Kaye Adams is accused of being a foul-mouthed aggressive bully who humiliated employees. I labored for her… that is what I noticed, by CODIE BULLEN

To the public, Kaye Adams is the whip-smart, straight-talking broadcaster who is not afraid to speak her mind on-air and will brush off any backlash.

But the latest barbs thrown the 63-year-old Loose Women presenter’s way seem to have have found their target.

Last week, it was revealed she’d been permanently axed from her £155,000-per-year BBC Radio Scotland job after three misconduct complaints were upheld against her.

One alleged incident, where Kaye is said to have used an offensive word against a colleague, is believed to have taken place more than a decade ago and resulted in the person refusing to work on the show that day.

In another alleged incident, the presenter is said to have thrown a pen in frustration at an element of the day’s news schedule.

Both claims have been denied by Kaye’s lawyers.

All grist for the mill, some might say, in the fast-paced and often passionate world of daily news broadcasting – one I was fortunate enough to witness first-hand, when I worked alongside Kaye and her team on her BBC radio show as a researcher for six months back in 2022.

Like many others, I was shocked when I learned my old boss had been unceremoniously dumped from the show, after 15 years, on October 7 last year and saddened again when the Corporation confirmed she would not be returning.

But did I recognise the picture of the foul-mouthed aggressive bully, who’d allegedly shouted and sworn at people, leaving them humiliated and distressed, as painted by complainants in the BBC witch hunt?

No I did not.

I’ve witnessed first-hand how passionate she is about the show, getting things right and putting her point across. But I also saw a softer side to her, a woman with good manners, who always had time for the junior members of the team like me.

And I’m not alone in my high opinion of Kaye: sources close to her have blasted her sacking as ‘sexist and a stitch-up’ that ‘didn’t make sense’ as she had worked at the BBC for 15 years ‘without issue’.

Our paths crossed in July 2021, while I was studying for a degree in journalism in Edinburgh, and secured some work experience on Kaye’s show.

After a successful few shifts shadowing the team, I was offered paid freelance work as a researcher, at the offices in BBC Pacific Quay, in Glasgow.

My job was to work behind the scenes to check facts, draft scripts, and manage logistics, ensuring content was accurate, engaging, and ready for broadcast. We would also book guests for the show and prepare questions for Kaye to ask them when live on-air.

The three-hour radio phone-in was called Mornings with Kaye, which she presented several times a week, and has done so since 2010.

From day one, I felt welcomed by the producers and fellow researchers. Everyone was friendly and seemed to get along well.

When my boss introduced me to Kaye, I was nervous and had no idea what to expect. After all, she does come across as someone who takes no nonsense on TV. But it was a pleasant interaction, albeit short.

Being the most junior member of the team, I’d often pick her up a coffee from the canteen, and I always got a thank you. There were no outrageous rider requests or hissy fits about her milk being not frothy enough, or anything like that, as you sometimes get from other big BBC names.

We even found we had some common ground: Kaye’s family are from a small Scottish village called Slamannan, where I grew up, while some of her family are from the next village over, Limerigg, where I went to primary school. Kaye grew up in Grangemouth, Falkirk.

Kaye is, of course, well known across Scotland, and when I told people that I worked on her BBC show, they would always ask, ‘What is she like in real life? Is she as stern in person?’

My answer is, Kaye is actually softer than she comes across. As someone who’s worked with her for many years commented: ‘Kaye comes across tough on TV, but in reality, she’s soft and will be very upset about being taken off air permanently. That show meant a lot to her.

‘Despite being a huge presenter now, Kaye has never forgotten where she came from. This will feel like a huge blow to her 40-year career.’

I can see how she might have butted heads with colleagues over the years. It can be a stressful environment, particularly when things go wrong.

And she’s not overly chatty. She would always make it known if she didn’t agree with a segment, after all, it would be her discussing it on-air. But she was never aggressive or abusive.

She’s very good at coming in and getting the job done – then shooting off again (probably on to Loose Women).

Insiders claim Victoria Easton Riley, Radio Scotland’s head of audio and events, became concerned about Adams’s conduct during a meeting last year. She then started talking to other members of staff who’d worked with her over the years.

Last year, the BBC published its Workplace Culture Review, looking at improving its whistleblower systems, following high profile cases such as Huw Edwards and Gregg Wallace, and the scandal-hit Strictly Come Dancing, where complainants had claimed they were not taken seriously, or felt their cases were swept under the carpet.

When asked about the investigation into Kaye, a BBC Scotland spokesman said: ‘We do not comment on individuals.’

However, he added: ‘With regard to the presentation line-up on Mornings With, Kaye Adams will not be returning to this role.’

After she was suspended, a representative for Kaye strongly denied the allegation that any complaints ever came through about her.

Kaye later added: ‘After three of the most distressing weeks of my professional life and seeing my previously untarnished name publicly dragged through the mud, BBC Scotland has still not provided me with any details of the allegations which have been made against me.’

She has now been permanently replaced by broadcaster and DJ Grant Stott, 58, with stand-in host Connie McLaughlin, 40, continuing in the role for the immediate future.

Kaye is still a regular panellist and presenter on ITV’s Loose Women, which previously said it was standing by her.

This week, she has appeared on the programme as usual, with no mention of her BBC Scotland travails at all.

Many of her fellow presenters have come out in support since her suspension, including Denise Welch and Nadia Sawalha.

She also hosts a weekly podcast, How To Be 60, with Karen MacKenzie where she has spoken about the stress she has been under during the BBC probe.

Emotionally breaking her silence, she told Karen how she was ‘gathering herself’ and deciding her next move, for both her and her family: ‘It’s difficult, isn’t it? You know what I mean. It’s been a brutal five months, there’s no doubt about it.’

She continued: ‘Obviously some people will be aware of what’s been going on in terms of me leaving the radio and stuff.

‘I’m torn between not wanting to appear to ignore things, but also I just don’t see a lot of point in saying much at this time, and this is a time to process things, try and get life back on track, try and get my mental health back on track, try and get my eating back on track, my sleeping back on track, and just my life back on track.’

After the financial hit, Kaye has revealed her plans to downsize her £1million Glasgow property, where she lives with her partner Ian Campbell and her two daughters Charly, who’s 24, and 19-year-old Bonnie.

‘You’re the mum, you’re the adult, it’s your job to look after them. I, as you know, do everything I can to look after them, but I am just so proud of… I’m so thankful to them,’ she said on her podcast while fighting back tears.

In recent days, Kaye also revealed she suffered a throat cancer scare after discovering a lump in her neck. She has reassured fans that the lump was ‘fine’ and she’s been advised to ‘keep an eye on it’.

I do feel sad for Kaye, but having witnessed her resilience and dedication first-hand, I know this won’t be the end of the road for her career.