'If one little thing had gone wrong, my entire path in life would have changed'

TV presenter Charlene White on her strict Jamaican upbringing in southeast London, her own tough parenting style and why she'd love the Princess of Wales to be a guest on Loose Women

- BEX MAY

Charlene White is no stranger to talking about herself on lunchtime chat show Loose Women, opening up about even the most hard-hitting topics. But now the presenter, newsreader and columnist has shared the full story of her life so far in a revealing new memoir.

In her heartfelt book, No Place Like Home, 44-year-old Charlene explores what home means to her, and others, through stories of her life and the challenges she has tackled along the way.

When we sit down for a chat with Jamaican Londoner Charlene, whose parents grew up in the Caribbean, she tells us that home to her is both those places. She says, “I was raised in a Jamaican household in London. So, although I’ve never lived in Jamaica, I’ve been going back and forth to it my entire life, so that also feels like home to me. There’s space in my heart for both.”

Here, the mum-of-two, who was the first black woman to present News At Ten on ITV, chats about growing up while facing racism, the parenting style that has caused controversy with her Loose Women co-stars, and her worst celebrity encounter ever…

Hi, Charlene. Which stories did you want to share that you haven’t before?

I wanted to explore the reality of what it was like for my parents and my grandparents when they first moved here, trying to build a home in southeast London. Growing up in a very strict Jamaican household, there were loads of things I wasn’t allowed to do. But as an adult, I understand why. We had racists living up the road in Eltham, and possible gangs in the area. They were trying to keep us away from those dangers. Writing the book, I realised there were many moments where if one little thing had gone wrong, my entire path in life would have changed.