‘Susanna Reid is my girl crush'

Kay Burley on the reason she refuses to start a rivalry with her fellow breakfast TV presenter

- SARAH MORTON

To say we’re nervous about interviewing Kay Burley, host of Sky News @Breakfast and all-round tough cookie is an understatement. Over her 40+ years as a reporter, she’s asked the tough questions to everyone from royalty to prime ministers, including Hillary Clinton and our very own Peter Andre, who she famously brought to tears on live TV when quizzing him on the custody arrangement for his kids.

This woman knows what she’s doing and she’s unapologetic about getting answers. So what a delight to find Kay, 59, is actually very sweet, if firm, when we chat to her after her breakfast show.

She’s discussing her involvement with the Safe Haven for Donkeys charity, a cause dear to her heart, but she’s also happy to talk about her career highlights and how she gets people talking every morning with her no-nonsense delivery.

Prior to their summer break, she was up against GMB’s Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid in what we assumed was a bloodbath of a ratings war. But it turns out they’re actually all pretty chummy!

Here, Kay reveals why she and Piers won’t turn against each other, the biggest stories she’s worked on and how things are “all cool” between her and Pete now...

Hi Kay! Every morning when we log onto Twitter, you seem to be trending. You must have a thick skin to do this job…

Well, yes, but you don’t listen to what strangers say when they’re criticising you. Trolls on Twitter having a pop? I couldn’t care less. If my family or friends believe I’ve overstepped the mark, then absolutely I need to have a think about it. But people make mistakes all the time – hopefully we learn from them.

You’ve interviewed some of the biggest names of all time. Do you still get nervous?