Jon Kay has been announced as the new regular presenter of BBC Breakfast, replacing Dan Walker who left for Channel 5. The 52-year-old newsreader and presenter has been with the BBC Breakfast team since 2010 and has frequently covered for Walker. His appointment, however, was not without controversy, as some felt the BBC prematurely updated its Twitter header to include Kay alongside other main presenters before the official announcement.
Born in Hull, Kay spent a year in a Californian high school before graduating from the University of Exeter with a degree in Politics in 1992. He decided to pursue broadcast journalism after 'mucking around' in the studios of University Radio Exeter. He started at the BBC as a trainee local reporter in 1993, working at local radio stations and beginning his first full-time job at BBC Bristol on the same day as Susanna Reid.
It was in the Bristol newsroom that Kay met his wife, Francesca Kasteliz, a former BBC News correspondent. The couple have three children together. Kasteliz now works as a performance coach for presenters, reporters and spokespeople, helping them fine-tune their on-air skills. After his time in Bristol, Kay worked as a political reporter and news correspondent in London before spending a year travelling the world with his wife, reporting from China, South East Asia, Australasia and Central America, where they experienced a deadly hurricane in Mexico.
On his return to the UK, Kay became the BBC's south and west of England correspondent for national TV and radio. He has also served as a foreign correspondent in Los Angeles and Washington DC. Reflecting on his career, Kay noted the tough assignments, including repatriations at Wootton Bassett, the murder of Jo Yeates and the Vanessa George child-abuse scandal, as well as more uplifting stories like the Glastonbury Festival and an octogenarian sky-diver. He was the Olympics correspondent for BBC News at Six and Ten during the London 2012 Games.
Describing his working-from-home life, Kay humorously remarked on the challenges of filing a radio report while contending with children, his wife on the phone, the washing machine, doorbell, postman, dog, builders and the school playground next door. Despite the controversy over his appointment, Kay expressed his delight, saying: 'I'm over the moon to become the new regular presenter of BBC Breakfast and I’m looking forward to bringing our brilliant viewers the very latest news each morning alongside my good friend Sally and the rest of the team.'
