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Victoria Coren Mitchell

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This British surname isbarrelled,being made up of multiple names. It should be written asCoren Mitchell,notMitchell.

Victoria Coren Mitchell
Born
Victoria Elizabeth Coren

(1972-08-18)18 August 1972(age 52)[1]
London,England
EducationSt John's College, Oxford(BA)
Occupation(s)Journalist, television presenter, poker player, writer
Known forOnly Connect(2008–present)
Spouse
​
(m.2012)​
Children2
Relatives
Victoria Coren Mitchell's voice
Recorded in April 2011from the BBC Radio 4 programmeSaturday Live
World Series of Poker
Bracelet(s)None
Money finish(es)2
HighestITM
Main Event finish		None
European Poker Tour
Title(s)2
Final table(s)2
Money finish(es)6
Information accurate as of20 April 2014.
Websitevictoriacoren.com

Victoria Elizabeth Coren Mitchell(néeCoren;born(1972-08-18)18 August 1972) is a British writer, TV presenter andprofessional pokerplayer. She writes weekly columns forThe Daily Telegraphand has hosted the BBC television quiz showOnly Connectsince 2008.

Early life

[edit]

Victoria Elizabeth Coren was born inHammersmith,West London,[2][3]the only daughter of the humorist and journalistAlan Corenand Anne Kasriel. Her parents had been brought up inOrthodox Jewishhouseholds but distanced themselves from their faith.[4][5]She grew up inCricklewood,North London,with her elder brother, journalistGiles Coren.[6]She is related to Canadian journalistMichael Coren.[7]

Coren attended independent girls' schools between the ages of five and 18,[8]includingSt Paul's Girls' School,[9]and read English atSt John's College, Oxford.[10][11][12]She recalls not fitting in to the culture at St Paul's, stating, "My parents sent me to a very posh school in West London. I was not like the girls there. They were elegant, goyishe west Londoners — they knew things I didn’t".[8]

Writing

[edit]

At the age of 14, Coren had a short story published under a pseudonym inJust Seventeenmagazine[13]and then won a competition inThe Daily Telegraphto write a column about teenage life for their "Weekend" section, which she continued writing during her own teenage years. During a Channel 4 broadcast, she explained that oneTelegraphreader had written to her, criticising her column and had used a very great number of swear words, all in Latin.[14]

Her books includeLove 16[15]andOnce More, with Feeling,about her attempt (with co-authorCharlie Skelton) to make "the greatest porn film ever".[16]Their jobs reviewing porn films for theErotic Reviewled them to believe that most of what they were watching was terrible and that they could make better films themselves.[1][17]

She adapted the newspaper columns ofJohn Diamondinto a play calledA Lump in my Throat,which was performed during the 2000Edinburgh Festivalat theAssembly Rooms,[18]the Grace Theatre and theNew End Theatrein London, before she adapted it again for aBBC TwodocudramawithNeil Pearson,broadcast in 2001.

Victoria and Giles Coren wrote an introduction toChocolate and Cuckoo Clocks,an anthology of the best comic writing by their father Alan, published byCanongatein October 2008.[19]

Her poker memoirFor Richer, For Poorer: A Love Affair with Poker[20](the subtitle changed toConfessions of a Playerwhen released in paperback in 2011)[21]was published in September 2009, and was well reviewed inThe Times[22]andThe Observer.[23]

She writes questions for Only Connect under the pseudonym "Geri Wiley",a nod toRonnie Barker's "Gerald Wiley".[24]

Ormerod hoax

[edit]

In 2007, after the death of her father, having put a notice inThe Timesinviting those who knew him to attend a service, she was warned by a friend that a "gang of serial funeral crashers" based in the south of England were checking death notices to find funerals and memorial services to crash for their own enjoyment. After receiving some suspicious email replies to her notice, she instigated a hoax to trap the group. She created "Sir William Ormerod" and placed a death notice. A week later, she placed another notice inThe Times"in the guise of his grieving boyfriend Peter" for his memorial service "followed by a drinks reception".[25]She reported that the group duly claimed to have known Ormerod and applied for tickets.[25][26]

After first suggesting holding the memorial service and puttinglaxativein the canapés, she got a friend to telephone the ringleader (a serial fraudster and ex-magistrate)[27]to let it be known that she knew who they were and that he was not welcome, but she let the others in the gang come to her father's service, "gave them a drink and sent them on their way".[28][26]She has written articles in theObserverandThe Guardianabout her experience.

