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Sian Welby has revealed she turned down appearing in lads’ mags in a bid to protect her ‘classy’ and ‘clean’ family orientated image.
The 39-year-old presenter was working part-time as a shop assistant for New Look when a starring role in an advert for New! Magazine led to her being spotted by former Channel 5 owner Richard Desmond.
She was unveiled as the new face of Channel 5 News in 2010 and became the broadcaster’s lead weather presenter for six years, officially marking her ‘big break’.
While she worked to establish herself as a household name, Sian was encouraged to appear on the front pages of lads’ magazines.
However, she’s revealed she was always wary of taking part in sexy, daring shoots in case it boxed her into a certain category.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, Sian admitted: ‘I always wanted a really clean, classy image.
‘Even though I’m a very normal girl, I do go out and get drunk and I’m very happy to admit all of that, but there were things along the way that I did turn down, like doing lads magazines or things like that.
‘I just didn’t want to do because I really wanted a wholesome image that was in my mind, and I wanted to be able to appeal to ever do children’s television or to do morning television and just have that nice reputation.’
Stars such as Cat Deeley, Elizabeth Hurley and Louise Redknapp – who still enjoy showbiz success today – all featured on Loaded magazine before the risqué publication ceased.
Despite the prevalence of the magazines in the Nineties and Noughties, and suggestion from previous agents or publicists to work with them, Sian wouldn’t budge on her stance.
She added: ‘There was things along the way that there’s maybe slight pressure to do or there was a suggestion to do, and I’ve been very good at standing my ground.’
The mum-of-one, who co-hosts Capital Breakfast with Jordan North and Chris Stark, said she ‘always wanted to prove I can be one of the lads’.
‘I’ve always worked with boys,’ she said. ‘I’ve always been treated as one of the boys and I think I know how to be almost respected by them.’
Sian continued while launching ITV Studios’ new mobile quizzing app The Spin Off: ‘I’ve got a real respect for working with men.
‘I work with brilliant men, and I love it when I feel that they’ve let me in, and sometimes it takes a while, and sometimes it’s instant.
‘But that feeling that they go, “oh, OK, I can say this in front of her, I’m not having to treat her differently”, and that’s what makes the Breakfast show, for example, brilliant, because we’re just a group of mates and it’s as real as it gets.’
Sian – who gave birth to her daughter Ruby in June 2024 -returned to work just three months after giving birth as the ‘breadwinner’ in her relationship and admitted ‘it was a very difficult time’.
Just months beforehand Sian was trusted by ITV bosses to co-present This Morning, having previously fronted competitions and other items for the daytime staple.
‘I’m very realistic that I can’t be sure what would happen if I took a full year off. I don’t know many people in this industry that would take that much time out. You have to be very secure within your job and your role.
‘I have bills to pay. I have to provide for my family, and I had built this up, it was 15 years in the making, some of these jobs are finally there.
‘People might know me now from This Morning or Capital. Those jobs took a long time to get, and I wasn’t ready to potentially throw them away or let them, or the momentum slow down. I was also really loving the fact it was finally getting going.’
The mum-of-one candidly continued: ‘I was torn. It was a very difficult time. Deep down I would have loved to have more time off. Realistically I couldn’t.
‘That’s something that loads of parents face, and I’ve since spoken to loads of people that did quicker than me. Three months for me is the longest I’ve ever had off work.’
There was also the financial implication of taking more time off to consider, with Sian bringing home a higher wage than her fiancé Jake, who works as a producer.
With limited support, the pair have created a well-oiled machine when it comes to juggling their schedules around being there for their daughter.
‘The reality is I’m the breadwinner of my relationship,’ she admitted. ‘I don’t have a nanny. I don’t have my parents nearby, they’re in the Midlands.’
Sian’s fiancé Jake, who works as a producer, proposed to the presenter in 2023 during a romantic trip away.
ITV Studios has launched new free-to-play quiz game app ‘The Spin Off’ offering daily cash prizes and exclusive ITV show experience available now via App Store & Google Play
