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BBC's Fiona Bruce opens up about the guilt she faces from being a working mother

The BBC presenter hires a nanny for her two children

fiona bruce
Sharnaz Shahid
Deputy Online Editor
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BBC presenter Fiona Bruce has revealed she feels "guilty" for being a working mother. The 54-year-old, who shares Sam, 20, and Mia, 16 with husband Nigel Sharrocks, admitted that she judges herself against her own late mother. "She stopped working when she had her first child and never went back," she told Radio Times. "My parents' set-up was very traditional. I do judge my parenting skills against hers and often find myself falling short. She was always there, but I'm not."

fiona bruce© Photo: Getty Images

Fiona Bruce has revealed she feels guilty about being a working mum

Despite her children being teenagers, the Antiques Roadshow host still hires a nanny to help run the household. "We have had the same nanny for 20 years and that has made so much of my working life possible," she added. "But I do have a fair dose of working mother's guilt. Would it have been better for my children had I been at home all the time? I don't know. I've asked and they say no!" Fiona has been at the BBC since 1989, when she joined as a researcher on Panorama. She famously went back to work just 16 days after the birth of Mia, who will turn 17 in November.

MORE: Fiona Bruce reveals she still uses a nanny for her teenage children

fiona bruce husband© Photo: Getty Images

Fiona has been married to Nigel Sharrocks since July 1994

The TV journalist has been married to advertising agency director Nigel since July 1994; they welcomed son Sam in January 1988, followed by Mia in November 2001. Fiona previously revealed that she would not have been able to continue her 29-year career without their nanny Claire. She told the Mail in 2017: "I'm working a lot and my husband works a lot too, and it's really important for me that someone is in the house when Mia comes in from school."

READ: Mary Berry admits she felt guilty from being a working mother