SHE is the daughter of divorced parents who has travelled far up the social and economic ladder, achieving career and marriage success along the way.
Not Meghan Markle but Kirsty Young, a lead presenter of the BBC’s coverage of the royal wedding and the Scotswoman tipped to one day take over from chief anchor Huw Edwards.
Young, born in East Kilbride, left Scotland for London in 1996 after stints reading the news on BBC Scotland and STV’s Scotland Today. As the face of 5 News she was the first to perfect the news desk “perch”. The BBC became her home in 2006 when she took over Desert Island Discs, then Crimewatch. She is also a frequent host of the satirical quiz show Have I Got News for You?
READ MORE: Back to reality after fairytale wedding with wow factor
The 49-year-old mother of two is married to Nick Jones, founder of the Soho House chain of private members’ clubs and luxury resorts including Babington House in Somerset. Celebrities figure prominently among the membership.
It was Mr Jones who almost provided an awkward moment for his wife on Saturday when he appeared on camera in the congregation at St George’s, chatting to Elton John and David and Victoria Beckham.
Ms Young, however, did not miss a beat. “Oh, there’s my old man,” she told viewers. “And Miss Freya Jones, who happens to be my daughter.”
She once said her time in Scotland was good preparation for the criticism that came her way when she took over Desert Island Discs. One writer called her “overbearing”, another said she was “too nice” for the Radio 4 show with a reputation for drawing confessions from the famous.
Poll: only 41 per cent of Scots support monarchy
“I was fortunate to start in Scottish TV where I got it in the neck just for being a woman on telly – people camped outside my door, or paid friends for stories, which upset me at the time,” she told the Radio Times. “But it was a brilliant baptism. I learnt that if I become preoccupied with what people write, it’s the road to hell.”
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