Clare Balding facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clare Balding
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Balding in August 2017
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Clare Victoria Balding
29 January 1971 Kingsclere, Hampshire, England
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| Nationality | English |
| Alma mater | Newnham College, Cambridge |
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Alice Arnold
(m. 2015) |
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Clare Victoria Balding (born January 29, 1971) is a famous English TV and radio presenter and author. She is well-known for her work covering sports, especially horse racing, the Olympic Games, and Paralympic Games. Clare currently presents for BBC Sport and Channel 4. She was also the 30th president of the Rugby Football League until December 2022.
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Clare Balding's Early Life
Clare Balding went to Downe House School, an independent school in Berkshire. She was the Head Girl there. She also went to Newnham College, Cambridge, where she studied English and graduated in 1993.
From 1988 to 1993, Clare was a top amateur jockey. She was even named Champion Lady Rider in 1990. Her book, My Animals and Other Family, shares stories about growing up in a horse racing family. This book won an award for "Autobiography of the Year" in 2012.
Clare's family has strong ties to horse racing.
- Her father, Ian Balding, trained a famous horse called Mill Reef.
- Her younger brother, Andrew Balding, trained a horse that won the 2003 Epsom Oaks.
- Her uncle, Toby Balding, trained winners in big races like the Grand National.
- Her grandfather and uncle were also involved in horse training, even for Queen Elizabeth II.
Her Amazing Broadcasting Career
Clare Balding started working at BBC National Radio in 1994. She worked on different radio stations like BBC Radio Five Live and BBC Radio 1. In 1995, she first appeared on TV, showing highlights from Royal Ascot. By 1997, she became the BBC's main horse racing presenter. She has covered many big events, including the Grand National.
Clare has reported from seven Olympic Games and presented five Paralympic Games. She has also covered the Winter Olympics and the Commonwealth Games. She was the main presenter for the BBC's rugby league coverage. She even presented the Lord Mayor's Show and other live events for the BBC, like Trooping the Colour.
From 2004 to 2009, Clare presented Crufts for the BBC, and then for Channel 4 since 2013. She also hosts a walking show called Ramblings on BBC Radio 4. On this show, she walks and talks with people about different routes and activities. Clare has also presented The Boat Race for the BBC since 2010.
In 2010, Clare presented a BBC TV series called Britain By Bike. This show explored old cycling routes around Britain. She also joined BBC's Countryfile for a while in 2011.
In 2012, Clare was a main presenter for Channel 4's coverage of the 2012 Summer Paralympics. She also presented a documentary about Emily Davison for Channel 4 in 2013. This documentary was about a suffragette who protested at the 1913 Derby. She also presented a BBC documentary about Queen Elizabeth II's love for horses.
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Clare is one of the presenters for BBC Sports Personality of the Year. She also hosted a Saturday night quiz show for BBC One called Britain's Brightest. From 2013 to 2016, she was a senior presenter on Channel 4 Racing. Since 2015, she has presented Today at Wimbledon for the BBC. In 2023, she became the BBC's main presenter for Wimbledon.
Clare also had her own sports chat show called The Clare Balding Show. It aired on BT Sport and BBC Two. Many famous sports stars were guests on her show.
Writing Books and Articles
Clare Balding has written articles for several newspapers and magazines. She also writes a regular sports column for Waitrose Weekend.
She has written two books. Her first book, My Animals and Other Family, was published in 2012. It became a bestseller. Her second book, Walking Home: My Family and other Ramblings, was published in 2014.
Awards and Recognition
Clare Balding has received many awards for her work:
- She was given an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award in 2013 for her services to broadcasting and journalism.
- In the same year, she won a special BAFTA award for her work on the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.
- She won the Royal Television Society's "Sports Presenter of the Year" award in 2003 and "Presenter" in 2012.
- In 2003, she also won the "Racing Journalist of the Year Award".
- In 2012, her book My Animals and Other Family won the "Biography/Autobiography of the Year" award.
- She received an achievement award from Women in Film and Television in 2012.
- In 2013, she was named one of the 100 most powerful women in the UK by Woman's Hour.
- She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2022 for her services to sport and charity.
Her Personal Life
Clare Balding is married to Alice Arnold. They entered into a civil partnership in 2006 and then married in 2015. They live in Chiswick, West London.
In 2009, Clare shared that she had thyroid cancer. She recovered well after treatment.
After jockey Liam Treadwell won the Grand National in 2009, Clare interviewed him and made a comment about his teeth. Liam later said that her comment was helpful because a dentist offered to fix his teeth for free!
Helping Others
Clare Balding is very active in charity work.
- She has been a presenter for Sport Relief since it started in 2002.
- She also took part in a celebrity version of The Apprentice to raise money for charity. Her team raised over £400,000!
- In 2010, Clare became a patron for the British Thyroid Foundation.
- She is also an ambassador for the Saints Foundation, which is Southampton FC's official charity.
- Clare supports many other charities, including Riding for the Disabled Association, British Paralympic Association, and the Injured Jockeys Fund.
Leading Rugby League
Clare Balding has covered rugby league for many years. In July 2020, she was appointed the 30th President of the Rugby Football League. She served a two-year term until December 2022. During her time as president, she wanted to help the women's rugby league game become a professional sport.
See also
- List of significant families in British horse racing
