losing a certain amount of weight by an identified date.

By making it specific, measurable, relevant and achievable, you set yourself up for success and can see tangible progress, motivating you to maintain the healthy behaviours that are moving the needle in a positive direction. Having a time-bound goal also gives you an end-point to work towards, preventing you from putting your fitness plans off for another week or two.

Read more: Why stretching isn’t the answer to tight muscles – and the exercises to try instead

Trainer Monique Eastwood’s impressive roster reads like the Hollywood Walk of Fame; Emily Blunt, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Rachel Weisz, Sam Rockwell, Hayley Atwell, Greta Gerwig, the list goes on. She also offers similar sessions to clients worldwide via her Eastwood Fit app.

“I would say the main difference is that I get to see my celebrity clients on a regular basis, so it becomes part of their day-to-day routine,” she says. “They make sure it’s part of their schedule each day, no matter how busy their day is.”

Case in point: Anne Hathaway often logs on at 5am for an early hour Zoom session.

Another trainer to swear by consistency is Rob Thurston, who was the man behind Stephen Graham’s incredible transformation for Disney+ period drama A Thousand Blows.

Graham trained five times per week for six months leading up to the show. Even when he was on the road, he would make a point to book hotels with, or near, gyms, and prioritised nutritious foods approved by his trainer at each meal. He has also maintained many of these habits post-filming, going so far as to build a gym in his home.

“His transformation was incredible in such a short space of time – losing a lot of body fat and gaining plenty of muscle tissue in the areas we wanted to,” Thurston says. “This comes down to his consistency, with the synergy of hard, focused training alongside well-planned and executed diet and recovery strategies, all meeting together where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”

Part of this consistency comes down to accountability. Regular check-ins with trainers mean there’s no place to hide if celebrity clientele skip a workout.

However long or short your session is, try to establish a regular time to exercise. This could be first thing in the morning, on your lunch break, after work or even squeezing some exercise snacks in during the day.

Whenever it is, attempt to make it a habit. Over time, this can become autonomous, leaving regular exercise as your default setting rather than something you have to find the time and motivation to do.

Again, having a SMART goal to work towards can help with the accountability aspect. You might also consider pairing exercise with a social activity, whether that’s booking a group exercise class or organising a walk with a friend. Knowing there’s at least one other person waiting and relying on you can provide an extra impetus not to shirk your workouts.

Read more: Walking for 15 minutes after eating has an ‘immediate effect’ and can protect your health for decades to come

It’s quite easy to quantify workouts based on time. For example, “I spent an hour in the gym”, or “I went for a 20-minute run”. But if the intensity of your workout isn’t appropriate for your goals, there’s a chance you won’t see the desired results and your time could have been better spent.

To avoid this fate, work – or force times distance – might be a more apt measure of your session. For example, aiming to cover a specific distance on your run, or perform a certain number of sets and reps at a challenging weight when strength training. This can make your workouts more effective, with the added bonus of being more efficient to boot.

Eastwood, Thurston and Zocchi all advocate for time-savvy training with their clients. Eastwood’s classes tend to be around 30 minutes, and Graham’s strength sessions never exceeded an hour.

“I’ve always said this; other than when we were doing strongman stuff for Chris’s Limitless documentary, our sessions would never go over an hour,” Zocchi adds. “The intensity is there. Sometimes they’re 45 minutes, but they’re intense workouts like we’ve done in the past.”

The pair fit a lot of work into this relatively achievable time frame. Rest periods between exercises are on the clock, Zocchi prescribes weights heavy enough for Hemsworth to stimulate muscle growth, and he uses lifting techniques such as drop-sets to squeeze extra effort out of the actor’s already tired muscles.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that not every day has to, or even should, be an intense effort. Hemsworth currently alternates between a day of heavy lifting and a day of lower-intensity steady-state cardio to give him the opportunity to recover and feel his best.

I’ve found the best way to ensure you hit the desired intensity in your workout is to go in with a plan. This can be from an in-person trainer, online exercise programme or one you’ve drawn up yourself.

