Kirsty Young is returning to the BBC after four years to celebrate the Queen‘s Platinum Jubilee.
The star, who previously presented BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, hosts Trooping The Colour alongside Huw Edwards today (June 2).
But while the presenter may be on top form for the occasion, it hasn’t always been easy for Kirsty.
Kirsty Young discusses her childhood
Back in 2012, Kirsty opened up on being abandoned by her father.
Her biological father, a policeman, left the family when she was just a few weeks old.
However, it only made Kirsty – who regards her step-father Paul Young as her dad – more determined to succeed in life.
My early years had a profound effect on me.
According to the Mail Online, she previously told the Radio Times: “My early years had a profound effect on me that I didn’t care to examine until now. I’ve never been to a psychiatrist but I’m sure we’d get there after a few sessions.
“I’m in a show-off profession and very confident. But if I’d seen my family disintegrate, I’d have had a sense of abandonment, a feeling I was not good enough.”
Kirsty went on to credit her mother for raising her.
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“I’ve benefited incredibly from my mother, who is effervescent and stoic – an interesting combination. Life is complicated. It’s mostly never as it seems,” she added.
“Here’s a funny thing – not a fully formed thought – but I read profiles of women in the same profession as me, and at various points a parent left them.
“There’s always something which fires people forward to ambition.”
Kirsty has also previously spoken about how she overcame the eating disorder bulimia when she was 17.
“I feel funny saying it because I’m now a different person. Although it was horrible, I don’t want to overplay it – ‘TV Kirsty’s bulimic hell’ – because people suffer for decades,” she explained.
“I was lucky. I talked myself out of it in six months.”
Meanwhile, Kirsty joins a star-studded line of presenters for the BBC’s coverage of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
As well as Trooping The Colour, the star will also lead coverage of the Platinum Party At The Palace on Saturday (June 4).
Kirsty’s return to the BBC
It comes almost four years after Kirsty announced her decision to permanently leave Radio 4.
Her announcement followed after the star was diagnosed with chronic pain condition fibromyalgia.
In 2019, Kirsty told fans: “After 12 incredibly happy and fulfilling years on Desert Island Discs I’ve decided to step down permanently.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2MvCn36PrM
“Having been forced to take some months away from my favourite job because of health problems, I’m happy to say I’m now well on the way to feeling much better.
“But that enforced absence from the show has altered my perspective on what I should do next and so I’ve decided it’s time to pursue new challenges.”
She continued: “Having hundreds of Castaways share their triumphs, tragedies, tribulations and tracks with me over the years was a huge privilege and an education.
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“I am so thankful to Roy Plomley for the brilliance of his format, and I wish the programme and Lauren all the very best.”
Fibromyalgia is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body.
Kirsty took over Desert Island Discs from presenter Sue Lawley in 2006.
Kirsty appears on Trooping The Colour on BBC One at 10am on June 2.
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