Kate Thornton
Kate Thornton | |
|---|---|
_(2).jpg) Thornton in 2010 | |
| Born | 7 February 1973 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire,[citation needed] England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Television presenter, journalist |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Television | Don't Try This at Home! (1998–2001) The X Factor (2004–2006) Loose Women (2009–2011) This Morning (2009–2012) 71 Degrees North (2010) |
| Partner | Darren Emerson (2004–2011) |
| Children | 1 |
Kate Thornton (born 7 February 1973)[citation needed] is an English journalist and television presenter, best known as the first presenter of The X Factor (2004–2006) and for presenting daytime shows including Loose Women (2009–2011) and This Morning (2009–2012). In 2010, she co-presented the first series of 71 Degrees North alongside Gethin Jones.
Early in her career, she wrote for the Daily Mirror, and was editor of Smash Hits magazine.
Career
Journalism
Thornton started her career at the Sunday Mirror in 1992 as an editorial assistant. She later became a pop-music columnist for the Daily Mirror. While in this role, Thornton was instrumental in initiating a media controversy concerning the British musical group Pulp. Prior to the release of the band's single "Sorted for E's & Wizz" in 1995, the Daily Mirror printed a front-page story headed "BAN THIS SICK STUNT" alongside a story by Kate Thornton which said the song was "pro-drugs" and called for the single to be banned.[1] The pre-release single had an inlay which Thornton alleged showed how to make an origami 'wrap' or parcel with the intention of "offering teenage fans a DIY guide on hiding illegal drugs".[2] In an interview with music paper NME on the same day, Thornton was quoted to say: "We wanted to see the sleeve pulled and we thought it was a crusade we would take up single-handedly. I think the sleeve is something that will concern our readers, although it may not concern yours." The band agreed to change the artwork, while continuing to assert that Thornton had misinterpreted the meaning of both the sleeve art and the song's lyrics. Lead singer Jarvis Cocker released a statement two days later saying: "...'Sorted' is not a pro-drugs song... Nowhere on the sleeve does it say you are supposed to put drugs in here but I understand the confusion... I wouldn't want anything we do to encourage people to take drugs because they aren't a solution or an answer to anything. I don't think anyone who listens to Sorted would come away thinking it had a pro drugs message. If they did I would say they had misinterpreted it."[3]
The Daily Mirror printed Cocker's statement, but he was unhappy that the front page article written by Thornton contained the misquote "I don't want the sleeve to get in the way of what the record is saying, which is an anti-drugs message", which he felt over-simplified the song's meaning once again. He also criticised Thornton's decision to contact the father of a victim of an ecstasy-related death for a response.[4] The Daily Mirror campaign continued, publishing their readers' response to a poll to have the song itself banned. The single reached number two on the UK Singles Charts, and the track featured on the band's 1995 album Different Class.[5]
In 1995, she became the youngest ever editor of pop magazine Smash Hits at age 22, producing her first issue in February 1996 covering the breakup of boy-band Take That.[6] She left a year later, having been unable to prevent a further slide in sales of the magazine.[7] In 1997, she became a Features Editor at the Sunday Times, a post she held until 2001, and also a contributing Editor for magazine Marie Claire, in which position she continued until 2003.[8]
Television
Whilst undertaking these new editorial roles, Thornton began a second career in television. In February 1997, Thornton was given her first TV presenting job, on the ITV current affairs programme Straight Up. She was tasked with putting together a photo tribute with music for Princess Diana on the day of her death. In an interview in March 2011, Thornton said: "...because it was a Sunday, the music library was shut and the only thing I had in my car, the only piece of music that was appropriate, was "Candle in the Wind" from Elton John's greatest hits." Colleagues attributed the subsequent airplay and then the re-recording of the song to this event. Thornton is quoted as having been doubtful initially, but later having come to accept the possibility: "I never dared to assume for one minute that I was the link. But Nick Knowles [co-presenter on the show] has convinced me that whatever came as a result of it was all down to me."[9]
Thornton was the first presenter of the UK series of The X Factor. She presented three series of the show from 2004 until 2006 before being replaced by Dermot O'Leary. Thornton later anchored ITV's daytime series Loose Women, in rotation with Andrea McLean. She presented 233 episodes of the show from 2009 until 2011. She was replaced by Carol Vorderman.[10]
Thornton was a regular stand-in presenter on This Morning and in 2010, she co-presented the first series of 71 Degrees North alongside Gethin Jones. Neither returned for the second series. In 2010, she narrated The Nation's Favourite Abba Song. Thornton also presented A Night with Will Young in 2011. She guest presented six episodes of Lorraine in 2012.