A plan, complete with the exercises, sets, reps, rest or distances you’re going to be doing that day, limits time spent wandering aimlessly around wondering what to do next, allowing you to get more bang for your buck from the time you put aside for exercise.

Read more: Swap the gym for this trainer’s six-move kettlebell workout to build full-body strength at home

This one is harder to mimic. For most of us, an exercise class is completed as written, whether we’re following a YouTube video, taking one from the internet or even going along to an exercise class.

The best instructors, online and in-person, will offer scaling options to make their workout suitably accessible yet challenging for all participants, but celebrity trainers tend to go a step further.

Working on a one-to-one basis, they cater to their client’s individual needs on any given day, as well as taking into account contextual factors such as how they are feeling.

“Chris and I are being a bit more in-tune with our bodies [while preparing for the next Avengers film],” Zocchi tells me. “If Chris tells me, ‘I’m feeling a bit flat today’, we might do a steady-state cardio day then come back the next day and focus on our lifting.”

“I make the session bespoke to my clients’ bodies each day, and then they have a private trainer checking in with them and giving them what they need during the class” Eastwood adds.

“I get to read what their bodies need on that particular day. We have a pre-workout conversation about what kind of day they are going to have or what kind of day they have had already. That makes a big difference.

“Then we try to fit in a workout to set them up for a busy and sometimes exhausting day of filming, which could also include them being ready for stunt work or a day of movement or dance.”

I can’t grant you unfettered access to a private trainer, and the cost means this isn’t an option for most of us.

However, the more you exercise, the more in tune you will be with your body, helping you recognise the days when you feel capable of pushing harder in your workouts, and the days where some lower-intensity movement like a walk might suffice.

While effort and intensity are necessary to progress your fitness, with the body adapting to the demands placed on it as per the SAID (specific adaptation to imposed demands) principle, it’s important to note that the changes themselves occur while you are recovering. For this reason, balancing the two is essential.

It’s far from a like-for-like substitute for a bespoke training plan, but aiming to learn and listen to your body over time can help you achieve this.

Read more: I tried the 12-minute workout Helen Mirren’s used for her ‘whole life’ – here’s why it’s stood the test of time

Gaza rescue official and journalist among 40 killed in Israeli strikes

Israel’s latest attacks on Gaza killed 40 people and injured dozens, according to local health officials, as the military continued its onslaught on the besieged Palestinian territory.

Children were among those said to be killed as Israeli forces targeted a school housing displaced people in the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City on Sunday. Images circulating on social media showed badly burned bodies lying in the destroyed school.

A senior rescue service official and a journalist were killed in separate strikes on Khan Younis in the south, Jabalia in the north and Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, Reuters reported.

Journalist Hassan Majdi Abu Warda and several of his family members were killed after Israeli forces struck his house in Jabalia on Sunday.

His death took the number of Palestinian journalists killed in Israel’s war on Gaza to 220, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Strip.

Ashraf Abu Nar, a senior official in the Gazan civil emergency service, and his wife were killed in the Nuseirat airstrike.

Yaqeen Hammad, an 11-year-old social media celebrity, was also killed in the Israeli raids, Al Jazeera reported. Children account for 31 per cent of Palestinians killed in Israel’s nearly two-year-long offensive on Gaza, the health ministry said.

Israel stepped up its military operations in the territory in early May saying it was seeking to eliminate Hamas‘s military and governing capabilities and bring back the remaining hostages who were taken in October 2023.

Gaza’s medics said Israel had taken control of around 77 per cent of the territory either through ground forces or evacuation orders and bombardments that kept residents away from their homes.

Despite mounting international pressure on Israel to lift a blockade on aid supplies in the face of warnings of looming famine, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that Israel was determined to control the whole of Gaza.

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres last week sounded the alarm over “atrocious levels of death and destruction” by Israel in Gaza while warning that Israeli forces were allowing “a teaspoon of aid” into Gaza.

COGAT, the Israeli defence body overseeing aid for Gaza, said 107 trucks of aid entered Sunday, about a sixth of the 600 trucks that entered the embattled territory during the ceasefire earlier this year.

