Kay Burley's most embarrassing Sky News gaffes as she quits after 36 years
Kay Burley has quit Sky after joining in 1988 - and has racked up countless complaints over her long tenure with the broadcaster, alongside petitions for her to quite and a period of absence for rule-breaking
Kay Burley has quit Sky after joining in 1988 - and has racked up countless complaints over her long tenure with the broadcaster, alongside petitions for her to quite and a period of absence for rule-breakingKay Burley once got 2,800 after just one interview, and it was a recurring theme in her long career (
Image: Sky News)
Sky News star Kay Burley announced today that she’s quitting the station after an incredible 36 years on air.
Kay, 64, was recruited by Andrew Neil directly to help launch Sky in 1988, and has had plenty of career highs on the news channel. Unfortunately, she’s also had plenty of career lows, even having people calling for her to be sacked due to her brash manner and the thousands of Ofcom complaints logged against her.
Bizarre question to serial killer's ex-girlfriend on sex life
One of Kay’s most controversial moments came in 2008, when she interviewed Pam Wright, former girlfriend of Steve Wright - better known as the Suffolk Strangler. In a bizarre line of questioning, Kay suggested that Pam and Steve’s sex life could be to blame for his murder spree.
“Five murders in six weeks. Do you think if you’d had a better sex life he wouldn’t have done that?” Kay asked an aghast Pam.
One shocking moment saw her ask the Suffolk Strangler's ex-partner if he wouldn't have committed the murders if they'd had a 'better sex life' (
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(Image: Sky News))Making Peter Andre cry on live TV
Soon after, in February 2010, Kay had Peter Andre on the show and was slammed after making him cry live on air. Peter appeared to break down in tears after Kay asked him how he’d feel if Katie Price’s then-husband Alex Reid tried to adopt his children with the glamour model.
Peter asked the interview to stop after the very personal question, and viewers at home agreed that Kay had gone too far, with 881 complaints logged to Ofcom over the host’s "intrusive manner" and "bullying and intimidating" interview skills.
Slapped with Ofcom complaints over 'aggressive' General Election interview
Just a couple of months after the Peter Andre drama, Sky viewers demanded that Kay be sacked due to her coverage of the 2010 General Election. Her interview with electoral campaigner David Babbs resulted in a shocking 2,800 Ofcom complaints after she was seen as being “biased” and “aggressive” towards her guest.
Mic swearing blunder
Interviews aside, Kay was caught using offensive language against campaigners when in Scotland in 2014, monitoring the Referendum in Aberdeen. The star was heard saying that one of the “lairy” activists “looked like a bit of a k**b,” seemingly not realising that she could be heard on the live news coverage.
Fans were horrified after she made Peter Andre cry and stop their interview with her 'bullying and intimidating' questions (
Image:
Sky News)
She quickly took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to apologise for her words. "Soz for poor language. Never alone with a microphone! Challenging environment,” she said.
General Election bias complaints
Kay then experienced another slew of complaints, with 400 people going to Ofcom after she was seen as biased against Labour and Ed Miliband during the 2015 General Election.
That March, 55 Ofcom complaints were logged 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
Then, in 2020, Kay stepped down from her role on Sky for several months after being caught breaching Coronavirus restrictions.
The TV presenter celebrated her 60th birthday in London, meeting a group of friends outside her home - including Beth Rigby and Inzamam Rashid - breaking the 11pm curfew, and “socialising” both at her home and in two restaurants.
While she survived multiple calls from viewers to be fired, Kay stepped down for months after being caught breaking Covid-19 restrictions with her Sky News pals (
Image:
Sky News)
Following being 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.”
While Kay was off-air for a few months at the time, she’s now quit her role for good. She made the announcement on Sky News Breakfast this morning, saying at the beginning of 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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