Wikipedia

Mariella Frostrup

Mariella Frostrup(born 12 November 1962)[citation needed]is aBritish-Norwegianjournalist and presenter, known in British television and radio mainly for arts programmes.

Mariella Frostrup
Frostrup in 2016
Born(1962-11-12)12 November 1962(age 62)
Oslo,Norway
NationalityUnited Kingdom,Norway
Occupation(s)Journalist, presenter
Years active1980–present
Spouses
​
​
(m.1979;div.1984)​
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(m.2003)​
Children2

She has written forThe Daily Telegraphas a travel writer,The Guardian,The Observer,The Mail on Sunday,Harpers & Queenand theNew Statesman.For almost 20 years until 2021 she wasThe Observer'sagony aunton its relationships page In October 2024 she was announced as theUK Government'sMenopause Employment Ambassador.

Early life

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Frostrup was born inOslo,Norway, to Peter and Joan Frostrup,[1]but moved with her family when she was six[2]to Ireland in 1969,[3]living inKilmacanogue,a small village near the town ofGreystonesinCounty Wicklow.Her Norwegian father, who died aged 44 when Frostrup was 15,[2]was a journalist (including Foreign Editor)[4]onThe Irish Times,and her Scottish mother an artist.[5]She has four siblings.[6]

Career

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After the death of her father, in 1977 she moved to London.[2]to work in the music industry. Following a period training to be atape opfor theRolling Stones Mobile Studio(during which she worked withSimple Mindson theirReal to Real Cacophonyalbum),[7]she went on to work as apublic relationsexecutive forPhonogram Recordsbetween 1980 and 1990; coordinated the publicity for theLive Aidconcert atWembleyin 1985; and, after leaving Phonogram, started television work as a presenter and film critic.

Frostrup presented theChannel 4music showBig World Cafein 1989 alongsideEagle Eye CherryandJazzie B.

She also presentedThames Television'sVideo Viewfrom 1990 and, after Thames lost the LondonITVfranchise, reprised the role straight afterwards onThe Little Picture ShowforCarlton Televisionfrom 1993.

Frostrup has interviewed many celebrities, writers and artists and has presented a variety of television programmes, including one on travel, and has appeared in other television shows such as the seriesHave I Got News for Youand the sitcomAbsolutely Fabulous.She made several guest appearances as herself in the seriesCoupling,including an episode where one of the characters fantasizes about her, then meets her in person.[8]She has also appeared in fictionalised form inMichael Paraskos'sIn Search of Sixpence.[9]

She has written forThe Daily Telegraphas a travel writer,The Guardian,The Observer,The Mail on Sunday,Harpers & Queenand theNew Statesman.For almost 20 years until 2021 she wasThe Observer'sagony aunton its relationships page.[10]She is also an art critic and has been on the judging panels for theBooker Prize,[11]theOrange Prize for Fiction[12]and theEvening Standard British Film Awards.

In September 2007 she chaired a question-and-answer session withBritish Prime MinisterGordon Brown,at theLabour Party ConferenceinBournemouth,Dorset.[13]

In 2008, Frostrup received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters fromNottingham Trent Universityin recognition of her contribution and commitment to journalism and broadcasting.

She presented theBBC Radio 2showThe Green Roomand was from 2002 to 2020 the regular presenter ofBBC Radio 4programmeOpen Book,interviewing authors and publishers and reviewing new fiction and non-fiction books. As the presenter ofThe Book ShowonSky Arts1, she interviewed an extensive list of guests on their recent works and their "favourite heroes and heroines from fiction". The show was cancelled in 2013.

In December 2012, she appeared on the BBC Two seriesWorld's Most Dangerous Roads,in which she andAngus Deaytonwere filmed driving along the east coast of Madagascar.

She is the voice in lifts on theLondon Overground.Her 'gravelly' voice is often used on television commercials and in 2005 was voted the sexiest female voice on television.[14]

In 2018, Frostrup presented a documentary for BBC One calledThe Truth About The Menopause.She later published a book on the subject and has spoken of her own experience ofmenopause.

In 2019, she presented a programme for BBC Radio 4 calledBringing Up Britain.

In June 2020 she joinedTimes Radioto present a programme in the early afternoon from Monday to Thursday. It features celebrity interviews, alongside arts, culture and social issues coverage.[15]She left the station in 2024.

In 2022, Frostrup is the presenter of the documentary seriesBritain's Novel Landscapes with Mariella Frostrup;which investigates how Britishlandscapeshave influenced some of theUK'sbest loved authors.[16]

Since July 2024, Frostrup has been a regular panellist on ITVs flagship lunchtime showLoose Women.

On 17 October 2024, Frostrup was announced as theUK Government'sMenopause Employment Ambassador.[17]

Advocacy

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Frostrup's political views have been described as "a bit left-of-centre".[18]She has been active in the charity sector for two decades, having worked on Bank Aid andComic Reliefalong with various fundraising initiatives forOxfam,The Children's SocietyandSave the Children.Campaigning for women's rights and gender equality has become her main focus; she has recently made several trips to Africa to meet women and young girls in their communities, and experience first hand the realities and inequalities of the lives that they lead.

