Kirsty Young’s health forced her to adopt ‘pared-down’ life after quitting Desert Island Discs

Kirsty Young is coming out of retirement again today to provide coverage of the Queen’s funeral for the BBC, having previously stepped away from her career due to long-term health conditions

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Kirsty Young presents Queen’s Jubilee special in June

Kirsty Young is coming out of retirement again for the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II today, after having stepped away from her career due to health conditions.

The presenter, 53, decided to quit her decade-long role as the host of the BBC ‘s Desert Island Discs in 2018, amid suffering from fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis.

She came out of retirement earlier this year to provide coverage of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which Kirsty had described as a “unique moment”.

At the time she teased it could lead into a wider return to her presenting career and she’s now set to front coverage of the Queen’s funeral alongside David Dimbleby, 83.

Kirsty Young is coming out of retirement again to provide coverage of the Queen’s funeral (

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Sarah Dunn/BBC/PA Wire) Kirsty, pictured with husband Nick Jones, stepped back from her career due to health issues (

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WireImage)

She initially stepped away from her career amid being diagnosed with secondary fibromyalgia – a long-term condition that can cause widespread pain and extreme tiredness.

It’s been reported that the onset of the condition was triggered by her having rheumatoid arthritis, which itself can involve pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints.

Kirsty – who hosted Crimewatch from 2008 to 2015 – spoke about her health in an interview with the Sunday Times Magazine in May, as reported by The Telegraph.

She initially came out of retirement for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations earlier this year (

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BBC)

She revealed that her fibromyalgia left her struggling to perform everyday tasks like cooking and driving, describing the pain as feeling like she’d been hit “with a baseball bat”.

Kirsty explained to the magazine: “It’s like somebody had drugged me, like you’d taken a sleeping tablet at the wrong time in the day and you were completely losing it”.

She said that quitting Desert Island Discs – which she hosted from 2006 until 2018 – was “clearly the only option” as she tried to manage the condition with her doctor.

Kirsty, pictured with David Beckham, quit her role as host of Desert Island Discs amid her health issues (

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Sophie Mutevelian/BBC/PA Wire)

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She has previously said that her doctor encouraged her to scale back work commitments, saying that she needed a period of rest and less stress factors alongside medication.

Kirsty – who admitted that she felt depressed at one point – said that with the help of a specialist and a pared-down lifestyle she has since come off most of her medication.

Since stepping away from her busy lifestyle, she’s said to have “reframed” her life, taking up reading, spending more time with family and “reconnecting” with the world.

The late Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral will be held in London today (

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Getty Images)

Kirsty – who has two children and two step-children with her husband Nick Jones, 58 – however said earlier this year that she “couldn’t resist” working on the Jubilee coverage.

The late monarch’s funeral today marks a further return to presenting for Kirsty, who is part of the BBC’s line-up for its coverage, alongside the likes of Huw Edwards, 61.

It comes following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8. She has been succeeded on the throne by her eldest son, King Charles III, formerly known as Prince Charles.

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