KATIE DERHAM

ON PROM NIGHTS, LOVE NOT MONEY AND FUN WITH HER GIRLS

Broadcaster Katie Derham tells Charlotte Williamson about the Proms, why she believes in love not money and spending time with her girls

ÒTHIS IS HOW WE SIT WHEN WE’RE WATCHING TV TOGETHER,” LAUGHS HER HUSBAND JOHN VINCENT AT THE W&H SHOOT AS HE AND KATIE SNUGGLE UP ON THE SOFA FOR A PICTURE. AND WHAT MIGHT THE COUPLE BE WATCHING? “OH, Breaking Bad,

Fast and Furious 8…”

HE’S JOKING (PERHAPS), BUT IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE WHOLESOME, BUTTERWOULDN’T-MELT PUBLIC IMAGE OF KATIE DERHAM IS QUITE DIFFERENT TO PRIVATE KATIE, WHO ENJOYS A GLASS OF WINE AND, ACCORDING TO HER HUSBAND, “IS ALWAYS FIRST ON THE DANCE FLOOR AND LAST TO LEAVE A PARTY.” SHE’S ALSO CURIOUS, FRIENDLY AND A SUPER-FAST TALKER. AND ALTHOUGH JOHN IS THE CO-FOUNDER OF THE LEON CHAIN OF HEALTHY FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS, KATIE QUITE HAPPILY TUCKS INTO A PLATE OF CHIPS FOR LUNCH (WITH GREENS ON THE SIDE).

THE SECOND OF FOUR CHILDREN, SHE GREW UP IN WILMSLOW, CHESHIRE, WHERE

HER FATHER WAS A CHEMIST AND HER MOTHER A FRENCH TEACHER. AFTER READING ECONOMICS AT CAMBRIDGE, KATIE, 47 THIS MONTH, STARTED AS A RESEARCHER ON RADIO 4’S Money Box BEFORE JOINING ITV NEWS AS THE ARTS CORRESPONDENT. AGED 27, SHE BECAME THE YOUNGEST EVER NEWSREADER ON BRITISH TV. KATIE HAS A STRONG MUSICAL BACKGROUND, PLAYING THE PIANO AND VIOLIN, AND HAS BEEN PRESENTING THE PROMS ON THE BBC SINCE 2010.

SHE IS ALSO A PRESENTER ON

RADIO 3 AND CAME FOURTH

ON Strictly Come

Dancing IN 2015.

SHE MET JOHN, 45,

AT UNIVERSITY AND

THEY MARRIED IN

1999. THEY LIVE

WITH THEIR CHILDREN

– NATASHA, 17,

AND ELEANOR,

12 – IN WEST

SUSSEX. THERE’S ALWAYS AN ENORMOUS ENERGY AT THE PROMS, PARTLY BECAUSE OF ALL

THE ENTHUSIASM, PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE STANDING AUDIENCE, AND PARTLY BECAUSE IT REALLY IS OPEN TO A WIDE VARIETY OF PEOPLE. THIS YEAR I’M PARTICULARLY LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT SOME OF THE YOUNGER STARS ARE DOING. I LOVE IT WHEN THE NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA PERFORM – A STAGE PACKED WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AND ALL THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY IN THE AUDIENCE. THEN THERE ARE THE BIG NAMES – CONDUCTORS SIMON RATTLE AND DANIEL BARENBOIM, THE AMERICAN SOPRANO RENÉE FLEMING. AND LOOK OUT FOR THE CELLIST, SHEKU KANNEHMASON, WHO WAS CROWNED BBC YOUNG MUSICIAN IN 2016. HE IS PHENOMENAL – A REAL TALENT.

IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START WITH CLASSICAL MUSIC, I ALWAYS THINK A GOOD WAY IN IS VIA FILM MUSIC AS IT’S SO FAMILIAR. THIS YEAR THERE’S A PROM CELEBRATING JOHN WILLIAMS – HE COMPOSED THE SCORES FOR Jaws, Star Wars AND Indiana Jones. ANOTHER TIP FOR FIRST-TIMERS IS TO GO AND WATCH THE AURORA ORCHESTRA. THEY PERFORM MUSIC FROM MEMORY AND IT’S THRILLING TO WATCH. TAKING AWAY THE MUSIC STANDS DOES QUITE LITERALLY TAKE AWAY A BARRIER BETWEEN THE MUSICIANS AND THE AUDIENCE. MY DAUGHTERS ALWAYS COME TO A COUPLE OF PROMS WITH ME.

THE PROMS ARE LIVE, WHICH KEEPS ME ON MY TOES. MY FIRST LIVE LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS INCLUDED THE CONDUCTOR JIŘÍ BĚLOHLÁVEK – WHOSE NAME I PRACTISED ABOUT A MILLION TIMES. HE WENT OFF THE STAGE WHEN HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ON, AND PLAYED SOME OF THE MUSIC IN A DIFFERENT ORDER! LUCKILY, I HAVE LOTS OF LIVE EXPERIENCE FROM DOING THE NEWS AND PLENTY WENT WRONG THEN. THE ONE I GOT THE MOST STICK FOR WAS TELLING THE NATION THE NEXT BULLETIN

WAS AT “FIVE TO SEX”! I THOUGHT NO ONE WOULD NOTICE, BUT THE PHONES IN THE NEWSROOM WENT WILD.

