Louise Minchin, the former face of BBC Breakfast, has been a familiar presence on our screens, venturing into various reality TV endeavours such as Time Crashers, Celebrity MasterChef, and an arduous 100-mile journey across the Namib Desert for Sport Relief.
The 56-year-old broadcaster is gearing up to take part in Celebrity Gladiators next year. Yet, there’s one popular show she won’t be joining – BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. In a candid chat with The Times, Louise revealed that her children have firmly vetoed her participation due to her less-than-stellar dancing skills.
“They know I’m a terrible dancer so the possibility of being hugely embarrassing is massive,” she said. “I’m banned for being embarrassing.” Despite this, she voiced her excitement over joining the celebrity special edition of Gladiators.
According to the Express, she said: “I am so excited to be on Gladiators. I have watched the show for years and have always thought it looked like terrifying fun, and I can’t wait to be part of it!”
After two decades of gracing the iconic red sofa on BBC Breakfast, Louise stepped away from the role in 2021. She recently divulged the true reason behind her departure, describing the demanding nature of the job and the early morning routine as “utterly gruelling”.
In her discussion with The Times, Louise reflected on the pressures of her past role: “You have to be 100 per cent nice Louise. That job comes with an enormous amount of pressure. It’s relentless.
“The hours are horrific, utterly, utterly gruelling, and it has an impact on every different part of your life — when you eat, when you sleep, how you feel. It was my dream job and I absolutely loved it but I’d done it enough.”
After stepping away from her dream job due to the intense demands, the seasoned journalist has now penned a new novel titled ‘Isolation Island’, which draws inspiration from a fictional reality TV show. The idea for the book came following an encounter with Jeffrey Archer 25 years ago.
Inspired by her own time on I’m A Celeb, where the brutal Welsh winter saw storms cause havoc with the production crew, Louise decided to “write about what you know”.
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