Louise Minchin and her husband David (Image: GETTY)
‘s husband issued her a stark warning after noticing the toll her TV work for took on her.
Although they rushed down the aisle after less than a year of dating, they have remained husband and wife for almost three decades, and she instantly trusted his opinion. David – a restaurant entrepreneur and courageous cancer survivor – told her that she would instinctively know when it was time to leave her morning job.
As he’d predicted, after almost 20 years in her role, she started to struggle with the permanent exhaustion caused by beginning her day in the middle of the night. Eventually, as she explained to You magazine, she left the role purely so that she could “get some sleep”.
“I never got used to getting up at 3.45am and it wasn’t good for me,” she explained. “I loved the role but for years I lived in a cycle of tiredness, having to be incredibly regimented and organised about everything from my social life and bedtime to what I ate.”
She continued: “Also, it was approaching my 20th anniversary there and I felt it had come to a natural end. My husband had always said, ‘You’ll know when it’s over’, and I did.”
:
Louise Minchin hosting BBC Breakfast with Dan Walker before her departure in 2021 (Image: BBC)
In September 2021, Louise hosted her final show together with co-star Dan Walker, who has since also left the in favour of a career with Channel 5.
She’d made the decision so that she could exit the job before she stopped enjoyed it, referencing “relentless pressure” and “gruelling” timings.
Her decision was supported by David, with whom she shares two teenage daughters, Mia and Scarlett.
Ever since their 1998 wedding alongside 50 of their nearest and dearest in a tiny Hampshire church, they’d vow to stand by each other’s decisions and make each other’s happiness a priority.
Don’t miss… [UPDATE] [VERDICT]
Louise Minchin appeared on Celebrity Gladiators (Image: BBC)
That’s a commitment they’ve kept to – and, despite keeping a low profile initially after leaving the , she soon found a huge new project, albeit with less challenging hours.
She took part in a New Year special of , joining forces with comedian Rob Beckett, ‘s Joel Dommett, and fellow comedian Ellie Taylor.
Ahead of her appearance, she told magazine: “[My family] laughed out loud for two reasons. One, that it’s totally ridiculous that I should be doing Gladiators at my age, and number two, they absolutely know that it’s my idea of heaven!”
The cycling and fitness enthusiast was left with a bleeding nose when the episode screened on New Year’s Day, as she took on the Collision Challenge and got knocked from the walkway by one of the gladiators.
However, another praised admiringly: “You’re actually a bit of a warrior Louise. Who knew?”