EXCLUSIVE: Kendall Gilding on balancing motherhood and her successful news career

Kendall Gilding is no stranger to pressure – in fact, she thrives in it. But lately, the Queensland newsreader admits her plate is a little full.

When TV WEEK speaks to her after our exclusive shoot in sunny Brisbane, she’s just put her six-month-old son Moses down for a nap, completed the day care drop-off for her three-year-old daughter Olive, and is contemplating tackling the never-ending list of chores before heading to the studio.

“I’m shocked at how much harder it is to juggle two kids as opposed to one,” Kendall, 35, says with a laugh. “I’ve been a bit naive about that. It’s like a bit of your brain has to be carved out for a third person: baby, toddler and husband.”

After six months’ maternity leave, the Seven News reporter returned to the desk in April and is feeling her way through it. Kendall praises the support husband Tim and her co-workers have given her, but admits the emotions are hard to suppress.

“The guilt [of not being with her children] doesn’t subside, even though you know they’re safe,” she says.

“On the second day [back at work], someone asked me how I was and I burst into tears. Tim and I decided not to have any more kids so knowing this is the last time has made things even more brutal.”

The key, she says, has been accepting help and taking it one step at a time.

“Moses is still young, so I struggle with the idea that I’m missing moments or milestones with him,” she says. “I’ve learnt to be gentle with myself and I know I have support around me, especially other working mums at Seven.”

Kendall, who suffers from endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome, is open about her struggle to conceive and cam empathise with other women going through a similar journey – an issue that affects one in 10 women across Australia. While Olive was conceived via IVF, Kendall hoped for a natural journey second time around. It almost didn’t happen.

“I really wanted to fall pregnant with Moses naturally – it’s something I longed for,” she says, adding that good news came just in time. “Four days before I was due to have surgery to start the [IVF] process, I found out I was pregnant.”

While motherhood has been life-changing, Kendall has never questioned her position in the workplace. In fact, time away allowed her to reflect on what she wanted – and who she wanted to be.

“I was fearful it [motherhood] would change my identity or that I wouldn’t want the same things, but it didn’t – I love what I do,” she says. “Sometimes culture tries to make us [mothers] feel guilty about wanting to go to work, but the truth is, modern motherhood is often cooking dinner with one hand because you have a baby on your hip.

“I don’t buy into ‘You can’t have everything.’ I believe you can – it just depends how stretched you want to be.”

As a student admiring Melissa Doyle on breakfast show Sunrise (“She played a pivotal role in me deciding to pursue journalism”) and Kay McGrath on the Brisbane nightly bulletins, Kendall knew broadcasting was where she belonged. Years later, she found herself working in the same space at Channel Seven.

“I was doing weather presenting and one of my first shifts was next to Kay on the desk. I now sit in the chair she sat in,” she says.

While many feel the pressure of live TV, Kendall welcomes it.

“I always joke that if you can read a story to kids at bedtime, you can read the news,” she says with a laugh. “It’s a bit more complicated than that, but live TV makes me come alive.”

With nearly eight years at the helm of the afternoon bulletin, Kendall is open to what her future holds – “As a family, we’re always open to the right opportunity,” she says. But is quick to add the benefits of living the Queenslander life.

“There’s something peaceful about putting roots down here as a family,” she says. “We have great weather and a bustling city that still holds a country charm. It would be funny to move away when the lifestyle is phenomenal [laughs]!”