Katherine Ryan says that while she’s over the moon about her new stand-up tour, she intends to do things very differently this time around.
The Canadian comedian, 40, shares two children Fenna, 15 months and Fred, two, with her partner Bobby Koostra, as well as daughter Violet, 14, from a previous relationship.
Back in 2021, The Duchess star unveiled her second pregnancy to the world when she stepped on stage at 38 weeks pregnant, and says she was back on tour "pretty much" after Fred was born. Towards the end of the run, she fell pregnant with Fenna and decided a break was in order.
She says the time is now right after recently announcing new tour Battleaxe, with dates across the UK and Ireland from September 2024 – May 2025, including three nights at the London Palladium on March 6-8.
Speaking to the Standard in partnership with Gousto’s Bluey’s Family Dinner range, she said: “I’m really excited to be back on tour and I’ve learned from the previous one that my family are notinvited!
“I think it was ambitious to try to bring my [then] three-month-old son, especially now we know Fred a little bit better. He was not the type who wanted to be on tour, he’s not very portable, he’s a high maintenance guy and we love Fred, but Fenna will be one and a half when I go on tour and I just feel like it’s the right time.
“They have each other, I’ve created a good community of children now that I’m going to be a little like a dad and go on tour myself. I don’t think I will stay in the hotels and be away for long, I think I still will do the drive back, crawl into bed at 3am beside them, but will I be handed a screaming infant as soon as I come off stage? No.”
“They might be awake at home but they are sleeping a bit better than before like the older they get. I’ve just learned that I need to function like [Barrack] Obama, like, I’m getting five hours of sleep maximum, staggered and that’s ok, I think that I’ve adapted and I will probably need a face lift sooner than anticipated but that’s fine. As long as I keep touring, I can afford one!”
She’s also sorted for meal times as she has reteamed with recipe box company Gousto for their latest campaign, which is a collaboration with kids cartoon favourite Bluey, intending to help families enjoy some quality time (and food) around the table.
Speaking about her involvement, Ryan said: “We’re really struggling to get the family together at dinner time because the babies have to eat at 5pm and my [teenage] daughter is not even homefrom school until 6.30pm with all of her hockey and activities and things. By the time my husband and I eat, it’s 9.30pm and we’ve made three meals and it doesn’t make any sense.
“We’re always trying to condense those jobs so that we have more time to spend together and this Bluey range is fantastic because in the same way that Bluey is supposed to be for kids but it’s actually for adults and it draws us in because it’s funny and so on the mark with what families and raising children is like.
“Gousto is now drawing the kids in so we can all have fun times in the kitchen together, be collaborative, experiment with a variety of foods and crucially, get my two-year-old son to eat something that is not one uniform shape of pasta with red sauce.”
Gousto ambassador, comedian and Bluey-superfan, Katherine Ryan, is celebrating the launch of Gousto’s Bluey’s Family Dinner range in partnership with BBC Studios.
