It’s Monday, and I’ve already had a full morning of tennis, gym, dry cleaners, work and personal calls before I arrive at the ITV newsroom to start my late shift at 2pm. My first task is to present the ITV London programme at 6pm. This is regional news, which means the team is small but mighty. It’s all hands on deck.

Planning and filming for the show have been taking place all day. My shift starts in time for the afternoon editorial meeting. There’s always lots to discuss: which item should lead the programme? Who is being interviewed? Do any of our reporters need specific advice from our excellent legal team? Which stories are being written up for our website? What is being uploaded on ITVX? Should our very well-connected press officer be pushing any exclusive content to other media outlets for publicity? There’s a lot to do and only four hours to turn it all around. The clock is always ticking.

It’s now 3.30pm. I get to work writing lead-ins/introductions/promos for the filmed reports with the programme editor. The show is always serious at the top, but at the end we have a recorded interview with the Hollywood actor David Oyelowo, and the Rev Richard Coles coming into the studio. Just before 4pm, everything changes. The Metropolitan Police marksman standing trial for the murder of Chris Kaba has been found not guilty. Less than two hours to go and we rip up the running order and start again. That’s live news.

The programme goes out with no hitches. As soon as we are off air, I dash out of the studio. The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has a drinks reception, but I have opted to attend a book launch for my brother-in-law, Thomas Pakenham. I head straight for Daunt Books in Holland Park, only to discover it’s at the Marylebone High Street branch. Mea culpa.

I arrive just as he finishes his speech, mingle for an hour, and then head back to the office to read the late news, which is on air around 10.40pm, after News at Ten.

I know at least one person is watching. My friend and talented calligrapher Lu Guthrie sent me a photo as proof. I arrive home at 11.30pm. I have a routine for switching off but it never works. It will be 1am before I finally nod off.

I am known as “Ronke Two Jobs” because, for two days every week, I have another, very different, role. On Wednesday and Thursday each week, I am ITN’s Editorial Diversity Partner working across all three newsrooms (ITV, Channel 4 and  5 News) and ITN Productions. My brief is to work collaboratively with newsroom editors, the senior leadership team, line managers and the people team to achieve better diverse representation across all ITN’s output.

Who is in the meetings when the important decisions are being made? Which stories are we telling and who features in the output? We also ask questions about the language we use and the way we frame stories.

Today, ITN Productions’ commercial news team is filming the visit of King Charles and Queen Camilla to Samoa. We’re also in Washington DC with Chancellor Rachel Reeves, in Georgia with Kamala Harris, in Jerusalem, Beirut and Tel Aviv, and of course there are dozens of cameras in various locations all over the UK. It’s always busy here.

My other big task is to write a short tribute to Michael Jermey, ITV’s Director of News and Current Affairs. He is stepping down after 16 years to become Chair of the Disasters Emergency Committee. Like me, Michael joined ITN as a trainee (he has made much more of the opportunity!).

He is a friend as well as a boss and has been at the forefront of the efforts to make our newsrooms and coverage more representative and inclusive. I, for one, am going to miss him.

Ronke Phillips is Senior Correspondent at ITV London News.