Kay Burley

Born Kay Elizabeth McGurrin on December 17, 1960, in Wigan, Lancashire, England, Kay Burley began her reporting career at the age of 17, working for the Wigan Evening Post and Chronicle. Her early broadcasting experiences included roles at BBC local radio and Tyne Tees Television. In 1985, she joined TV-am as a reporter and occasional newsreader, presenting the first hour of their programming starting in 1987. She was recruited by Andrew Neil and became a foundational member of the Sky Television team, launching the Sky One Entertainment Channel in November 1988 with her documentary, ‘The Satellite Revolution,’ before transitioning to the fledgling Sky News in 1988.

Kay Burley was an integral part of the launch team at Sky News and has covered numerous major global and national events throughout her career. Her notable coverage includes breaking the news of Diana, Princess of Wales’s death in 1997, and delivering the first UK news of the September 11 attacks. She reported from Sri Lanka following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, covered the 2005 general election, the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, and the birth of Prince George in 2013. In 2018, she launched ‘The Kay Burley Show’ and subsequently moved to host the breakfast slot, ‘Kay Burley @Breakfast,’ in 2019. On February 5, 2025, it was announced that Burley would be leaving Sky News after 36 years.

Beyond her television work, Burley has contributed to the Sunday Mirror and appeared on Channel 5’s news bulletins. She has also presented on London talk radio station LBC 97.3. In 2011 and 2012, she published two novels, ‘First Ladies’ and ‘Betrayal,’ reflecting her versatility as a writer. Additionally, Burley participated in the second series of ITV’s ‘Dancing on Ice’ in 2007, donating her appearance fee to MacMillan Cancer Care, and later appeared on ‘Celebrity Hunted’ in 2018.