Fiona Bruce facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fiona Bruce
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Bruce filming a 2013 episode of
Antiques Roadshow |
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| Born |
Fiona Elizabeth Bruce
25 April 1964 Singapore State, Malaysia
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| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Hertford College, Oxford University of London Institute in Paris |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1989–present |
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Notable credit(s)
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| Spouse(s) |
Nigel Sharrocks
(m. 1994) |
| Children | 2 |
Fiona Elizabeth Bruce (born 25 April 1964) is a well-known British journalist and TV presenter. She started working at the BBC in 1989. She became the first female newsreader for BBC News at Ten. Fiona has also presented many other popular shows. These include BBC News at Six, Crimewatch, Antiques Roadshow, and Fake or Fortune?. Since 2019, she has been the main presenter of Question Time.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Fiona Bruce was born on April 25, 1964, in Singapore. Her mother was English and her father was Scottish. Her father worked for a long time at a company called Unilever.
Fiona has two older brothers. She went to primary school on the Wirral in England. She also attended the International School of Milan. From age 14 to 18, she went to Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College in London.
Fiona studied French and Italian at Hertford College, Oxford. While at university, she was briefly a punk. She sang in rock bands and even colored her hair blue for a week! She also studied in Paris and can speak French and Italian very well.
Career in Television
After university, Fiona worked for a management company for a year. She found it boring. Then she worked at advertising agencies. There she met her future husband. In 1989, she got a job as a researcher for the BBC show Panorama.
News and Current Affairs
Fiona started as an assistant producer on Panorama. In 1992, she began reporting for Breakfast News. She then worked for BBC South East. She was a presenter and reporter for local news.
From 1995 to 1998, she presented Newsnight. In 1996, she moved to present Breakfast News and the BBC Six O'Clock News.
In 1999, Fiona became a main presenter for the BBC Six O'Clock News. She often covered for the main presenter, Huw Edwards. In 2003, both Fiona and Huw moved to the BBC Ten O'Clock News. Fiona was the first woman to present this news bulletin. She still presents the BBC News at Ten today.
From 2003 to 2007, Fiona presented Real Story. This was a current affairs show on BBC One.
After the murder of Jill Dando, Fiona became a co-presenter on Crimewatch. She worked alongside Nick Ross. She also presented the BBC general election results program in 2001.
On January 10, 2019, Fiona took over as host of Question Time. She was the first full-time female host of the debate show. She has said it is the hardest job she has ever done. In 2023, during an episode of Question Time, Fiona apologized for a comment she made. She said she was "required to legally contextualize" a statement. She clarified that her comments were not her personal opinions. After this, she resigned from her role as an ambassador for the domestic violence charity Refuge. She had been in that role for over 25 years. Later in 2023, she also apologized to an audience member for identifying him as "the black guy" on air.
Other Programmes
In 1998, Fiona became the presenter for BBC Two's Antiques Show. This showed her interest in antiques. In 2007, it was announced that Fiona would replace Michael Aspel as the presenter of Antiques Roadshow. Viewership increased during her first year.
Fiona has also presented special editions of The Money Programme. In one episode, she interviewed businessman Alan Sugar. Fiona, who identifies as a feminist, challenged his view. She disagreed that women should have to tell employers about their childcare plans. She argued that if men don't have to, women shouldn't either.
In 2010, Fiona wrote and presented Victoria: A Royal Love Story. This BBC documentary was about Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Since 2011, she has co-hosted Fake or Fortune? with Philip Mould. This show helps figure out if artworks are real or fake. In 2011, Fiona wrote and presented The Queen's Palaces. This three-part documentary told the story of Queen Elizabeth II's official homes. In 2012, she wrote and presented a BBC documentary about Leonardo da Vinci.
In 2015 and 2016, she presented the BBC Four quiz show Hive Minds.
Fun and Humour
Fiona Bruce has appeared in funny TV segments. She was on Top Gear once. She helped Jeremy Clarkson push his tiny car. Later, she returned and playfully slapped his bottom as a joke. She has also written for his car review column. She called it "the ultimate revenge."
She appeared in a funny BBC HD advertisement in 2008. It was a parody of Antiques Roadshow. In it, she drove a car through a wall. She then saved a falling vase from crashing.
Fiona often appears on the BBC's annual Children in Need telethon. She performs musical routines with other BBC newsreaders. In 2007, she sang "All That Jazz". This led to her appearing on stage at a special performance of the musical Chicago.
Charity Work
Fiona Bruce is an honorary vice president of Vision Aid Overseas (VAO). This charity helps people with their eyesight. In 2005, she did a voice-over for their appeal. In 2007, she helped launch their annual review.
In 2007, she also joined nine other women in a campaign for the charity Women's Aid. This campaign was called What's it going to take?.
In 2009, the NSPCC honored her for her work. The NSPCC helps children. Fiona said she was "very honoured" to be recognized. She believes their work is "desperately important."
Fiona was an ambassador for the domestic violence charity Refuge. However, she stepped down from this role in 2023. This happened after comments she made on Question Time.
Personal Life
Fiona Bruce met Nigel Sharrocks when she worked at an advertising agency. They got married in July 1994 in Islington, London. They have two children, a son born in 1998 and a daughter born in 2001. They live in London and also have a second home in Sydenham, Oxfordshire.
In 2014, Fiona said she does not use social media. She explained this was because of mean comments directed at female celebrities.
