Clare Balding 'struggled' with BBC job as she makes heartbreaking wife confession

 Clare Balding has become one of the UK's most recognisable presenters, having covered some of the world's biggest sporting events, including the Olympics and Wimbledon. Her broadcasting career has taken her across the globe, from covering the Summer Olympics in the United States, Australia and China to reporting the 2017 America's Cup in Bermuda and fronting the WTA Tour Finals in Singapore.

While it may be considered a dream job, Clare has opened up about the struggles that come with it, particularly the time spent away from those closest to her. This includes her wife, broadcaster Alice Arnold, whom she married in 2015. In an interview with The Telegraph, the 55-year-old admitted she became so homesick while in Russia for the 2010 Winter Olympics that she questioned whether her job was making her happy anymore.

She said: "I realised - probably around the 2010 Winter Olympics in Sochi - that I was getting very homesick when I worked away.

"I really struggled with it to the point where I was pretty sure work wasn't making me happy. I was covering amazing events, but.

Clare explained: "I was overwhelmed by homesickness. I realised that I need natural light, I need to walk, and I need to phone Alice every day. As long as I can sort those things out, then I'm OK."

During the same interview, the author slammed the Labour government for its treatment of farmers as she reflected on the importance of Britain's rural communities.

"In many aspects, the countryside is farmers," she remarked. Yes, there are big areas which are not farmland, but a large percentage is.

"They keep the countryside looking lovely for our benefit, they produce food for our benefit, so it'd be helpful if they were not required to jump through every hoop known to the government."

However, she suggested that patching up the current farming crisis could be a job for the entire country.

The presenter added: "The idealist in me, (and I am very idealistic) looks at a map of this country and goes, 'Right, look at all those footpaths, look at all those rivers, look at all that open space, how can we get more people to enjoy that while supporting the local economy?'"