Ally Head is Marie Claire's Health, Sustainability and Relationships editor, and while she loves writing about sex toys and eco-alternatives, her speciality lies in health, fitness and wellbeing.
She works across news, features and e-commerce, reporting on the latest Covid-19 updates, writing the must-read health and wellness content and rounding up the genuinely squat-proof gym leggings worth *adding to basket*.
She's a bit of an SEO whiz and has improved page views for Marie Claire's health and fitness section 290% in her first eight months. She's always sweat-testing the newest fitness trend with her Tried & Tested franchise or sharing a measured, expert-led take on current health topics. Low grade depression? PTSD? COVID and fertility? She's covered the lot with guidance from some of the best experts in the business.
Not forgetting her Decoded Instagram Live franchise, which sees her interview fitness royalty - including the likes of Kayla Itsines, Fleur East, doctor Julie Smith and Alice Liveing - in front of their millions of followers.
Career highlights include interviewing Cheryl Cole, Jessica Alba, Tess Daly, Claudia Winkleman and Frankie Bridge - she's always keen to catch up with celebs about their health non-negotiables and what workouts work for them - and winning the Rude Health porridge championships two years in a row.
Prior to that, she was headhunted to lead igital strategy at Foodism and freelancing for the likes of Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, Good Housekeeping, Grazia, Refinery29 and more.
Her first ever journalism job was at Women's Health - when she envisaged her career as a journalist, testing the latest peanut butters sprung to mind - and worked there for three years. Heading up their nutrition content, she cut through the 'clean eating' noise and enlisting qualified dieticians, nutritionists and more to give their take on everything from protein shakes, to probiotic gut-health supplements, to keto-friendly recipes.
While working at Hearst, she was awarded with the 'Spirit of Hearst' award, highlighting her journalism skillset, positive attitude and effective communication skills, not to mention passion for what she does.
Studying at the University of Birmingham and then City University London, she gained a BA in English Language and an MA in Magazine Journalism. While at Birmingham, she was Head of Marketing for student radio station, Burn FM, and Travel Editor at the student newspaper, Redbrick. In 2015, she won 'Article of the Year' for a long read about living in New York.
When she's not writing, she's training for her next race (she loves marathons and isn’t mad—or so she says), scrolling interior design inspo or hunting down a good pastry. Follow Ally on Instagram for more or get in touch.
