Iconic TV presenter Kirsty Young, 54, returns to our screens this weekend to present the coronation celebrations for the BBC, covering the lead-up to the Westminster Abbey service, the ceremony, the return procession to Buckingham Palace and the King's balcony appearance.
As well as broadcasting from a special studio in Buckingham Palace, the TV star will also anchor the next day's live broadcast of the coronation concert in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Kirsty was an obvious choice for the coverage, after stepping out of retirement to host the BBC's coverage of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September 2022. Prior to delivering the sombre coverage, Kirsty hadn't been seen on our screens since 2018, when she took a step back from the limelight due to ill-health.
What happened to Kirsty Young?
Kirsty retired from TV work in 2018 after dealing with "severe and relentless" pain as a result of rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.
Speaking to The Times, Kirsty said: "I had extreme joint pain. I'd wake up and I'd feel like I'd got glass in my joints."
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"I couldn't walk up the stairs without stopping in the middle. It's like somebody had drugged me, like you'd taken a sleeping tablet at the wrong time in the day and you were completely losing it," she continued.
Kirsty shared that the pain was so bad she couldn't even lift a water bottle. She was eventually diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2018, which triggered her secondary condition, fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia means your pain threshold doesn't work in the way it should, so even the tiniest knock can result in agony. "You feel pain in a way that is just so heightened," she said.
Kirsty's conditions meant she needed to take a step back from her career, as rest is imperative in easing the pain. "It was hard to walk away but it was clearly the only option," Kirsty said of her decision to leave her job presenting the iconic radio show Desert Island Discs.
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The presenter was lured back to work for the late Queen's funeral, explaining at the time: "It's a unique moment. We'll never see it again, certainly in our lifetimes and maybe never, so I couldn’t resist."
Speaking to the Radio Times ahead of King Charles' coronation, Kirsty explained she wasn't sure she'd be chosen for the coverage: "After the funeral and as time marched on, I wondered if I would get the call, after all, I'm not contracted to the BBC.
"I knew it was a hot ticket, and that there would be plenty of other people to consider. I just hope people don’t think, ‘Ooh, not her again'."
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Of her role in the day, Kirsty explained: "I'm there to put the event into words, and ask the questions that a typical viewer might ask.
"I am the viewer's way in. Because I will have a lot of information to hand, I can extend the viewer's knowledge and then ask the questions they might want to ask.
"I can flesh out the whole thing, and make sense of it."
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