Israel blocked all food, medicine and fuel from entering Gaza for almost three months before letting a small number of aid trucks enter last week after warnings about famine and pressure from some of Israel’s top allies.

“Palestinians in Gaza are enduring what may be the cruelest phase of this cruel conflict,” the UN secretary general said on Friday.

Israel’s military said in a statement that chief of staff Eyal Zamir visited soldiers in Khan Younis on Sunday and told them that “this is not an endless war” and that Hamas had lost most of its assets, including its command and control.

“We will deploy every tool at our disposal to bring the hostages home, dismantle Hamas and dismantle its rule,” he was quoted as saying.

The armed wings of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said in separate statements on Sunday that their fighters carried out several ambushes and attacks using bombs and antitank rockets against Israeli forces operating across Gaza.

Israel launched a ground and air assault on Gaza after nearly 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage during a Hamas raid into southern Israel in October 2023.

Israel has since killed more than 53,900 Palestinians, according to the local health authorities, left the territory in ruins and pushed nearly all of its two million residents from their homes.

Police officer fighting for his life after crash on duty named

A police officer left fighting for his life after being hit by a car while on duty has been named and pictured.

Police Constable Christopher Miller, 38, was on duty in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, on Thursday evening (22 May) when he was hit by a car. The officer has been hospitalised with life-threatening injuries.

Thames Valley Police released a photo of the officer in an appeal for more information as the investigation into the serious incident continues.

The force announced on Saturday they had arrested two men, aged 28 and 38 from Slough, on suspicion of attempted murder and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. A third man, 43 from Slough, was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and perverting the course of justice.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Will Crowther said: “I am today issuing a public appeal for witnesses to come forward and share any information that may help out investigation.

“I would be particularly keen to hear from anybody who was in the area of Stoke Poges between 10pm on Thursday evening until around 1am on Friday morning (23/5) and may have seen this vehicle or witnessed the incident itself.

“I believe the BMW will have had front-end damage after the incident, and so if you saw the vehicle, either before the incident or afterwards, please contact us.

“I am also keen to hear from anyone who may have dash-cam, CCTV or doorbell footage which could have captured anything that could help our investigation.”

Deputy Chief Constable Ben Snuggs said: “Police officers face danger every day. In this incident, PC Christopher Miller was simply doing his job, serving the public and keeping our communities safe.

“Sadly, Christopher has sustained extremely serious injuries, and we are doing all we can to investigate the exact circumstances.

“All officers should expect to return home safely after each tour of duty, and we wish Christopher a swift and full recovery.

“We have all been affected by this, right across Thames Valley Police. I want to thank our local communities in Slough for all their support and the wider public for the supportive messages we have received.”

PC Miller’s family are being supported by specially trained family liaison officers, as are his closest colleagues.

Five skiers found dead near luxury Swiss resort

The bodies of five skiers have been found near Switzerland’s luxury resort of Zermatt.

Emergency services were alerted a day earlier to some abandoned skis at an altitude of about 4,000m in the Rimpfischhorn mountain area, the prosecutors’ office in Canton Valais said.

Rescue workers found the bodies near the Adlergletscher glacier, after air and ground searches in the area in southwest Switzerland near the border with northern Italy.

Local airline Air Zermatt said that three of the bodies were found on the debris of an avalanche a few hundred metres below where the skis were spotted. The other two were discovered higher up the mountain, it added.

The airline’s aircraft are deployed for search missions and other emergencies.

The identities of the five have not been confirmed yet. An investigation is underway.

Weather conditions and avalanche activity in the region are being examined as part of the probe.

The Rimpfischhorn is a 4,199-metre (13,776-foot) mountain near the Italian border, and is popular with backcountry skiers.

Alan Yentob, one of British culture’s ‘defining figures’, dies aged 78

Alan Yentob, the broadcaster, programme-maker and longtime BBC executive, has died aged 78.

The news was shared by Yentob’s family, who said he died on Saturday.

“For Jacob, Bella and I every day with Alan held the promise of something unexpected,” his wife Philippa Walker said. “Our life was exciting, he was exciting.

