
Kay Burley has announced she’s stepping down from Sky News after a remarkable career spanning 36 years and witnessing many hair-raising moments.
In her time, the veteran newsreader, 64, has covered everything from the death of Diana, Princess of Wales to the September 11 attacks – and for many years has been the face of the broadcaster.
Her lengthy career has seen exhilarating moments of brilliance – including her dogged reporting in the face of stubborn interviewees, and determination to get to the bottom of the story.
However, Burley has put her career at risk on more than one occasion, most notably when she faced a six-month suspension for breaking lockdown rules.
She’s also come under fire for her ‘insensitive’ reporting, including making Peter Andre cry, while causing furore for her handling of the April Jones murder investigation.
Burley has also been victim to numerous social media gaffes, including mixing up people’s names in tributes – as well as a rather awkward misuse of the aubergine emoji.
Kay Burley has announced she’s stepping down from Sky News after a remarkable career spanning 36 years

Her lengthy career has seen exhilarating moments of brilliance – but she’s also been the victim of numerous errors and gaffes
Kay said previously said her ‘sense of humour’ is what she prizes above all else – saying she’s needed to keep her ‘sane’ while surrounded by serious employees – in an 2015 interview with the Mail.
She added: ‘People say I’m po-faced, but they’d be amazed how naughty I am.’
Kay made the announcement at the end of the programme this morning with no notice – looking back on a remarkable career at the forefront of news having been part of the team that launched Sky News in 1989.
The presenter, reported to earn at least £600,000 a year as of 2020, has certainly not been able to please everyone in her time, but has pushed through to become one of the most recognisable faces on TV.
Here, FEMAIL looks back at her most memorable moment from her three decades on the screen.
Suspension for breaking lockdown rules

Beth Rigby (right) broke lockdown rules to attend a 60th birthday party for Sky anchor Kay Burley and was suspended herself for three months before she returned earlier this year in March to her role on the channel of political editor
Kay’s greatest risk to her news career came in December 2020, when she was pilloried in public after she was caught flouting coronavirus restrictions to party with colleagues in central London in December.
Sky political editor Beth Rigby, Miss Burley’s colleague and close friend, was also suspended over the same gathering but came back to work in March. Inzamam Rashid was given the same suspension for being there and is also back at work, but presenter Samantha Washington was only off air for a week for her attendance.
After the birthday party was exposed by Guido in December, Miss Burley had announced: ‘I have today agreed with Sky News to step back from my broadcasting role for a period of reflection.
‘It’s clear to me that we are all in the fight against Covid-19 and that we all have a duty to stick firmly by the rules.
‘It doesn’t matter that I thought I was Covid-compliant on a recent social event. The fact is I was wrong, I made a big mistake, and I am sorry.

Pictured: The route Kay Burley and colleagues took across London as she celebrated her birthday on Saturday, December 5
‘Some dear friends and colleagues – some of the most talented and committed professionals in our business – have been pulled into this episode and I regret this enormously.
‘I was one of the founding presenters on Sky News. No one is prouder of our channel’s reputation, the professionals on our team and the impact we make.
‘I very much look forward to being able to continue my 32-year career with Sky when I return.’
The story of how her rulebreaking was discovered was like the plot of a TV revenge drama.
Junior production staff at Sky News leaked details of Ms Burley’s plans for her 60th birthday celebrations in what was described as ‘perfect inside-job coup’.
The star was heard discussing plans to dine at the members-only Century Club, near Piccadilly Circus, with a group bigger than six, the then-maximum number allowed under Covid rules.

