Sky News anchor Kay Burley has announced that she is stepping down from her broadcasting role after an impressive 36 years on air.
The 64-year-old was originally recruited by Andrew Neil to help launch Sky back in 1988 and has had countless memorable moments on the channel.
However, some of them are memorable for the wrong reasons, with viewers previously calling for her to be sacked due to her cocky manner, and the thousands of Ofcom complaints against her.
Bizarre question to serial killer’s ex-girlfriend on sex life
Considered to be one of Kay’s most controversial moments was in 2008, when she interviewed Pam Wright, who is the former girlfriend of serial killer Steve Wright – better known as the Suffolk Strangler.
Kay raised eyebrows when she suggested that Pam and Steve’s sex life could be to blame for his murder spree.
She asked a shocked Pam: “Five murders in six weeks. Do you think if you’d had a better sex life he wouldn’t have done that?”
Making Peter Andre cry on live TV
In February 2010, Kay came under fire again after making Peter Andre cry live on air while he was on the show.
The singer broke down in tears after the presenter asked Peter how he’d feel if Katie Price’s then-husband Alex Reid attempted to adopt his children with the glamour model.
Peter asked for the interview to be stopped after the very personal question, with viewers at home fuming that Kay had gone too far.
Ofcom saw 881 complaints logged over the host’s “intrusive manner” and “bullying and intimidating” interview skills.
‘Aggressive’ General Election interview
Just a few months after the Peter Andre drama, Sky viewers called for Kay to be sacked due to her coverage of the 2010 General Election.
Her interview with electoral campaigner David Babbs ended in 2,800 Ofcom complaints being filed after Kay was accused of being “biased” and “aggressive” towards her guest.
Mic swearing blunder
Kay has also previously landed herself in bother outside of interviews after she was caught using offensive language against campaigners when in Scotland in 2014, monitoring the Referendum in Aberdeen.
The news anchor was heard saying that one of the “lairy” activists “looked like a bit of a k**b,” not realising that she could be heard on the live news coverage.
She took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to apologise for her actions. She wrote: “Soz for poor language. Never alone with a microphone! Challenging environment”.
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General Election bias complaints
Kay received further backlash after she was seen as biased against Labour and Ed Miliband during the 2015 General Election, with 400 people going to Ofcom.
That March, 55 Ofcom complaints were made over claims of Islamophobia, followed by another 1,816 Ofcom complaints in June 2015 in response to her coverage of The Smiler incident at Alton Towers – alongside a petition with over 55,000 signatures for her to be fired.
Breaking Covid rules scandal
In 2020, Kay stepped down from her Sky role for several months after she was caught breaking Coronavirus rules.
The TV host celebrated her 60th birthday in London and met up with a group of pals outside her home, including Beth Rigby and Inzamam Rashid.
The group broke the 11pm curfew and socialised both at her home and in two restaurants.
After she was caught out, Kay said in a statement: “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.”
She added: “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.”
Sky News also released a statement, and clarified: “A small number of Sky News staff attended a social event in London on Saturday evening during which Covid-19 guidelines were breached. As a result of an internal review Sky News presenter Kay Burley has agreed to be off air for six months, and political editor Beth Rigby and correspondent Inzamam Rashid have agreed to be off air for three months.
“All those involved regret the incident and have apologised. Everyone at Sky News is expected to comply with the rules and the company takes breaches like this very seriously indeed.”
However, this time Kay is leaving her role for good. The presenter made the announcement on Sky News Breakfast this morning as she said in her emotional speech: “From a standing start to one of the most recognised and valued brands in global news, it’s been an honour and privilege to work with some of the best and hardest working teams in the business.”
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