The Newsline anchor, Donna Traynor, has announced that she was leaving the job she loves on Monday, which caused many politicians, presenters, and members of the public to express sadness.
She released a statement on Twitter for her 17.7k followers, which said, “It is with deep sadness that, after almost 33 years, I am leaving the job that I love and resigning from BBC Northern Ireland with immediate effect. Because this is the subject of the ongoing Employment Tribunal and other legal proceedings, I am not able to respond to any questions or comments about my reasons for leaving the organization."
— Donna Traynor (@DonnaTraynorTV) November 15, 2021
Many fans and her colleagues quickly flooded her post with sweet messages and encouragements after learning about her departure from BBC NI after almost 33 years.
A BBC NI spokesman said, “ We do not comment on individual staff matters.”
The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Kate Nicholl, said, “Really sorry to read this – wishing you all the very best.”
SDLP MLA Cara Hunter had written, “ Sorry to hear this Donna, we’ll miss you from our screens. Best of luck in whatever comes next.”
Councillor Simon Lee of the Green Party also said that he was sorry to hear the news of her departure and offered his best wishes for the future while Koulla Yiasouma, commissioner for children, posted that the seasoned Broadcaster would be missed plus the author and former BBC editor Eimear O’Callaghan said she would be a loss to news broadcasting.
Former political correspondent Martina Purdy also wrote, “Sorry to hear this. Donna was always a great colleague, very professional, and a totally decent person.” Jayne McCormack, BBC NI political correspondent, said, “So sad to read this, you were a constant presence when I was growing up watching the news, and getting to work with you was a privilege. Take care.”
Donna was also described as an absolute professional by Broadcaster and author David Gordon and the award-winning writer Susan Mckay wrote, “Sorry you are in this position Donna.”
A Twitter user named Victoria wrote, “Sorry to hear this Donna – many will remember you as a great newsreader but I'll also always remember you for that lovely video message you made for my grandparents' anniversary. I wish you the very best on whatever you go on to do next!”
Another user, Chris White, said, “ I grew up listening to you read the evening news while we had our dinner each night. Now, when I visit home, seeing you on the TV is one of those familiar sights with NI.”
Is Illness And Health Problems For Donna Traynor's Departure?
The former Presenter of BBC NI, Donna Traynor, has made no mention of illness or health problems as the reason for her departure. Rather, she said that it is related to ongoing legal processes, and she is in excellent health.
Back in October 2020, Donna Traynor was on a three-month hiatus as her sick leave and returned to the studio at the end of 2020. She said, “ Happy to be returning to work this week after sick leave following an op at the beginning of October. Thanks for your support.”
Donna Traynor Career
Donna Traynor was born in Lisburn in 1965 and moved to Dublin with her family. She studied Journalism at Dublin City University. She began her career in broadcasting with RTE in Dublin before moving to BBC NI in 1989. She was the first person to break the news of the Provisional IRA ceasefire in August 1994, and she was reading television news bulletins and later got promoted to the position of the main anchor on BBC Newsline.
She had also presented the IRA Decommissioning program and the BBC Newsline special on Devolution Day. She was nominated twice by the Royal Television Society for the Presenter of the year category.
She had also presented Country Times, various educational programs, and coverage of the Balmoral Show.
Donna is considered the wealthiest journalist and has over 35 years of professional experience in the media field. However, her salary on BBC isn’t published out yet.
Donna Traynor Married Life With Husband Ronan Kelly
Donna Traynor’s husband is Ronan Kelly, who is an RTE radio documentary producer. She is very private about her life with her husband as there are no published images of them together and no posts about him on her social media.
However, it is known that Ronan was a training consultant and also a fellow broadcaster of Donna. They first met when Donna was just a journalism student, and she went to do some work experience at Downtown Radio, where Ronan worked as a DJ.
In 2008, Donna’s husband, Ronan Kelly, revealed that he had been fighting throat cancer for two months. He was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on his right vocal cord and had received 20 sessions of radiotherapy at the Belfast City Hospital to rid him of the potentially fatal disease. He has shared, “the consultant sat on my bed. I knew by his face that the news wasn’t good. He told me it looked like I had a tumor.”
Ronan and Donna shared their story to send an important message to the public about carrying out cancer checks. They said, “early detection is crucial-it really can mean the difference between life or death. There are no prizes for ignoring the signs. Men tend to not talk about things if they have a problem and keep it all to themselves. But you shouldn’t ignore your body when it is trying to tell you something.”