I have so much to ask you about, but let’s start with work and your career. What do you think was the biggest lesson you learned on the job when you were just starting out?

“My first on-air job was in Kansas City in 1980 when I was 24. When I arrived to WDAF-TV for my first day, the moving van hadn’t gotten there yet with my clothes and furniture. I had to go to work with no clothes, no nothing. I called a fellow reporter, Bruce Johnson, to tell him about it, and I remember expecting he would say ‘It’s okay, don’t worry, I’ll help you!’ But instead he just said ‘Grow up!’ and hung up the telephone. I just stared at the phone like, ‘Uh, hello?!’ That was a very seminal moment for me, because he was someone I counted on for advice, but it forced me to have to figure it out myself. So I went to Walmart and bought some clothes and did my live shot that day and then waited for the rest of my things to come. At the moment, I didn’t appreciate it, but looking back, I realised Bruce was throwing me in the pool to teach me how to swim. That was my newsflash that sometimes, you just have to count on yourself. And it forced me to grow up very quickly.”