Louise Minchin
Louise Minchin | |
|---|---|
 Minchin in 2012 | |
| Born | Louise Mary Grayson[1] 8 September 1968 |
| Education | University of St. Andrews |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist presenter Anchor |
| Notable credit(s) | BBC Breakfast BBC News at One Missing Live The One Show Real Rescues |
| Spouse |
David Minchin (m. 1998) |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | Official website |
Louise Mary Minchin (née Grayson) (born 8 September 1968)[3] is a British journalist and news presenter who currently works freelance within the BBC.
Since 2006, Minchin has been a regular anchor on the BBC One programme Breakfast, currently co-hosting the show three days a week with Dan Walker.
From 2009 until 2012, Minchin co-hosted Real Rescues alongside Nick Knowles and Chris Hollins. She has guest-hosted The One Show a number of times since 2010.
Early life
Minchin was born Louise Mary Grayson in 1968 in British Hong Kong to a Major in the Irish Guards of the British Army. She was educated at St Mary's School, Ascot, and has a degree in Spanish from the University of St Andrews.[4] She subsequently studied journalism at the London College of Communication.[5]
Career
Minchin has worked for the Latin American section of the BBC World Service during a year in Argentina, the Today programme, Five and various local radio stations. In 2006 she toured the country in a converted bus meeting England fans as part of the World Cup coverage for BBC News.
She started work for Radio 5 Live in 1998, and married David Minchin the same year. She presented many of the station's main programmes, including Drive and Breakfast. Between September 2003 and April 2012, she was a regular BBC News Channel presenter, initially working alongside Jon Sopel from 7 pm to 10 pm. Minchin then presented the 2 pm to 5 pm slot, also with Sopel, sharing this shift with Emily Maitlis. She was also one of the main relief presenters for the BBC News at One until April 2012.
In 2006 and 2007, Minchin was a relief presenter on BBC Breakfast while Kate Silverton covered for main anchor Sian Williams. After Williams returned, she continued to co-host the programme, and from July 2010 until April 2012 was the regular weekend presenter of the show.[6] In December 2011 the BBC announced that Minchin would replace Williams as a main presenter of BBC Breakfast along with Bill Turnbull and Charlie Stayt when the programme moved to Salford—the first edition was presented on Tuesday 10 April 2012.[7]
From 21 April 2008 Minchin presented a weekday programme called Missing Live along with Rav Wilding. The programme was shown at 9:15 am after BBC Breakfast on BBC One and ran for 4 weeks. The show returned for a second four-week run from 16 March 2009, and again in March 2010, highlighting both new cases and those previously featured with updates.
Minchin and Colin Jackson presented the Sunday morning show Sunday Life on BBC One in 2008.
From 2 November 2009, Minchin presented four weeks of live broadcasts of Real Rescues along with Nick Knowles.
Minchin also presented In the Know, a BBC sports magazine programme on Saturday mornings on BBC One during the 2004 Athens Olympics alongside co-presenter John Inverdale.
In April 2010 Minchin co-presented The One Show for a week alongside Chris Hollins while regular hosts Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley were unavailable.[8] She covered again when the show returned in July 2010 for two weeks alongside Matt Baker and one episode with Matt Allwright.
Minchin and Gethin Jones presented the documentary series Crime and Punishment, which began on BBC One on 12 March 2012.
For a time from November 2012, Minchin was a co-presenter of Radio 5 Live's Drive programme with Peter Allen. She often stands in as the main presenter of BBC Radio 4's daily consumer programme You and Yours.
Minchin played herself reading the news in two BBC series: spy drama Spooks and the Torchwood mini-series Children of Earth.
In 2016, Minchin competed in Celebrity MasterChef on BBC One finishing second.[9][10]
Awards
In March 2014 she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Chester.[11]
Personal life
Louise married David Minchin on 6 June 1998. The couple have two daughters and live near Chester.[12]
She is an amateur triathlete, and qualified as a member of the 2015 Great Britain Age-Group Triathlon Team (45–49 age group). She competed in the standard distance event (1500m swim, a 40 km bike ride and a 10 km run) at the World Triathlon Championships in Chicago on 19 September 2015. She qualified for the team at the Dambuster Triathlon at Rutland Water on 15 June 2015.[13] She went on to finish 71st out of 78 finishers at the Worlds.[14]
Charity
Minchin is a supporter of SOS Children's Villages, an international orphan charity providing homes and mothers for orphaned and abandoned children. She currently supports the charity's annual World Orphan Week campaign which takes place each February.[citation needed]
Minchin helped support Sense-National Deafblind and Rubella Association when she interviewed celebrity photographer Dave Hogan for Deafblind Awareness Week 2009.[citation needed]
Minchin has also taken part in "Around the World in 80 days" for Children in Need.[15]
Minchin is a supporter of the charity Missing People, which provides support for missing children, vulnerable adults and families left in limbo.[citation needed]
References
- ^ From marriage record
- ^ Louise Minchin BBC Newswatch
- ^ Louise MInchin BBC Breakfast presenters
- ^ "BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin on leaving London behind for a new life in Chester". cheshirelife.co.uk. 11 November 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ "BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin interviewing the Macabees about Elephant and Castle". bbc.co.uk/news. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ Newsreader Louise Minchin lands BBC Breakfast sofa spot Nicola Methven, Daily Mirror, 9 December 2011
- ^ "BBC – BBC Breakfast first broadcast MediaCityUK – Media Centre". Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ Chris Hollins to stand in for Adrian Chiles on The One Show The Mirror, 9 April 2010
- ^ "Meet the Celebrity MasterChef 2016 contestants". Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ Bullock, Andrew (17 May 2016). "'It needs improvement' Celebrity MasterChef contestant Louise Minchin says she can't cook". Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ "Honoraries – About – University of Chester". Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ Byrne, Paul (11 April 2013). "BBC presenter Louise Minchin says life in North is miles better than the South". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ "BBC's Louise Minchin qualifies for ITU World Triathlon Championships in Chicago". Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ "2015 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Chicago : Sep 19 2015 : 45–49 Female AG : Results". International Triathlon Union. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ^ "Episode 4, Around the World in 80 Days – BBC One". Retrieved 16 November 2016.