Konnie Huq reveals she pressured Charlie Brooker into marriage and babies

Former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq has admitted that she pressured husband Charlie Brooker into having marriage and babies in the early days of their relationship. 

The children’s TV presenter and author, 47, said she gave the Black Mirror creator, 51, an ultimatum so that neither of them wasted their time with one another. 

Luckily for Konnie being upfront worked. The pair met and married within nine months and now share sons Covey, 10, and Huxley, eight, together. 

They tied the knot in Las Vegas back in July 2010. 

Speaking on Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s podcast Spinning Plates this week, Konnie said she always wanted to have children and feared Charlie didn’t feel the same, so the conversation and deal breaker immediately came up.  

‘I always wanted to have kids… I always thought I’d have three kids and then I had two and was like, ”I’m done now,” she began. 

Family: Luckily for Konnie her efforts paid off. The pair met and married within nine months and now share sons Covey, 10, and Huxley, eight, together (pictured in July 2019)

‘But weirdly, Charlie didn’t think he ever wanted kids. So when we got together, I was like, ”if you’re not a having kids kind of person than we’re not compatible.” But it turns out he was.’

‘But he is really good with kids which you might not think cause of his miserable alter ego, but Charlie is a lamb in wolf’s clothing.’

Speaking about tying the knot so fast after meeting each other, Konnie said that at the time, her ‘body clock was ticking’. 

‘I was in my mid-thirties and when you’re in your mid-thirties with your body clock ticking, you sort of think, ”I don’t want to be in another relationship without it going anywhere,” she said. 

‘So yeah, quite quickly it was my way or the highway, which is good because then you know if someone is committed maybe.’

‘Charlie didn’t think he ever wanted kids. So when we got together, I was like, ”if you’re not a having kids kind of person than we’re not compatible.” But it turns out he was,’ she said, (pictured in February 2020) 

She added that despite putting pressure on Charlie, if he buckled then she would have known he wasn’t right for her. 

‘I was literally like, ”there is no point us being together unless you’re sure you want to have kids and quite quickly as well.” And If that was to scare him off, then he wasn’t the right person.’

She previously spoke about the topic on Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe’s Parenting Hell podcast that one day Charlie just changed his mind on having kids. 

‘He didn’t want kids but he hadn’t met the right person and all that changed. I said, ”I am not really interested unless I am going to have kids.”

‘And so… he obviously saw the gene pool that I possessed and thought ‘it wouldn’t be right!’ I dunno, he just sort of changed his mind.’

The children’s TV presenter revealed the quality that drew her to Charlie, and why she barely uses the internet.

Konnie said: ‘I don’t have an Amazon account, an Uber, a Deliveroo… nothing. I am not even on Facebook, I am an old-fashioned person.

‘That was one thing that attracted me to Charlie, a bloke who is good at phone conversations is quite a rare thing, and Charlie is really good at having a telephone conversation.

‘I am anti-consumerism. I buy nothing. Me and Charlie yin and yang there well.

‘I always say I am really analogue and Charlie is really digital. My oldest is digital and my youngest is analogue.’

She elaborated on her digital versus analogue comparison and added: ‘The eldest is like his dad… he likes tinkering around with gadgets. The younger one loves getting out there and being sociable. He is a classic boy.’

It worked out! She previously spoke about the topic on Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe’s Parenting Hell podcast that one day Charlie just changed his mind on having kids