Christine Louise Lampard (née Bleakley, born 2 February 1979) is a Northern Irish broadcaster. She has presented various television programmes with Adrian Chiles, such as The One Show (2007–2010) and Daybreak (2010–2011), while with Phillip Schofield she has presented Dancing on Ice (2012–2014) and This Morning (2013–2016, 2023).[1][2] Lampard has also presented factual series for ITV including Off The Beaten Track (2013) and Wild Ireland (2015). Since 2016 she has been a presenter of the ITV lunchtime chat show Loose Women.
Christine Lampard | |
|---|---|
_(2)_(cropped).jpg) Lampard in 2009 | |
| Born | Christine Louise Bleakley 2 February 1979 |
| Occupation(s) | Television and radio presenter |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Employer(s) | BBC (2003–2010, 2017) ITV (2010—) Radio Aire 2 (2015) UKTV (2016—) |
| Television | The One Show (2007–2010) Daybreak (2010–2011) Text Santa (2011–2015) Dancing on Ice (2012–2014) This Morning (2013–2016, 2023) Wild Ireland (2015) Loose Women (2016–present) Lorraine (2017—present) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
Christine Bleakley was born in Newry,[3] and grew up in Newtownards. She has a younger sister, Nicola.[4] She started her television career as a runner and then trained to become a floor manager while studying for her A-Levels at Bloomfield Collegiate School[5] in Ballyhackamore, Belfast. She continued to work at BBC NI while studying for a politics degree at Queen's University, Belfast. However, she did not complete her degree course, and instead moved into television work full-time.[6]
Career
BBC
She worked on the long-running BBC Northern Ireland comedy Give My Head Peace.[7] She returned to make a cameo appearance in the show in its 2016 special.
She moved into television with BBC Northern Ireland hosting a wide variety of shows. One of her programmes was called Sky High which saw her flying around Northern Ireland in a helicopter in 2004. A weekly entertainment show called First Stop followed, and she also hosted Would You Pass The 11+[8][9] and coverage of Children in Need.[10] She presented the BBC Northern Ireland cookery show, Spill the Beans in 2005.[11]
Outside Northern Ireland, Lampard co-hosted BBC Two's Let Me Entertain You with Brian Conley[12] and in July 2007, she became co-host of The One Show on BBC One, replacing Myleene Klass. She and Adrian Chiles hosted the show for three years.[12] In January 2010, Northern Irish comedian Patrick Kielty was a guest on The One Show, when he revealed her mobile phone number to the camera. After being bombarded with calls and text messages, she changed her telephone number.[13]
In October 2009, Lampard co-presented Britain's Classroom Heroes alongside Jeremy Vine on BBC Two.[14] In 2009, she occasionally presented The National Lottery Draws on BBC One. In March 2010, she co-hosted a segment of the Sport Relief telethon with Gary Lineker.
When Adrian Chiles left the BBC in 2010, there was a great deal of speculation on whether she would extend her BBC contract or move to ITV.[15] After the speculation, Lampard also left The One Show to join ITV as the co-host of Daybreak following Adrian Chiles' departure from the BBC to ITV. Questions were raised in Parliament over the size and scale of the proposed £900,000 per year two-year BBC contract.[16] Shortly after she fired her long-term manager and signed with Chiles' management company, on 20 June 2010, the BBC announced that it had withdrawn an offer to extend her current contract.[16] Later that day ITV plc (owners of GMTV) announced she would again partner Chiles by co-hosting the revamped breakfast show with him, and also hosting other entertainment programmes.[1] On 8 July 2010, the BBC confirmed that she was not returning to The One Show after the programme returned from the World Cup break on 12 July.[17]
In September 2016, it was announced that Lampard would return to the BBC to co-present Christine and Adrian's Friendship Test.[18] She co-presented the three-part series with Adrian Chiles on BBC Northern Ireland in November 2017.[19][20]
ITV
She moved to ITV less than three hours after the BBC had withdrawn their £1 million offer for her to remain on the channel. She joined ITV on a four-year contract worth £4 million.
