Fearne Cotton
| Fearne Cotton | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 3 1982 Northwood, London, United Kingdom |
| Known for | Presenting of reality, fund-raising, children's and music related TV shows, Co-presenting BBC Radio 1 weekend breakfast show with Reggie Yates |
| Occupation | Radio and Television Presenter, DJ. |
| Website | Radio 1 homepage |
Fearne Marie Cotton (born 3 September 1982) is a British television presenter and DJ. Known for presenting a number of popular TV programmes such as Top of the Pops and Red Nose Day, she can also now be heard co-hosting the BBC Radio 1 Weekend Breakfast show with Reggie Yates - as well as hosting ITV 2's the Xtra Factor
Early life
Born in Northwood, north-west London, Cotton grew up in the nearby suburb of Eastcote, in Abbotsbury Gardens. She was brought up by Lyn and Mick Cotton, and has a younger brother called Jamie. Although her grandfather's cousin is former BBC executive Sir Bill Cotton, she says she has not seen him since the age of five and cites her rise to broadcasting fame as down to her own hard work and discipline.
She attended Newnham Primary School in Eastcote, Ruislip and Haydon School in Northwood Hills / Eastcote Village.
Career
Cotton began her career in children's television but has in recent years been given higher profile roles presenting events such as Live 8 and the results for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Early career
Cotton began having ballet lessons from the age of five and went to weekend drama school at ten. After being discovered in a nationwide talent search, she began her presenting career in 1998, at the age of 16, with early morning GMTV children's programme The Disney Club and later Diggit with Paul 'Des' Ballard. She soon found herself fronting several children's programmes for CITV, including Draw Your Own Toons and Mouse, a series aimed at encouraging children to use computers. In 2002 she presented Finger Tips, an arts and crafts programme for children, with co-presenter Stephen Mulhern.
Cotton soon branched out from ITV, and her association with CBBC
began when she presented children's science programme, Eureka TV, later winning a role as co-presenter on CBBC's Sunday Morning show, Smile. Before long, she was given the
task of re-vitalising the ailing The Saturday Show for the
BBC. Her former Finger Tips co-presenter, Stephen
Mulhern was soon to present rival CITV Saturday morning show
Her association with children's programmes continues as she narrates the popular CBBC Serious… documentary programme, as well as presenting Only In America.
Top of the Pops
In 2003 Cotton started presenting Top of the Pops:Saturday (later called Top of the Pops: Reloaded) with her The Saturday Show co-presenter, Simon Grant.
From 2004 to 2006 Cotton was the main presenter of Top Of The Pops, which she
co-presented with a different guest presenter each week. She was one of the final ever regular presenters for that programme. The
programme ended in July 2006, officially as a result of poor viewing figures, but Cotton was unavailable for the final episode
because of her filming for
Charity events
Cotton took part in the first edition of Comic Relief Does Fame Academy (2003). She was only the second person to be voted off the programme after giving her performance of the Travis song Driftwood[1].
Cotton has fast become a large part Comic Relief hosting part of the Red Nose Day telethon in 2005, returning in 2007 to be one of the most featured hosts of the night presenting strands alongside Jonathan Ross and Lenny Henry.
In July 2005 she made her career highlight to date, presenting Live 8 in
In November 2005 she hosted the BBC's annual telethon, Children In Need with Sir Terry Wogan and Natasha Kaplinsky, a role she reprised for the 2006 event.
In September 2007 she became the Patron of Post Pals-http://www.postpals.co.uk an organisation brightening the lives of seriously ill children, she says "Its so easy to make a kid smile. Just send an email, a card or even a gift to make a kids day!! Get on the website and spread the word and make someone happy!!"
BBC Radio 1
In September 2005 she joined Radio 1, to present the Friday early morning slot with Reggie Yates[2] who she had previously worked with on CBBC as a presenter, and co-star of Only In America and Top Of The Pops. She occasionally stands in for other Radio 1 presenters, such as Sara Cox. It was announced on 2006-07-30 that Cotton would be co-hosting the weekend breakfast broadcast along with Reggie from September 2006 replacing Spoony, who was leaving the station after six years.[3]
From October 14 2007, Fearne and Reggie will present the Radio 1 Chart Show, taking over from JK & Joel, who are leaving the station.[4], Cotton will be the first ever permanent female presenter of a BBC radio chart show.
Reality
In 2006 Cotton also presented the second series of Love Island with
Patrick Kielty on
She also presented the Friday night live eviction programme for the Five reality TV series Make Me A Supermodel, replacing former tele presenter and model Rachel Hunter.
On 2007-05-09 it was announced in The Sun newspaper that she would be taking over from Ben Shephard as the host for the X Factor spin-off programme, The Xtra Factor on ITV2.
Eurovision
On 20 May 2006 Cotton read the United Kingdom votes for the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Athens, Greece.
On 17 March, 2007 she, along with Terry Wogan, hosted Making Your Mind Up 2007 [5], the show to decide which song the UK will send to the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki, Finland. On the night Cotton saved the blushes of her co-presenter when Wogan accidentally announced the wrong artist as winner. [6]
The Eurovision Song Contest, held in Helsinki, Finland on 12 May 2007, saw Cotton return to Europe's screens as the face for the UK vote. It fell to her to announce the highest award of 12 points to Turkey.
