On 6 July last year, Emily Hartridge and her three sisters, Alice, Jess and Charlotte, had just finished recording their new podcast series and flung their arms around each other for a photograph.
Dressed in colourful outfits, they were headed straight to London’s Pride parade. The music was loud and the atmosphere lively; Emily danced down Regent Street and shared the picture on Instagram.
They didn’t know it would be the last photograph of the four of them together. Six days later, Emily was killed when the electric scooter she was riding was hit by a lorry.
Emily, who was 35 when she died, rose to fame eight years ago for her ‘Ten Reasons Why...’ YouTube series, which has had more than 140 million views. She is the first person in the UK to have died in an accident involving an e-scooter.
During a year of unimaginable grief, the sisters haven’t been able to listen to the podcast they recorded. But, to mark the first anniversary of her death, they have chosen to release Sisters Uncensored, a project that Emily led, and record two further episodes in her memory.
‘We haven’t been able to face it until now,’ says Alice, 32. ‘But we felt like now would be a poignant time to see the project through for Em.’ Charlotte, 38, adds, ‘It feels therapeutic.’
In the seven episodes recorded before Emily’s death, they discuss everything from masturbation to mental health. They shriek with laughter and affectionately interrupt each other; it’s like eavesdropping on a close family’s charmingly chaotic dinner.
‘The final two episodes will obviously be completely different,’ says Jess, 32. ‘They’ll be about grief.’ Alice and Charlotte recently listened to the old episodes, but Jess hasn’t been able to.
‘I know if I hear her voice now, it will break my strength,’ she says.‘I was worried about it because we’ve only just started being able to look at photos of her and hadn’t heard her voice yet,’
Charlotte says. ‘But it was actually so lovely to hear. You can trick yourself into thinking that she’s still here – although that’s not necessarily a good thing. Listening back, I could vividly see her facial expressions when she said certain things.’
When Emily became a social media star the sisters found it bittersweet, as she was struggling with her mental health at the time. ‘If she was going through a tough time, she’d be really open about it,’ says Alice. ‘At times I said, “I don’t think you should be sharing that.” It was her and the camera the whole time, and sometimes I just wanted her. But it also turned her life around. There was a point when she was checking herself into rehab and didn’t want to live, but it gave her an outlet and a focus.’
Because we know how much the podcast meant to her, it means more to us than ever now.
The sisters have learned that they cope with grief in different ways. Charlotte needed to find out every detail about the accident, whereas Jess and Alice didn’t want to know. Alice, whose son is eight months old now, was pregnant at the time and feels she hasn’t had the space to mourn properly. ‘It’s like I’ve been surviving for my son,’ she says. ‘My body almost didn’t accept it had happened. It’s something I need to work through. I’ll start therapy after lockdown.’
The day they recorded their final episode and went to Pride was, in fact, the last time they would all hang out together. ‘I’ll always remember how we had such a fun day,’ says Jess. It’s clear Emily’s energy, quick wit and candour lives on in all of her sisters, not to mention the advice and wisdom that she passed on to them.
Charlotte struggled with her own mental health in 2019, and Emily helped her through that difficult period with techniques to focus on the present. ‘Now, whenever my thoughts are spiralling, I have her voice in my head and she’s really taught me how to cope,’ she says.
It’s difficult to know how to mark an event as devastating as a sibling’s death but releasing the podcast a year on feels significant for them. Jess is going to take over from Emily as lead host. ‘It was Emily’s baby and she was the driving force,’ Jess says. ‘Because we know how much the podcast meant to her, it means more to us than ever now. So we’re going to give it a go, Emily, and I hope we do you proud.'
The ‘Sisters Uncensored’ podcast is available to download now.
READ MORE: YouTube Star And Presenter Emily Hartridge Dies In Tragic E-scooter Accident
READ MORE: 16 Of The Best Podcasts Every Woman Should Be Listening To
Best Podcasts
1 of 16The Guilty Feminist
The Guilty Feminist covers all of the big topics through a uniquely feminist lens with a diverse range of whip-smart guests, making it one of the best podcasts you can get in your ears. Helmed by the inimitable Deborah Frances-White, each episode will have you cracking up and nodding vigorously in equal measure as the hosts kick things off with their trademark "I'm a feminist, but..." segment. The best example? "I'm a feminist, but... one time I went on a women's rights march, and I popped into a department store to use the loo, and I got distracted trying out face cream. And when I came out the march was gone."
2 of 16The High Low
If you're a woman living in the UK, chances are you've listened to Dolly Alderton and Pandora Sykes' podcast The High Low. Once a week, Alderton and Sykes tackle the week's current affairs and pop culture stories and the biggest issues facing women in the UK and abroad. Consistently taking a top spot in the iTunes charts the programs signature mix of high low journalism, stellar recommendations and author specials have made it popular with women across the nation.
3 of 16Shameless
Hosted by Aussie journalists Michelle Andrews and Zara McDonald, Shameless is the podcast for smart women who love dumb stuff and has quickly cemented itself as a must listen with the show reaching more women aged between 18 and 30 than any other Australian podcast. Zara and Michelle - who The Guardian described as "the voice of two generations" - cover everything from influencer culture to reality TV to the biggest stories affecting women in the news cycle and have quickly proved there's a huge market for their clever commentary after taking home the trophy for Most Popular Podcast at the Australian Podcast Awards.
