BBC News presenter quit job after three decades following Tom Hanks’ advice

BBC News presenter Rebecca Jones has turned her back on TV fame for a new direction after three decades, with Oscar winner Tom Hanks helping her embark on a new career journey

A BBC News presenter quit her role after nearly three decades on TV so that she could train for a brand new career that couldn't be further away from her time in front of the camera.

Rebecca Jones had been a regular face on the BBC 's news coverage including being involved in presenting some of the biggest news events of recent times. During her time with the BBC, Rebecca lead the coverage of the war in Ukraine, as well the London Bridge terror attack. The news presenter was also part of the team that covered the death of the Queen.

After 28 years of working in journalism, Rebecca decided to leave Auntie Beeb for a brand new direction in August 2023. She hasn't looked back since despite the financial drop, as she embraced her new career. It was not a spontaneous decision as Rebecca decided in 2021 that she would look for a new way for her life after she suffered a health scare, which left her hospitalised following shooting pains and dizziness while at work.

Following time in A&E, doctors said that she was suffering from burnout and she was advised to take a month away from the BBC, where she was Art Correspondent as well as a news presenter. Speaking to The Times, Rebecca said: "I also come from a generation of women who felt that to survive in the workplace you needed to plough on and deliver. But I recognised I was at a turning point. It gradually dawned on me that things had to change, not only for my health, but also for my happiness."

After quitting the BBC, Rebecca discovered Barrecore, a workout that brings together ballet, yoga and Pilates and she said about the exercise: "Undoubtedly it helped my sanity and stamina while I was working in the hectic environment of the newsroom." At the age of 58, Rebecca qualified as an instructor and now takes 14 classes a week.

While it has hit her income, Rebecca has hailed the effect it has had on her health. She said: "I’m no longer at the beck and call of the news desk and I am in control of what I do. I sleep better, there are no more heart palpitations and after years in pain, my stiff neck and frozen shoulder have disappeared."

Rebecca also revealed that Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks was one of the first to wish her luck on her new venture and congratulated her on taking such a big step. She had met Tom when interviewing him for the BBC Radio 4 Today programme and then hosted his book launch at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool. Speaking about his words of encouragement, Rebecca revealed that he wrote in a book he signed for her: "Good luck on that new adventure. Closer and closer to your status as a creature of a renaissance."

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