大象传媒

What is it like growing up with a famous parent? Can you really recreate independent success in their wake?

Mabel and mother, Neneh Cherry

With the success of Brit nominee Mabel – daughter of 90s legend Neneh Cherry – and Kaia Gerber and Lila Moss following their famous mothers – Cindy Crawford and Kate Moss – into the fashion industry, what advice can slightly more experienced celebrities’ kids pass on about their experiences?

Two well-known TV presenters with celebrated fathers described the pressures of growing up in the shadow / spotlight of their parent’s success.

In a recent episode of the podcast In the Pink, sports TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher opened up about how she had found school quite difficult because of who her father was.

Kirsty and father, Bernard Gallacher

Her dad was something of a sporting hero as she was growing up: Bernard Gallagher captained Europe’s Ryder Cup team in 1991, 93 and 95. Kirsty told the podcast she had experienced bullying at school.

In the long run, however, she became a successful sports presenter in her own right, working with Sky News Sports for 20 years.

Also exploring her parent’s territory in the media is journalist Sarah Smith. Talking to Laura Maxwell on Mornings, Smith describes the awkwardness she still feels around being the daughter of former Labour party leader. Although he died almost 25 years ago, John Smith maintains a powerful presence in her life.

John Smith and Sarah Smith

Although Sarah, a TV journalist and the 大象传媒’s Scotland editor, didn’t experience bullying, she agreed that “you had a degree of visibility at school”.

“I was in my early 20s, single, living in London and probably not behaving in the way you’d expect the daughter of the opposition leader to behave,” she laughed.

Even 25 years after her father’s death, Sarah explained that she still finds her connection to his fame difficult.

“People come up to me in the street all the time to tell me how much they admired and respected him.

“But there’s a bit of me that’s just a little bit embarrassed by it.

“There’s always something that makes me squirm a wee bit when people want to talk about my dad; I've never quite managed to get rid of it.”

It doesn’t just stop at awkwardness, either. Sarah believes that some people can’t separate her familial connection to the Labour party with her approach to her journalism.

“There’s always the worry that, when I’m reporting on politics, I can’t be impartial.”