Kate McCann: who is ex Sky News journalist, did she faint at TalkTV Tory leadership debate, how is she now?

The presenter joined TalkTV in April 2022 after working as the political editor at Sky News for four years
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Lastnight’s TalkTV Tory leadership debate ended dramatically after presenter Kate McCann fainted during the live broadcast.

The former Sky News political editor was grilling Tory leader hopeful Liz Truss over the war in Ukraine, when the incident occured.

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TalkTV confirmed that a medical incident involving McCann had forced the show off-air.

The presenter has not yet given an update on what happened, but has received well-wishes from both Tory candidates and from across the media industry.

Here’s everything you need to know about who Kate McCann is and how she is now.

Who is Kate McCann?

Kate McCann is a political journalist who is currently based at News UK’s TalkTV.

Debate host Kate McCann is said to be “fine” after fainting live on-air. (Credit: PA)Debate host Kate McCann is said to be “fine” after fainting live on-air. (Credit: PA)
Debate host Kate McCann is said to be “fine” after fainting live on-air. (Credit: PA)
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The 54-year-old previously worked as the political editor at Sky News and has also worked as a Whitehall reporter and a senior political journalist for The Daily Telegraph.

McCann studied politics at Newcastle University, graduating in 2009.

She was awarded the Press Awards for her work on the Labour manifesto in 2017 and is the deputy chair of the Parliamentary Press Gallery.

The journalist does not share details of her personal life, keeping it private.

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McCann has an estimated net worth of £1million according to Fact Profiles.

Did she faint during the TalkTV debate?

McCann was presenting the debate, which was jointly hosted by TalkTV and The Sun.

It saw members of the public ask the two Tory leadership candidates a variety of topics on issues such as the NHS and cost of living.

McCann had asked Truss a question on the war in Ukraine, when suddenly a crash was heard.

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Truss uttered, “Oh my God,” and left her podium, before the transmission was cut.

A technical message then appeared on the screen which said: “We’re sorry for the disruption to this programme. We’re working hard to fix the issue and will return to normal programming soon.”

Is Kate McCann okay now?

After the broadcast went off air TalkTV issued a statement saying that McCann was “fine” but that the debate would not continue.

The broadcaster took to Twitter to share the news, tweeting: “Kate McCann fainted on air tonight and although she is fine, the medical advice was that we shouldn’t continue with the debate. We apologise to our viewers and listeners.”

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McCann was back on TalkTV on 27 July and talked about the incident.

The presenter said she was “embarrased and bruised” adding: “After all the excitement of last night, thank goodness I’m now sitting down.

“There was plenty of speculation in the run up to last night’s Sun Showdown debate about whether anyone would be the victim of a knockout blow. What no one predicted was that it might well be the presenter.”

The journalist took to Twitter to give an update on her condition, tweeting: “Well that wasn’t how last night was supposed to end!”

When did Kate McCann join TalkTV?

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McCann worked as the political editor at Sky News for four years before joining TalkTV in April 2022.

Speaking to the Press Gazette she explained she had “jumped ship from a really good job” and was “prepared to take a risk” so they could “rip up all the rules and start again.”

She explained her reasoning for joining TalkTV was about “fair” and “balanced” journalism.

McCann said: “For me, there are some questions from the public, especially of TV broadcasters throughout the pandemic, about trust and credibility and honesty.

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“And so I think it’s really important to all of us who work here that we are fair, that we are balanced, and that we do really good solid journalism, that is at the absolute heart of everything that we’re doing.

“But doing that doesn’t mean that it has to be dry or boring. We want to inject some personality into it. So we want to be able to speak to people just as you would speak to your friends.

“That’s the point of this. It’s not about being patronising. It’s not about being lofty. It’s about telling people what they need to know in a way that they would like to hear it.”

Speaking about her appointment to TalkTV, CEO of News UK Broadcasting, Scott Taunton said McCann was “the perfect choice’ to be its political editor” adding that she is “one of the sharpest rising stars in the Lobby.”

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