Edinburgh Napier University

Have you always been interested in journalism?

“I wanted to be a journalist for as long as I can remember. When I was in primary school we went on a school trip to the local newspaper. The buzz of the newsroom drew me in. I was fascinated. 

"I badgered my local paper, “The Southern Reporter” in the Scottish Borders to let me do work experience and help out and I generally just made a pest of myself. When they offered me a job I was doing my Higher exams at the time so I said no. They later offered me another job, but I was planning on going to university to study history and politics so again I turned them down. 

“They then offered me a chance to study and combine this with working on the newspaper. I did blocks of study in the Newspaper Journalism NCTJ course at Edinburgh Napier and when I wasn’t studying, I would work at the paper. It made sense because I knew what I wanted to do as a career and gave me a great start.

“I still remember being taught the dreaded shorthand and trying to nail 100 words per minute. I still use it now. It’s great to have in meetings, particularly when other people can see your notes. It makes them private and just for you.”

What did you do after finishing your studies?

“I passed the course in the late eighties and moved up  from being a junior to senior reporter at the paper. I worked on some great stories, while at the same time doing freelance work for national titles. I was then approached by Border TV. I’d never had any ambitions to work in television, but someone from the channel attended the same press conference I did and I think they liked my punchy approach. They offered me a job. 

“At first, I was a sub-editor, responsible for writing the news but then I got the opportunity to work as a reporter and present the evening news. I loved this job. I covered all manner of stories and worked across Scottish Borders, parts of Northumberland, Berwickshire, Cumbria and the Isle of Man. I had three different legal systems and to understand!”

How did you move into sports broadcasting?

“I grew up in a sporting family and have always been very keen on sport. I covered a few rugby matches when I was at The Southern Reporter and when I moved to Border TV, I always put my hand up to cover the sports stories, particularly rugby as I come from an area of Scotland where the sport is hugely popular. As a result, I was approached by BBC Scotland to screentest to be their rugby presenter. They had never had a woman in this role before, and I didn’t think for a minute they would it. However, I screen tested and they offered me the job in 1997. It was a big decision to move away from news into sport, but one I've never regretted.

“I then became a dedicated sports journalist and broadcaster with BBC Scotland before moving to Sky Sports, based in London.

“In 2003, BBC offered me the chance to return to work for network BBC Sport. This gave me an opportunity to work in the Olympics and Six Nations and a wide range of major live events. We had our first child in late 2007 and I’ve been freelance since then, working mainly for ITV and BBC.

“I've been very fortunate to be roadside, pitchside and ringside for so many amazing moments. The London Olympics was one of my most enjoyable major sports broadcasts, with many iconic moments such as Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton in the Velodrome and Bradley Wiggins in the Time Trial just a few days after I’d been in Paris to see him win the Tour de France. However, every Olympics is special. Another career highlight would be the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, when Siya Kolisi captained South Africa to victory in an historic match in Yokohama.   I interviewed him live on the pitch as he was walking round the stadium with his children, acknowledging  the fans and savouring the unique atmosphere , a really special evening.

“I started working on TV in 1993 and I’ve been fortunate to have been on air consistently ever since then. The biggest change I’ve noticed in journalism is the technology. Back in the early days in the newspaper world, we used typewriters rather than keyboards and laptops!  I would visit the police station every morning on my way to work to see what had happened overnight. The technology has changed but the essence of what we do remains the same. You must be credible. You must be trustworthy. You must be able to recognize and tell a good story.”

What has been your experience of being a woman working in the sports industry?

“On the whole, very positive indeed. For men and women entering the industry now, it must be interesting for them to hear that there once weren’t many female sports journalists, because now it’s much more open. But back when I first started, I was genuinely the only woman in the press room.

“I was probably scrutinized more than others, so I had to be professional and not give anybody any fodder to be critical. I remember an article that was written about me at the beginning of my career that was not particularly pleasant, and it was written by a female journalist of all people! I have generally found that the many athletes, coaches, administrators and players within sport who I have interviewed and worked with have been open, supportive and professional – respect is a two way street.”

Until recently you were CEO of the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation. Can you tell us more about your role?

“Doddie Weir was one of rugby’s most recognisable personalities and a great friend, he was my husband Carl’s best mate. We’re all from the Scottish Borders and we knew him from our teenage years, he was our best man.

“When he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND), it was a terrible shock to us all. Doddie began to look into the disease and sadly realised there was little hope for those who are given this most awful diagnosis and no effective treatments. It was this frustration and his desire to help other people which led to the creation of the charity.

“My Name’5 Doddie Foundation evolved from a number of conversations around the kitchen table. We wanted to shine a light on MND but also raise funds to improve the lives of those affected by the disease and invest in research to better understand MND. We launched in November 2017. 

“Receiving donations and asking people to fundraise for you comes with an enormous responsibility to invest the money wisely. We work with leading people within the MND research community, including professors, neurologists, clinicians, and talk to people who have been touched by the disease, such as patients, families and carers. We have built a very robust research strategy which has allowed the foundation to evolve from its early beginnings to become a high functioning charity with a recognised position within the MND community. Doddie was very keen to help people who are living with MND and their family. So, a proportion of the millions  we’ve raised goes towards grants for people living with the disease. We have committed more than £11 million into research and more is in the pipeline.

“Doddie was an inspiring character and that legacy continues now. People still talk about him with great fondness. He was a brave, strong, charismatic individual, and he cared deeply about the MND community. I had been running the day-to-day function of the charity for a number of years but earlier this year I decided that it was time to step back and give myself time to do other things. I’m still very much involved with the charity as Patron.”