Johanna Griggs, Better Homes and Gardens host, warns athletes of social media pitfalls
SWIMMER turned TV host Johanna Griggs says social media is the number one challenge for today’s athletes. The northern beaches local also revealed her Olympic gig for Rio — plus her TV obsession.
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SWIMMER turned TV host Johanna Griggs says social media is the number one challenge for today’s athletes.
The Better Homes and Gardens host, 42, who won a Commonwealth Games bronze for backstroke in 1990, said she does talks at clubs when she advises young athletes to watch out.
“I do a lot of speaking at clubs — I’m trying to get them to understand they need to be a lot more cautious,” she said.
“Every time they are putting something on the internet, they don’t own that quote.
“And everybody who has a phone is a journalist.
“They have to be a lot more aware.”
Griggs, who will also be back on screen soon in a new version of renovation show, House Rules, said that while her two sons Joe, 19, and Jesse, 20 are now grown up — she feels like school children can never switch off and go out and play thanks to smartphones, computers and Facebook.
“The day doesn’t end when they get home,” she said.
Griggs, however, is a big Twitter user, taking time to reply to fans and even tweeting through her favourite TV show, First Dates.
But she said it’s really no different from the old days, when viewers would write her letters.
She also reckons any nastiness she gets is “hilarious”.
“Not everyone's going to like what you wear, or your hair.
“We used to get letters.”
And Griggs might have a clutch of her own trophies, including a Commonwealth Games bronze medal, plus a successful second career in TV which is still going strong after 20 years.
But she still gets excited about her job.
The television presenter is off to the Rio Olympics for Channel 7 in a few months, and told #beachlife she couldn’t contain her excitement when she’d been chosen.
“When I opened what I thought was my Australian Open itinerary, I found paperwork for Rio,” revealed the Collaroy Plateau resident.
“I was running around the house, I was so excited. I think I will be doing the opening and closing ceremonies and reporting,” she said.
Griggs has been on screens for so long, many viewers don’t even realise she was once a top swimmer — even her own family.
She said when her son Joe, now 19, was aged eight, he was confused about what his mum did after chatting with children at school, and came to her for clarification.
“He said: ‘I’ve got a question. ‘Were you a swimmer, or were you a swimmer?’
“I told him about all the titles and said ‘what do you think?’
“He said; ‘I say you were a swimmer’.”
But Joe confessed he’d made a blooper at school.
“He said, ‘I stood up and said (to his class) you must have got the wrong person.’”
But the lesson must have stuck as other son Jesse’s now following his own sporting career, working for NRL team Melbourne Storm in merchandise.
Meanwhile, Joe is travelling around Europe working in hostels.
“He takes backpackers on tours of clubs,” jokes Griggs. “He gets free drinks. He’s got the right idea.”
Griggs revealed her favourite spot for a drink is Stowaway Bar in Freshwater, while she can also be found at Pelican Pavilion at Collaroy or walking family dogs T.J. and Snowy with husband Todd Huggins, at Long Reef headland.
Better Homes and Gardens is on Fridays 7pm on Seven.
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