ITV presenter Siân Welby has spoken candidly about a major regret following the birth of her first child, admitting she wishes she had taken a longer period of maternity leave.
The Tough Choice Between Career and Newborn
The 39-year-old broadcaster, who co-hosts Capital Breakfast and appears on This Morning, welcomed her daughter Ruby in June 2024 with fiancé Jake Beckett. Despite her joy at becoming a mother, Welby has now revealed she felt pressured to return to work swiftly to maintain her career momentum.
In an interview with The Sun's Fabulous magazine, she explained the difficult reality many working parents face. "That's the reality, isn't it? You have to make decisions in life," she said. "I had momentum, and I thought: 'I can't totally let this drop because what a shame, I've finally got these shows that I want to do'."
A Call for Modernised Parental Leave
Welby didn't stop at discussing her own experience. She also addressed the systemic issues surrounding parental leave in the UK, particularly the limited offer for fathers.
She argued that the current paternity leave system is outdated and fails modern families where the mother may be the higher earner. "It's not always fair on dads that they get two weeks' paternity leave, and that's that," Welby stated. "For some people, it suits them way more to have the dad at home. It might be that the mum is the one who has the better job."
Hidden Pregnancy Fears and Job Security
This is not the first time the presenter has been open about the challenges of navigating pregnancy in the public eye. She previously told Giovanna Fletcher's 'Happy Mum Happy Baby' podcast that she kept her pregnancy secret from many people, including colleagues, due to anxiety about her career.
"When you first start a job, you think 'nobody knows what I'm actually like, that I'm trustworthy' and you have to prove yourself," she explained. Welby described covering for Dermot O'Leary on This Morning while knowing she was pregnant but choosing not to disclose it.
"In the back of my mind I was thinking, 'If I tell them I'm pregnant, will this put them off getting me in again? And will they think I'm gonna be off for ages?'" She believes this fear of being "immediately judged or dropped" is shared by countless women in all professions, especially when starting a new role.
Welby's heartfelt revelations highlight the ongoing struggle for parents to balance professional ambitions with family life, and the pressing need for workplace policies to evolve.