Burley was the face of Sky for many years, with her most famous moments including announcing the death of Princess Diana in 1997 (pictured)
They recruited a paparazzi photographer to take pictures of the group and created an encrypted email account to leak the story to the media.
Ms Burley was one of the founding presenters on Sky News after she was hired in 1988. She previously hosted an afternoon live show but was moved to anchor the breakfast programme in 2019.
She later returned to work in June 2021 – six months after news of the scandal.
Wearing a bright blue suit, Miss Burley triumphantly told her viewers at 7am: ‘Hello everybody, it is great to be back. It is 7 o’clock here in the UK, welcome wherever you are – let’s crack on.’
During the rest of the programme she made periodic mentions to her return, saying after 8am: ‘Hi everyone, great to be back’.
April Jones murder investigation tragedy

In 2012, Kay Burley was branded ‘insensitive bordering on cruel’ by Twitter users after she broke the news of April Jones’ alleged murder to volunteers
In 2012, Kay Burley was branded ‘insensitive bordering on cruel’ by Twitter users after she broke the news of April Jones’ alleged murder to volunteers on live television.
Mark Bridger, 46, had been arrested on suspicion of the murder of April Jones that morning, suggesting detectives were looking for the five-year-old’s body.
The development was announced to the media at a police press conference shortly after 10.30am.
But as the news broke Burley, who had been reporting from Machynlleth since April was reported missing, asked two members of the community for their reaction.
The interviewees – believed to be volunteers searching for April – said they hadn’t heard any updates so Burley chose to break the news to them live on air.
With her back to the camera, Burley said: ‘They [the police] don’t expect to find her alive.
‘I’m sorry to have to tell you in circumstances like this… would you like to say anything?’
One woman was then seen on camera crying and gasping, putting her hand over her mouth.

The controversial interview, watched by thousands of people across the country, sparked an immediate Twitter storm with users questioning the presenter’s judgement
The controversial interview, watched by thousands of people across the country, sparked an immediate Twitter storm with users questioning the presenter’s judgement.
It also raised questions over the ethics of rolling live news coverage of such news stories.
Labour MP Tom Watson called the interview ‘insensitive bordering on cruel’ on Twitter.
Lauren Laverne tweeted: ‘Kay Burley. Wow. Just wow’, while LilythePurr said: ‘Harrowing heartbreaking news compounded by unethical journalism. Shame on you Kay Burley.’
Another user said it was: ‘The worst kind of television news reporting: cruel and pointless’.
Moments after the interview Burley’s Wikipedia page was updated with a spoof update.
It reads ‘She also works part-time as Death, being the first to announce the demise of then-missing child April Jones, her primary source being her own testimony.’
A spokesman for Sky News said: ‘It is clear from the full clip that Kay did not start the interview with the intention of breaking the sad development to them.
‘However, as the interview unfolded, she found herself having to explain the developments and she sought to deal with it as sensitively as possible whilst continuing to offer some comfort to the interviewees.
‘Everyone at Sky News has the greatest sympathy for all those affected by this tragic story and we will continue work with the police and local community to keep people informed.’
Making Peter Andre cry

In a live interview in 2010, Burley’s interviewing style made Peter Andre cry, before leaving the interview
In a live interview in 2010, Burley’s interviewing style made Peter Andre cry, before leaving the interview.
She reduced the pop star and TV presenter to tears during the conversation after asking him whether he worried about losing custody of his children.
Andre, who was on the show to promote his new tour, was left devastated and asked for the interview to end.
The Australian singer was overcome with emotion when probed by Kay Burley about the role Katie Price’s new cage-fighter husband Alex Reid would play in his children’s lives.
He asked to cut the segment short as he struggled to hold back tears, declaring: ‘Nobody is going to take my kids away from me.’
Andre was ostensibly on the programme to promote his new Valentine’s Day album, Unconditional Love Songs.
Andre did his utmost to deflect questions about the wedding, repeatedly stating that he was only concerned about his children.
When pushed about Reid, he said: ‘I don’t know the man, I’ve never met him.
‘I couldn’t care less, I’m so sorry, I’m not being bitter.’
He said Junior, 4, and Princess, 2, were not yet aware Price and Reid had wed, adding: ‘I guess it’s something I’m going to have to explain to them.’
But the interview took a turn when Burley played a clip from a previous interview with Dwight Yorke, the father of Price’s disabled son, Harvey, 7.
In the clip, which Andre had not seen before, Dwight described Andre’s request to adopt Harvey as ‘disrespectful’.
An incensed Andre responded: ‘I asked to adopt him because I love him, not to be disrespectful. That angers me a little bit.’
Burley then asked how he would feel if Celebrity Big Brother winner Reid wanted to adopt his children.