On 6 September 2010, she joined Adrian Chiles to host ITV Breakfast's Daybreak. The programme suffered mixed reviews and poor viewing figures in its first weeks on air,[21] and Lampard herself was the subject of criticism.[22] On 18 November 2011, she and co-presenter Adrian Chiles were replaced by Dan Lobb and Kate Garraway who presented on an interim basis. In September 2012, they were replaced by Aled Jones and Lorraine Kelly.[23]
In February 2011, Lampard presented a game show pilot for ITV called Control, but it was not commissioned for a series.[24] From 2011 until 2015, she co-hosted ITV's Christmas telethon Text Santa. In 2011, 2014 and 2015, she co-hosted the charity appeal with Phillip Schofield and with Paddy McGuinness in 2012 and 2013.[25] She has hosted a number of ITV Specials, including Simply Red: For the Last Time in 2010,[26] Duran Duran: One Night Only in 2011[27] and Michael Flatley: A Night to Remember in 2014.[28] On Boxing Day 2012, she presented That Dog Can Dance.
In 2011, she became Phillip Schofield's co-presenter on Dancing on Ice, replacing Holly Willoughby. She presented three series of the show between 2012 and 2014 when it came to an end after the ninth series on 9 March 2014.[29] For each episode of Dancing on Ice, Lampard was paid £24,163.[30] When she was hosting the show, she was the highest paid female television star, earning around £400 per minute.[citation needed] Dancing on Ice returned in January 2018.[31] Holly Willoughby returned to present with Phillip Schofield, meaning Lampard no longer appears.
On 11 May 2011, she presented The National Movie Awards.[32] In 2013, Lampard presented a six-part series called Off The Beaten Track. On 3 March 2014, it was announced the show had been axed.[33]
She is a frequent stand-in host on This Morning, subbing whenever Phillip Schofield or Holly Willoughby are unable to appear.[34][35]
On 23 December 2014, Lampard co-hosted one-off documentary Roman Britain From the Air with Michael Scott.[36][37] On 27 December 2014, she hosted the one-off magic special Darcy Oake: Edge of Reality[38] and acted as Darcy Oake's assistant in two illusions, first being made to appear on a large motorcycle and then being sawed in half in Oake's Clearly Impossible sawing illusion.
In 2015, Lampard presented the six-part documentary series Wild Ireland which saw her travel across the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland.[39] In October 2016, she was a guest panellist on an episode of Loose Women.[40] She guest anchored numerous episodes of the show before becoming a permanent anchor.[41]
Since February 2017, Lampard has guest presented numerous episodes of the ITV Breakfast show, Lorraine.,[42][43] and is the regular stand-in for Lorraine Kelly during school breaks.
UKTV
In October 2016, Lampard co-presented Celebrity Haunted Hotel Live for UKTV's W channel. The show, which she co-hosted alongside Matt Richardson and Jamie East, aired for five consecutive nights from 27–31 October.[44][45]
In 2018, Lampard and Richardson presented Celebrity Haunted Mansion for the W channel. It aired for five consecutive nights from 21–25 February.[46]
Strictly Come Dancing
In 2008, Lampard took part in the sixth series of Strictly Come Dancing, in which she was partnered with professional dancer Matthew Cutler.[47]
Lampard and Cutler were eliminated on 30 November 2008, leaving the competition in fifth place, after Rachel Stevens and Vincent Simone beat them in the dance-off.[48]
| Week | Dance/Song | Judges' scores | Result | ||||
| Craig Revel Horwood | Len Goodman | Arlene Phillips | Bruno Tonioli | Total | |||
| 2 | Foxtrot / "The Way You Look Tonight" | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 27 | Safe |
| 4 | Quickstep / "She's So Lovely" | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 26 | Safe |
| 5 | Samba / "Baila, Baila Conmigo" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 | Safe |
| 6 | Paso Doble / "Fighter" | 3 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 22 | Safe |
| 7 | American Smooth / "Singin' in the Rain" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 29 | Safe |
| 8 | Jive / "Jailhouse Rock" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 9 | Waltz / "See the Day" | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 34 | Safe |
| 10 | Cha Cha Cha / "I Like It Like That" | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 27 | Safe |
| 11 | Tango / "Addicted to Love" | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 28 | N/A |
| 11 | Salsa / "Cosmic Girl" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 | Eliminated |
Radio
At the beginning of her career, Lampard worked at Belfast Citybeat as a newsreader and presenter, working with Stephen Nolan.[49]
From January to March 2015, Lampard presented a Sunday afternoon programme called Sunday Lunch from 3–4pm on Magic Radio.[50][51]
Film
Lampard was the voice of a radio newsreader in the 1998 Northern Irish film Divorcing Jack,[52] and the voice of Sandra in the 2010 film A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures.[53]
Other work
She set up Chrisola Entertainment Limited in 2009 and is the company's director. In 2010 and 2011, Lampard was on the judging panel for the Pride of Britain Awards.[54] She released a 60-minute fitness DVD called Christine Bleakley – The Workout in December 2011.