Thornton also presented Gravity Games for BBC Two, Women: The Naked Truth Honest for Channel 4 and Breasts Uncupped for Sky1.[8]
Radio
Thornton has presented a number of programmes for BBC Radio 2 since 2002. As well as presenting, Thornton was also the writer of the radio documentary From Band to Brand in 2004, and the creator of the radio series Line of Enquiry, inviting an audience to put questions to a number of celebrities, which began in 2007.[8]
From 10 March until 28 April 2013, Thornton presented The Boots Feel Good Forum, a radio show dedicated to health and fitness, which aired on Real Radio and Smooth Radio.[11]
Since 2014, Thornton has presented Paper Cuts, a radio series for BBC Radio 2. To date, four series have aired with guests including Craig Revel Horwood, Patsy Kensit, Eamonn Holmes and Paul O'Grady who all look back through their lives via their newspaper headlines.[citation needed]
Other work
Thornton launched cashback site, TBSeen in January 2016,[12] along with TV presenters Myleene Klass, Amanda Byram and Denise Van Outen, celebrity chef Lisa Faulkner, actresses Tamzin Outhwaite, Julie Graham and singers Heidi Range and the band All Saints, Nicole Appleton, Natalie Appleton, Mel Blatt and Shaznay Lewis. TBSeen entered administration in September 2018.[13]
Thornton hosted the live Strictly Come Dancing tour in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013. She also voiced the role of the red carpet presenter in the UK Version of Shrek 2.[citation needed]
Kate currently hosts Yahoo! podcast White Wine Question Time where she asks three friends, three questions over three bottles of wine. Guests have included Jo Joyner, Nadia Sawalha, Malin Andersson, Leigh Francis, Angela Griffin and Amanda Holden. The podcast first aired in December 2018 - the highest chart position so far has been number 13.[14]
Personal life
Thornton began dating DJ Darren Emerson in 2004.[15] The couple became engaged in 2007. She gave birth to her first child, a boy named Ben on 13 May 2008.[16] On 3 February 2011, she announced live on air that she and Emerson had separated.[citation needed] In January 2012, Thornton said that after leaving Loose Women she had enrolled at college to study counselling because her television career had "hit the kerb".[citation needed] Thornton is also a successful landlord, owning a property portfolio in London.[17]
Filmography
- Television
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1998–1999 | Top of the Pops | Presenter |
| Dishes | ||
| The Power List | ||
| 1998–2000 | The Kate and Jono Show | Co-presenter |
| Don't Try This at Home | Presenter | |
| This Morning | Reporter | |
| 2000 | The TV BAFTAs | Presenter |
| 2001–2003 | Pop Idol: Extra | |
| 2001 | The Brits are Coming | |
| The Brits: Backstage | ||
| BAFTA Children's Awards | ||
| 2001–2002 | The Ideal Home Show | |
| 2001–2003 | Holiday – You Call the Shots | |
| 2002 | Lad's Army | |
| 2003 | VH-1's Behind the Movies: Top Gun | Narrator[18] |
| 2004 | American Idol | Guest |
| 2004 | Westlife - She's The One | Host |
| 2004–2006 | The X Factor | Presenter |
| 2005 | Celebrity Wrestling | Co-presenter |
| Happy Birthday Elton John | Presenter | |
| Greatest Britons | Presenter | |
| 2007 | Britain's Classroom Heroes | Co-presenter |
| Royal Variety Performance | ||
| 2008 | Countdown to Midnight: Take That Live | Presenter |
| Don't Miss a Trick | Presenter | |
