Veteran News Anchor Leaving Network After 36 Years

After more than a million minutes of live television, one of British broadcasting’s most formidable interviewers is signing off. Kay Burley, a founding presenter of Sky News and one of the U.K.’s most recognizable journalists, announced her retirement from the network during Wednesday morning’s breakfast program, Variety reports.

The veteran broadcaster, 64, delivered her final broadcast on what coincidentally marked Sky News’s 36th anniversary. “After over a million minutes of live TV news, more than anyone else in the world, it’s time for me to indulge in some of my other passions, including my love for travel,” Burley told viewers in her farewell address. She added, “So, after covering 12 separate general elections, including Sir Keir Starmer’s victory last year, I am retiring from Sky News, let politicians of every party just rejoice at that news.”

Burley’s career began at age 17 with the Wigan Evening Post and Chronicle in Lancashire, leading to roles at BBC local radio stations and Tyne Tees Television before joining TV-am in 1985. She became one of Sky News’s founding presenters in 1989, covering landmark events, including Princess Diana’s death, the 9/11 terror attacks, the Asian tsunami, and the Concorde air disaster.

Her tough interviewing style earned both admiration and notoriety among politicians. Sky News executive chairman David Rhodes thanked her for her “huge contribution to Sky, to the art of the interview and to British journalism” in a staff memo (via The Independent) while noting that “some MPs in Westminster will sleep easy knowing they won’t face her indomitable questioning in the mornings.” The U.S. embassy in London even described facing her questions as a “rite of passage” for their diplomats.

“News by its very nature is often devastating and together we’ve covered so many life-changing events,” Burley reflected during her final broadcast. “But we’ve also enjoyed some wonderful high notes too, haven’t we – the thrill of London winning the chance to host the 2012 Olympics; a plethora of royal weddings; jubilees and who can forget days and days and days waiting for royal babies to arrive at the Lindo Wing.”

Fellow journalists celebrated Burley’s impact on British media. Sky News political editor Beth Rigby hailed her as a “trailblazer and inspiration to a whole generation of women,” while former Sky News journalist Adam Boulton noted, “there are no other women of her background who have had such an impact on British news and current affairs.” BBC’s John Simpson said he was “very sorry the excellent Kay Burley won’t be gracing Sky News from now on.”

Burley’s career included both triumphs and controversies. In September 2018, she launched her eponymous show before moving to the breakfast slot a year later. In October 2023, the network addressed concerns about her coverage when Sky News conceded that her on-air remarks about the Palestinian ambassador to the UK “gave a potentially misleading representation” of his views, following 1,537 Ofcom complaints.

As she concluded her final broadcast, Burley celebrated Sky News’s evolution “from a standing start to one of the most recognized and valued brands in global news,” expressing gratitude to viewers: “Thank you for waking up and tuning in every morning. I can’t tell you how much I have appreciated your support over the last three-and-a-half decades – you’re awesome. I will post more on my social media and hope to see you around. Please keep in touch.”