Meet Kettering star of Just One Thing helped to digitally detox by Zoe Ball

As well as owning two businesses, Lucie Pittam, of Brow Wow in Kettering’s Market Street and at Rushden Lakes, is also a busy mum-of-two all while fighting health battles after being diagnosed with Chron’s Disease when a teenager.

When she got an email from health series Just One Thing asking if she would like to appear on the programme, she jumped at the chance.

Now Lucie, her family and her colleagues can be seen being taken through a digital detox by presenter Zoe Ball – reducing their smart phone use to improve their lives.

She said: “I got the email and it looked interesting – I thought it would be good for me and the family. At the time I was really poorly. You just have to say ‘yes’ to everything – in for a penny, in for a pound!”

As well as volunteering to take part in the health and well-being series, she roped in husband Ross Thurlow, 17-year-old daughter Maisie and colleague Holly White.

But it came as a shock when host Zoe told them they would be giving up screen time in an attempt to improve their health.

Scientific research says cutting smartphone use to just two hours a day could seriously boost well-being.

For the programme, Zoe travelled to Kettering to share with Lucie some digital detox tricks to improve family life, reduce stress and even boost brain power.

The group were guided through how to reduce phone use and use the time for other things – tricky when phones are used for contacting clients or completing work tasks.

During the process, the family took control of their phone use with help from Zoe – taking part in activities including an escape room challenge.

Lucie said: “Zoe is lush. She’s really down to earth – just normal. We didn’t have any time for treatments with all the filming.

"We have all become more conscious of phone usage. It has changed me. When I say ‘phones off’ to the children, they do it.

"It was really fun doing the challenges. It was a great experience and I would like to be a TV presenter now!

"It’s been a complete reset and I would advise people to do it. I’ve set up a book club at my Rushden Lakes salon and we swap and discuss books – it’s lovely.”

Holly, who also features in the episode, admits her whole life is on her phone and since filming in November, thinks her phone usage has increased.

She said: “It was a fun and interesting experience. The best bit was seeing behind the scenes. After filming I said I was going to keep it up but I think my phone usage has got worse – but that said I do my bookings on my phone. I need Zoe to come back and tell me off!”

As part of the filming, Zoe also did a digital detox – and she also found it difficult.

She said: “I was shocked by just how much I use my phone. We’re so attached to our digital devices, often without even realising it.

"Since taking on the challenge, I’ve genuinely tried to use mine less, although I’m not sure I’ve done quite as well as some of our contributors, if I’m honest. I found the Digital Detox one of the toughest “Just One Things.”

Series Just One Thing sees Zoe, Roman Kemp and Clive Myrie travelling the country, asking people to make one small change, for some big benefits from dancing, to eating mackerel, soaking in a hot bath to eating beetroot – ‘simple and surprising things’ to improve our lives.

Produced by the BBC Science Unit, each episode travels to a different part of the UK to meet someone who could benefit from one specific health change.

To watch Just One Thing Digital Detox (series two, episode five) go to BBC iPlayer and BBC One.