Contained in the non-public life, marriage and profession of BBC Olympic presenter Clare Balding

Clare Balding is among the BBC's essential presenters for the Paris 2024 Olympic Video games, preserving viewers updated with the most recent information surrounding the sporting occasion.

Through the years, the skilled sports activities reporter has made a reputation for himself by preserving sports activities followers knowledgeable of the outcomes of many disciplines.

She at present presents for BBC Sport, Channel 4 and BT Sport and beforehand introduced the programme Good Morning Sunday on BBC Radio 2.

This 12 months marks the eighth time that she has taken half within the nationwide broadcaster's protection of the Olympic Video games.

She has beforehand been the face of BBC protection of rugby league and Crufts, and this 12 months she turned the chief reporter for Wimbledon.

However Clare, 53, who comes from racing royalty, as soon as had a profitable sporting profession of her personal.

Who’s Clare Balding?

Clare Balding was born in 1971 to Ian Balding and Emma Balding, the daughter of racehorse coach Peter Hastings-Bass, of the Earls of Huntingdon.

After attending the impartial Downe Home Faculty in Berkshire, Clare went to Cambridge, the place she studied English.

Her first job within the media trade got here in 1994 as a trainee at BBC Nationwide Radio, working for five Reside, Radio 1 (the place she introduced sports activities on the Chris Evans Breakfast Present), Radio 2 and Radio 4.

The next 12 months she made her debut as a tv presenter, presenting highlights from Royal Ascot. In 1997 she turned the BBC's essential horse racing presenter.

Throughout her profession, Clare has reported from eight Olympic Video games, for BBC Radio in Atlanta and for BBC Tv in Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.

She additionally introduced 5 Paralympic Video games, 5 Winter Olympics and 5 Commonwealth Video games.

Clare was additionally the face of the BBC's rugby league protection. She introduced Crufts from 2004 to 2009 and has accomplished so for Channel 4 since 2013.

She additionally introduced Countryfile and factual documentaries for the BBC together with Britain By Bike, Operation Wild and Britain's Hidden Heritage.

From 2013 she was a senior presenter for the equestrian channel Channel 4 for 3 years, primarily reporting on main festivals comparable to Cheltenham and Royal Ascot.

She additionally at present presents her personal sports activities chat present, The Clare Balding Present, which airs on BT Sport and BBC Two.

Was Clare Balding an athlete?

All through her childhood and teenage years, Clare competed in numerous equestrian sports activities, together with eventing, present leaping and dressage.

From 1988 to 1993 she was a number one newbie jockey and in 1990 she turned champion girl rider.

In a 2021 interview, she spoke about her childhood ambitions: 'After I was little, all I wished to do was change into an eventer and signify Nice Britain on the Olympics.'

Nonetheless, her dream of pursuing a profession as a jockey failed.

“I fought very arduous to do one thing that I wasn't bodily suited to do. I want I may have been 8 stone naturally, however I wasn't and I needed to work very arduous, so I had a really quick profession as an newbie jockey,” she mentioned.

Her household has shut ties to the game: her father skilled Mill Reef, winner of The Derby, Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 1971.

Her youthful brother, Andrew Balding, skilled Informal Look, the 2003 Epsom Oaks winner.

In the meantime, her uncle Toby Balding skilled winners within the Grand Nationwide, Cheltenham Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle, whereas her maternal grandfather, coach Peter Hastings-Bass, and her maternal uncle William Hastings-Bass, seventeenth Earl of Huntingdon, had been as soon as trainers to Queen Elizabeth II.

Her maternal grandmother, Priscilla Hastings, was a descendant of the Earls of Derby and was one of many first girls to be elected to the Jockey Membership.

Talking about her lifelong love of horse driving, Clare beforehand instructed Sheer Luxe: 'I beloved the truth that there was one thing on this planet that I used to be good at. Horse driving additionally gave me that sense of freedom and the adrenaline rush of doing one thing barely harmful, like leaping over issues that had been barely larger than you’d usually suppose. It was simply enjoyable, actually enjoyable.'

Is Clare Balding married?

Clare first met her spouse, Alice Arnold, in 1999, when she was working as an announcer and newsreader at BBC Radio 4.

Alice, who labored as a Justice of the Peace for ten years earlier than shifting into the media sector, labored for the BBC for over twenty years till 2012.

They had been buddies for a number of years earlier than they began courting in 2002.

The couple entered right into a civil partnership in 2006 and married 9 years later, in 2015, after same-sex marriage was legalised within the UK.

Chatting with Gyles Brandreth on his Rosebud podcast, the couple, who stay in Chiswick, London, opened up concerning the early days of their relationship.