Sky News presenter Sarah-Jane Mee has revealed that she once lost thousands of pounds after getting "carried away by a flashy sales" pitch. Speaking with This is Money in 2017, the journalist, who has previously invested in rental properties as well as business ventures, disclosed her biggest money mistake.
A costly investment in a sports app
"Investing more than £3,000 in a sports app which folded after 18 months," Sarah-Jane told the publication. "I should have done more research into the market beforehand, but I got carried away by a flashy sales pitch."
While the TV star admitted she was "terrible" at paying her credit card debts in full, Sarah-Jane added that she has always had emergency savings tucked away and that her biggest priority has always been her mortgage.
Six-figure salary year recalled
Asked to name the best year of her life in terms of earnings, the presenter recalled, "Probably 2014, the year I worked on both Sky Sports and Sky News."
"I did so many shows that sometimes I worked a seven-day week. That was the first time my salary hit six figures. But the amount of work I was doing for that money was ridiculous and unsustainable."
Family life and the "constant juggle"
Sarah-Jane, who currently hosts The UK Tonight programme for Sky News, now balances her thriving career with her family life. In 2018, she met and fell for her now-husband, Ben Richardson. They welcomed their daughter, Rae, in 2020, and by 2022, they tied the knot at their home in East Sussex.
Appearing on HELLO!'s Second Act podcast in April, Sarah-Jane opened up about her home life, as well as her bond with Ben's son, Ted. "I have a son who is 12 and not my son biologically, but we don't differentiate. There's no step," she said.
"That is a banned word. I have a bonus baby. Ben gave me the gift of him. And I have my daughter, Rae, a mini me." Noting that she has a friendly relationship with Ben's ex-partner, Sarah-Jane raved, "She's a brilliant mum, and Ben's a brilliant dad. I came into a winning situation, and I just wanted to make it better."
Reflecting on the "constant juggle" of work and motherhood, Sarah-Jane said, "It is the juggle, and you know, you just do it, don't you think? How am I going to cope? But you just do, you get on with it. Each day I always think back to before I had children, when I used to think I was so tired. And now I laugh."
