Kirsty Young facts for kids

Kirsty Young (born November 23, 1968) is a well-known Scottish TV and radio presenter. She is famous for hosting Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4 from 2006 to 2018. She also presented Crimewatch on BBC One from 2008 to 2015.

Kirsty Young's Early Life

Kirsty Young was born in East Kilbride, Scotland. She went to Cambusbarron Primary School and Stirling High School. Later, in June 2008, she returned to her old high school to officially open its new building.

Kirsty decided not to go to university after finishing school. Instead, she started her career in media. She began by working as a "runner," which means helping out behind the scenes, and then became a researcher.

Kirsty Young's Career in Media

Kirsty Young began her broadcasting career in 1989. She started as a voice artist for BBC Radio Scotland. This means she announced programs and provided links between them.

Moving to Television

In 1992, Kirsty moved to Scottish Television. There, she became a presenter for a news show called Scotland Today. Her work on this show led to her own chat show, simply called Kirsty.

After leaving Scotland Today in 1996, she worked as a relief presenter for The Time, The Place. She also appeared on the travel program Holiday. She then co-hosted a show about consumer issues called The Street on BBC Two.

Joining Channel 5 News

In March 1997, Kirsty joined the news team at the new TV channel, Channel 5. She became the main presenter for their news program, Channel 5 News.

In 1999, Kirsty took part in a fun TV show called Celebrity Stars in their Eyes. She won the competition by impersonating the singer Peggy Lee and singing her famous song "Fever."

Work at ITV and Return to Channel 5

Kirsty left Channel 5 in 2000 to work for ITV. For a short time, she hosted a quiz show called The People Versus. In 2001, she became a co-presenter for the ITV Evening News.

Later that year, after having her first child, she decided to return to Channel 5. She began presenting Channel 5 News again on January 14, 2002.

Guest Appearances on Popular Shows

In November 2003, Kirsty Young was a guest presenter on the popular comedy news show Have I Got News for You. She has appeared on the show many times since then.

In 2004, she was a guest on Room 101. On this show, guests talk about things they dislike and want to get rid of. Kirsty mentioned things like cowboy boots and "baby on board" stickers.

Hosting Desert Island Discs

In June 2006, it was announced that Kirsty Young would be the new presenter of Desert Island Discs. This is a very famous and long-running radio program on BBC Radio 4. She took over from Sue Lawley and started her role on October 1, 2006.

Kirsty returned to Five News for a short time in September 2006. However, in 2007, she announced she would be leaving Channel 5 News for good. She had been the main anchor for ten years. Her last show was on August 29, 2007.

Presenting Crimewatch

A month after leaving Channel 5, the BBC announced that Kirsty would present Crimewatch. This show helps solve crimes by asking the public for information. She hosted Crimewatch from January 2008 until December 2015.

Other BBC Series

From January 2010, Kirsty presented a four-part BBC TV series called The British Family. In 2011, she also presented another TV series called The British at Work.

Stepping Down from Desert Island Discs

On August 31, 2018, it was announced that Kirsty would take a break from Desert Island Discs for several months. This was to receive treatment for health issues. Lauren Laverne filled in for her during this time.

In July 2019, Kirsty announced that she would be leaving Desert Island Discs permanently. She explained that her time away due to health reasons made her think about what she wanted to do next. She decided it was time for new challenges. The BBC's director of Radio and Education, James Purnell, praised Kirsty as a "wonderful host." Lauren Laverne continued as the host.

Royal Event Coverage

On June 2, 2022, Kirsty Young presented Platinum Beacons: Lighting up the Jubilee for BBC One. This was live coverage of the lighting of over 1,500 beacons to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's 70 years on the throne.

Kirsty also hosted part of the BBC's TV coverage of the state funeral of Elizabeth II. This took place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on September 19, 2022. She received praise for her closing speech at the end of the broadcast.

Young Again Radio Show

Since 2023, Kirsty Young has presented a show on BBC Radio 4 called Young Again. In this program, she interviews famous guests. She asks them what advice they would give to their younger selves.

Kirsty Young's Personal Life

Kirsty Young is married to businessman Nick Jones. He is the founder of the Soho House club. Kirsty has two daughters with Nick. She also has two stepchildren from Nick's first marriage.

Island Home and Conservation

Kirsty and her husband bought Inchconnachan, an island in Loch Lomond, Scotland. They planned to build holiday homes there. This island is home to a group of wild wallabies. These wallabies have lived on the island for 80 years.

To build the holiday homes, Kirsty and her husband thought about moving the wallabies. However, this idea faced some opposition. The island is a special area for science and conservation. Because of this, their building plans received criticism from local conservation groups in 2022.

Health Journey

On Christmas Day 2022, Kirsty Young was the guest on Desert Island Discs. This was the same program she had hosted until 2018. She had stepped down from the show due to health reasons. She chose a home cinema with access to every film she had ever watched as her luxury item.

Kirsty Young's Appointments

In 2016, Kirsty Young was appointed president of UNICEF UK. UNICEF is a global organization that works to help children. She was succeeded in this role in 2020 by actress Olivia Colman.

In October 2019, she was appointed as a director of Sussex Royal. This was a foundation started by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. She served on the board until the foundation was closed in July 2020.