BBC's Clive Myrie explains why he and wife of 25 years gave up trying to have children
He spoke about his decision not to have kids in the lead-up to the release of his new memoir
BBC presenter Clive Myrie has explained why he and his wife of 25 years eventually gave up trying to have children.
Myrie, 59, has forged a successful career with the BBC as a newsreader and, now, the host of Mastermind.
He is now releasing a book about his life called Everything is Everything: A Memoir of Love, Hate and Hope, which details everything from his family history through to his time as a war reporter.
A synopsis for the book reads: “In this deeply personal memoir, he tells how his family history has influenced his view of the world, introducing us to his Windrush generation parents, a great grandfather who helped build the Panama Canal, and a great uncle who fought in the First World War, later to become a prominent police detective in Jamaica.
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“He reflects on how being black has affected his perspective on issues he's encountered in thirty years reporting some of the biggest stories of our time (most recently from Ukraine), showing us how those experiences gave him a better idea of what it means to be an outsider.
“He tells of his pride in his roots, but his determination not to be defined by his background in dealing with the challenges of race and class to succeed at the highest level.”
The book also sees Myrie speak about elements of his personal life, including his marriage to upholsterer and furniture restorer Catherine, who he met at a book lunch back in 1992.
They tied the knot six years later, but never went on to have kids, despite initial attempts to start a family.
In a new interview to tie in with the release of his memoir, Myrie was asked if his job impacted his decision not to become a dad.
“It wasn’t the danger of the job, just the travelling,” he responded, continuing: “We felt it would be selfish on children to drag them around the world. We’ve come from big families. I’m from a family of seven (children), Catherine’s from a family of five kids. We weren’t desperate for some kind of familial glue. You get to the point where it’s much more difficult to have a child and then you realise, do we really want that anyway?”
Myrie said he and his wife did try for a short while when they were younger, but struggled to get pregnant.
He went on: “We were trying for a child, nothing seemed to be happening. Then we ended up moving and realised that it would be quite unfair because we just love travelling so much.
“We gradually decided it wasn’t for us. We come from such big families, our get-togethers are always huge. We’ve led a fully and happy life and we dote on our nephews and nieces.”
Jess Hardiman