As she celebrates a decade on the show, Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte Hawkins talks about her next big ambition…
After a decade of 2.45am starts, you’d have thought that Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte Hawkins might be tiring of the punishing schedule, but far from it.
Despite joking she’s ‘furious’ about former co-presenter Ben Shephard’s decision to depart the show in February, she’s filled with excitement about being part of the new all-female lineup of presenters, which includes Kate Garraway, Susanna Reid and Ranvir Singh. Here, mum-ofone Charlotte, 49, who’s been married to Mark Herbert since 2008, tells us all about it…
Early bird
GMB turns 10 this year, and it feels really special to have been on it since the beginning. It’s a privilege to be on people’s screens first thing in the morning. There’s something unique about breakfast TV – all over the country people are waking up, having their first cup of tea or coffee, and we’re telling them what’s really going on in the world. That’s a really special relationship to have. I love it when people come up to me in the supermarket and have a chat – it feels like being part of an extended family.
Dream team
We’re a very close-knit team of presenters. We have to be there for each other and that’s never been more important than now. When Kate [Garraway] lost her husband, Derek, in January, everyone pulled together to support her. She’s been through an extraordinarily tough time, and I know from losing my dad in 2015 to motor neurone disease that when you lose someone you love very much, it’s a constant pain. You wonder what the way forward will be, and it’s not a question of getting over it, but learning to live with it. It’s going to take time for Kate to heal, but she knows we’re all here for her.
I’m full of admiration for how she’s kept everything going. She wanted to be strong for Derek and the family. It’s love that keeps you going and gets you through situations like that – love for the person you’re caring for, for your family that you need to be strong for and for the people around you who are helping to support you.
Our incredible team is changing, and I’m absolutely furious that we’ve lost Ben Shephard to This Morning! Thankfully, he hasn’t gone very far – just the studio next door – but I’m very sad he’s left us. He’s a great friend and a brilliant broadcaster.
I worked with him for nearly 10 years and he’s a very generous colleague, but he’s got that sense of mischief at the same time. Now we’re an all-female lineup and I love that.
Family values
Losing my dad in 2015 was extremely hard. Ella Rose was born a month later an
