‘Positive stories give people hope and make me feel better, too’

ITV News presenter Julie Etchingham has found release through knitting, re-reading the classics and spending time with her teenage sons.

I have worked on some very high-octane stories over the past few years, but the pandemic is in a league of its own.

With other stories, such as Brexit, you can go home at the end of the day and decompress. But with the pandemic, I have been living it the same way everyone has. My working day has changed enormously, because I do all my research and work on stories from home. I am very aware that when I’m reading the news at 10pm, people are effectively inviting me into their homes to be their trusted guide to make sense of the day. There have been nights when I’ve thought, ‘I wish I wasn’t reading this,’ but we try to include as many positive stories as possible to remind people that this won’t be for ever and there is hope. They make me feel better, too.

I started knitting during Brexit, because I found it so hard to switch off from work, so I have picked that up again.

It is great because you can’t check your emails or look at social media at the same time. You can fall down all sorts of rabbit holes on social media and a quick bit of ‘doomscrolling’ can completely ruin your mood, so I have learned how important it is to decouple from that. I have also been doing a lot of reading. I have returned to old favourites such as

The Great Gatsby and I even read Crime And Punishment.

I got a bit obsessed with that one and ended up signing up for an online course in Russian literature! I studied English at university, so books take me back to my first love – they steady me, somehow.

It has been bittersweet having my sons, aged 15 and 18, at home all the time.

It was sad when their school journeys were from their beds to their desks, when they should have been going out into the big wide world and exploring. But as their mum, I’ve loved having the time with them. My eldest and I often had a coffee together in the middle of the day when, normally, we’d be lost in our own little worlds. I am aware that these are precious moments I wouldn’t have had otherwise. It’s been such a lovely time to anchor myself in my family.

I am vigilant about making sure the boys are alright.

I have a rule that, unless I am in the middle of an important meeting, they are always welcome to come into my home office for a chat. I know boys can sometimes turn inward and not talk about how they are feeling, so I try to keep the conversation flowing. One evening, my youngest said, ‘I am just so sick of sitting here with you lot.’ I am glad he said it, so we could all have a laugh and find a way through it, rather than not saying anything at all. I find we have our best conversations when we are walking our golden retriever, Welly. There is something about walking side by side that allows them to open up more than having direct eye contact.

When life gets busy again, I hope we will all continue to cherish our communities.

We’ve got to know people on our stretch of road better than we ever would have done without this crisis. If anyone has been isolating, or needed something, we have all been helping one another. In my job, I have been able to witness the skill, expertise and dedication of those who work in our public services, and they are a complete source of inspiration to me. They have shown the best of what we can be. I think we need to distil that, and not forget it.

Julie Etchingham presents ITV News At Ten and the Tonight programme

I’ve been able to witness the skill and dedication of those who work in public services