“He was curious, funny, annoying, late and creative in every cell of his body. But more than that, he was the kindest of men and a profoundly moral man. He leaves in his wake a trail of love a mile wide.”

In a lengthy statement, BBC director-general Tim Davie said: “Alan Yentob was a towering figure in British broadcasting and the arts. A creative force and a cultural visionary, he shaped decades of programming at the BBC and beyond, with a passion for storytelling and public service that leave a lasting legacy.

“For nearly 60 years Alan championed originality, risk-taking and artistic ambition. From Arena to Imagine, from commissioning groundbreaking drama to giving emerging voices a platform, his influence is woven into the fabric of British cultural life.”

Davie said that Yentob believed “profoundly in the BBC’s role as a home for creativity, curiosity and the arts, accessible to all”.

He described the broadcaster as an “unforgettable presence” who was “engaging, witty and endlessly curious, he brought energy and warmth to every conversation. He was generous with his time, fierce in his convictions, and full of joy in the work of others”.

Yentob was born in London in 1947 to a family who left Iraq for Manchester. He grew up in Didsbury until he was 12. The family then moved back to London and Yentob went on to study law at the University of Leeds, where he became heavily involved in drama.

He joined the BBC in 1968 as a general trainee. At the time, he was the only non-Oxbridge graduate and took his first job with the corporation’s World Service.

In 1975, he secured unprecedented access to David Bowie for Cracked Actor, by the BBC’s Omnibus strand, which captured the British artist in the throes of a cocaine-induced identity crisis in Los Angeles.

“Bowie had come to America with an extraordinary cast of characters, all of whom he had determined to kill off by the end of the Diamond Dogs tour,” Yentob said while reflecting on the programme in 2013.

“I’d caught him at what was an intensely creative time, but it was also physically and emotionally gruelling. Our encounters tended to take place in hotel rooms in the early hours of the morning or in snatched conversations in the back of limousines. He was fragile and exhausted but also prepared to open up and talk in a way he had never really done before.”

The filmmaker Nicolas Roeg later said it was Cracked Actor that prompted him to cast Bowie in his 1976 film The Man Who Fell to Earth, as he was struck by the musician’s other-worldly quality: “Almost from that moment, I couldn’t believe it. I felt this was the man,” he said.

Yentob, after working as a producer and director, was appointed head of music and arts in 1985, a position he maintained until being appointed controller of BBC Two in 1988. He was controller of BBC One between 1993 and 1997 and announced as the BBC’s creative director in 2004.

Among the shows Yentob commissioned were the BBC hits Absolutely Fabulous, which was created, written by and starring Jennifer Saunders, and The Late Show. He launched the children’s strands CBBC and CBeebies, and appeared onscreen interviewing figures including Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Bob Geldof and Kazuo Ishiguro.

He also commissioned the successful comedy panel show Have I Got News for You, and the BBC’s 1995 series Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, and widely considered one of the best adaptations of Jane Austen’s 1813 novel.

Over the years, he became friends with figures including Orson Welles, who was the subject of a programme Yentob made in 1982, and Mel Brooks.

Perhaps one of the friendships that caused the most intrigue was one with rapper and music mogul Jay-Z, who hosted Yentob at a Hollywood Bowl show and then at Glastonbury, where Yentob was seen standing on the side of the Pyramid Stage during his history-making 2008 headline performance.

“When I walked in to see Jay-Z for the first time, I was given champagne from Jay Z’s own brand, which he delivered himself and cost no less than 800 bucks a bottle,” Yentob recalled to The Independent in an interview that year.

“He saw me and handed me my own bottle, he was already in the midst of going on stage at the Hollywood bowl. As he walked off I could see Diana Ross arriving to give him a hug and Jerry Seinfeld was walking down the corridor. It’s the champagne and the bling. I remember thinking I feel rather stupid standing in the middle of this lot – but that’s showbusiness.”

Yentob also defended himself from accusations that his programming strand, Imagine, was a vehicle to puff up his own acquaintances, dubbed “Al’s Pals” by critics.

