‘I’ve embraced my50s’ ‘You can always tell what I’m thinking as I wear my heart on my sleeve’
Newsnight presenter Victoria Derbyshire on living life to its fullest, juggling a career and family, and why she never wants to retire
We’re used to seeing her grill politicians about their policies or deliver poignant human interest stories, but away from our screens, Victoria Derbyshire loves nothing more than dancing around her kitchen with her friends, or nosing round an antiques market. Still, the veteran broadcaster admits that while her house is full of laughter, she’s just as direct at home in Surrey with her husband, Mark, and their teenage boys, Oliver, 18, and Joe, 15, as she is on air.
‘I’m kind of the same person at home as I am at work,’ Victoria tells woman&home. ‘You can always tell what I’m thinking as I wear my heart on my sleeve. There’s less intensity at home, for obvious reasons, but
I think I’m just as direct.’
Her frankness has held Victoria in good stead over her 30-plus year career on radio and television. And the 54-year-old is just as honest when we ask about everything from the ups and downs of her job to her breast cancer diagnosis in 2015, and the domestic abuse she suffered at the hands of her father as a child in Lancashire.
Shortly before the world was plunged into the COVID-19 pandemic, the broadcaster found out her eponymous Bafta-winning show was to be cancelled after five years. But Victoria tells us that she ‘didn’t have much time to process it’ thanks to her other job presenting the 9am news on the BBC as the world faced uncertainty.
Fast forward to 2022 and in addition to BBC News, Victoria was presenting a popular podcast about the conflict in Ukraine, along with undertaking a constant stream of charity work. When Emily Maitlis announced she was leaving Newsnight, Victoria’s name was mentioned in the press as a possible replacement. The down-to-earth star tells woman&home she applied for the coveted position as anchor on the show alongside Kirsty Wark along with everyone else – and screamed with joy when she heard she’d got the job.
Now, five months into her new role, Victoria is busier than ever.
As she breezes into our cover shoot, she’s friendly and ready to make conversation. With one eye on the headlines via her phone she says, ‘Switching off can be hard,’ but right now she says she wouldn’t have it any other way. >>
Life has been a bit mad recently and I’m loving Newsnight. I joined during one of the most intense news periods that there’s been, between the political instability, the financial instability and the beginning of the reign of King Charles III. It’s our job to guide our viewers through whatever is happening in the world, and help them make sense of it while asking the questions they want answered by those who are in power.
It can be hard to wind down afterwards. By the time I get home it’s 12.15am. I spend 45 minutes making a cup of tea and sitting on the floor cuddling my two cocker spaniels, Gracie and Lola. It’s really peaceful and cathartic, as everyone is in bed. I’ll get to bed about 1am and fall asleep straight away.
At the moment it feels like something is changing every hour. You can go for a dog walk, get back, and the Prime Minister has sacked their chancellor!
It’s hard to switch off – I’ve only recently started a new job and I want to be prepared, so I’m happy to go with it.
The most important thing I’ve done in my career was helping break the story of footballers who were abused by their coach as boys aged nine, 10 and 11. It led to many, many hundreds of people coming forward, and abusers being convicted and jailed for years. I’ve made friends with some of the guys who trusted me to come on our programme and talk about it.
I do carry the emotional weight of stories like those afterwards, but I don’t find it hard. The people who have gone through this stuff are the important ones. Of course you’re going to be affected by what they tell you – I’m a human being. I want to help look after them, make sure they’re all right and do as much as I can to get them justice.
I love Tiktok! I really wanted to be on it, but I didn’t want to do stupid dances. The only thing I know is news, and so I decided to do round-ups of the biggest stories and the views racked up. I love engaging with a whole new audience. My boys get their news from Tiktok, but it also surprised me that there are millions of adults on there too.
I did I’m a Celebrity… in 2020, as I wanted to remember that year for something other than my programme being cancelled. I wanted incredible experiences, and it was totally wild – I loved it. My boys adore that show and really wanted me to do it too.
If I get asked to do Strictly – which I honestly don’t think I will be – I’d totally consider it. I’m not sure if it would be the right thing to do because I do Newsnight. But hey, I did I’m a Celebrity… two years ago, and now I’m doing Newsnight and people are cool with it. People are less likely to put you in boxes these days.
I hate the word retire!
I might do something different or slow down – but I’m talking 20 years away. I love being part of a team – that’s one of the reasons I’ve really loved going to Newsnight. I have been offered jobs by other broadcasters in the past, but for one reason or another there has been something else to keep me at the BBC.
Juggling work and having children means there are always periods when it feels crazy. But I’ve been really lucky because mostly I worked early mornings, when my kids were little, through primary and most of secondary school. My husband would do the mornings and I’d be able to pick them up from school.
