Ihaveahabitof beingintheright placeattheright timeandnow theplacetobe isScotland..it’s attheheart ofeverything
News anchor Halla tells how she was near the action for many of the biggest stories in recent times and why she has returned home to work on STV2
were left reeling from the loss of 37-year-old cameraman Mathieu Hoche, who died in the massacre at the Bataclan concert hall.
Halla, who studied French and German at university, said: “I knew a lot of the people who worked alongside him.
“Even for those of us who didn’t know Mathieu well, just knowing a colleague had been killed was such a brutal shock.
“The events that night shook everyone, not just in Paris but across Europe.
“The Bataclan massacre and the attack the following year in Nice made the world seem much smaller and brought Europe together as one entity determined to stand firm in the face of terrorism.
“Before Paris and the other European terrorist attacks, international news was a footnote. Now it’s everyday news, local news that people in the street talk about and feel they need to be in the know about.”
Halla believes STV have chosen the perfect time to launch a nightly current affairs programme and she is delighted to be at its helm.
She said: “It’s such an exciting project to be part of and to be there right at the beginning is a fantastic privilege.
“My mum is delighted she will be able to watch me on telly for a change.
“The programme has come at such a perfect time. It’s a gap that has been crying out to be filled.
“More than ever before Scots want to know about the international stories that affect them.
“I will be on weeknights from 7pm when I will be bringing the nation Scottish, UK and international news from a Scottish perspective. It’s an exciting time.”
Halla, who came into journalism by chance, admits pursuing a career in media was one of the best decisions she ever made.
The former Earlston High School pupil said: “My first full-time job was at a call centre giving technical support to phone and camera users. I then went on to work in marketing for a robotic engineering company before heading to China to teach English.
“While there, I interned with a travel guide company which bizarrely led to a job working for Chinese television and I’ve been broadcasting ever since.”
Even though Halla never dreamed of being a journalist as a child, she grew up in a household where the news was on constantly.
She said: “I’m the first journalist in the family, although I found out my dad Jawdat, who was born in Lebanon, was a fixer during the civil war.
“Sadly my dad has passed away but I know he would be delighted to see me anchoring the news on TV.
“He listened to the news constantly and bought national and local papers every day. He spent hours scouring these for news of his home country.
“My mum Heather is an accountant, my sister Vicky is a teacher in China and my brother William lives in Oban and works with students, so we all do very different jobs.
“I love what I do and can’t see myself doing anything else. The news found me and I will be forever hooked.”
Halla, who is a keen scuba diver, can’t wait to make her debut tonight on Scotland’s new channel STV2.
She said: “I’ve been all round the world reporting on global events and am excited to be back where the biggest stories are right here on my doorstep.” ●Watch Halla on STV News Tonight at 7pm. Ribbed funnel top, topshop.com La Redoute jumpsuit, £49, laredoute.co.uk