She reduced the pop star and TV presenter to tears during the conversation after asking him whether he worried about losing custody of his children

Andre put an end to the interview, for which Burley later apologised
A clearly distressed Andre replied: ‘No one is going to take my kids away from me. And I will fight to the death for that.’
He repeated: ‘Nobody is going to take those kids away from me. It’s not going to happen.’
Teary-eyed, he eventually said: ‘I’d rather just stop this if that’s alright.’
Burley apologised for upsetting him and later told concerned viewers that ‘everything’s fine’.
Burley said that Andre was ‘pre-warned’ that the programme had interviewed footballer Dwight Yorke, the father of Price’s first child Harvey.
Price later separated from Reid in 2012. He won a court case against her in 2019 after she allegedly showed explicit photographs of him on Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit On The Side.
Ofcom received 881 complaints from viewers, the majority of whom were concerned by the ‘intrusive’ manner in which Andre was interviewed.
But neither Andre, nor anyone authorised to act on his behalf, complained of unfair treatment or infringement of privacy to the regulator.
Ofcom found that Burley’s interview was ‘persistent and probing’ – but not ‘bullying and intimidating’.
The regulator found it was ‘in keeping’ with the established editorial line of the programme to ask Andre questions about the new marriage given that it was a major news story.
Ofcom said: ‘Further, it was understandable that the presenter focused on the human interest angle of the wedding by asking Peter Andre for his reaction, and how it would impact on their children.
‘In Ofcom’s view, the audience could therefore reasonably have expected the presenter to ask him about the wedding, and the implications of it, given that the interview was taking place on a rolling news programme on the same day that the wedding featured as a major news item.’
The watchdog said Andre ‘knew that the wedding had taken place, was a major news story, and that he would be asked questions about it when he agreed to proceed with the interview’.
Ofcom described Burley’s tone as ‘measured’ overall and said she did not put inappropriate pressure on him for a response.
It said of Burley: ‘She also expressed concern about his well being and apologised for any upset the broadcast may have generated.
Sadness in dog’s eyes

Sky News anchor Kay Burley was mocked for tweeting a picture of a dog in Paris with the caption ‘sadness in his eyes’ following the 2015 terror attacks
Sky News anchor Kay Burley was mocked for tweeting a picture of a dog in Paris with the caption ‘sadness in his eyes’ following the 2015 terror attacks.
The presenter, an avowed dog lover, posted a picture of an old Labrador with the caption: ‘Sadness in his eyes #parisattacks’.
But instead of receiving sympathy, she was criticised for insensitivity and misjudging the mood.
Others mocked her by tweeting pictures of their pets with ironic captions. It also led to the phrase #sadnessinhiseyes trending on Twitter.
People wrote: ‘My horse is still in shock!’, while others uploaded pictures of a ‘sad’ blobfish, dog and even a potato.
Burley was reporting from Paris on the attacks – which were the deadliest in Europe since the 2004 Madrid bombings with hundreds left dead.
Terror group ISIS later claimed responsibility, after gunmen burst into the Bataclan concert hall and took hostages before security forces stormed the hall.
Elsewhere across the French capital, people were shot dead at bars and restaurants, while hundreds more were injured.
Brutal swipe at Gregg Wallace

Kay Burley took aim at Gregg Wallace when she invited him onto her breakfast show to talk about his sex life before jeering ‘I can’t imagine that would take very long’. Pictured: Kay Burley and former head of Channel 4 news, Dorothy Byrne

