By Emmanuel Ukudolo I Friday, July 03.2026
LAGOS, Nigeria – For over a decade, Isha Sesay was the poised, unflappable face of global breaking news. From anchoring CNN NewsCenter to reporting alongside Anderson Cooper, the Cambridge-educated journalist went toe-to-toe with world leaders, presidents, and dictators.
She was the woman who had it all—a glittering, high-octane career at the absolute top of broadcast journalism.
But behind the studio lights and the glamorous international lifestyle, a quiet, deeply personal ache was growing.
This week, the 50-year-old British-Sierra Leonean powerhouse is making a dramatic return to CNN, courtesy of the Globacom, Nigeria’s telecom brand.
But in a poignant twist, she won’t be the one asking the questions. Instead, Isha is stepping into the hot seat as the featured guest on African Voices (sponsored by Globacom), stripping back the layers on her remarkable career, her fierce advocacy for young girls, and the raw, beautiful reality of becoming a single mother through IVF in her late 40s.
Isha’s life took a profound turn when she decided to pursue motherhood entirely on her own terms. Like millions of modern women who poured their 20s and 30s into building a world-class career, Isha found herself in her mid-40s without a partner, but with a deep, undeniable longing to be a mum.
Rather than waiting for a conventional fairy tale that might never arrive, Isha took her destiny into her own hands. She embarked on the notoriously brutal, emotional rollercoaster of In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) as a single woman.
Against the biological odds, the treatment was a success. At the age of 47, Isha welcomed her first child—a beautiful baby girl. It was a journey that captured global attention, sparking widespread conversations about maternal age, fertility struggles, and the changing definition of the modern family.
”It’s the hardest, most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” a source close to the star whispered. “For years, Isha was telling other people’s stories of survival and resilience.
Now, she’s living her own. She wants women everywhere to know that it is never too late to claim your happiness, even if you have to do it by yourself.”
Born in London on January 6, 1976, to Sierra Leonean parents, Isha’s rise to media royalty is the stuff of legend. After graduating from the prestigious Trinity College, Cambridge, she cut her teeth in the competitive world of British television, quickly becoming a standout talent at the BBC and Sky News.
CNN bosses quickly spotted her magnetic screen presence and razor-sharp intellect, snapping her up in 2005. By 2009, she was hosting the International Desk, holding powerful figures like former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo accountable on the world stage.
Yet, for all her journalistic triumphs, Isha’s heart never left the continent of her heritage. In 2014, horrified by the mass abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in Nigeria—a story she covered extensively, winning an Emmy for her reporting—Isha decided that reporting on tragedy wasn’t enough.
She founded Women Everywhere Can Lead (WE Can Lead), a passion-driven educational and humanitarian non-profit. The organization works tirelessly on the ground across Africa, providing vulnerable young girls with the educational resources, emotional support, and leadership training they need to break out of poverty and become tomorrow’s trailblazers.
When Isha appears on CNN’s African Voices this weekend, viewers will see a woman completely transformed. The hard-nosed news anchor has evolved into a maternal advocate, blending her sharp media savvy with the soft, fierce love of a mother determined to make the world better for her daughter.
The half-hour special promises an intimate, no-holds-barred look at her evolution. She will reflect on the highs and lows of the newsroom, the terrifying leap of faith into late-stage IVF, and how her baby girl has completely refocused her life’s mission.
For fans who have missed her commanding presence on the airwaves, this return is a triumphant full-circle moment. Isha Sesay is back—older, wiser, and more powerful than ever.
How to Watch: Isha Sesay’s exclusive interview on African Voices will premiere this Saturday at 7:30 a.m. on CNN International.
If you miss the initial broadcast, CNN has scheduled an extensive slate of repeat airings across the next fortnight so viewers don’t miss a moment of Isha’s emotional interview.
Broadcast Times (UK Time)
Saturday: 7:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
Sunday: 3:30 a.m. & 6:00 p.m.
Monday: 3:00 a.m. & 5:45 p.m.
Tuesday: 5:45 p.m.
Note: The exact same rotation will repeat the following week, concluding with a final broadcast on Monday at 3:00 a.m.