Jeff Stelling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jeff Stelling
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Stelling in 2021
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| Born | 18 March 1955 Hartlepool, County Durham, England
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| Occupation | Journalist, television presenter |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Television |
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| Spouse(s) |
Liz Stelling
(m. 1998) |
| Children | 3 |
Robert Jeffrey Stelling (born 18 March 1955) is a famous English television presenter. He is best known for hosting Gillette Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports for many years, from 1994 until 2023. He also presented the Champions League football coverage between 2011 and 2015.
Beyond sports, Jeff also hosted the popular Channel 4 quiz show Countdown from 2009 to 2011. Later, he presented the ITV game show Alphabetical from 2016 to 2017. He announced in October 2021 that he would leave Soccer Saturday, and his final show was on May 8, 2023.
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Early Life
Jeff Stelling grew up in Hartlepool, a town in England. He lived in a council house and went to Rift House Primary School. Later, he attended West Hartlepool Grammar School. After finishing school, his very first job was as a journalist. He worked for the Hartlepool Mail newspaper for four years.
Career Highlights
Jeff's career in broadcasting started in the late 1970s. His first job was reporting on Middlesbrough F.C. for Radio Tees. He then became a sports presenter for LBC Radio in London in the early 1980s. After that, he moved to BBC Radio 2. There, he covered big events like the Los Angeles and Seoul Olympic Games.
He also worked as a sports newsreader for various channels. These included TV-am, Channel 4, Eurosport, and British Satellite Broadcasting. In 1992, he joined Sky. At Sky, he presented coverage of sports like horse racing, greyhound racing, snooker, and darts. In 2003, he won a special sports presenter version of the game show The Weakest Link. Jeff also appeared in the video games FIFA 14 and FIFA 15.
Hosting Soccer Saturday
In 1994, Jeff Stelling became the presenter of Sports Saturday. This show later became known as Gillette Soccer Saturday in 1998. He hosted the program for up to six hours. It involved discussing football and giving live updates from games. He worked with a panel of football experts, often called pundits. Some famous pundits included Chris Kamara and Frank McLintock. Many people loved the show because of Jeff's excellent presenting skills. The Guardian newspaper praised him for his "exceptional professionalism".
Jeff left Soccer Saturday at the end of the 2022–23 season. He had hosted the show for 25 years.
Game Show Host
On 21 November 2008, it was announced that Jeff Stelling would be the new host of the Channel 4 game show Countdown. He started recording Countdown in December 2008. His first shows aired in January 2009. He worked with the show's new assistant, Rachel Riley.
However, on 25 May 2011, Jeff announced he would leave Countdown. He wanted to focus more on football, especially his new role presenting the Champions League. He was replaced by Nick Hewer. Jeff did return to Countdown as a guest in August 2023. He even presented part of the show himself!
In August 2016, Jeff presented a new game show for ITV called Alphabetical. This show had 10 episodes and later returned for a second series.
TV Appearances and Radio
Jeff Stelling has also made cameo appearances in TV shows. He played himself in several episodes of the football comedy series Ted Lasso. He also appeared as himself in The IT Crowd, Dream Team, and Mike Bassett: Manager.
More recently, from December 4, 2023, he started presenting the breakfast show on Talksport radio. He hosts this show every Monday and Tuesday morning.
Awards and Recognition
Jeff Stelling has received many awards and honours for his work.
- On 23 November 2007, he was given an honorary Doctor of Professional Studies degree by the University of Teesside.
- He was named Sports Broadcaster of the Year for four years in a row. This award came from the Sports Journalists' Association.
- On 12 March 2010, he became an honorary freeman of his hometown, Hartlepool. This is a special honour given by the town.
- In the 2024 New Year Honours, Jeff was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This was for his great work in sport, broadcasting, and charity.
Personal Life and Charity Work
Jeff Stelling lives in Bishop's Waltham, Hampshire, with his wife Liz. They got married in November 1998. They have two sons, Robbie and Matthew, and a daughter, Olivia. His son Robbie is also a journalist, working for the Hartlepool Mail.
Jeff is also a keen runner and has completed the London Marathon eight times! His best time was 3 hours and 28 minutes. In June 2013, Jeff and some friends climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. They did this to raise money for The Finlay Cooper Fund, a children's charity. Their climb raised an amazing £100,000.
In 2015, Jeff became the president of Hartlepool United F.C.. This is his hometown football club.
Jeff is a big supporter of Prostate Cancer UK. In 2016, he walked 262 miles from Hartlepool United to Wembley Stadium. This walk took him 10 days! He raised over £420,000 for the charity. Many people joined him on the walk, including his friends from Sky Sports and the football world. These included Chris Kamara and Matt Le Tissier. Even Sir Ian Botham joined him for part of the walk. Jeff pledged to walk again in 2017 to raise more money for Prostate Cancer UK.
