Last Thursday I heard the sad news that the shopping channel I used to work for went into administration. Everyone was called up that morning and told not to come into work. They all lost their jobs with immediate effect.

Although from the outside looking in it wasn’t a massive surprise (there’d been whisperings of it ‘being near the end’ for years, even before I left in 2011) I was genuinely gutted. Gutted for all my friends who now found themselves unemployed, but also really sad that the place that gave me my first ‘proper’ job was no more.

While speaking to my friends in the aftermath I started to think about what happened when I left. I was not only really lucky to have figured out what I really wanted to do, but this place gave me the opportunity to explore that whilst still having a job that paid the bills. I was the first producer to ever be allowed to go part-time. I worked nights over the weekend at the channel while I tackled all things Rock n Roll Bride during the week.

I then started to wonder what I’d do if I was in their position now. Would I go and find another bill-paying job, or use it as a sign to really start to follow my dreams? I’ve had endless talks with my ex-colleagues over the years about how they really wanted to start this, or try that, but there were always excuses not to… there was always a “but…”

I don’t want to sound idealistic, and I completely understand that this is an uncertain time for a lot of them, but I do hope they’ll all realise that this is also a massive opportunity. I hope they’ll all take this chance and turn it around for themselves. If I can start a little blog about weddings and make it my full time career, then they bloody well can do it too.

To my selly-telly friends: You are an awesome, intelligent, hard working and driven bunch. If you let it, this will be a defining moment for you all. My one wish is that in a few years time you’ll look back on this week and say “Man, that was tough, but it really was the best thing to ever happen to me…”

RIP Sit Up TV. We loved you and we hated you. Together we brought the nation Egyptian cotton towels, sexy satin sheets and some seriously dodgy figurines. You gave us all some great memories and some even greater friends. You may be gone from our TV schedule but never from our hearts.