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Sophy Ridge

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Sophy Ridge
Ridge receiving the 30 to Watch award from MHP Communications in 2012.
BornSophy Arabella Ridge
(1984-10-17) 17 October 1984 (age 40)[1]
Richmond upon Thames, London, England
EducationTiffin Girls' School
St Edmund Hall, Oxford
OccupationJournalist, presenter
Spouse(s)Ben Griffiths (m. 2014)
Children1

Sophy Arabella Ridge (born 17 October 1984) is an English broadcast journalist. She worked as a journalist at the tabloid newspaper News of the World. Ridge then worked as a political correspondent for Sky News where she has presented Sophy Ridge on Sunday since 2017.

Early life

Ridge was born on 17 October 1984 in Richmond upon Thames, London.[1][2] Both her parents are teachers. Ridge has one younger brother.[2] Her secondary education was at the selective grammar Tiffin Girls' School in London. During her time there, she did work experience at the local newspaper Richmond and Twickenham Times.

She continued her education at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, and obtained a second-class BA degree in English Literature.[2][3] During her final year of university she did a period of work experience at the tabloid newspaper News of the World, which led to a position on their graduate training programme.[2]

Career

After graduation in 2006, Ridge was a trainee reporter at the now defunct tabloid newspaper News of the World.[4] After completion of her training programmes she initially worked as a consumer affairs correspondent in 2009. She then gained a job as a political correspondent on Sky News in 2011.[3][5][6]

During her time there she covered a broad range of political stories and travelled with the Prime Minister to Afghanistan, New York and Brazil. She was based in Colorado for the channel's coverage of the US elections and was known for her round the clock broadcasting at the annual party conferences.

Ridge covered the 2015 general election as a senior political correspondent for Sky News, reporting on the Labour Party's campaign and conducting interviews with party members. Her exclusives during this time included Ed Miliband's resignation as leader of the Labour Party following the result of that general election and Jeremy Corbyn's victory in the subsequent Labour Party leadership election.[2]

In 2017 Ridge became the host of her own show, Sophy Ridge on Sunday.[6][7] In the same year Ridge released her first book The Women Who Shaped Politics, a non-fiction book which discussed women's contribution to British politics.[8] She also started writing a weekly column in the tabloid newspaper Metro.[9]

Awards

Ridge won the MHP Communications 30 to Watch award (2012), and was shortlisted as Young Journalist of the Year in the Royal Television Society Awards in 2013.[10][11] In 2016, she won an award for Broadcast Journalist of the Year at the Words by Women awards.[12]

Personal life

In 2014 Ridge married Ben Griffiths,[13] a journalist.[2] She describes herself as a feminist.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Results for Britain records". Findmypast. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Sophy Ridge, the woman changing on-screen politics". Royal Television Society. June 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Sophy Ridge". St Edmund Hall, Oxford. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  4. ^ Saner, Emine (19 February 2017). "Sky's Sophy Ridge: 'We're at a tipping point with women in politics'". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  5. ^ Wheeler, Caroline (3 May 2015). "Poll stars: The three leading women election presenters in 2015". The Daily Express.
  6. ^ a b Sweney, Mark (16 November 2016). "Sophy Ridge to host new Sunday morning show on Sky News". The Guardian.
  7. ^ "Sky News Launches New Show, Sophy Ridge on Sunday". Sky. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  8. ^ Simpson, Keith (24 April 2017). "Book review: The Women Who Shaped Politics". Total Politics. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  9. ^ "Sophy Ridge". Metro. Retrieved 24 May 2020. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |1= and |2= (help) Links to Ridge's columns in Metro.
  10. ^ "MHP announces the winners of the inaugural MHP 30 to Watch – recognising the most talented young journalist stars of the future". MHP Communications. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  11. ^ "RTS Announces Winners For Television Journalism Awards 2013". Royal Television Society. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  12. ^ Belam, Martin (22 March 2016). "Words By Women awards make their mark with celebration of solidarity". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  13. ^ "Homewood Herald July-August 2014 Web Edition" (PDF). Homewood Road United Reformed Church St. Albans. p. 2. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
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