Olympic badminton star and broadcaster Gail Emms has a new book out this month, Grit and Goose Feathers. We caught up with her to talk life after sport, dating disasters and the strangest places her career has taken her — expect honesty, laughter and a few surprises.

Grit and Goose Feathers is a brilliant title. Where did it come from, and what does it mean to you?

It comes from my motivational talks – they’re called ‘Grit and Goose Feathers’. Grit because I’ve always been known for that, and goose feathers because there are 16 on a badminton shuttle. It sums me up perfectly — a bit of badminton and a shed load of grit!

What’s one thing elite sport doesn’t prepare you for?

The real world doesn’t work like elite sport. Someone once told me I’d never feel the same way I did on a badminton court — and they were right. You’re conditioned to live at that high intensity, and when it’s gone, it’s hard to adjust.

Biggest myth about Olympians you’d love to bust?

Everyone thinks Olympians are superhuman, and we’re really not! We wake up with the same doubts and fears as everyone else — the difference is we train anyway. We’re not robots, just stubborn people who keep going.

What’s been your biggest dating fail?

Oh, how long have you got?! One guy actually left mid-date because I was “too much”! I’ve also walked out on a few myself — you’ll have to read the book for the gory details. Some are so bad they’ll have to wait for book two!

What’s the best line or passage from the book that still makes you smile (or wince)?

The bit that still makes me laugh is the Martina Navratilova story where I gave her a massage halfway up a mountain! I had to try and motivate her, so I started massaging her neck and shoulders, and then she started getting really into it! And she started coming out with these noises, like, when Harry met Sally, and I still can't stop laughing about it! She was there going, ‘oh, oh, girl. So good. Oh, like this.’ And I'm like… ‘I'm stuck now - what do I do now? And then you think, oh my f***ing god, I'm actually massaging Martina Navratilova!

Since retiring from professional sport, what’s been your strangest media request?

I had to play badminton in a B&Q store in China, which was a bit weird! It was a media appearance straight off a flight and the store was massive — three times the size of one in the UK and layered, with my face plastered all over it. I walk in and I see a queue of about 200 Chinese men… all in proper badminton kit… stretching! What I hadn’t been told was that they had advertised to play against me, and they were really good, and I was really jet-lagged! Yeah, so hundreds of Chinese men playing badminton against me in a B&Q store for a pot of paint would be up there!

Best bit of advice you’ve ever given (or ignored)?

A Danish coach once told me to stop trying to be perfect. In sport you think you have to be — but even the greats aren’t. Federer said he only won 53% of the points he played! My coach told me to “lower my number” and allow mistakes. I still use that advice now: sometimes my number’s 50, sometimes 80 — and that’s fine.

What song never fails to lift your mood?

Opus and Everyday by Eric Prydz. They somehow lift me and make me cry at the same time — emotional but beautiful.

You’ve admitted you love a rave. If you could pick one celebrity to rave with, who would it be?

Definitely Chris Hemsworth. I mean, he’s Thor — I don’t really need to explain it! Plus, I reckon he could put me on his shoulders without breaking a sweat.

And finally, in three words, what does Grit and Goose Feathers mean to you?

Gail’s True Story.

Read more from Gail in her new book Grit and Goose Feathers, available now.