Claudia Winkleman
Oh, to be rich and fabulous –– and multi-talented. If I possessed Claudia Winkleman’s many, many, many talents, I’d probably have an amazing life as well. I would only just imagine the many places she has been to, the many influential (and when I say influential, I mean rich and famous) people she has met and interviewed, the events she has had the pleasure of hosting, and I sit seething with envy. Some people have all the luck in the world.
She’s pretty, she’s got personality and confidence, she’s sexy, and undeniably talented –– and I respect her for sticking with what she does best: hosting, narrating, writing. (Honestly, some celebrities these days keep trying to capitalize on their popularity. A singer seeks to make films, even if she’s not a very effective actress. An actor with a mediocre voice records an album and passes himself off as the next rising star in the music biz. Seriously, won’t you people just stick with what you’re good at?)
London-born Claudia Winkleman is pretty amazing. She appears on TV, on the papers, and on the radio. (Are the people sick of hearing about her, then?)
She kicked off her career in TV when she bagged her first major TV job, a spot on the regional discussion program, Central Weekend in 1991. In 1992 until the mid-90s, she frequently appeared in BBC’s Holiday, even appearing in a special documentary where she got to travel the world –– from India to Japan to Dubai to Costa Rica –– under 34 days. During the remaining parts of the 90s, she acted as a reporter on This Morning (where she got to interview influential people such as Tony Blair and famous actors like Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford); she appeared on L!VE TV, but left shortly after to chase after other opportunities; she hosted BBC show Toilets, a show about –– that’s right –– the loo; and she also presented a number of game shows like Three’s a Crowd and Talking Telephone Numbers.
Her first daily TV show came in the form of BBC Three’s Liquid News, an entertainment update show where she shared co-hosting duties with Colin Paterson and, later, Paddy O’Connell.
In 2004, Winkleman started to host Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two and acted as emcee to a literature-based show, End of Story. She hosted Art Show, a show where celebrities are sent to take two-week courses at the Chelsea College of Art and Design. In 2007, she hosted the third season of Comic Relief Does Fame Academy with Patrick Kielty. In between 2008 and 2011, she has presented a number of high-profile shows like Eurovision: Your Decision with Sir Terry Wogan, Sport Relief with Patrick Kielty, Sky Movie Premiere’s broadcast of the 80th Academy Awards, the London 2012 party with Matt Baker on the BBC, the fourth season of Hell’s Kitchen. On March 29 2010, she replaced Jonathan Ross and became the co-presenter of The Film Programme. She was described by The Guardian as “a passionate and engaging advocate of cinema.”
Aside from TV, Winkleman has worked as a journalist, writing for a couple of major papers. Journalism is, apparently, in her blood. Her mother, Eve Pollard, was the former editor of The Sunday Express. Her father, Barry Winkleman, was a publisher of The Times Atlas of the World. When her parents divorced, they remarried writers –– Winkleman’s stepfather, Sir Nicholas Lloyd, was the editor of the Daily Express, and her stepmother, Cindy Black, wrote books for children.
Her career as a writer began with her columns for The Sunday Times and The Independent and wrote occasionally for Metro, a free daily London paper. She was a travel writer and wrote about her experiences abroad. After her stint as a travel writer, Winkleman focused on writing Lifestyle-type articles, often writing about the perks (and falls back) of being a woman, particularly sex and love, on Cosmopolitan and Tatler. She became a regular columnist for The Independent in 2005 until 2008. Her column was called Take It From Me, appearing every Wednesday, often containing her cheeky opinions on the lighter side of current events and anecdotes about her role as a wife and a mother.
If someone asks me what job I’d like to have, I’d tell them I’d love to steal Claudia Winkleman’s professional career. She’s accomplished far more than people could ever hope to achieve by the time they reach 40 — and I’m pretty sure we’d see more of her in the future.
References:
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2011). Claudia Winkleman. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudia_Winkleman. Last accessed June 19 2011.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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