IT WAS NEVER MY GOAL TO BE ON TV. EVEN AT A YOUNG AGE I WAS VERY NOSY, SO THE IDEA OF BEING A JOURNALIST APPEALED TO ME. I STARTED OUT ON RADIO, AND IN THOSE DAYS YOU HAD TO HAVE TELEVISION EXPERIENCE AS WELL. I DID TV A COUPLE OF TIMES, THEN SOMEONE >>

WAS ILL SO I FILLED IN AND I DID OK, AND IT WENT ON FROM THERE. WHEN I STARTED AT ITN, THEY ASKED IF I MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN NEWSCASTING AS THEY WERE LOOKING TO BRING ON MORE WOMEN. I WAS 27, WHICH WAS YOUNG – BUT I DIDN’T THINK I WAS YOUNG BACK THEN. NOW I THINK, “BLIMEY, I CAN’T BELIEVE I DID THAT!” I THOUGHT

I HAD TO BE MORE GROWN-UP THAN I WAS AND DRESSED OLDER THAN MY AGE. I DO LOOK BACK AT THE THINGS I WORE AND THINK, “WHAT WAS I THINKING?!”

I WAS ASKED TO DO Strictly WHEN I WAS A NEWSREADER AND WASN’T ALLOWED TO DO IT. BUT WHEN I WAS ASKED AGAIN, I FORWARDED THE EMAIL TO JOHN BECAUSE I KNEW HE WOULD SAY, “GO FOR IT!” IT WAS TREMENDOUS FUN. JOHN BECAME KING OF THE GREEN ROOM, LINING UP SAMBUCA SHOTS FOR DANCERS ALJAŽ AND GIOVANNI WHEN THEY CAME OFF STAGE. HE BOUGHT A COUPLE OF MY DRESSES AFTER THE SHOW – THE RUMBA ONE WITH A HUGE SPLIT AND A BIG FEATHERY ONE FROM BLACKPOOL. THE GIRLS SOMETIMES DRESS UP IN THEM.

GROWING UP, I WAS PRETTY NERDY –

I HAD THICK GLASSES AND FIXED BRACES. MY CHILDHOOD WAS VERY NICE AND NORMAL. MY PARENTS WORKED HARD – IT WAS GOOD HAVING A MUM WHO WORKED AS A ROLE MODEL. DAD’S JOB AS A CHEMIST MEANT HE TRAVELLED A LOT, AND WHEN I WAS 17 WE LIVED IN MEXICO FOR A WHILE. IT REALLY OPENED MY EYES. I WAS AT AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, WITH NO UNIFORM, WHICH FINISHED AT 2PM – AND THE BARS IN MEXICO DIDN’T EVEN OPEN UNTIL 10PM. EVERYTHING SHIFTED AND BECAME A BIT MORE GROWN-UP AND TECHNICOLOUR. CHESHIRE WAS A LOVELY PLACE TO GROW UP BUT IT is CLOUDY A LOT OF THE TIME!

I’M STILL IN TOUCH WITH A LOT OF MY

UNI MATES, AND WE TRY TO ORGANISE WEEKENDS WHEN ALL THE FAMILIES CAN GET TOGETHER. ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS LIVES IN SEATTLE SO WHEN SHE’S OVER, ABOUT FIVE OF US GO OUT FOR DRINKS AND DINNER. I REALLY LIKE THE FACT YOU CAN MEET NEW PEOPLE AT ANY STAGE IN LIFE – FRIENDS FROM WORK; “MUM FRIENDS”. AND SOME OF THESE FRIENDS WILL END UP YOUR BEST FRIENDS TOO.

MUM WAS DIAGNOSED WITH EARLY-ONSET ALZHEIMER’S IN HER LATE FIFTIES, BUT

THE SIGNS STARTED EARLIER. SHE WASN’T PROPERLY DIAGNOSED FOR A LONG TIME – BUT WE ALL KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG AS HER PERSONALITY WAS CHANGING. SHE WENT DOWNHILL QUICKLY IN THE LAST THREE OR FOUR YEARS – SHE NO LONGER KNEW WHO WE WERE, GOT VERY SCARED, VERY ANGRY. SHE EVEN TRIED TO RUN AWAY. WHEN SHE WAS WELL, MUM WAS A HUGE LAUGH, AND MY KIDS HAVE MISSED OUT EXPERIENCING HER WIT AND BANTER. SHE DIED AT 61, WHICH IS SO BLOODY UNFAIR. I’VE BEEN EXTREMELY LUCKY WITH JOHN’S MUM, MARION, WHO HAS BECOME LIKE A MUM TO ME. HIS PARENTS MOVED

FROM LONDON TO LIVE NEAR US AND

THEY HELP A LOT WITH THE GIRLS.

I TRY TO BE FATALISTIC ABOUT THE CHANCES OF ME ENDING UP WITH ALZHEIMER’S.

BUT I DO KEEP AN EYE ON ANY NEW RESEARCH. DOING Strictly HELPED GET ME FIT, AND I NOW GO RUNNING, AM CAREFUL ABOUT MY DIET – AND KEEP MY FINGERS CROSSED THAT THEY FIND A CURE.

YES, I’M ALLOWED TO EAT CHIPS AT HOME! WE WOULD ALWAYS HAVE WANTED OUR CHILDREN TO EAT HEALTHILY, BUT BECAUSE OF JOHN’S BUSINESS, HE HAS BECOME VERY WELL-INFORMED. I DO A LOT OF THE COOKING AND WE TEND TO BE GLUTEN-FREE, BUT THAT’S NOT GOING TO STOP US HAVING THE ODD CHERRY BAKEWELL. WE GROW

A LOT OF OUR OWN FRUIT AND VEGETABLES. I FIND IT INCREDIBLY THERAPEUTIC.

I TRY NOT TO THINK ABOUT AGEING

TOO MUCH AS THE CLOCK KEEPS ON TICKING REGARDLESS. I AM CONSCIOUS OF IT, THOUGH – SOMETIMES I LOOK IN THE