Ashleigh Banfield facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ashleigh Banfield
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Banfield in 2019
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| Born | December 29, 1967 |
| Education | Balmoral Hall School |
| Alma mater | Queen's University (BA) University of British Columbia (BA) |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Title | Anchor, Banfield |
| Spouse(s) |
Chris Haynor
(m. 2017) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Michelle MacLaren (cousin) |
Ashleigh Dennistoun Banfield (born December 29, 1967) is a Canadian-American journalist. She is well-known as the host of the TV show Banfield on the NewsNation network. Before this, she hosted shows like Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield and Early Start on CNN.
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Early Life and Education
Ashleigh Banfield was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Her parents are Suzanne Elizabeth (Holland) and John Alexander Banfield.
She attended Balmoral Hall School, a private school in Winnipeg. She finished there in 1985. Later, she studied at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. In 1988, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and French. She continued her French studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, graduating in 1992.
Her Career in Journalism
Starting in Canada
Banfield began her journalism career in 1988. She worked at CJBN-TV in Kenora, Ontario, and CKY-TV in Winnipeg. From 1989 to 1992, she was a weekend news anchor for CFRN-TV in Edmonton.
She then worked at CICT-TV in Calgary from 1992 to 1995. There, she was a producer and later an evening news anchor. In 1994, Banfield won two Iris Awards for her news work. She also worked as a freelance producer for ABC's World News Tonight. She helped cover important meetings, like the 1991 Bush/Gorbachev Summit in Russia.
Moving to the United States
In the mid-1990s, Banfield moved to the United States. She started working for KDFW in Dallas. She hosted and co-hosted several news programs there. In early 2000, she joined the national cable network MSNBC. She had won an Emmy Award for her reporting at KDFW-TV.
At MSNBC, she hosted MSNBC Investigates and HomePage.
Reporting on Big Events
On September 11, 2001, Banfield reported live from Manhattan during a major event. She was near the World Trade Center when one of the buildings collapsed. After this, MSNBC sent her around the world for a new program called A Region in Conflict. She traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan. She interviewed people and reported from different places.
Working at Different Networks
In 2005, Banfield joined CourtTV, which later became TruTV. She co-hosted Banfield & Ford: Courtside. Later, she hosted Open Court. Her last big assignment there was reporting on the Casey Anthony trial.
In January 2012, Banfield joined CNN. She was a co-anchor for the morning show Early Start. Later, she moved to CNN Newsroom and then hosted Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield. In 2014, she appeared as herself in the Netflix series House of Cards. She also joined CNN's sister station HLN to host Primetime Justice with Ashleigh Banfield. This show was later renamed Crime & Justice with Ashleigh Banfield.
In October 2018, HLN changed its live news programming. Banfield's show ended, and she left the network. She then became the first host of the A&E show Live Rescue.
In 2020, she returned to CourtTV. She hosted Judgment with Ashleigh Banfield, a true crime documentary series. In January 2021, Banfield became the host of her own show, Banfield, on NewsNation.
Personal Details
Ashleigh Banfield is a cousin of television writer and director Michelle MacLaren.
In 2004, Banfield married Howard Gould. He is a real estate financier and a great-grandson of railroad developer Jay Gould. Their wedding was on a yacht in Canada.
Banfield became a U.S. citizen on October 24, 2008.
On December 29, 2017, her 50th birthday, she married Chris Haynor. They were married at a ski lodge in Wilmington, Vermont.