“People say they’re all puffs, they’re not puffs,” he argued. “If something amazes me or enthuses me I want to share it.”

In 2015, he stepped down as BBC creative director, saying at the time that his role at the charity Kids Company was a “serious distraction”.

Yentob, who was chairman of trustees at the charity, faced scrutiny over his role as well as claims he tried to influence coverage at the corporation of its troubles.

He always insisted there was no conflict of interest in his decision to call Newsnight about its investigation into Kids Company and had not “abused my position at the BBC”.

He was presented with a CBE in the 2024 birthday honours list for services to the arts and media.

“To work with Alan was to be inspired and encouraged to think bigger,” Davie said. “He had a rare gift for identifying talent and lifting others up – a mentor and champion to so many across the worlds of television, film and theatre.

“Above all, Alan was a true original. His passion wasn’t performative – it was personal. He believed in the power of culture to enrich, challenge and connect us. We have lost one of the great creative spirits of our time. But his programmes, his voice, and the generations he inspired, will live on.

“Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones. Alan will be hugely missed as a friend, a colleague, and one of the defining figures in the story of British culture.”

Amol Rajan, the BBC Radio 4 presenter and former Independent editor, paid tribute to Yentob with a video on Instagram and a caption that described him as “such a unique and kind man: an improbable impresario from unlikely origins who became a towering figure in the culture of post-war Britain”.

He continued: “Modern Art never had a more loyal ally. His shows were always brilliant, often masterpieces, sometimes seminal. So much of Britain’s best TV over 5 decades came via his desk. That was public Alan. In private, he was magnetic, zealous, and very funny, with a mesmerising voice and mischievous chuckle.

“He oozed fortitude until the very last. He had his foibles and failures, but Alan Yentob was one of the most generous, influential, singular, passionate, supportive, creative and loved men of his generation. I commend his spirit to the living.”

Family holiday guide: why the Costa Dorada ticks every travel box

If there’s one thing every parent knows, it’s that children can sometimes (as much as we love them) be hard to please. So the key to any family holiday destination is variety: somewhere you can spend a sunny day by the sea, but where you can also enjoy breathtaking nature, as well as fascinating culture and history.

The brilliant news? The Costa Dorada (known locally as Costa Daurada) delivers all of this in spades, offering everything from theme parks and waterparks to stunning beaches, picturesque hiking and cycling trails, and incredible historical sites. What’s more, with Jet2holidays flying to the Costa Dorada from 12 UK airports and a range of two to five-star accommodation, it’s easy to get your family getaway in the bag. Jet2holidays is always giving you more, to help make planning and booking as smooth as possible. That goes for the PayPal Pay in 3 interest-free payments** option, 22kg baggage and 10kg hand luggage for all the kids’ stuff, and return transfers† that are included. Look out for Free Child Places***, while infants under two go free‡.

Here’s what to look forward to on your family getaway…

With 50 miles of coastline and 26 Blue Flag beaches, families are spoilt for choice when it comes to somewhere to pitch up at with a unicorn-shaped inflatable and a bucket and spade. The stretches of soft sand are long and golden, with safe, calm and shallow waters perfect for little ones. And in many places, water sports and beach activities to suit older children.

Some of the most popular seaside resorts include Salou, which houses the charming Platja Llarga, surrounded by a small pine forest. And there’s Cambrils, where you’ll find Platja del Cavet, which boasts a water sports school and open water swimming channel. Vila-seca, la Pineda Platja, is known for its nearly two miles of fine, champagne-sand beach, fronted by a long promenade, while Tarragona has a range of fantastic options, including Platja del Miracle in the heart of the city. There, you’ll find a great range of bars and restaurants and Platja de la Savinosa, a quieter beach enveloped by imposing cliffs. Many of these can be reached by easy coastal paths.

Another advantage of the Costa Dorada is its many theme parks and waterparks. For a real all-rounder, head to PortAventura World in Vila-seca, la Pineda Platja, a three-in-one park that’s one of Europe’s largest. Here you can enjoy everything from thrilling rollercoasters, rides (don’t miss Dragon Khan, which reaches over 68 miles per hour) and live entertainment. Then pop your swimmers on to enjoy waterfalls, pools and beaches at Caribe Aquatic Park. After you’ve had fun splashing around, head to Ferrari Land, which has a range of spectacular attractions that will make you feel like a real F1 driver.

