A daily talk show is considered the holy grail in television land. Carrie ten Napel doesn’t want him. The reason? He lies unconscious in the hallway. “I’m glad it hasn’t been offered to me yet.”
Anyone who follows Carrie ten Napel sees a presenter who always seems energetic and involved. What is less visible: the woman behind that image literally pushed herself to the ground twice. Two fainting spells, an ambulance and EMDR therapy. She shares the conclusion openly LINDA: a daily talk show does not suit her life.
Fearful of failure
This statement comes at a striking time, because this is the week that her program Carrie on Friday is shown for the last time. A weekly frequency is the most feasible rhythm for her: enough to sink her teeth into, not so much that she overruns herself. Because she knows the latter all too well.
Carrie: “I have been fearful of failure for a long time. Fortunately, as I get older, things get better, but I set the bar high for myself. I want to do well for everyone.”
Not daily
A daily talk show demands a lot from someone. “In my profession, a daily talk show is the holy grail. But I’m actually glad it hasn’t been offered to me yet, because something like that turns your entire family life upside down,” says Carrie.
It would give her too much pressure and she doesn’t want that anymore. “I’ve had a breakdown twice, which means that you suddenly pass out. Once at home, I suddenly fell flat in the hallway. And once on holiday during dinner: I collapsed against Michiel. Ambulance there, screaming sirens, as if we were in a movie.”
Low blood pressure
What caused that? “Ultimately it turns out that I have very low blood pressure, which starts to fluctuate at times when I demand a lot from myself,” says Carrie. “So I now try to say no more often and not just keep pounding.”
She has been treated for it. “I have done EMDR twice. In the past, I was also the one who wanted to do good for everyone. My parents were already so sad about the loss of my brother, that is why I wanted to be the perfect daughter, about whom they did not have to worry. As a result, I swallowed a lot and tried to solve it myself.”
Work and private life
The perfectionist in Carrie will always remain. “At work I am always on and I want to do the best I can. And as a mother I really want to be there for my children. Managing work and private life, by coordinating all agendas, is quite a challenge.”
“And when my boyfriend and I are finally both sitting at home on the couch in those few spare moments, I can think: oh shit, now I also have to be that sexy, handsome woman for you.”
Spending the whole week blasting for the senior viewers of Omroep MAX, and then having to sit sexy on the couch. Would Martine van Os also suffer from that?