An ITV News presenter has spoken candidly about how he took a long break from work after a ‘breakdown’
Tom Bradby once took three months off (Image: Screengrab)
An ITV News journalist has spoken about taking three months away from work amid a “breakdown”.
Newsreader Tom Bradby stepped back from his duties in 2018, and spoke about that period in his life in an interview with Radio Times.
He opened up while discussing the new ITV thriller Secret Service, which has been adapted from his novel and stars Gemma Arterton as MI6 officer Kate Henderson, reports the Mirror.
Tom revealed he wrote the book faster than any of his previous works, saying that when he reflects on the speed it “poured out” of him “it seems obvious that Kate – as a result of all the pressure heaped upon her – is skating on the edge of acute insomnia and some kind of breakdown”.
“And shortly after I finished it, this is exactly what happened to me,” he said. “I took three months off, rebooted and recovered.”
Gemma Arterton stars in Secret Service (Image: ITV/Potboiler Productions)
“But when I read the book now, I do wonder at the way the character was a direct reflection of my own psychological state of mind.”
Tom has previously spoken publicly about his break, disclosing that it came after he developed insomnia, which led to what he described as an “addiction” to a sleeping pill.
Secret Service, which also features Rafe Spall, has been adapted from Tom’s bestselling novel, with ITV promising audiences “high-stakes drama” and “political intrigue”.
The five-part series delves into the shadowy world of espionage set against a backdrop of mounting tensions between the UK and Russia.
Tom Bradby spoke to Radio Times (Image: Radio Times)
A synopsis for the show read: “The drama follows senior MI6 officer Kate Henderson (Gemma). On the surface, her life appears ordinary – a civil servant married to Stuart (Rafe) with two teenage children.
“However, to those who don’t know her well, Kate’s true role is heading the Russia Desk at the Secret Intelligence Service.
“When her undercover operations reveal alarming evidence that a high-ranking UK politician may be a Russian asset, Kate finds herself in a desperate race to uncover their identity.”
It goes on: “As a brutal murder thrusts her team into the spotlight, Kate must navigate the dangerous world of espionage while trying to hold her family together and protect her reputation.”
Secret Service will launch on Monday April 27 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