Get even more thrills at nearby Aquopolis Costa Dorada. It has a range of attractions for all ages, from toddler-friendly and gentle – like the Mini-Park playground and Treasure Island – to more high-octane rides, such as the Boomerang, a speedy waterslide. Or there’s the Kamikaze that older kids will love. Alternatively, Náutic Park offers a range of fun activities and experiences spanning a coastal area of nearly 60 miles including those in Salou, Cambrils, Vandellós – l’Hospitalet de l’Infant and Mont-roig – Miami Platja. Whether you want to rent a sailing boat for the day, try a water bike or even take part in an escape room on the beach, Nàutic Park has it all.

Finally, Aqualeon, near Tarragona, has plenty of enjoyable rides and slides too. The Rapid River is fun for all the family, where you’ll feel like you’re gently ‘flying’ over the water. All the while, the Crazy Race pits you against grown-ups and siblings to see who can get down the slide first. Do you dare to ride the Anaconda? Featuring two intertwined tubes, it’s suitable only for the bravest…

Getting the kids out into the fresh air can sometimes feel like a struggle, but when the scenery in the Costa Dorada is this beautiful, nobody will feel it’s a hardship. Head inland to the striking Prades Mountains, which has a wealth of hiking and cycling trails in the area. These are filled with quaint villages and jaw-dropping viewpoints, where you can get active, immerse yourself in nature, and explore the distinctive, rocky landscape. Don’t miss the Gorgs route, near La Febro, known for its scenic natural pools and waterfalls.

For fascinating grottoes and gorges, head to Serra de Montsant Natural Park, which has dozens of walking trails which offer spectacular views. Back at ground level, in Cambrils, Parc Samà is a lovely botanical garden where kids will enjoy visiting the aviary, filled with exotic birds, as well as looking out for the deer, pheasants and peacocks which also call this place home.

With its rich history, there are stacks of captivating sights in the Costa Dorada that will grab your kids’ imaginations. Take them back to Roman times at archaeological sites, such as the amphitheatre of Tarragona; it was used for fights between wild beasts, races and gladiatorial combat. All these are brought excitingly to life by guided tours and interactive exhibits. Children will also love walking the Roman walls, and exploring the Circus and Forum, with the open-air setting making for the ultimate mix of education and adventure.

In a quiet spot at the end of a valley, nestled under the Montsant hills, you’ll find Cartoixa d’Escaladei (see main image), a 12th-century monastery founded by French monks at a site where a shepherd had dreamt of angels coming down from the sky. Here you can enjoy guided tours around its three cloisters, church and refectory, while learning the history and purpose of each building.

Finally, stoke their creativity with a visit to the Gaudí Centre in Reus, where the architect Antoni Gaudí was born. It offers an interactive and engaging experience that brings his genius to life in a way that appeals to all ages. You’ll find real objects related to him, detailed mock-ups of his iconic works, and a special effects room that immerses visitors in his groundbreakingly imaginative world.

With Jet2holidays, it’s a doddle to book your family getaway to the Costa Dorada. From a low £60 per person deposit* to PayPal Pay in 3 interest-free payments**, 22kg baggage for all the kids’ stuff to return transfers†, it’s all included. Families can make the most of Free Child Places*** and infants under two going free‡. And with flights included and the choice of two to five-star hotels, Jet2holidays is always giving you more. For more Costa Dorada travel inspiration, and to find and book your ultimate family holiday, visit Jet2holidays. Plus, right now, myJet2 members can save £100 per person§ in The Big Jet2 Price Drop (correct at original publish date).