On 20 March 2010, Lampard made her stand-up comedy debut when she took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed at the O2 Arena in London.[55]
In August 2014, Lampard was announced as the new brand ambassador for Soft & Gentle anti-perspirant.[56] She became an ambassador for BT Call Protect in January 2017.[57]
Awards
In November 2010, Lampard was awarded the title 'Top TV Host' at the 2010 Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women of the Year Awards.[58][59]
Personal life
Lampard dated Belfast Giants ice hockey player Curtis Bowen as she started her TV career. After breaking up with him in 2003, she dated Dublin restaurant owner Christian Stokes to whom she got engaged in 2004.[60] She was then in a relationship with entrepreneur Mark Beirne for three years until they split in January 2009.[61]
In October 2009, she began a relationship with English footballer Frank Lampard.[62] The couple got married on 20 December 2015, and she is the stepmother to his two daughters from a previous relationship.[63] On 21 September 2018, they had a baby girl.[64] On 15 March 2021, it was announced that they had a baby boy.[65]
Charity
Lampard is a Northern Ireland ambassador for The Prince's Trust.[12] In 2010, she did a water skiing challenge, raising £1,321,623 for Sport Relief, making her the first person to water-ski across the English Channel.[66] In the same year, her co-host on The One Show, Adrian Chiles grew a beard, which was later shaved off by Lampard for Sport Relief, raising £60,000 in the process.[67] In 2012, Lampard took part in a 5 km run for Cancer Research UK with Heidi Range and Roxanne Pallett.[68]
Lampard is a patron for the Sparks children's charity. In 2015, she hosted the charity's winter ball alongside Jon Culshaw.[69] She also supported the Text Santa appeal and presented their annual telethon from 2011 until 2015.
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | First Stop | Co-presenter | 1 episode; with Ralph McLean | BBC Northern Ireland |
| 2004 | Would You Pass the 11+ | Co-presenter | 1 episode; with Eamonn Holmes | |
| 2005 | Spill the Beans | Presenter | 1 episode | |
| 2006–2007 | Let Me Entertain You | Co-presenter | 2 series; with Brian Conley | BBC Two |
| 2007 | Looking for Love | Co-presenter | 1 series; with May McFettridge | BBC Northern Ireland |
| 2007–2010 | The One Show | Co-presenter | With Adrian Chiles | BBC One |
| 2008 | Strictly Come Dancing | Participant | Series 6 | |
| NI Wags | Narrator | 1 series | BBC Northern Ireland | |
| 2009 | Britain's Classroom Heroes | Co-presenter | 1 episode; with Jeremy Vine | BBC Two |
| Sky High | Presenter | 1 series | BBC Northern Ireland | |
| The National Lottery Draws | Presenter | Occasional episodes | BBC One | |
| 2010 | Sport Relief | Co-presenter | 1 episode; with Gary Lineker | |
| Simply Red: For the Last Time | Presenter | One-off special | ITV | |
| 2010–2011 | Daybreak | Co-presenter | With Adrian Chiles and Dan Lobb | |
| 2011 | Duran Duran: One Night Only | Presenter | One-off special | |
| National Movie Awards | Presenter | 1 episode | ||
| Westlife: For the Last Time | Presenter | One-off special | ||
| 2011–2015 | Text Santa | Co-presenter | With Phillip Schofield and Paddy McGuinness | |
| 2012 | This is Lionel Richie | Presenter | One-off special | |
| That Dog Can Dance | Presenter | One-off special | ||
| 2012–2014 | Dancing on Ice | Co-presenter | 3 series; with Phillip Schofield | |
| 2013 | Off The Beaten Track | Presenter | 1 series | |
| 2013–2016, 2023–present | This Morning[70] | Regular stand-in presenter | With Phillip Schofield | |
| 2014 | Michael Flatley: A Night to Remember | Presenter | One-off special | |
| Spandau Ballet: True Gold | Presenter | One-off special | ||
| Roman Britain From the Air | Co-presenter | One-off special; with Michael Scott | ||
| Darcy Oake: Edge of Reality | Presenter | One-off special | ||
| 2015 | Wild Ireland | Presenter | 1 series | |
| 2016 | Celebrity Haunted Hotel Live | Co-presenter | 1 series; with Matt Richardson and Jamie East | W |
| 2016–present | Loose Women | Anchor | Guest panellist (2016) | ITV |
| 2016 | Give My Head Peace | Herself | Guest ; 'The Farce Awakens' | BBC Northern Ireland |
| 2017 | Christine and Adrian's Friendship Test[71] | Co-presenter | 1 series; with Adrian Chiles | |
| 2017–present | Lorraine[72] | Deputy & School Holiday presenter | 110 Episodes | ITV |
