Victoria Coren Mitchell facts for kids

Victoria Coren Mitchell (born on 18 August 1972) is a British writer, TV presenter, and professional poker player. She writes weekly articles for The Daily Telegraph newspaper. Since 2008, she has also hosted the BBC television quiz show Only Connect.

Early Life and Education

Victoria Elizabeth Coren was born in Hammersmith, West London, on 18 August 1972. She is the only daughter of the famous humorist and journalist Alan Coren and Anne Kasriel. Victoria grew up in Cricklewood, North West London, with her older brother, Giles Coren, who is also a journalist. She is also related to Canadian journalist Michael Coren.

Victoria went to private schools for girls from age five to 18. Later, she studied English at St John's College, Oxford University. She has mentioned that she felt different from the other girls at her school.

Victoria Coren Mitchell's Writing Career

Victoria Coren Mitchell started writing at a young age. When she was 14, a short story she wrote was published in Just Seventeen magazine. She also won a competition in The Daily Telegraph to write a column about being a teenager. She continued writing this column throughout her teenage years.

Her books include Love 16 and Once More, with Feeling. She also adapted newspaper articles by John Diamond into a play called A Lump in my Throat. This play was performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 2000. Later, she adapted it again for a BBC Two TV show in 2001.

Victoria and her brother Giles Coren wrote an introduction for Chocolate and Cuckoo Clocks. This book is a collection of funny writings by their father, Alan Coren. It was published in October 2008.

In September 2009, her book about poker, For Richer, For Poorer: A Love Affair with Poker, was published. It was well-received by critics. She also writes questions for her TV show Only Connect using the pen name "Geri Wiley".

Her Achievements in Poker

Victoria Coren Mitchell is a very successful professional poker player. She was the first woman to win a major event on the European Poker Tour (EPT). She was also the first player ever to win both a televised professional tournament (EPT London 2006) and a televised celebrity tournament (Celebrity Poker Club 2005).

Even more impressively, she was the first player to win two European Poker Tour Main Events. She won EPT London in 2006 and EPT Sanremo in 2014. She often plays Texas hold 'em poker at the Victoria Casino in London.

Victoria has also worked as a poker commentator and presenter. She has presented shows like William Hill Poker Grand Prix 2 and Late Night Poker. She has also commented on other big poker tournaments.

On 24 September 2006, she won the main event of the European Poker Tour London. She earned a prize of £500,000 (about $630,000 USD). In April 2014, she won the main event of the European Poker Tour San Remo. This win earned her €476,100 (about $510,000 USD).

As of 2021, her total winnings from live poker tournaments are more than $2,500,000. This makes her one of the top-earning female live poker players ever.

Victoria was a member of Team PokerStars Pro, a group of professional poker players sponsored by PokerStars. However, in November 2014, she stopped her endorsement. This was after PokerStars announced they were starting an online casino. She felt uncomfortable supporting a site where people could potentially develop gambling problems.

In 2016, Victoria Coren Mitchell was honored by being inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

On 20 March 2012, Victoria Coren announced her engagement to actor and comedian David Mitchell. They first met at a film premiere in 2007. They had a few dates then, but only started dating seriously three years later.

The couple got married in November 2012 in North London. Their first daughter was born in May 2015. In November 2023, Victoria Coren Mitchell announced that she had given birth to their second child in late October.

Television and Radio Appearances

Victoria Coren Mitchell has appeared on many television and radio shows. She is well-known for hosting Only Connect since 2008. She also hosts Heresy on Radio 4.

She has been a guest on popular panel shows like Question Time, Have I Got News for You, Would I Lie to You?, and QI. In 2021, she was a contestant on Taskmaster (Series 12).