*On bookings made ten weeks or more before departure. Full payment required by balance due date. **Spread the cost over three interest-free payments. Available when booked online, for holidays under £2,000, departing within ten weeks. ***One free child place per two paying passengers. Subject to availability. T&Cs apply, please see www.jet2holidays.com/promotions#FCP2025 for further details. †Unless otherwise stated. ‡Applicable for all infants under the age of two years on the date of return. Infants are not entitled to a flight seat (they must be seated with a parent or guardian) or a 22kg baggage allowance. §£100 per person off holidays for myJet2 members departing until 15 November 2026. myJet2 members will need to be logged into their account at the time of booking for the discount to automatically apply. Book online, via our app, through our call centre or with your travel agent. Please note the discount is not applied to children travelling on a free child place. Terms and conditions apply, please see www.jet2holidays.com/promotions#100APRIL2025 for details.

I run Camp Bestival with Rob da Bank and this is what it’s really like

It started one evening in the early 2000s when my husband Robby, better known to his fans as the DJ Rob da Bank, and I were – to put it politely – a little tipsy.

That eventful night, we hatched a plan to start a brand new music festival that we called Bestival – and even though we hadn’t really thought it through back then, here we are, some 20-odd years later, still running the family-friendly spin-off we launched in 2008, Camp Bestival, albeit with greyer hair, four kids and an ever-patient bank manager.

It’s probably best that we were a bit loopy, as, if I’m honest, I’m not sure anything could have prepared us for the reality of running a music festival. Forget the bands: the first thing we needed to master was the clear up. When all our guests go home on Monday, the work doesn’t stop there. Instead, that’s when we go through the knackering and somewhat depressing experience of taking down the stages, sets and campsites. Depending on the weather, this can take anything from a week to a whole month.

Then, hot off the heels of one festival, we have to start planning the next; fixing any bits that didn’t go right – no festival ever runs completely smoothly – and worrying about how to sell a fresh batch of 30,000 tickets. Yet, for some reason, this whole psychologically challenging and physically exhausting process is oddly addictive.

When Merlin was a baby, I remember us sleeping in a Mongolian yurt with him and Arlo, then two, who was suffering from a hacking croup cough. Spiders crawled across the cot and cold crept in and kept us awake. But each morning, as the sun hit the canvas, we felt more alive and inspired than by any morning in “the real world”.

Watching Florence & the Machine, Ed Sheeran (then barely famous and playing to 30 screaming teens), a brooding Bon Iver and the legendary Chuck Berry play across our first couple of years set a benchmark for us. It proved that family festivals need not be “poptastic” and full of naff activities – they could be cool, too.

We’ve worked hard to achieve this status. In Camp Bestival, we have created a multi-layered, multi-venue wonderland for kids of all ages – as well as their parents and grandparents. Surrounded by rolling fields, colourful tents and shady woodlands, they can get lost in hundreds of activities and creative happenings all day. Screens are forgotten, devices are ignored, and for once technology takes a backseat.

One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced with Camp Bestival came five days after giving birth to our youngest child, Miller, in 2017. Bearing a freshly bandaged emergency C-section scar with my newborn baby and buggy in tow, I was hit with the very real reminder that the show must go on. When you’re an independent festival promoter, maternity leave is a lovely idea, but not very practical.

Yes, we grow more exhausted as the weekend progresses. But as each day unfolds, we feel better and better for having so many unique, memory-making experiences, and we’re able to temporarily forget the day job, mortgage or the state of the world. Encouraging creativity and exposing kids to the performing arts, live bands and DJs, as well as immersive arts and crafts, is what motivates us – and is so enriching for them.

We still camp on-site with our kids for that reason – and they all have their assigned jobs. Arlo, now 19, lends a hand to the art department, helping them build and create sets; young entrepreneur Merlin, 17, has his own on-site sweet shop; Miller, 15, goes full DIY mode; and our youngest, Eli, eight, does the most important job of all: he enjoys the festival and reminds us why we do it.

Of course, festival life has its challenges – not least being woken up in a sweaty teepee by one of the kids at 3am or having one of them “steal” a golf buggy from the crew. However, as I look around at what we’ve created, almost two decades on, I know I wouldn’t change any of it for the world.

The Independent has announced an exclusive news partnership with family-focused Camp Bestival for 2025