Three times the limit at 11am & driving to pick up her children
Gallacher blames ban on split strain
KIRSTY Gallacher blamed her drink-driving conviction on the stress of her divorce as she got a two-year ban yesterday.
The Sky Sports presenter, 41, was seen driving erratically last month on her way to collect her kids the morning after a boozing session with pals. She was arrested after giving a breathalyser reading of 106mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath – three times the 35mg limit.
Gallacher looked close to tears as she admitted drink-driving and the court heard she had been struggling to cope with her split from rugby player Paul Sampson, 40.
Her lawyer, Jennifer Dempster, said: “She is not someone who normally drinks to excess. This is not intentional drink-driving. She is horrified she is in this position.
“It has been a stressful time. There are difficulties arising from the breakdown of her marriage, the final hearing for which is next week.”
Gallacher had been out with friends in Eton, Berks, after filming in Osterley, West London. She left her BMW X4 parked outside the bar when she left at 3am, returning at 11am. Slough magistrates heard the star was on her way to pick up her children from her ex to go on a trip to Windsor Castle.
Judge Davinder Lachhar, who also gave 100 hours’ community work, told her: “The reading was a very high one.” Gallacher and former England star Sampson met in 1999 and wed in 2010.
They had sons Oscar, nine, and Jude, six, then split in 2014.
Friends said she has been “extremely stressed” by the divorce battle.
A source said: “Kirsty and Paul’s divorce has been complicated and some of the more difficult decisions are due to be sorted in court very soon. There’s a hearing due next week. It has been a long three years and Kirsty has been in turmoil.
“It’s been extremely stressful and a constant weight on her mind.
“That said, she knows she messed up. She woke up after a night out thinking she was fine to drive but obviously that was not the case.”
It’s been extremely stressful & a constant weight on her mind FRIEND OF GALLACHER ON STRAIN OF DIVORCE