Inside Louise Minchin's life off-screen after quitting role on BBC Breakfast
Louise Minchin is getting ready to grace our screens once more as she takes on the mighty Gladiators in a New Year celebrity special.
The former BBC breakfast star will be taking part in the iconic and former 90s hit programme alongside comedian Rob Beckett, Masked Singer star Joel Dommett, and comedian Ellie Taylor, along with the show’s gladiators.
Louise has admitted that she'd been a huge fan of the show since it originally graced screens three decades ago but she's found herself to be the buck of the joke where her family are concerned.
When speaking about her loved ones reaction when the former newsreader announced she'd be taking on the Gladiators, Louise said: "I told my friends and family, I was doing Gladiators they all laughed out loud.
"They 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."
Apart from a few TV appearances, Louise has completely shied away from the limelight since quitting her role on the BBC Breakfast and here, we find out why.
BBC Breakfast
READ MORE: BBC Breakfast star Louise Minchin shares terror as she joins Gladiators
Back in 2021 the TV star confirmed she'd be leaving BBC Breakfast after two decades on the red sofa. Having made her first Breakfast appearance as a guest host, Louise was made a regular anchor beginning in 2012.
In the beginning she sat next to Charlie Stayt and the late Bill Turnbull. From 2016 until her exit, she shared hosting responsabilities with Dan Walker.
Off-screen interests
Louise is a self-confessed fitness fanatic and loves exercising when she is not working. She is a hiking enthusiast as well as enjoying cyclist and running, with regular posts for each sport appearing on her Instagram.
Her love of cycling began on BBC Breakfast when she took part in the Christmas Cycling Challenge, which has "inspired her ongoing passion for endurance sport".
Other interests include spending time with her two Labradors: Waffle and Ruby.
Married life
The former morning TV host is married to husband David and they share two daughters, and two dogs together.
David Minchin is a restaurateur and an investor - and they both share the love of sport with David being a keen skier.
They tied the knot in a small ceremony in a tiny Hampshire church on June 6, 1998. They share two teenage daughters together, Mia and Scarlett.
Real reason she quit BBC Breakfast
Louise previously confessed that she called it quits on BBC Breakfast after the "utterly gruelling" morning starts. Louise explained that he had "done it enough" and could no longer face setting the alarm each day.
Speaking to The Times, she said: "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."
Career change
More recently Louise appeared on an episode of ITV's James Martin. During her Saturday Morning appearance, Louise also discussed her shift in focus as she turned to a passion of hers - writing.
On the programme, she promoted her new book, Isolation Island - her third overall release but first foray into fiction. The publication follows ten celebrities participating in a reality show that goes awry, with Louise's experience on I'm A Celebrity in 2021 playing a part in the writing process.
She told James: "When I was on I'm A Celebrity, it was in a castle in Wales and you may remember that, that year we got evacuated because of a once in a lifetime-storm. So that planted the seed that reality TV can and does go wrong."
Gladiators Celebrity Special will air on BBC One on New Year's Day at 6pm