A total of 13 people, including Kirsty Wark, have complained about Wallace’s conduct while working with him over a 17-year period across five shows, from 2005 to 2022. Pictured: Gregg Wallace
After allegations of harrassment against Gregg Wallace were exposed, Kay Burley appeared to take a swipe at the former MasterChef judge.
She invited him onto her breakfast show to talk about his sex life before jeering: ‘I can’t imagine that would take very long.’
The Sky News presenter made the jibe while discussing the ‘sexual comments’ probe which saw the MasterChef host step away from his role on the BBC show.
A total of 13 people, including Kirsty Wark, have complained about Wallace’s conduct while working with him over a 17-year period across five shows, from 2005 to 2022.
Talking with the former head of Channel 4 news, Dorothy Byrne, Burley said: ‘I would be very happy for him to come and talk to me over the next few days or weeks – whether he would like to talk about his sex life or not.
‘I can’t imagine that would take very long.’
As Byrne visibly grimaced at the mention of Wallace’s bedroom antics, Burley swiftly changed the subject asking: ‘As a former head of a news organisation how should this have been handled?’
Very strange moans from Sky News exit poll

The Sky News studio was heard making some unusual noises as Labour’s predicted majority of 170 showed up on screen
One of the most standout moments of the 2024 General Election was bizarrely the Sky News exit poll.
A stunned Sky News studio led the way with the most bizarre reaction as Labour’s predicted landslide was dramatically revealed by Britain’s broadcasters.
As the staggering results from the exit poll were released at 10pm, presenters across Sky, ITV, Channel 4 and the BBC revealed to the nation that Sir Keir Starmer was on track to win 410 of the 650 seats, with the Conservatives set for just 131.
But the strangest reaction came from the Sky News studio, who could be heard making some unusual noises as Labour’s predicted majority of 170 showed up on screen.
Viewers were left stunned as presenter Kay Burley and Labour mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham let out a series of strange moans as they were left completely speechless.

Laura Kuenssberg and Clive Myrie were much more measured as they revealed the exit poll

The poll revealed Sir Keir Starmer was on track to win 410 of the 650 seats
It prompted social media users to ask: ‘What is happening in the Sky News studio?!’
A replay of their reactions was shown moments later, with Mr Burnham seen nearly jumping out of his seat and raising his arms in the air as he sat next to a far from impressed Baroness Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives.
Words including ‘oh my God’ and ‘woah’ could also be heard from the team, which included political editor Beth Rigby, Sunday breakfast show presenter Sir Trevor Phillips, and data and economics editor Ed Conway.
As expected, the BBC gave a much more controlled update as the polls closed at 10pm.
BBC presenter Laura Kuenssberg said: ‘As Big Ben strikes 10, the exit poll is predicting a Labour landslide.’
Ofcom complaints over General Election coverage

Kay Burley of Sky News poses with Labour Party Leader Ed Miliband ahead of the filming of ‘Cameron & Miliband’ in 2015
The 2024 General Election wasn’t the first time Burley had stirred up controversy over her coverage.
In 2010, Sky viewers demanded for her to be sacked over her reporting on that year’s vote.
The presenter questioned the motives of 38 Degrees campaign group director David Babbs, who joined thousands of protesters lobbying for a reform of the current voting system in London.
Constantly interrupting Mr Babbs, who was keen to speak about the consequences of a coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, Ms Burley said: ‘Your views are not going to sway the people that are talking behind closed doors.
‘The public have voted for a hung parliament. We have got exactly what we voted for… so you marching down past Westminster today will make no difference whatsoever.’
As the interview continued, Ms Burley appeared to be getting increasingly angry, before she asked Mr Babbs why he and the other protesters were there, adding: ‘Why don’t you just go home? Why don’t you go home and watch it on Sky News?’
Viewers took to Twitter to start a ‘sack Kay Burley’ topic, which quickly became top of the list of trends on the social networking site.
Viewers also started discussions on the internet, with one saying: ‘Kay Burley is supposed to report the news not bully and heckle the people making it.
‘How she loves her own opinions – I don’t think she drew breath there, just kept mouthing to stop him getting a word in. Bad form.’
Another added: ‘She is a caricature of biased reporting and sour grapes… and one who thinks that activism should be undertaken only by the controlled media.’
A statement from Sky News read: ‘We invited Mr Babbs on air to articulate the views of the protesters. The interview was conducted in a fair and rigorous manner.’
In 2015, she was accused of being biased against Labour and Ed Miliband.
TV watchdogs were inundated with complaints as senior Labour figures accused the presenter of intervening ‘aggressively’ on the Labour leader as he took questions from the studio audience.
But Burley brushed off the criticism, insisting she thought Mr Miliband ‘did brilliantly’ during the programme, as polls showed David Cameron secured a narrow victory over his opponent.
Royal row over birth coverage

