Susie Dent’s divorce heartache, ‘constant fear’ and insecurity over her looks

Dictionary Nook star Susie Dent, 56, has been a Countdown favorite since 1992.

However the English lexicographer and etymologist has not all the time had such a glamorous job title – and on one episode of Countdown in 2018, she revealed she as soon as labored as a waitress.

She had been working at Oxford College Press creating dictionaries when she was requested by her boss if she wished to audition for the present.

She stated no – twice.

Susie admitted to The Unbiased that she was so “nervous” she turned down the chance twice earlier than she was lastly persuaded to present it a strive.

Countdown followers have been left bereft when Susie went lacking for 2 weeks final month.

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She was changed on Dictionary Nook by Rachel Parris, resulting in an inflow of viewers taking to social media to ask her the place she was, fearing she had give up the present for good.

Nevertheless it has now been confirmed she was pressured to self-isolate for ten days after falling sufferer to the “pingdemic” and being notified by the NHS app that she had been in shut contact with somebody with COVID-19.

New Countdown host Anne Robinson defined: “Sadly we’ve not obtained Susie with us as a result of she is self isolating, so Rachel is doing each jobs”.

And Susie tweeted: “Don’t fear, regular service will resume v quickly!”

Followers have been devastated to be disadvantaged of Susie, and plenty of had initially questioned if she was lacking attributable to private points, having just lately break up from her husband of virtually 20 years, final month.

It was reported Susie and first faculty instructor husband Paul Atkins “did all they may” to make their marriage work.

However there was simply no salvaging the connection regardless of their finest efforts, a good friend near the couple stated, they usually went their separate methods.

However it’s understood that the break up is on amicable phrases – and they’ll proceed to place daughters Lucy, 20, and Thea, 12, first, working laborious on coming to the perfect association attainable concerning their care.

A supply near the pair instructed The Solar: “It’s clearly a really unhappy state of affairs, however Susie has dealt with every thing stoically,” a pal instructed the publication.

“She has ploughed on professionally with all features of her working life and is just attempting to profit from a heartbreaking state of affairs.

“Clearly Susie and Paul did all they may to make issues work, however determined ultimately to half methods.”

Susie has remained tight-lipped on the break up, however won’t come as a shock, as she has admitted earlier than she tends to be a personal individual as she can not stand being judged.

“I have been a worrier for so long as I can bear in mind,” she instructed the Scottish Every day Mail.

“Once I was rising up, I fearful that folks would dismiss me as a boring swot as a result of I all the time had my nostril in a vocabulary e book — often in French or German.

“My fixed worry was that folks have been judging me, though, extra just lately, I’ve come to an understanding that that needn’t be in a detrimental approach.”

Susie added that her work and her love of language grew to become her “refuge” and dealing on Countdown allowed to, eventually, really feel “protected and in cost” of herself.

Susie admitted in the identical interview that she had all the time battled jealousy and insecurity over her “lovely” elder sister, Nicky.

She stated she felt she would “by no means be as fairly” as Nicky and was all the time determined to emulate her, however was satisfied she had fallen brief on account of her being a “geek”.

However whether or not or not she feels it’s warranted, Susie is massively common on Countdown, although some merciless viewers have beforehand accused her of behaving as if she is drunk.

In a current interview with The Mirror, Susie defined why.

“The factor that visibly impacts me most is caffeine,” she defined. “My physique goes into poisonous shock.”

“My physique goes into poisonous shock. I get extremely chilly and begin shivering. My lips go completely black with chilly and I begin ­slurring my phrases.

“I appear rather more drunk than I might have performed had I had a few gin slings,” she added.

Although she is fiercely non-public, Susie gave followers a uncommon perception into her household life along with her youngsters for The Instances’ Day In The Life column final yr.

In it, she revealed: “I’m an early chicken, up at 6. Morning is mum-time. Lucy, 20, and Thea, 12, and I’ve breakfast – oats, Brazil nuts and seeds, soaked in apple juice and yoghurt – then I stroll to high school with Thea.

“We now have a few of our greatest chats watching the gossamer float throughout the fields.

“If I’m not filming, I spend numerous time at house, dwelling in my head.”

Susie additionally instructed The Unbiased that journalling helps her address stress and handle the ideas that tumble round her head.

“I are inclined to catastrophise – you simply must ask Rachel [Riley] or any of my associates, I do are inclined to go to the worst conclusion,” she admitted.

“Generally it’s simply essential, actually essential, to cease, and respiration actually works. I’ve discovered respiration workout routines actually assist to form of pull my thoughts away from these catastrophes.”

She added: “Generally individuals say, ‘Attempt to distract your self with one thing else’, however I discover what you’re fearful about is all the time there – distraction may be a short lived sticking-plaster, however you’ll all the time come again to that drawback.”

As a substitute, Susie stated it is extra useful to “dwell with” your worries for some time quite than desperately attempting to masks them.

And getting older, stated Susie, has made her realise many of the worst-case eventualities she all the time imagined by no means got here true.

She additionally known as work her “oasis” and revealed she is at the moment caught into writing her 14th e book, which supplies her a way of focus and goal.

It is clear Susie’s love of phrases have rubbed off on her daughters.

She stated she loves studying with Thea within the night, itemizing To Kill a Mockingbird because the form of e book they get pleasure from getting caught into and discussing.

Susie’s language experience is even being utilised to pave the way in which for developments in know-how.

Final yr, she helped practice Amazon’s Alexa to grasp UK regional dialects.

Consequently, Amazon says the AI helper is now in a position to perceive a spread of regional methods of claiming hey, in addition to completely different regional names for dinner, a bread roll, sandwiches, mum and pa, woodlice and kids, amongst others.

“Nowhere is the range of English vocabulary extra obvious than in Britain.

“Our native languages are continually evolving and altering,” she stated.

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