I avoid burnout by spending time with the people I love – unwinding with my closest friends and family.
I love having a few drinks, putting Elbow on the speakers and dancing around the kitchen until 3am. I love going to gigs. We go with our boys now too, which is fab. Last summer, we went as a family to see Coldplay, and this year we’ve got tickets to see Bruce Springsteen.
My ideal day off would involve getting up late and reading the papers in bed. Then to take the dogs out for a walk on a cold, bright day with my husband.
I’d have friends round, have drinks and listen to music, and get a takeaway.
I love going to antiques markets. I get there really early in the morning for >>
the proper bargains. There is something relaxing for me, walking around and looking at old furniture. I inherited my love of antiques from my mum
– she’s always lived in old houses and now I live in an old Georgian house that’s full of old stuff.
At work I’ll be dressed up, but at home it’s totally the opposite. A lot of the clothes I wear on TV I wouldn’t necessarily wear in my normal life. At home I’m in jeans, trainers, hoodies and no make-up.
The main parenting challenge I’ve faced has been the existence of smartphones. We’ve been pretty disciplined with their use but it has caused some friction. Otherwise, I’ve absolutely loved being a mum of boys. I think I’m a bit more strict as a parent, whereas Mark’s a bit softer. The boys would go to him if they really wanted something, as they know I’d be a bit more like, ‘No, wait for Christmas.’
We took Oliver up to Lancaster Uni in the autumn. He got three As at A level and completely astounded all of us. He’s doing Criminology. He’s happy and loving it. My younger son, Joe, is 15, and he’ll do GCSES at the end of this school year.
The house is definitely quieter without Oliver. When we said goodbye, there was a choke in my voice when I gave him a hug but I didn’t actually cry. I think it’s mostly because I’m so happy for him. He’s so curious and I want him to fly.
The boys are really low-key about me being on TV as they are so used to it. They don’t bat an eyelid. I think they’re probably more pleased that I’m on Tiktok than on national TV!
Seven years on from having breast cancer, I look back on it with gratitude to the NHS, who were unbelievably magnificent. Breast cancer is in my life a lot – I work with various charities and I’m still in touch with the breast care nurse and consultant who looked after me. Women contact me regularly to ask for advice.
It’s a massive part of my life, but now
sometimes it’s almost like it happened to someone else. I feel like I coped with it well. I was supported massively by my friends and family, which I know not everyone gets.
Being ill made me realise life is short. We have brutal reminders of that. Dame Deborah James died aged 40. On the day she died, my mum texted me saying, ‘Vic, I love you so much, I’m really feeling it for Deborah’s family.’ Because I was lucky. None of us know how long we’ve got, so I want to have incredible life experiences and enjoy it.
Mark totally stepped up. He was incredible. He did everything to look after me and the boys. We got married after I got the all-clear. We wanted to have a massive party and celebrate with our boys, Mark’s daughter – my stepdaughter, Lizzie – and with our family and friends. It was amazing.
My secret to a happy relationship is to laugh a lot. Mark is really funny and that is just a joy. You also need to realise when the other person needs a bit of support. Be a team. And don’t sweat the small stuff. I don’t care about laundry on the floor or toothpaste spills – there are bigger fish to fry.
We’re both quite romantic. I arranged a surprise holiday for him for his birthday with 17 of our friends, and then last year, he arranged a surprise birthday party for me in our local village hall. I was so taken aback. We’re both quite good at doing that stuff.
I was humbled by people’s response to the Panorama documentary I did about experiencing domestic violence as a child. The boys knew I was doing the documentary but I don’t think they knew to what extent I’d reference my own experience. I did talk to my mum and my siblings, and they were cool with it. As soon as I gave birth to Oliver, obviously I was like, how could you strike a child? It’s unbelievable, it’s cruel, it’s a power thing and vile. Clearly, that was never going to happen with my children.
Of all the negative things I’ve been through, I’ve been able to make a choice not to waste time on anger.
It can destroy the person who is feeling the anger more than the subject of the anger. Because of my breast cancer experience, I realised there isn’t time to waste on those negative emotions. There’s too much fun to be had.
I don’t have any worries about ageing. I think I’ve embraced being in my 50s. My sister had a 50th birthday party in August and she had a board of pictures of us when we were younger and my god, I looked ridiculous! No fashion sense and stupid make-up. I hope I’ve learnt to look a bit less stupid and a bit more elegant.
Healthwise, I don’t do anything special. I have to take tamoxifen, a breast cancer drug I’ll take every day for 10 years. I eat healthily every day. Mark is brilliant at making vegetable soup, which I now take to work with me. I walk the dog and always have a bowl of porridge in the morning, which I feel sets me up for the day. I try to drink as much water as I can. There’s nothing clever about any of that, but they work for me.