Kay Burley’s memorable interviews: From Peter Andre to empty chairing MP

The most memorable interviews from Kay Burley have included her fierce grilling of Government ministers, as well as Peter Andre breaking down in tears, and her quick-witted responses when live broadcasting went wrong.

Here is a round-up:

Andre fought back tears during a Sky News segment in 2010 showing his former wife Katie Price tying the knot with Alex Reid in Las Vegas.

The singer had to cut the interview short as he became choked up with emotion and Burley apologised for upsetting him.

Andre said: “No one is going to take my kids away from me.”

After the moment, Burley wrote on her blog that she “went to check during an ad break that he was OK, he sobbed on my shoulder in the green room”.

“He’d discovered not 12 hours earlier that the mother of two of his children had married without even bothering to tell him and was devastated at the very thought that she might want take the youngsters away from him,” Burley added.

“I was mortified at having upset such an obviously doting family man and was keen to offer sincere apologies but he was his usual charming self.

“As we stood and chatted about parenthood he said he was relieved he’d finally vented some of the pent-up tension he’d been feeling and I sympathised but warned him not to ever cry in front of the children.”

Burley said calm was restored and “Peter left the building wiser about news interviews and me very much with ‘Team Pete'”.

The former England manager was interviewed in 2021 by Burley, and appeared to have Lembit Opik ringing him several times while he was on air – with the face of the former MP showing up on his remote interview app at various points during the live broadcast.

Before the interview ended, Burley responded saying: “It does look like Mr Opik really does want to talk to you!”

As she spoke to Ben Page, chief executive officer at poll company Ipsos Mori, a gathering outside Parliament began saying loudly: “Sack Kay Burley, watch the BBC.”

Laughing, she asked Page if he “was OK with those demonstrations behind” him, and still tried to get through the interview saying: “They don’t like The Sun, they don’t like us, they don’t like Rupert (Murdoch).”

As the shouts continued, Page tried to answer the questions, but given the continued shouting, Burley decided to take Sky News to a break.

As Labour MP Sir Chris Bryant called for an inquiry on the phone hacking scandal, and claimed that bad behaviour by journalists was “endemic” at the News Of The World and other newspapers, Burley interrupted him asking for proof.

Sir Chris pointed to a report by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and when Burley asked if he was “content” saying his assertion on live TV, he replied, saying: “You seem to be a bit dim, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

Burley later said she was “playing devil’s advocate”, and said “no one cares what I think”, the public “care what you think”.

In 2019, Burley decided to “empty chair” Mr Cleverly, after claiming the then Tory chairman missed a planned appearance on her breakfast show, although he responded that he was not due to appear.

Burley addressed a vacant seat with planned questions for the Tory politician, and Ofcom investigated but decided “the viewpoint of the Conservatives was given sufficient weight to maintain due impartiality”.

Following the moment, Mr Cleverly said: “I like to think I’m a pretty decent multitasker, but I cannot physically be in two places at the same time.”

While grilling Liz Truss on whether she was a remainer or a brexiter during the Tory leadership election in 2022 and her other claimed U-turns on policy, Burley asked the future shortest-serving prime minister: “Will the real Liz Truss please stand up?”

This prompted laughs from the studio audience, and Ms Truss responded, explaining that views develop as you age.

Eminem’s hit The Real Slim Shady has a lyric saying: “Will the real Slim Shady please stand up? I repeat, will the real Slim Shady please stand up?”