In 2013, Kay was noted for her extensive coverage of the birth of Prince George, even doing her make-up outside, while wearing the same blouse for the entire 36 hours
In 2013, Kay completed a 36-hour solo marathon outside the Lindo Wing at London’s St Mary’s Hospital waiting for the arrival of our future King, Prince George.
Kay managed to conjure up drama for the event, which at the time was Sky’s third most watched ever.
‘Just to get a different perspective we’re walking to the other side of the road,’ she said, before she discussed air conditioning with tourists.
Kay even said she was told that William and Kate were watching and cried ‘it’s a boy! It’s a boy!’ when the news finally broke.
She fed the channel with updates for over 12 hours – even when absolutely nothing was happening, and appeared to be wearing the same clothes for the entire time period.

However, her coverage of Prince Louis’s birth in 2018 met with controversy when she called him another ‘porker’
But her coverage of Prince Louis’s birth in 2018 met with mixed reactions.
Kay exclaimed ‘it’s another porker’ as it was revealed Kate and William’s third child weighed 8lb 7oz.
All of three of the Duchess of Cambridge’s children have weighed more than 8lbs – but Louis was the heaviest.
Sky News’ royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills broke the news of the birth live on air, to which her colleague Ms Burley replied: ‘Thank you! It’s a boy, it’s a boy’.
When she announced the 8lb 7oz birth weight Kay turned to camera, laughed excitedly and said: ‘It’s another porker, again!’.
Calling a campaigner a k**b live on air

Burley was caught accidentally calling a campaigner a k**b live on air in 2014, not realising her microphone was on
In 2014 ahead of the Scottish referendum, a live blunder saw Burley call a ‘yes’ campaigner a ‘k***’ live on air.
She rounded on a nationalist who had been trying to hit her cameraman live on air, as Yes campaigners were accused of threatening journalists.
She made her remark during a live broadcast from Aberdeen after she was repeatedly heckled as she broadcast a series of reports.
At one point, unaware her mic was live, she was clearly heard to call one campaigner ‘a bit of a k**b’.
The presenter later claimed she made the remark after a Yes campaigner tried ‘to hit’ one of her cameramen with a stick, and hadn’t realised it would be caught by her microphone.
She apologised for her language which was caught just as she was going on air after being heckled by Yes campaigners in the background.
She said in reply to a Twitter user who asked about the incident: ‘no, someone who wanted to hit my cameraman with a stick. Not acceptable.’
She later apologised via Twitter: ‘Soz for poor language. Never alone with a microphone! Challenging environment.’
When she used the aubergine emoji incorrectly

The Sky News anchor appeared to tell her followers that her son was planning to take his friend’s penis with him while squaring up to her rude Twitter follower
In 2019 Kay Burley was trolled on Twitter for incorrectly using the aubergine emoji while trying to blast a ‘keyboard warrior’ critic.
The Sky News anchor, from Wigan, Lancashire, told her followers that she was going to be jumping off a mountain later today while going paragliding.
One commenter asked if she would be doing so ‘without a harness’, adding that he hoped so.
The seasoned broadcaster hit back, saying: ‘Wonder how brave keyboard warriors would be if they were face to face with my 6′ son and his mates [aubergine emoji].’
Many took the odd placement of the vegetable to assume her son was planning to take his friend’s penis with him while squaring up to her rude Twitter follower.
One Twitter user joked: ‘I reckon I could take him. No issue with you, just want to fight a 6 foot aubergine.’
Audrey added: ‘Just out of curiosity… how do you know his mates’ [aubergine emoji] are so impressive?’
Mollie Goodfellow wrote: ‘His mate’s what.’
Burley later clarified that her badly-placed emoji was actually intended to mean that the guy she was replying to was a d***’.
But that didn’t stop the jokes from taking the mick out of the journalist.
One user commented: ‘The most troubling part is the [aubergine] emoji.’
Another said: ‘The [aubergine emoji] takes this in a very disturbing direction.’
Burley has one son, Alexander, from her marriage to Steve Kutner.
Confusing Dennis Waterman and Pete Waterman in social media gaffe

