Konnie Huq has revealed she’s never bought a new phone and only uses husband Charlie Brooker’s hand-me-downs.
The former Blue Peter presenter, 50, previously admitted she hasn’t bought new clothes for 20 years and branded herself an ‘anti-consumerist’.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Mail, Konnie shared: ‘My phone is always like my husband’s old phone, and then my son has got my old phone.
‘So it just gets handed down and handed down essentially, so I never get a new phone, I just will get my husband’s cast-offs essentially.’
She added that her husband Charlie – who created Black Mirror – is the complete opposite: ‘He is quite techie and will often be like, “oh 16GB isn’t good enough for me, it doesn’t hold everything. I need 32GB,” whereas I’m sort of none the wiser.’
Despite being in the public eye, Konnie doesn’t use social media and instead describes her technology habits as ‘totally retro’ as she loves chatting on the phone, rather than texting.
Konnie Huq has revealed she’s never bought a new phone and only uses husband Charlie Brooker’s hand-me-downs
In an exclusive interview with Daily Mail, the former Blue Peter presenter, 50, said: ‘I never get a new phone, I just will get my husband’s cast-offs essentially’
Konnie has often spoke out about living a sustainable life and previously admitted: ‘I am essentially a bit anti-consumerist, so I don’t buy things.
‘I haven’t bought clothes in, say, the last 20 years – all those years I did on Blue Peter, you get clothes for the job anyway.
‘The older I get, the more comfy I feel in my own skin. So now, I’d rather be really unfashionable, but know people like me for me, rather than the clothes I wear. I’m much happier opting out.’
The presenter and author revealed her parents taught her not to waste anything, and she is hoping to do the same with her sons.
Konnie has been announced as EE’s parent ambassador for its latest U18s smartphone guidance campaign, which focuses on helping families set out rules and boundaries around responsible smartphone use ahead of the new school year.
New research from EE shows 9 in 10 parents admit they argue with their children about device use.
Konnie is encouraging families to visit one of 400+ stores nationwide for expert guidance on managing their child’s digital wellbeing and learn about a new range of Safer SIMs (see below) developed to help under-18s thrive online.
Konnie and Charlie’s children Covey, 13, and Huxley, 11, don’t have fully-functioning smartphones yet. Instead, her eldest son uses a ‘brick phone’ with very basic functions.
Konnie is EE’s parent ambassador for its latest U18s smartphone guidance campaign, which focuses on helping families set out rules around responsible smartphone use
Konnie shares Covey, 13, (right) and Huxley, 11, (left) with her husband Charlie Brooker, who she met on an episode of his show, Screenwipe (all pictured in 2019)
She said: ‘My youngest, who has just finished primary, was literally asking for a smartphone since he came out of my tummy, and my oldest one is really not fussed.
‘He’s a bit of a lone wolf, he never gets FOMO. They’re a bit chalk and cheese, weirdly, so the younger one does have a phone, but we never actually put a SIM card in it. He didn’t really tweak that it’s actually just a tablet without a SIM card.’
When asked if she is worried about her kids entering the online world, she added: ‘It’s a 24/7 culture and you just don’t know who they’re chatting to, what they’re doing
‘You’re only a few clicks away from the wrong thing essentially, and everything is driven by links and traffic and algorithms. It is a minefield, and it’s also the fact that us grown-ups didn’t have that when we were growing up, so I sometimes think people don’t realise what it is they’re dealing with.’
Konnie is encouraging families to visit one of 400+ stores nationwide for expert guidance on managing their child’s digital wellbeing ahead of the new school year, and learn about a new range of Safer SIMs developed to help under-18s thrive online.
Konnie became a firm on-screen favourite when she appeared as a Blue Peter presenter between December 1997 and January 2008.
Two decades on, she has taken a step back from television presenting and is focused on writing children’s books.
Konnie and Charlie’s children don’t have fully-functioning smartphones yet. Instead, her eldest son uses a ‘brick phone’ with very basic functions
She met the Black Mirror creator during an episode of his show, Screenwipe, in 2009 and they became engaged nine months later, in June 2010.
When asked if there are any rules in their household on screen time or during date nights with Charlie, she said: ‘I’m kind of outnumbered. Most mums give their children half an hour of screen time a week, but I’m so outnumbered.
‘My eldest loves coding and doing stuff on his laptop. Then my younger son, who is the one that will be on all the social media sites, he wants his own YouTube channel currently and wants TikTok and all that.
‘He’s only just about to go into all of that because he’s going to secondary school. So there aren’t any rules and regulations as of yet, but that could all change going into this school year.’
