Kate Silverton has revealed she quit her high-profile BBC job because the impact of pandemic policies on children was not being questioned enough.
The former newsreader said she no longer enjoyed the industry by the time she left in 2021. The mother of two, 53, retrained as a child psychologist because she wanted to help out more. Kate, who worked at the BBC for more than two decades, told Psychologies magazine: “News wasn’t bringing me joy throughout that period of time.
“And I was questioning a lot of the policies that weren’t being interrogated as rigorously as they might have been journalistically, in terms of the impact I was seeing the pandemic having on children. I wanted to be in a position where I was helping more.” The Government has faced criticism for its decision to close schools for long periods during lockdown, as well as its policies on children wearing masks.
Kate joined the broadcaster in 1997 and was a regular face on BBC News at One and BBC Weekend News. She also made occasional appearances on the BBC News Channel and BBC World News. The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant has a psychology degree from Durham University.
At the time of her departure, she said: “My academic background is in child psychology, and becoming a mum really inspired me. My journey has been decades long, both in understanding more about children’s mental health, and as a parent really benefiting from all the interviews and access to advice I was given by incredible people.” In her latest interview, Kate added: “People often ask me – women especially – if there is a second act when it comes to your career, and my advice is always to follow your heart and your joy.
“It can take a massive leap of faith, and I know we’re not all in the position financially, but sometimes when you commit to an idea, providence will follow. You can have a second act, you just have to decide what it’s going to be.” Kate went through a gruelling IVF experience with her ex-Royal Marine husband Mike Heron, which included several unsuccessful rounds of treatment. Kate admitted it often made harder by her high-pressure job.
“I learned a lot in my own journey,” Kate told The Mirror last year. “My advice for someone going through the early stages of IVF is, first and foremost, find out if there’s a reason behind the infertility.” Kate lost an ovary during an operation to remove a cyst when she was 29 and was later told that she was unlikely ever to get pregnant naturally.
“I had physiological issues,” she explained. “But there can also be a lot to do with stress. When we respond to stressors – such as work or difficult family circumstances – adrenaline and cortisol are constantly being triggered, and these hormones don’t create the best environment. We want to facilitate the optimum chances for us to conceive, whether with IVF or naturally. I didn’t do that. I was going off to Afghanistan and jabbing myself with IVF [drugs], and looking back now, I think, ‘Why? Why did I do that?’. But you can get caught up.”
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