Mistake: The news presenter, 61, made the embarrassing error when she paid tribute to a ‘Pete Waterman’, not Dennis Waterman (pictured) in a Twitter tribute
In 2022 Kay Burley was forced to apologise after confusing Dennis Waterman with another TV star after his death aged 74 was announced.
The news presenter made the embarrassing error when she paid tribute to a ‘Pete Waterman’, not Dennis Waterman in a Twitter tribute.
Pete Waterman is a record producer who was a judge on Popstars: The Rivals.
The journalist wrote in her amended tweet: ‘RIP Dennis Waterman. A brilliant actor who was a staple on our screens throughout the 70s and 80s.
‘Loved The Sweeney. Loved Minder more. He was 74.
She added: ‘My apologies for using the incorrect first name for Dennis in a previous tweet which I have deleted.’
Many figures in the entertainment industry rushed to pay tribute to the actor, recalling some of his most iconic roles and huge talent.

Whoops: Pete Waterman is a record producer who was a judge on Popstars: The Rivals (her original tweet with the mistake is pictured)

Amended: The journalist wrote in her amended tweet: ‘RIP Dennis Waterman. A brilliant actor who was a staple on our screens throughout the 70s and 80s’
Legendary TV actor Dennis died at the age of 74, his family announced at the time.
Waterman was one of the most popular television actors of the 1970s in 80s. He starred as bodyguard Terry McCann in Minder after first finding fame as tough nut cop George Carter in The Sweeney.
In more recent years, he starred as Gerry Standing in the BBC’s New Tricks, and throughout his career other TV roles included ITV’s Where The Heart Is, The Canterbury Tales and Moses Jones, both for the BBC.
In a statement, his family said he died with his wife Pam at his side.
They stated: ‘We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved Dennis passed away very peacefully at his home in Spain. The family kindly ask that our privacy is respected at this very difficult time.’
In 2016, Burley made a similar gaffe when she tweeted her condolences over the death of veteran broadcaster Malcolm Muggeridge.
But Muggeridge had died in 1990 – and Burley had in fact meant BBC broadcaster Cliff Michelmore.
Doing press-ups in heels live on TV

In 2018 Kay performed press-ups live on TV in a dress and heels as part of a fitness routine
In 2018, Sky viewers were in for yet another hair-raising surprise as the newsreader stepped away from her desk to take part in a five-minute fitness routine.
As part of a news feature about the benefits of quick bursts of fitness, Kay, 57, joined a personal trainer from the program Fit in 5 on the floor to give a demonstration.
During the segment on Sky News, Kay was seen on all fours as she showed viewers how to do the perfect press up.
Under the instruction of the male PT, Kay performed a kneeling press up – crossing both of her legs behind her in an effort to preserve her modesty, while wearing heels and a slim-fitting dress.
Encouraging her to bring her knees up Kay remarks ‘Have you seen my heels? I can’t really do it with heels on can I?’
Kay said: ‘Always up for a Fit in 5 challenge. Even in heels. Now off to mourn my Gordon. Thanks for all kind wishes.’
Being told she was a ‘bit dim’ by a Labour MP

Labour MP Chris Bryant called Burley a ‘bit dim’ in one awkward moment from a 2010 interview

Burley was interviewing him about the News Of The World phone hacking scandal
In September 2010, Burley interviewed Labour MP Chris Bryant about the News Of The World phone hacking scandal.
Burley challenged him to provide evidence that phone hacking and illegal techniques were ‘endemic’ in the media.
Bryant then cited a report by the Independent Commissioner that referenced more than 1,000 cases.
Burley said: ‘So you are in a position to have listened to the debate and read the report and as a result you are content to say that on telly.’
Bryant replied: ‘I have just said that. You seem to be a bit dim, if you don’t mind me saying so.’