BBC Breakfast presenter Charlie Stayt and his wife Annie Breckell are reportedly facing bankruptcy after being served a petition by HMRC.
Stayt, who began his journalism career in 1995 with ITN, later joined Five News, covering major events like the 9/11 attacks, before eventually moving to Sky News and then to the BBC.
Despite nearly 20 years on the BBC’s morning show, Stayt and Breckell have found themselves £6,409 in debt, according to their company’s accounts filed in December last year.
According to The Sun, the couple, who live in a £2.3 million four-bedroom home in Twickenham, South West London, were recently threatened with bankruptcy by the government agency.
Their company, Stayt Limited, lists both Stayt and Breckell as directors, along with Hogbens Dunphy Secretaries, a firm of accountants and tax consultants in central London. The company’s nature of business is television programming and broadcasting activities.
The broadcaster joined BBC Breakfast in 2006 and now co-hosts the show with Naga Munchetty, 49, from Salford, Manchester, every Thursday to Saturday.
The morning presenter took over after Dan Walker departed the show in 2022 to join Channel 5 News.
The Standard has contacted Charlie Stayt’s representative for comment.
Stayt began his career at a commercial radio station in Gloucester before moving on to host Capital Radio’s news program in London.
In 1995, he transitioned to television, starting with ITN. He then joined Five News as a reporter and later presented their prime-time bulletins and live debate shows.
He anchored significant events like the 9/11 coverage and the Millennium celebrations before moving to Sky News.
Stayt has also dabbled in reality TV, hosting shows like Jailbreak and Are You Telepathic, and participating as a contestant on The Weakest Link in 2022.