Other notable TV appearances
On 2006-10-29, Cotton appeared with her family in a star special of Family Fortunes.
In January 2007, Cotton presented The Brits Launch party and The Brits are coming for
On 25 February, 2007, she was interviewing the guests and film stars live at the Oscars for Sky One in the UK.
Cotton interviewed Princes William and Harry for the BBC before the 2007-07-01 Concert for Diana[7]. She also interviewed performers and guests at the concert, which was held at the new Wembley Stadium.
Starting on September 5 2007, Fearne took part in a dating programme with friend Holly Willoughby called Holly and Fearne Go Dating. In this programme they find dates for lonely singles.
On September 29, 2007, she and Holly will take part in ITV's Saturday Night entertainment show,
Personal life
Cotton is a keen artist having studied art at A level[8]. This was a skill she made good use of whilst presenting the series Draw Your Own Toons. She hopes to hold an exhibition of her work in late 2007.
She also enjoys body art and claimed on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross that she has eleven tattoos over her body, the most notable of which is a fern leaf, covering her right hip up to her rib cage [9].
Cotton has two cats called Tallulah and Keloy, named after one of the magic words from Bedknobs and Broomsticks. She was photographed with Keloy by the late Lord Lichfield for the 2006 PDSA Calendar.
For a period in 2004-2005, she went out with Lostprophets' front man Ian Watkins. It is rumoured that Watkins wrote two songs on the group's third album, Liberation Transmission, (Broken Hearts And Torn Up Letters, Story Of A Lonely Girl) and (4:AM Forever), about the couple's separation, although he refuses to either confirm or deny this[10]. Another of her ex-boyfriends, Peter Brame who was a Fame Academy singer, sold explicit details of their lovelife to a tabloid Sunday newspaper, describing how his cocaine addiction destroyed their relationship. She maintains that "he had to do it for his own reasons and I don't resent him for that." She also had a relationship with Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard. She is currently in a relationship with American Jesse Jenkins.
She is a vegetarian and an animal lover.
Was also quoted in an interview in Heat Magazine to having extremely sensitive feet and not being able to stand her toes tickled.
TV appearances
- Serious... (2002-)
- Comic Relief Does Fame Academy (2003)
- Top of the Pops: Saturday/Top of the Pops: Reloaded (2003-2005)
- Top of the Pops (2004-2006)
- Red Nose Day (2005-)
- Live8 (2005)
- Children In Need (2005-)
- Eurovision Song Contest (2006-)
- Love Island (2006)
- Only in America (2006)
- Make Me A Supermodel (2006-)
- Brit Awards (2007)
- Oscars (2007)
- Making Your Mind Up (2007)
- Concert for Diana (2007)
- The Xtra Factor (2007-)
- Holly & Fearne Go Dating (2007-)
References
- ^ Fearne next to exit Fame Academy. BBC News (2003-03-08). Retrieved on 2007-04-09.
- ^ TV presenter Cotton joins Radio 1. BBC News (2005-08-10). Retrieved on 2007-04-09.
- ^ Radio 1 promotes Cotton and Yates. BBC News (2006-07-31). Retrieved on 2007-04-09.
- ^ "All Change At Radio 1", BBC Radio 1, 2007-09-06. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
- ^ Barry Viniker (2007-02-24). UK Presenters announced. esctoday.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-09.
- ^ Eurovision gaffe 'not technical'. BBC News (2007-03-19). Retrieved on 2007-04-09.
- ^ Princes 'excited' over Diana show. BBC News (2007-06-14). Retrieved on 2007-06-14.
- ^ James Grant Management. Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
- ^ Gordon Smart (2007-01-04). I'm ace in bed boasts Fearne. The Sun. Retrieved on 2007-04-09.
- ^ Prophets no longer lost. The Sun. Retrieved on 2007-07-03.
| Preceded by Ben Shephard |
Host of The Xtra
Factor 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
External links
- Fearne and Reggie at bbc.co.uk/radio1
- Fearne Cotton at itv.com/xfactor
- Fearne Cotton at the Internet Movie Database
- Fearne Cotton at MySpace
- Fearne Cotton Fan Site
| Preceded by JK & Joel |
BBC Radio One chart show presenter w/Reggie Yates (Designated) 2007 - Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| The X Factor in the United Kingdom | |
|---|---|
| Series | 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 |
| Hosts | Dermot O'Leary · Fearne Cotton · Kate Thornton · Ben Shephard |
| Judges | Simon Cowell · Sharon Osbourne · Louis Walsh · Dannii Minogue · Brian Friedman · Paula Abdul |
| Winners | Steve Brookstein · Shayne Ward · Lucy Benjamin · Leona Lewis |
| Runners-Up | G4 · Andy Abraham · Ray Quinn |
| Other alumni | Journey South · Chico Slimani · Ben Mills |
| Spin-offs | The Xtra Factor · The X Factor: Battle of the Stars |
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