Well they call it the greatest show on earth and the Olympics certainly did not disappoint. London 2012 will surely go down in history as one of the best Olympics ever and from a personal perspective, it was an extraordinary time to be involved with it. I spent hours of my life in a very hot studio overlooking the Olympic Park working for BBC World TV. It was a challenging environment to work in for many reasons, not the least of which was the sweltering temperatures in our studio atop a tower block on the edge of the park. That said the views were simply breath-taking.
When I wasn’t working, I did manage to see a fair chunk of events with my children, because let’s face it, you don’t often have the Olympics on your doorstep. We took in hockey, basketball, football, road cycling and athletics and loved every minute of it. I cried every day at least once while watching the action, and I found the rowing the most difficult to watch. Maybe it was the sight of grown men sobbing which tipped me over the edge. I did gently chastise John Inverdale at the BBC post Olympics party for making me cry a lot, when he cried on air. Oh happy days. Indeed I still well up when I think about our only excursion to the Olympic Stadium, which also happened to be the last night of competition. And no, it wasn’t the sight of Noel Gallagher eating chips right next to us that set me off. No. It was shouting myself hoarse at Mo Farah in the 5000m and then crying like a baby. I know. I’m a grown woman. I should know better. But I just couldn’t help myself. My kids were slightly disorientated to see mummy and daddy sobbing. I offered comforting words. “They’re happy tears,” I explained. “Happy tears.” Hopefully there will be plenty more of them to come during the Paralympics. Let the games begin…..again.