| 2018 | Celebrity Haunted Mansion | Co-presenter | 1 series; with Matt Richardson | W |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Divorcing Jack | Newsreader | Voice only |
| 2010 | A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures | Sandra | Voice only |
Radio
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–1997 | Belfast Citybeat | Newsreader | With Stephen Nolan |
| 2015 | Sunday Lunch[73] | Presenter | Sundays, 3–4pm |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Christine Bleakley joins GMTV". GMTV. Archived from the original on 25 June 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
- ^ Daybreak Press Pack Archived 11 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine ITV, 31 August 2010
- ^ "Christine Lampard reveals secret clothing collaboration with Wallis - and here's a sneak preview". The Irish Post. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Meet Christine Bleakley's little sister". Belfast Telegraph. 5 June 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
- ^ Smith, Ryan (28 March 2017). "Which Belfast schools did these celebrities go to?". belfastlive. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- ^ "Get work in NI – Real lives, real jobs". BBC Northern Ireland. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
- ^ "Christine Bleakley: Fond memories of a fantastic comedy". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ Would You Pass The 11+ Archived 11 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine BBC Northern Ireland, December 2004
- ^ Wild programmes Archived 15 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine Wild Rover Productions
- ^ Christine Bleakley rejoins Adrian Chiles on GMTV, but could it all go very badly wrong? Belfast Telegraph, 22 June 2010
- ^ How Christine (31) ruined Grainne's (36) hopes for the GMTV hot seat Herald.ie, 22 June 2010
- ^ a b c "Christine Bleakley's profile". The One Show. BBC. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
- ^ "Pass notes No 2,817: Patrick Kielty". The Guardian. 21 July 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ "BBC Two - Teaching Awards, 2009". BBC.
- ^ "Bleakley 'torn' over TV offers". BBC News. 13 June 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
- ^ a b "BBC withdraws Christine Bleakley TV offer". BBC News. 21 June 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
- ^ "Christine Bleakley will not return to The One Show". BBC News. 8 July 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ^ "Adrian Chiles And Christine Bleakley Set For TV Reunion". Huffingtonpost.com. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ "BBC - February 2017 Commissioning Update - About BBC Northern Ireland". Bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ "Transplant duo to star in TV friendship show". Lurganmail.co.uk. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley's Daybreak loses viewers Belfast Telegraph, 16 September 2010
- ^ Daybreak: What has gone wrong for Chiles and Bleakely dream team? Belfast Telegraph, 28 October 2010
- ^ Methven, Nicola (19 November 2011). "Christine Bleakley and Adrian Chiles axed as hosts of ITV flop Daybreak". Daily Record.
- ^ "Bleakley takes Control of quiz show". Belfast Telegraph. 10 February 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ "The Time of Year to Help Those Near – Here Comes Text Santa!". Itv.com. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ "Simply Red: For The Last Time | Week 39 - ITV Press Centre". itv.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2010.
- ^ "Duran Duran | Week 12 - ITV Press Centre". itv.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012.
- ^ Tom Eames (30 April 2014). "Michael Flatley to return in ITV special". Digitalspy.co.uk.
- ^ Percival, Ashley (18 November 2011). "Holly Willoughby quits Dancing on Ice for The Voice". AOL. Archived from the original on 21 November 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
- ^ Methven, Nicola (25 April 2013). "Christine Bleakley faces a 70% pay cut to host the next series of Dancing On Ice". mirror.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 April 2013.
- ^ "Dancing on Ice to return in 2018". Itv.com.
- ^ The King's Speech wins three National Movie Awards, BBC News, 11 May 2011
- ^ "ITV show hardly anyone remembers 'gets axed'". Metro.co.uk. 2 March 2014.