4 of 16Desert Island Discs
Yes, THAT Desert Island Discs. Thanks to podcasting, the BBC Radio institution (named the greatest radio programme of all time by industry experts) has helped put BBC podcasts on the map. With the show running on the airwaves since 1942, there's a hefty back catalogue that will keep you occupied on many commutes to come. And if you're looking for a stellar episode to kick start your listening, try war surgeon David Nott's 2016 appearance on the show. But be warned, you'll need tissues.
5 of 16How I Built This
From NPR comes How I Built This, a podcast that dives into the back story behind some of the world's most recognisable companies as host Guy Raz speaks to founders and entrepreneurs to uncover just how they turned an idea into a business. If you have an interest in building a brand or an entrepreneurial spirit, How I Built This makes for fascinating listening with candid conversations with the people behind the business. Some of our favourite episodes include Bumble's Whitney Wolfe Herd, Instagram's Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and Away's Jen Rubio.
6 of 16How To Fail with Elizabeth Day
Elizabeth Day's podcast on failure (that went on to inspire the book of the same name) has quickly risen through the charts since its 2018 launch with the London based journalist interviewing everyone from American author Tara Westover (the woman behind the searing memoir Educated) to Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alistair Campbell in a wonderfully candid interview format that sees Day's guests recounting their biggest failures - and the lessons they learned from them.
7 of 16Who? Weekly
Hosted by American journalists Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber, Who? Weekly aptly describes itself as "everything you need to know about the celebrities you don't". Covering the who's (think, the entire cast of Love Island) and them's (the Dame Helen Mirren's of the world) of the news cycle with their signature wit and hilarious back and forth, Who? Weekly will bring you up to date with all those celebrities whose name you can't quite remember.
8 of 16Love Stories
Yes, we know Dolly Alderton's already on this list for The High Low. But her Love Stories podcast (there's two seasons available to keep you busy) is one of the most divine listens on the internet as Alderton interviews guests such as Stanley Tucci and Lily Allen to discuss, well, love stories. If you're a fan of Alderton's best-selling memoir Everything I Know About Love and are hungry for more lessons on love, you'll want these thoughtful conversations in your ears.
9 of 16Oprah's Super Soul Conversations
The first time I listened to Oprah's Super Soul Conversations podcast I started messaging my girlfriends in a frenzied panic: I had had a lightbulb moment. Quite a few of them, actually. Oprah interviews a number of authors, health experts and thought leaders as they dive into the deeper meaning of the world around them. If you're feeling a bit lost or in need of some inspiration, there will be a Super Soul Conversation episode for you.
10 of 16The Broad Experience
All working women know that our experience in the workplace is markedly different from that of our male counterparts the The Broad Experience is one of the first podcasts I recommend to my female colleagues that want to dive deeper into understanding the relationship they have with their careers and success. Tackling everything from pregnancy (and pregnancy loss) to menopause, the art of negotiating, the hell that can be networking and how to say no to office housework, The Broad Experience offers an honest perspective on women and work.
11 of 16In Good Company
Another popular podcast that tackles women and work, Women Who founder and author Otegha Uwagba's podcast has a number of candid conversations with successful women with Uwagba and her guests covering everything from personal brands to raising investment. It's relevant to women at every stage of their career and is full of inspiration and practical advice.
12 of 16My Dad Wrote A Porno
There's a reason the My Dad Wrote A Porno podcast is one of the most popular podcasts around. Hosted by Jamie Morton (he's the one with the dad who writes erotic fiction in his spare time), James Cooper and Alice Levine, My Dad Wrote A Porno is the kind of podcast that has you snorting with laughter on your morning commute. With over 160 million downloads and numerous A-listers counted amongst the show's fans (Dame Emma Thompson and Michale Sheen have both appeared on the programme) there's a good reason everyone you know tells you to listen to a show about porn: it's really bloody good.
13 of 16No Filter
With over 200 episodes to get through, these in-depth interviews are listened to by over 300,000 women each week as host and Mamamia co-founder Mia Freedman speaks to everyone from prominent politicians to thought leaders to authors and actors to regular people with fascinating stories to tell in her signature no filter style.
14 of 16The Dropout
Standford University dropout Elizabeth Holmes launched blood-testing startup Theranos when she was just 19 and went on to become the world's youngest self-made billionaire. So how did she go from a Silicon Valley darling to facing criminal charges? With Holmes' story poised to become a Hollywood blockbuster (and Jennifer Lawrence speculated to play Holmes) this wild tale unravels like a pacey work of fiction with the ABC podcast exploring the story of Holmes and Theranos through in depth reporting and exclusive interviews with the company's employees, patients and investors.
15 of 16Modern Love
If you've ever read The New York Times' popular Modern Love column then you will enjoy the podcast of the same name that offers updates from the authors of the column's most popular essays and readings from notable personalities. If you're looking for a good introductory episode, search for You May Want To Marry My Husband, an essay penned by the writer Amy Krouse Rosenthal before she passed away from ovarian cancer.
16 of 16My Favourite Murder
My Favorite Murder is a weekly true crime comedy podcast hosted by American comedians Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark and it's an absolute smash hit. If you like your comedy really, really dark, then this one is for you.