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Toby Anstis

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Toby Anstis
Toby Anstis in 2007
Born (1970-12-14) 14 December 1970 (age 53)
Northampton, Northamptonshire, England
Occupation(s)Radio and television presenter
EmployerGlobal

Toby Anstis (born 14 December 1970) is an English radio and television presenter. He is a presenter on Heart and spin-off station Heart Dance.[1]

Early life

Originally from Northampton, Anstis was educated at Desborough School, an all-boys school in Maidenhead, Berkshire. He graduated in psychology and business studies from the University of Surrey Roehampton.[2] Toby was adopted with his twin sister as a child, his biological father was Italian and mother, Gina, English. Only meeting his real parents as an adult. He has commented that he was 'lucky' to have good adoptive parents.[3]

Career

Anstis' first break came when he appeared in The Broom Cupboard on Children's BBC from April 1992 to September 1995. He then hosted The O-Zone music show on BBC Two. Highlights included a first interview with Michael Hutchence and Andrew Farriss of INXS in Rome and an O Zone Special featuring Take That . He completed a world record with Bon Jovi, flying around the UK on the band's private jet, filming with the band as they played live in Glasgow, Cardiff and London in a single day, He hosted a Radiohead special for BBC Two in Vancouver, and a special with Guns N' Roses in Athens, at the Olympic Stadium and on their private yacht.

He went on to present on the National Lottery Live, began presenting cricket films for Grandstand and hosted live coverage of Party In The Park and Reading Festival for ITV2. He also hosted 3 series of Fan Tc with Dannii Minogue for BBC!, 5 series of Bright Sparks for BBC1 recorded in Scotland. Then The 11th Hour for BBC1 live every Sunday morning. Plus presented Children In Need for two successive years.

Anstis then moved into radio, presenting for the Liberty Radio breakfast show, and for various programmes on Challenge (such as TV Scrabble), before moving to Global's Heart in 2002.

In 2004, he appeared in the Living TV reality show, I'm Famous and Frightened!. Anstis co-hosted Children in Need, The National Lottery Live and Grandstand on BBC One, as well as Fan TC with Dannii Minogue and Electric Circus for Live & Kicking, and Bright Sparks. He also presented Trust Me – I'm a Holiday Rep on Channel 5 .[citation needed] In November 2006, he took part in the sixth series of the ITV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and was the first person to be voted out of the show,[4] although it was reported the next day in various tabloids including The Sun that there had been a voting error and Dean Gaffney[5] should have gone. In 2007, he was a judge on VH1's Wannabe and featured on The Killer In Me for ITV1 along with Fiona Phillips (GMTV), footballer John Barnes and political presenter Andrew Neil.

In 2009, he featured on Ready Steady Cook and The Alan Titchmarsh Show. In 2011, he appeared on the BBC quiz show Eggheads. He was the first ever honorary 'Loose Man' on ITV Loose Women and made his stage debut as Teen Angel in the West End production of Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre on 25 January 2010.[citation needed]. Made acting appearance on cult hit BBC3 show "Mongrels". Has been regularly involved in Adoption week on This Morning and supports Asthma UK.

in 2019 Toby Anstis won "Pointless Celebrities" for the third time with fellow Heart presenter Lilah Parsons, having won it previously with Jenni Falconer and Kirsten O'Brien

After 17 years, Anstis left weekday mid-mornings on Heart on 5 April 2019.It had been officially the UK's most listened to commercial radio show with a peak of 4.1 millions listeners. He went on to present Heart's Club Classics each Friday evening.[6]

On 21 June 2019 Anstis launched a brand new national DAB radio station, Heart Dance, where he presents weekday breakfast.[1] His Heart's Club Classics show is simulcast with the spin-off station.

Charity work

In 1994 Anstis took part in an episode of Challenge Anneka, where he contributed a spaghetti bolognese recipe to a book in aid of Breakthrough Breast Cancer. He is an ambassador for The Prince's Trust.[citation needed]

In 2016 he did a 'strawfie' (a selfie while breathing through a straw) to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis at an event held by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.[7]

Filmography

TV

References

  1. ^ a b "Global to launch Heart Dance with Toby Anstis on Breakfast". RadioToday. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  2. ^ Fame and Fortune The Sunday Times Money 31 August 2008
  3. ^ "'Being adopted has a lasting effect'". Guardian. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  4. ^ Busk-Cowley, Mark (2014). I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!: The Inside Story. Bantam Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-0593073483.
  5. ^ Double Eviction Archived 2 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Toby Anstis to step down from Heart Mid-Morning Show, Radio Today, 28 March 2019
  7. ^ "Cystic Fibrosis Toddler Tilly Has Fun with DJ Toby Anstis". Good News Shared. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
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