- ^ Frances Taylor (4 February 2014). "Christine Bleakley to co-host This Morning with Holly Willoughby". Digital Spy.
- ^ "Amanda Holden to present This Morning". ITV.com.
- ^ "Roman Britain From The Air". Itv.com.
- ^ "Roman Britain From the Air". Michaelscottweb.com.
- ^ Darcy Oake: Edge of Reality, Itv.com.
- ^ "Christine Bleakley set to front new ITV series Wild Atlantic Way". Irish Post. Archived from the original on 17 January 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ Seamus Duff (25 October 2016). "Fans call for Loose Women guest panellist Christine Lampard to join full time". Metro.co.uk. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ Tutton, Charlotte (1 December 2016). "Loose Women: Fans call for Christine Bleakley to join show after guest role". ok.co.uk.
- ^ "Lorraine lines up huge guest hosts for next three weeks". Digitalspy.com. 16 February 2017.
- ^ "Lorraine Kelly once again takes a break from show as Christine Bleakley steps in". Metro.co.uk. 19 April 2017.
- ^ "UKTV's W Channel Orders 'Celebrity Haunted Hotel Live' Fronted By Christine Lampard, Matt Richardson & Jamie East". Tvwise.co.uk. 4 October 2016.
- ^ Justin Harp (3 October 2016). "Christine Lampard is checking into a REAL haunted hotel". DigitalSpy.com. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ "Christine Lampard and Matt Richardson return for Celebrity Haunted Mansion". corporate.uktv.co.uk.
- ^ "Strictly celebrities are unveiled". BBC News. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
- ^ "TV's Bleakley performs last tango". BBC News. 30 November 2008.
- ^ Christine Bleakley moving to ITV – joining Adrian Chiles on the GMTV sofa, Belfast Telegraph, 21 June 2010
- ^ Susannah Alexander (5 January 2015). "Magic Radio signs John Barrowman and Christine Bleakley for national launch". Digital Spy.
- ^ "Christine Bleakley among stars on Magic radio as it launches in Portsmouth". Portsmouth.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ "Divorcing Jack". Letterboxd. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ "The Fan Carpet". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
- ^ "The Pride of Britain Awards - Judges 2010". prideofbritain.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013.
- ^ Stars turn out for charity comedy gala Archived 22 July 2012 at archive.today, Newsbeat, BBC, 31 March 2010
- ^ "Christine Bleakley named Brand Ambassador for Soft & Gentle". Fashion Monitor. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014.
- ^ Hannah Bouckley (15 March 2017). "BT Call Protect: Free service to crackdown [sic] on nuisance calls". Home.BT.com. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ Cosmo’s Ultimate Women of the Year Awards Archived 5 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine Cosmopolitan, 3 November 2010
- ^ Christine Bleakley crowned top TV host despite Daybreak's flagging ratings The Daily Telegraph (London), 3 November 2010
- ^ "BLISS FOR TELLY BABE BLEAKLEY; Christine's Joy as Christian Pops the Question".[dead link]
- ^ Looks like Mark wasn't the one! Sunday Life, 1 February 2009
- ^ Who's that girl, Irish Independent, 31 July 2010
- ^ "Christine Lampard welcomes second baby with Frank Lampard - find out sex and name". HELLO!. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ "Christine and Frank Lampard Welcome Their First Child Together: see sweet announcement". hellomagazine.com. 21 September 2018. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ^ "Christine Lampard welcomes second baby with Frank Lampard - find out sex and name". HELLO!. 15 March 2021. Archived from the original on 15 March 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ "Bleakley achieves water-ski goal". News.bbc.co.uk. 12 March 2010.
- ^ Sawer, Patrick (30 January 2010). "Adrian Chiles' beard is sign of new trend". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- ^ Mayer Nissim (24 June 2012). "Heidi Range, Roxanne Pallett on Race for Life: 'It's a celebration'". Digital Spy.
- ^ "Sparks". Archived from the original on 8 December 2015.
- ^ "Christine Bleakley and Amanda Holden return to ITV's This Morning to co-host with Phillip Schofield in 2015". Itv.com.
- ^ "Christine Lampard's new TV mission to prove Northern Ireland folk are the friendliest". Belfast Telegraph.
- ^ Amy Duncan (15 February 2017). "Christine Lampard and Helen Skelton to front Lorraine as she heads on polar trek". Metro.co.uk.
- ^ "Christine Bleakley". Magic.
External links
