Woman's Hour - AI fitness instructors, Rosalia, Brazilian jiu jitsu
Download AI fitness instructors, Rosalia, Brazilian jiu jitsu
A BBC investigation has uncovered misleading fitness adverts featuring AI‑generated characters that breach UK advertising rules. If you use social media you've probably seen them: polished fitness videos promising dramatic body transformations in weeks. They show chiselled physiques, striking before‑and‑after images and claims that you can look years younger by following a simple routine. The results often look too good to be true and in many cases, they are. Anita Rani is joined by Katie Gornall, BBC Sport Correspondent to tell us about her report alongside Kate Rowe-Ham, women's strength and longevity coach, who talks about how to stay fit for real.
The classically-trained pop musician Rosalía topped many end of year polls for her opera-influenced album Lux. Last night she graced the stage at the O2 Arena as her sell-out tour reached London and last week it was announced she'll receive the 2026 Ivor Novello award for International Songwriter of the Year. Pop Critic of The Observer, Kitty Empire joins us to profile the artist.
As a sex educator, Milly Evans knows more about contraception than most. But in the run-up to getting a hormonal coil (IUS), her social media feed was "flooded" with content discouraging her from using hormonal contraception, and she found herself doubting her choice. Anita talks to Milly about this experience and what she decided to do, as well as to Dr Zara Haider, President of the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is regarded as one of the UK’s fastest-growing sports, with membership soaring from around 10,000 in 2016 to over 40,000 in 2025, according to the UK Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Association. An increase in the number of women taking up the sport has been a factor in this growth. To find out more, Anita is joined by Lauren Brown, chair of the UK Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Association, and Frankie Renda, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu European silver medallist and coach at ARMA Gym in London, where 40% of members are now women.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Simon Richardson
Published on Thursday, 7th May 2026.
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