Antiques Roadshow’s Fiona Bruce has opened up about the emotional toll of delivering gut-wrenching news, admitting it can be a real “struggle.”
The seasoned BBC Question Time host also touched on the delicate balance presenters must maintain, confessing they have to “tread a line” to avoid overshadowing the stories. Fiona, who became the first woman to anchor the BBC Ten O’Clock News back in 2003, has had an illustrious career, previously serving alongside Huw Edwards on the BBC Six O’Clock News before taking the lead role.
After four years at the helm of News at Ten, Fiona decided to step back and return to presenting the 6pm bulletin. Around the same time, she was chosen as the successor to Michael Aspel on Antiques Roadshow, continuing her streak of high-profile gigs which includes hosting Crimewatch and Question Time.
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Yet, despite her experience with hard-hitting shows, Fiona confessed in a heart-to-heart with MailOnline in 2021 that the task of conveying tragic news never gets easier. She reflected: “It’s a very big close-up.”
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“You need to tread a line between not getting in the way of the story and not being a robot.” When probed by the outlet on whether the news still affects her emotionally, Fiona didn’t hold back.
“Yesterday I wept listening to testimony by the mother of Sarah Everard [the 33-year-old who was abducted and murdered by a serving police officer]. Who wouldn’t?”
She shared how challenging it would have been to report such news, saying: “If I’d had to read that on the news I would have struggled. I would have had to rehearse it to make sure my throat didn’t catch.”
(Image: (Image: BBC))
Antiques Roadshow host, Fiona Bruce, took up her role on the popular BBC show in 2008 and has since shared some unforgettable experiences. Just a year into her stint on the show, she revealed an incident she felt was too harsh to go on air.
In an interview with The Guardian, Fiona narrated an incident where a smartly dressed gent brought along a glass bottle he believed to be worth £1,000.
The show’s glass expert, Andy McConnell, however, delivered a blow when he evaluated the supposed ‘antique’.
(Image: (Image: BBC))
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Andy dropped the bombshell, saying: “I’m afraid it’s an empty olive oil bottle. Tesco, circa 2008. It’s worth nothing at all.” While Fiona agreed that the situation might have led to chuckles among viewers, airing it would have been overly cruel to the gentleman involved.
Disclosing how crushed the man was, she told the newspaper: “Now I suppose we could have broadcast it but it was just too cruel. The guy was devastated”. She admitted, “There’s a tiny bit of my brain that realises it would have made great television. But it’s just not what the show’s about.”
She emphasized that the iconic BBC show was not about “humiliating” those who appeared on it since that was not part of its essence.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
