‘SUSANNA REID IS MY GIRL CRUSH’
Kay Burley on the reason she refuses to start a rivalry with her fellow breakfast TV presenter
To say we’re nervous about interviewing Kay Burley, host of Sky News @Breakfast and all round tough cookie, is an understatement. Over her 40+ years as a reporter, she’s asked the tough questions to everyone from royalty to prime ministers, including Hillary Clinton and our very own Peter Andre, who she famously brought to tears on live TV when quizzing him on the custody arrangement for his kids.
This woman knows what she’s doing and she’s unapologetic about getting answers. So what a delight to find Kay, 59, is actually very sweet, if firm, when we chat to her after her breakfast show.
She’s discussing her involvement with the Safe Haven for Donkeys charity, a cause dear to her heart, but she’s also happy to talk about her career highlights and how she gets people talking every morning with her no-nonsense delivery.
Prior to their summer break, she was up against GMB’S Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid in what we assumed was a bloodbath of a ratings war. But it turns out they’re actually all pretty chummy!
Here, Kay reveals why she and Piers won’t turn against each other, the biggest stories she’s worked on and how things are “all cool” between her and Pete now...
Hi Kay! Every morning when we log onto Twitter, you seem to be trending. You must have a thick skin to do this job…
Well, yes, but you don’t listen to what strangers say when they’re criticising you. Trolls on Twitter having a pop? I couldn’t care less. If my family or friends believe I’ve overstepped the mark, then absolutely I need to have a think about it. But people make mistakes all the time – hopefully we learn from them.
You’ve interviewed some of the biggest names of all time. Do you still get nervous?
I wouldn’t say nervous, but I have a frisson of excitement, especially when it’s someone like, say, Hillary Clinton. She doesn’t walk into an interview and hope for the best, she does her homework beforehand. Prior to the first time I interviewed her, she knew everything about me. I met her coming out of a lift before we’d even done the chat and she was asking all about my son, Alexander, and the weather in London. That was really cool to me – she’d done her homework, I knew I had my work cut out.
And remember when you made Peter Andre cry on air? Do you still get asked about that?
No – why? I’m guessing you’re a big fan?
Well, he’s our columnist...
That was a long time ago and Peter and I have spoken since and it’s all cool. It’s one of those things, really. I think at the time, both of us were surprised that he cried. I get asked about other
things far more than him!
Do you prefer to interview celebrities or politicians? Or ordinary folk?
I just enjoy a good interview! I recently spoke to a little boy with prosthetic legs who’s been raising money for charity by walking, inspired by Captain Tom. His story made people cry. One of our reporters watched the show on her phone in Tesco and had to stop in the frozen food aisle because she was sobbing. So that story makes me proud of why I get up at 3.30am every morning to do what I do.
Let’s talk about the rivalry between you and the other breakfast show hosts...
We don’t look at it as a rivalry! It’s healthy competition, but we’re all good friends, especially me and Piers. We go back a long way. Sometimes we DM or text each other if we’ve done a particularly good interview or if we feel the other one needs a bit of support. We’re both journalists, we’ve been in the industry a long time, and a lot of people want to knock presenters, so there’s no point in falling out with each other. Piers has had a second incarnation since being a newspaper editor and he’s doing a fantastic job.
And Susanna?
Oh, she’s fantastic. I absolutely love her. We have a girl crush on each other! It’s actually a bit of a breakfast clique. I get on well with Naga Munchetty and Louise Minchin over at the BBC, too. I know viewers love to believe there’s some big rivalry between us, but the truth is we all get together at Piers’ big Christmas party every year. People expect us to be scratching each other’s eyes out but it’s just not the case!
‘I KNEW I HAD MY WORK CUT OUT WITH HILLARY CLINTON’
We know you as the woman who manages to fill hours of time on air while waiting for
a royal baby or a wedding. That’s quite the skill…
My mother said I was born talking. When people ask how I do it, I tell them you need to have your facts. I always say, “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” If you have all the info at your fingertips, you could talk for a week if you wanted to.
What are the biggest stories you’ve worked on?
Diana’s death, 9/11, Concorde crashing, us winning the bid for the 2012 Olympics and, now, the coronavirus. Who’d have thought a global pandemic would bring the world to its knees?
How are you coping with it all?
Lockdown for a control freak like me was tricky. I missed travelling, because I do a lot of that. But
I’ve had some very close friends who have been staggeringly ill because of it, so we have to put things into perspective.
Is Kate Garraway’s husband Derek one of those people?
Indeed. I’ve known Kate forever. In terms of an update, she’ll be the one to tell people as and when she wants to. I’ve spoken to Kate, I wish them the best.
You’re turning 60 this year. Do you feel any pressure to stay looking young for the cameras?
No, not at all. I love my job! I miss getting my hair cut and coloured by professionals, though. I have beautiful clothes, and I like to look good on the TV, but equally I love putting my sweat pants on and going up to my farm to see the donkeys.
Speaking of which, congrats on becoming an ambassador for Safe Haven for Donkeys…
Thank you! Safe Haven does a magnificent job with very little money to provide care for abused and poorly donkeys in Israel, so anything I can do to help them, I will. Hopefully once social distancing has relaxed more, I’ll be able to fly out to see them.
You’re a big animal lover then?
I am, absolutely. I think they teach us great respect for each other. My son talks about his problems to his dogs. We go on safari once a year and I love sitting with the animals. Having missed that this year, I’ve felt the difference in my soul. We normally go to Ulusaba, Richard Branson’s game reserve in South Africa, and I hope we’ll be back soon, maybe at Christmas. While everyone else is in a festive panic, I’ll be sitting in an opensided truck next to an elephant. And how wonderful that will be.