In February 2024 she announced her intention to step down from Today after the 2024 United Kingdom general election,[2][3] and she did so on 18 July 2024.

[4] She is to stay with Radio 4, hosting a new series called This Natural Life and continuing to present episodes of Open Country.

She was, with Jenni Murray, 2004 TRIC radio presenter of the year, and won a Sony bronze award for a programme on child poverty.

[12] In 2013, Kearney won her episode of the Great Comic Relief Bake Off competing against Claudia Winkleman, Ed Byrne and Helen Glover.

Kearney joined Today on Radio 4 in April 2018 as a main presenter, swapping posts with Sarah Montague.

[18] She has also presented Talking Books[19] for the BBC from Hay Festival interviewing Kazuo Ishiguro and Marlon James amongst others.

[3][20] Kearney's last day on Today was 18 July 2024;[4] she is to stay with Radio 4, hosting a new series called This Natural Life and continuing to present episodes of Open Country.

Kearney's husband was an executive producer of the Academy Awards nominated short documentary Watani: My Homeland.

In the run-up to the ceremony Kearney described her preparations for the "red carpet" with Eddie Mair on the Radio 4 PM programme.