In 2010 she created, along with three other trustees, the Gender Rights and Equality Action Trust. This foundation aims at fostering gender equality and raising awareness and funds, to support grass roots gender equality projects in Africa and beyond. The GREAT Initiative works in partnership withFemmes Africa Solidarité,an African charity.

In 2015 she signed an open letter which theONE Campaignhad been collecting signatures for; the letter was addressed toAngela MerkelandNkosazana Dlamini-Zuma,urging them to focus on women as they serve as the head of theG7in Germany and theAfrican Unionin South Africa respectively, which will start to set the priorities in development funding before a main UN summit in September 2015 that will establish new development goals for the generation.[19]

In 2021 she became President of the Somerset branch ofCPRE,the Countryside Charity.[20]

In 2022 she founded Menopause Mandate withDavina McCall,Penny Lancasterand others, to campaign for greater awareness of the impact of the menopause.[21] In 2024 she was appointed Government Menopause Employment Ambassador[17]

Personal life

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Frostrup was first married (1979–1984) toRichard Jobson,lead singer with the punk rock groupSkids.On a charity trek inNepal,aged 39, Frostrup met human rights lawyer Jason McCue. They were married two years later. They live nearBruton,Somerset (with a flat in London), and have two children.[22]

Frostrup is a close friend of television presenterPenny Smithand of actressGina Bellman[23](one of the stars ofCoupling,in which Frostrup had a cameo role alongsideAngus Deayton).

References

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  1. ^Nolan, Interview by Larissa."From our own secret demesne to dirty dishes and despair".The Times.ISSN0140-0460.Retrieved15 February2021.
  2. ^abcThe TV That Made Mes2 e5, 11 March 2016
  3. ^Mariella Frostrup: "When I order herring on Norway, why does it feel as if I have asked for crack cocaine?",The Guardian,Sunday, 18 April 2010.
  4. ^"'I spent years feeling guilt over my dad's early death'".independent.11 June 2017.Retrieved15 February2021.
  5. ^Mariella Frostrup: "Mariella Frostrup: Everyone's best friend (especially George Clooney)",'The Independent,Sunday, 06 July 2008.
  6. ^Was It Something I Said?.Season 1. Episode 1x03. 20 October 2013.Channel 4.
  7. ^Themes for Great Cities - A New History of Simple Mindsby Graeme Thomson, p. 93 (Constable/Little, Brown, 2022,ISBN978-1-47213-401-1)
  8. ^Season 2, Episode 2 My Dinner in HellArchived24 November 2010 at theWayback Machine,TV.com
  9. ^Michael Paraskos,In Search of Sixpence(London: Friction Fiction) (ISBN9780992924782)
  10. ^"Farewell Mariella: 'I wanted to say thanks'".The Guardian.13 June 2021.Retrieved13 June2021.
  11. ^"Judges".The Booker Prizes.Retrieved4 May2022.
  12. ^"Previous Judges".Women's Prize for Fiction.Retrieved4 May2022.
  13. ^Assinder, Nick (26 September 2007)."Gordon the tease melts Mariella".News.BBC.Retrieved4 June2008.
  14. ^"Jordan – Surprise Entry in Sexy Poll".ShowBiz.BSkyB. 19 May 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 27 April 2010.Retrieved4 June2008.
  15. ^Moore, Matthew (2 June 2020)."Mariella Frostrup to join Times Radio as full presenter list is revealed".The Times.Retrieved3 June2020.
  16. ^"Britain's Novel Landscapes with Mariella Frostrup".channel4.com.Retrieved14 February2022.
  17. ^abhttps://www.gov.uk/government/news/womens-health-campaigner-mariella-frostrup-appointed-as-government-menopause-employment-ambassador
  18. ^Burrell, Ian (21 May 2007)."Television Arts: Move over, Melvyn".The Independent.Independent.co.uk.Retrieved4 June2008.[dead link‍]
  19. ^Tracy McVeigh."Poverty is sexist: leading women sign up for global equality | Life and style".The Guardian.Retrieved8 May2015.
  20. ^Frostrup, Mariella."Honoured and delighted".Twitter.Retrieved11 May2021.
  21. ^Vanessa Thorpe."Mariella Frostrup, her menopause site... and a row with a US author".The Observer.Retrieved4 May2022.
  22. ^unknown Published: 12:01AM BST 24 October 2019 (24 October 2019)."Mariella Frostrup: I'm tough with my kids about using social media and technology".The Irish News.Retrieved25 January2021.{{cite news}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ^Lucy Cavendish Published: 12:01AM BST 1 April 2007 (1 April 2007)."Gina Genie".The Daily Telegraph.Archived fromthe originalon 27 February 2009.Retrieved18 October2009.{{cite news}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

Bibliography

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  • Frostrup, Mariella –Dear Mariella: an Indispensable Guide to Twenty-First Century Living– Bloomsbury, 2004ISBN978-0-7475-7441-5
  • Frostrup, Mariella –Cracking the Menopause: While Keeping Yourself Together– Bluebird, 2021ISBN978-1-5290-5903-8
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