Celina Hinchcliffe

Celina Hinchcliffe (born 21 March 1976 in Windsor, England) is a British television sports presenter.

Family and early life

Celina married in May 2009 and gave birth to a son the following year. Her father, Philip Hinchcliffe, was a British television producer.

Education

Hinchcliffe was educated at the independent Sir William Perkins's School in Chertsey, and gained a first class degree in English Literature and Drama from the University of Birmingham.

Early career

Hinchcliffe initially worked with various theatre companies and travelled.

Broadcasting career

Hinchcliffe got her first break in broadcasting in 2001 at BBC Southern Counties Radio, reporting on the likes of Crawley Town and Lewes. From there, she worked as a reporter on African Football for the BBC World Service, and then at BBC Radio 5 Live.

BBC TV

In the summer of 2002, she joined BBC News and BBC World News as a sports presenter. In 2005, she fronted BBC Two's live coverage of England's matches in the women's European football championship. On 21 January 2006, she became the first woman to present BBC One's Saturday lunchtime show Football Focus. In 2006, she presented BBC Three's coverage of some England's qualifiers for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2007. In 2008, she also appeared on the BBC1 8pm news summary, while usual presenter Ellie Crisell was on maternity leave.

Hinchcliffe left the BBC on the 21st February 2012. Her final report was aired live on the BBC News Channel at 15:50 hours. She was presented with her favourite chocolate cake by the floor manager and was visibly tearful. The on-air presenters, Jon Sopel and Sophie Long, joined her in eating the cake - Hinchcliffe's final act was to handover to BBC weather, in time for the 16:00 countdown.

Interests

Hinchcliffe lists her interests as film, theatre, and live music. Aside from football, she also likes tennis, golf, and skiing. Hinchcliffe is also a passionate supporter of Sheffield Wednesday.

External links

• Celina Hinchcliffe at the Internet Movie Database
• Celina Hinchcliffe at bbc.co.uk
• Celina Hinchcliffe's Facebook fan page
• An E-mail conversation with...Celina Hinchcliffe, The Independent, 16 January 2006