TV and radio presenter Kirsty Gallacher broke down in court as she was banned from driving for six months, tearfully telling a judge: “I’m broken.”
The 49-year-old former Sky Sports presenter appeared at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court on Monday to plead for leniency after reaching 12 points on her licence.
She begged to keep her licence under exceptional hardship rules, citing her role as sole carer for her two teenage sons and her ongoing health battle with a fast-growing brain tumour.
Kirsty Gallacher breaks down in tears in court as she opens up about fast-growing brain tumour
Despite her emotional testimony, District Judge Arvind Sharma dismissed her plea. He ruled that Kirsty had the financial means to arrange alternative transport and stated: “I don’t find exceptional hardship in your case.”
Kirsty revealed in court that she is undergoing radiotherapy for a benign but rapidly growing acoustic neuroma.
“I have a brain tumour. It is benign, but it’s growing very fast,” she told the court, as reported by The Sun. “They have monitored it for the last three years. I am now doing radiotherapy last week. We don’t know if [it] is going to work.”
She added that she suffers from dizziness, tinnitus and anxiety due to both the illness and the steroids she is currently taking. “It’s not easy for me or my children. They are worried about the outcome,” she said.
Kirsty argued that she needed her car to manage her responsibilities as the sole carer and financial provider for her sons, aged 18 and 15, especially in the rural area where they live.
“We live in the middle of the countryside. Public transport is not a feasible option,” she said, adding that she takes her youngest son to school every day and that a ban would impact his ability to attend golf and rugby activities.
Kirsty Gallacher ‘banned’ from driving for six months
Kirsty also revealed she earns around £150,000 annually but has “no savings” and cannot afford regular taxis or a driver.
However, Judge Sharma ruled that while the situation was difficult, it did not amount to exceptional hardship.
He ruled to disqualify her from driving for six months. She was also fined £660, with a £264 surcharge and £120 in costs for the speeding offence.
Speaking to the Mail afterwards, she said: “There’s no empathy. I’m just an ordinary mum with plates spinning, I do everything. With my health as well, it’s going to be very difficult.’”
Kirsty attacked in the street
In a further emotional reveal, Kirsty spoke publicly for the first time about a recent assault she suffered just weeks ago in Central London. She said she was walking to her car when a man “dressed all in black” kicked her violently from behind.
She said that he ‘brushed past her and kicked her very hard’. The tearful star then admitted to the court that she is “broken at the moment, from everything”.
Despite her emotional appeal, the court stood firm on the mandatory ban, leaving Kirsty visibly shaken.
This is not Kirsty’s first driving-related court appearance. In 2017, she was banned for two years for drink-driving after being found to be nearly three times the legal limit. At the time, she blamed stress from the breakdown of her marriage.
Read more: Kirsty Gallacher ‘kicked like a football’ in horrific attack as boyfriend tells thug
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