BBC Breakfast’s Charlie Stayt life off-screen from rarely-seen wife to bankruptcy threats

viewers will be familiar with host Charlie Stayt, who regularly appears alongside his on-screen partner to deliver the latest news.

Following Dan Walker’s departure, Charlie has become a mainstay on the show from Thursday to Saturday, working closely with Naga. The duo quickly became fan favourites, their humorous banter with weather expert often leading to fits of on-air laughter.

Although Charlie only secured a permanent daytime role on the iconic red sofa three years ago, he has been in the industry for decades, having launched his TV career in 1995.

While much is known about Charlie’s on-screen persona, details about his personal life have remained largely private until recently, when financial matters brought him into the spotlight.

Career

Charlie is best known for his hosting role on Breakfast, but few are aware that he initially aspired to a career in radio and ended up in front of the camera somewhat by chance.

Born in Gloucester, the 62-year-old broadcaster attended King’s School before furthering his studies at Birmingham Polytechnic. He began his career on local radio before moving to London to host Capital Radio’s news show, The Way It Is.

Charlie subsequently joined the ranks of LBC and Radio 5 Live before making his mark on the high-profile Breakfast show.

In an interview with RadioTimes, Charlie shared his strategy for dealing with early wake-up calls: “I refuse to snooze. As soon as the alarm goes off, I am up.”

He also revealed his secret to staying refreshed: “The other thing is, I embrace the siesta. It’s become a big thing for me. I sort of sit down in the afternoon and consciously do nothing. No snooze and have a siesta, that’s the formula.”

Marriage 

Charlie is married to Anne Breckell, and they prefer to keep their personal life under wraps. Nonetheless, last year, the couple found themselves in the limelight due to financial dealings with .

While details about Anne are scarce, it is known that she and Charlie have two children, Phoebe Senara, born in 1997, and Jake Hamilton, born in 2000.

Following the incident, The Sun reported that Anne has had considerable success in her career, holding a managerial position at a major global corporation.

Home life

Regarding their domestic life, Anne and Charlie are believed to have bought their Twickenham residence in 2002 for £800,000. With property values soaring in recent years, their home is now estimated to be worth an impressive £2.3 million.

The couple, married for over 20 years, are believed to still have their grown-up children, Phoebe and Jake, living at home with them, according to Hello!magazine.

Despite his public persona, Charlie is notably private about his personal life, shunning social media platforms like and Twitter, unlike many of his colleagues.

While he keeps his off-screen life largely hidden, it’s widely known that Charlie and Anne were a couple long before he became a household name.

Bankruptcy

In the previous year, Charlie and Anne’s company found themselves embroiled in a legal dispute with . Stayt Limited, which lists both spouses as directors, was taken to court to settle a substantial tax bill or face bankruptcy.

The company, understood to be involved in television and broadcasting, was threatened with bankruptcy if they failed to make a payment to HM Revenue and Customs.

As reported by the Mail, Charlie and his wife Anne agreed to pay a tax bill of approximately £190,000, with an outstanding amount of over £32,000 still due to the tax office.

initially filed a bankruptcy petition against the couple, but after they agreed to pay a significant portion of the outstanding fee, tax officials requested to withdraw at the hearing at the specialist Insolvency and Companies Court in London.

Solicitor Anam Rezvi stated during the proceedings: ” would like to seek permission to withdraw today, as the balance has now been reduced and the remaining balance has agreed to be paid by the debtors.”

The request was accepted by Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Sebastian Prentis, who consented to the dismissal of the petition following the brief session. Charlie and Annie were not present at the hearing.

Breakfast airs every day on BBC1, from 6am.