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 Banfield, born on December 29, 1967, is a well-known journalist from both Canada and the United States. She hosts her own show called Banfield on the NewsNation network. Before that, she was a host for shows like Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield and Early Start on CNN.
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Ashleigh Banfield's Education
Ashleigh Banfield attended Balmoral Hall School in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This was a private school that helps students get ready for university. She finished there in 1985.
After high school, she went to Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. In 1988, she earned a degree in political science and French. She continued her French studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, graduating in 1992.
Ashleigh Banfield's Career Journey
Starting in Canada
Ashleigh Banfield began her journalism career in 1988. She worked at local TV stations like 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 moved to CICT-TV in Calgary. There, she worked as a producer from 1992 to 1993. Later, from 1993 to 1995, she was an evening news anchor and business reporter.
In 1994, Banfield won two Iris Awards for her work. These awards were for Best News Documentary and Best of Festival. While at CICT-TV, she also worked as a freelance producer for ABC's World News Tonight. She reported on important events like the 1991 Bush/Gorbachev Summit in Russia. She also covered the 1993 Clinton/Yeltsin Summit in Vancouver.
Moving to the United States
In the mid-1990s, Banfield started working for KDFW in the United States. She first hosted News 4 Texas Daybreak. Later, she co-hosted News 4 Texas at 5:00 and News 4 Texas at 9:00.
In early 2000, MSNBC hired her after she won an Emmy Award for her reporting at KDFW-TV in Dallas. She also hosted MSNBC Investigates and worked at NBC News. She became a host of HomePage with Gina Gaston and Mika Brzezinski.
On September 11, 2001, Banfield reported live from Manhattan. She was near the World Trade Center when it collapsed. After the initial reports, MSNBC sent her around the world. She produced a new program called A Region in Conflict. Banfield lost two friends in the September 11 attacks and sought help for post-traumatic stress disorder.
During the conflict in Afghanistan, Banfield interviewed Taliban prisoners. She also visited a hospital in Kabul. Her reports covered her travels from Jalalabad to Kabul and other experiences in Afghanistan. In Pakistan, she interviewed a Roman Catholic priest and an Iraqi woman helping refugees. After A Region in Conflict, she hosted Ashleigh Banfield on Location.
In April 2003, Banfield gave a speech at Kansas State University. She talked about how the media covered the conflict in Iraq. She mentioned that some news channels focused on certain groups of viewers. This speech made NBC management, who controlled MSNBC, upset. They lowered her profile at the network.
Banfield later joined CourtTV (which became TruTV) in 2005. She co-hosted Banfield & Ford: Courtside. In 2009, she became the host of Open Court. Her last big assignment with the network 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 in New York. In 2013, her 11 a.m. show was rebranded as Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield. In 2014, she appeared as herself in the Netflix series House of Cards. She interviewed a character named Claire Underwood.
In October 2014, Banfield joined HLN, a sister station to CNN. She hosted Primetime Justice with Ashleigh Banfield. By December 2017, the show was renamed Crime & Justice with Ashleigh Banfield.
In October 2018, HLN announced that Banfield would be leaving. This was part of the network's decision to reduce live news programming. Her final show aired on October 26, 2018. She then became the first host of the A&E show Live Rescue. After the first season, Matt Iseman took over as host.
She returned to CourtTV in 2020. She hosted the true crime documentary series Judgment with Ashleigh Banfield. This program looks back at famous trials and gives updates on the people involved. She also appeared as a special contributor on their evening show.
In January 2021, it was announced that Banfield would host a new show on NewsNation. Her self-titled show, Banfield, replaced the third hour of NewsNation Prime.
Ashleigh Banfield's Personal Life
Ashleigh Banfield was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her parents are Suzanne Elizabeth (Holland) and John Alexander Banfield. She was known for her unique rectangular eyeglasses. In 2016, she had eye surgery that corrected her far-sightedness. Ashleigh Banfield is also 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 took place on a wooden yacht in Canada.
Ashleigh Banfield became a citizen of the United States on October 24, 2008.
On December 29, 2017, which was her 50th birthday, she married Chris Haynor. He is a sales executive and had been her partner for three years. They got married at a ski lodge in Wilmington, Vermont.