| Hello Goodbye | ||
| Elton's New Year's Eve Party | ||
| 2009–2011 | Loose Women | Anchor |
| 2009–2012, 2014, 2018 | This Morning | Relief presenter |
| 2010 | 71 Degrees North | Co-presenter |
| The Nation's Favourite Abba Song | Narrator | |
| 2011 | A Night with Will Young | Presenter |
| 2011, 2012 | This Morning's Hub | Relief presenter |
| 2012 | Lorraine | Guest presenter |
| 2018 | The One Show | Presenter of special segment on Smash Hits |
- Radio
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006, 2012–14, 2017, 2019– | Let's Talk | Presenter | BBC Newcastle | Guest presenter (2006, 2017) Regular presenter (2012–14, 2019–) |
| 2011 | Going Out with Alan Carr | Stand-in presenter | BBC Radio 2 | |
| 2013 | The Boots Feel Good Forum | Presenter | Real Radio & Smooth Radio | 1 series |
| 2014–16 | Paper Cuts | BBC Radio 2 | 4 series | |
| 2015 | Magic's Music of My Life | Magic | 1 series | |
| 2017 | Saturday Breakfast | Stand-in presenter | BBC Radio 2 | |
| Kate Thornton's 90s | Presenter | One-off special | ||
| 2017– | The Zoë Ball Show | Stand-in presenter | ||
| 2018–19 | Kate Thornton's Breakfast Show | Presenter | BBC Radio Shropshire | Saturday–Sunday |
References
- ^ "Ban This Sick Stunt". The Daily Mirror. 20 September 1995.
- ^ Sleeve art for single 'Sorted for E's and Wizz' at PulpWiki.net
- ^ Response statement by Jarvis Cocker to Daily Mirror story, 22 September 1995 stored at www.acrylicafternoons.com
- ^ 'Pulp in Britpop's First Ban' Melody Maker, 30 September 1995
- ^ Roberts, David (editor) (2006) [1977]. British Hit Singles & Albums (19th edition). London: HiT Entertainment. p. 442. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Can 'Smash Hits' survive the end of Take That? by Andy Beckett The Independent – Sunday 18 February 1996
- ^ About Smash Hits! Archived 2 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Smash Hits Pop Channel website
- ^ a b c Kate Thornton CV at Troika Talent PDF file accessed September 2011
- ^ Kate Thornton: Single motherhood, guilt and why she worries about Kate Middleton, Interview by Marianne Kavanagh.
- ^ "Loose Women hires Carol Vorderman and Sally Lindsay as new panellists". Metro News. 13 July 2011.
- ^ West, Gillian (8 March 2013). "Boots UK launches radio and online programme hosted by Kate Thornton". The Drum. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
- ^ Julia Llewellyn Smith (2 January 2016). "TV presenter Kate Thornton's new venture that could save you money". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "Cashback Site TBSeen Goes Into Administration". Skint Dad. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
- ^ "iTunesCharts.net: 'White Wine Question Time' by Yahoo! UK (British Podcasts iTunes Chart)". www.itunescharts.net. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ Melanie Swan. Joy of X. The People. 29 October 2006.
- ^ Kate is latest yummy mummy The Sun – 16 May 2008
- ^ "Kate Thornton on TV gigs, why she no longer has a pension, and her very indulgent bath tub, in Me & My Money". This Is Money. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
- ^ Doug Rittenhouse (2003). Behind The Movies - Top Gun (Television production). VH1. Event occurs at 40:34. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
External links
| Authority control databases: Artists |
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