BBC Breakfast's Rachel Burden life – co-star hubby, job rejection and grisly injury

BBC Breakfast presenter Rachel Burden has been making waves on the morning programme ever since she replaced Naga Munchetty for the first time.

The star has been sitting alongside regular host Charlie Stayt for the past few weeks – leaving fans baffled as to why Naga is absent, especially after her social media silence.

It comes amid numerous shake-ups on the red sofa, with Dan Walker recently announcing his intention to quit the programme for a job at rival network Channel 5.

Rachel, however, hasn’t avoided scrutiny on the programme, and came under fire for halting a harrowing interview on air for a rather odd reason.

Rachel was chatting to former male model Norman Scott about his past relationship with Liberal MP Jeremy Thorpe, which ended in a badly planned conspiracy by the politician to murder his lover.

82-year-old Norman bravely opened up on the assassination plot against him – during which Rachel randomly interrupted to announce the time.

She said: “At this point, and it seems like a strange point to say this pause, we just need to tell you the time. It’s 8.59 and you’re watching BBC Breakfast.

“We just need to allow that to happen so we can carry on with the story now.”

But what about Rachel’s life away from the cameras? Daily Star takes a look.

Grisly injury

In June last year, Rachel found herself suffering a horror injury after a game of football gone wrong.

The star turned to Instagram to share a snap of her right ankle encased in a heavy duty black boot strapped with velcro, explaining that she had managed to chip some of the bone away with her injury.

She told fans: “Well this is me for the next 6 weeks. I turned my ankle doing not-really-walking-football and managed to chip a bit of ankle bone off.

“Out for the rest of the season. But back at work on Monday.

“Thanks to the staff at #WythenshaweHospital working under constant pressure at the moment. Next step, pedicure…”

Rachel was later bound to a pair of crutches after removing the boot, sharing a snap of her at work wearing a simple pair of white trainers along with her blouse and pencil skirt.

She said at the time: “We’ve ditched the grown up shoes today. Bad idea with a slightly broken ankle!”

Co-star husband

Rachel’s husband is also a familiar face to plenty – as he also works as a journalist for the BBC.

Rachel is married to Luke Mendham, who has worked on various BBC programmes including Panorama, along with Channel 4’s long-running documentary Dispatches.

The star has also worked on everything from Watchdog to Britain’s Secret Charity Cheats.

Rachel has four children, and relocated to the Cheshire countryside of Knutsford after originally living in London.

Speaking of the family’s choice to move up north, Rachel told Cheshire Life magazine: “It didn’t take much thinking about. I was fortunate with the timing – my children were young, my husband had flexibility with work and we had no ties to London.”

Sweet family

Rachel regularly shares sweet snaps of her family on Instagram – although she tends to keep her husband’s face private.

In July last year, her daughter finished primary school – an occasion Rachel commemorated with an emotional social media post.

She wrote: “Last day at primary. Unbelievably proud of this one and the amazing school that has nurtured her over the last 7 years. So grateful to the teachers, TAs and all the support staff. Thankfully you couldn’t really distinguish the tears from the sweat…”

Her son also regularly features on her page, and the whole family headed off for a holiday in Devon last year – sharing a series of adorable pictures.

Rachel penned alongside snaps of her kids enjoying ice cream, posing by the sea and going surfing: “The best post covid 6 days in Devon ever. Including the now traditional Burden family summer charity shop Christmas. Love this lot quite a lot.”

Also among the Burden fold is Rachel’s adorable pooch May – who she admits enjoys eating plenty of veggies.

Chatting to her co-host Charlie Stayt, Rachel admitted: “There’s a bit of a raw food fad for dogs at the moment. My dog loves – she eats a bit of meat and biscuits – but she loves raw veg.

“Carrots, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli stalks… all of that stuff. I don’t know if you are supposed to feed it to the dog but I chuck her the food!”

She wasn’t impressed, however, with Charlie’s suggestion of artichokes.

Job rejection

It wasn’t always plain sailing for Rachel, however – as she was originally rejected from her job at BBC Five Live.

She began working on Radio Suffolk and Radio Bristol after graduating from Cardiff University, but didn’t get her dream job for a while.

Rachel confessed to Cheshire Life: “I sent a demo tape to Five Live and I got a nice letter back saying ‘thanks, but no thanks’.

“I felt I understood the station, I knew it and I thought it fitted me, that’s why I approached them but when I didn’t get anywhere I accepted that that opportunity had gone.”

But her breakthrough came when the regional boss put in a good word for her – and a recruiter from Five Live admitted he drove all the way down the M4 until he could pick up the signal for Radio Bristol to give her a listen.

And it was all upwards from there.

Rachel does, however, admit that her schedule can be “brutal”, as she has to wake up at 3:30am to head to the MediaCity offices.

Airport blunder

Rachel isn’t afraid to admit her mistakes – even on national television.

And she was once caught out at airport security for stowing an egg mayo sandwich in her luggage.

Speaking to travel correspondent Simon Calder, a red-faced Rachel confessed: “I was once caught out Simon for putting an egg mayo sandwich in my suitcase because that counted as liquid. What’s that about?”

BBC Breakfast airs daily from 6am on BBC One.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk