My mum had stroke – Isha Sesay explains shock CNN exit

Former CNN anchor and correspondent, Isha Sesay has revealed that her decision to leave the network in 2018 was driven by the need to care for her mother, who suffered a catastrophic stroke.

In a recent interview with CNN’s Larry Madowo, Sesay addressed longstanding questions about her abrupt departure from the network after 13 years.

She explained that business decisions at CNN at the time did not align with her family responsibilities.

“People always ask me why did you leave CNN? I left because my mom had a stroke and I was in a position where effectively business decisions were being made that just did not align with my responsibilities to care for her and so I made the decision to walk away,” Sesay said.

Her mother, Dr. Kadie Sesay, suffered the stroke on December 1, 2016, leaving her in a semi-vegetative or semi-conscious state for nearly a decade.

She passed away in June 2025. Sesay spent significant time caring for her during those years.

“I’m still navigating the loss of my mother and it’s a very odd process because she had a catastrophic stroke on December the 1st 2016 and basically was in I guess you’d call a semi-vegetative state from that point till we lost her last year,” Sesay added.

Sesay, a British-Sierra Leonean journalist, joined CNN International in 2005 and became known for her work on international stories, including extensive coverage of the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping in Nigeria.

Her exit from CNN in August 2018 was initially framed around a desire to focus on African issues, write a book, and support initiatives like girls’ education.

The interview sheds new light on the personal circumstances behind her career move.

Sesay has since pursued other projects, including authoring the book Beneath the Tamarind Tree about the Chibok girls and recently becoming a mother via IVF at age 46.