Poker

[edit]

Coren Mitchell was the first woman to win an event on theEuropean Poker Tour,the first player to win both a televised professional tournament (EPT London 2006) and a televised celebrity tournament (Celebrity Poker Club 2005), and the first player to win two European Poker Tour Main Events (EPT London 2006 and EPT Sanremo 2014). She frequently playsTexas hold 'emat the Victoria Casino in London's Edgware Road. As a commentator/presenter she has presentedWilliam Hill Poker Grand Prix 2(Sky Sports)[29]andLate Night PokerandThe Poker Nations CupforChannel 4,andWorld Poker Tourfor ITV2; and has commentated onThe Monte Carlo EPT, Grosvenor UK Poker Tour(Channel 4),Ultimate Poker Challenge(Channel 5).[30]

During her poker career, she has become a close friend ofThe Hendon Moband mixes weekly home games with frequent visits to two regular casinos. She appeared in five episodes ofLate Night Poker,although she never made it to a series grand final. However, inLate Night Poker's spin-offCelebrity Poker Club,she defeatedWillie Thorneto win the series two grand final before joiningJesse Mayas the commentator in series three. In the 2003 Hold-Em 100 tournament in London, she was a guest dealer for the final table.

On 24 September 2006, she won the main event of the European Poker Tour London, earning a prize of £500,000 and defeating Australian professional Emad Tahtouh.[31]On 20 November 2011 she finished second in the International Federation of Poker's inaugural The Table World Championship, eventually losing heads-up with 29-year-old Spaniard Raul Mestre. She received $100,000 for second place, $10,000 of which she donated toAge UK.In April 2014 she won the main event of the European Poker Tour San Remo, earning €476,100 and becoming the first player to have won two EPT titles.[32][33]As of 2021her total live tournament winnings exceed $2,500,000, making her the 14th best-earning female live poker player ever.[34]

She has been a member of TeamPokerStarsPro,[35]but in November 2014 she removed her endorsement a few hours after PokerStars had announced they were starting an online casino. She said she was uncomfortable about potential addiction by vulnerable people to a site where the odds are in favour of the operator, and did not want to be associated with such an operation.[36]

She has said that she regularly stays up until 6am, "Smoking and drinking and gambling. But I like cooking and gardening too, which makes me sound like a very strange mix of an old lady and teenage boy." When asked about this in 2012, she stated: "It is still true. I'll grow up one day, but not quite yet."[37]

Coren Mitchell was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2016.[38]

Personal life

[edit]

On 20 March 2012, Coren announced her engagement to actor and comedianDavid Mitchell.[39][40]According to David, they first met at a film premiere in 2007, and had a short-lived series of dates, but only began dating properly three years later.[41]The couple married in November 2012, in North London, and their daughter was born in May 2015.[42][43]In November 2023, Coren announced on Twitter that she had given birth to her second child in late October.[44][45]

In July 2012 she reported that she wasterrified of flying,[citation needed]and in August 2012 she confirmed onTwitterthat the therapist she had been seeing to address her fear had been killed in a plane crash.[46][47]

Coren Mitchell comes from a Jewish family.[8]

Television and radio credits

[edit]
Year Show Role Notes
Off the Page:Radio 4 Presenter
Fourth Column:Radio 4 Presenter
1992 100% Performer
2001 I Love the 80s Guest
2003 Double Entry Judge
2004 The Pedants' Revolt Guest
2006–2007 Balderdash and Piffle Presenter
2007 Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe Guest
2008–present Only Connect Host
Heresy Host
2009–2010 You Have Been Watching Guest
The Wright Stuff Guest panelist
2010 The Bubble Guest panelist
My Teenage Diary:Radio 4 Guest
2010–2015 Question Time Guest panelist
2010–2014 Have I Got News for You Guest panelist
2014–present Guest host
2011 Frank Skinner's Opinionated Guest
2011–2013 8 Out of 10 Cats Guest Comic Relief Special (2011)
Season 15, Episode 7
2011–2023 Would I Lie to You? Guest
2012 Room 101 Guest
2012–present QI Guest
2013 Goodbye Television Centre Presenter
The Secret Life of Mary Poppins: A Culture Show Special Presenter
2015 The Unbelievable Truth Guest
How To Be Bohemian With Victoria Coren Mitchell(3 episodes): BBC Four[48] Presenter
2016 The Great Sport Relief Bake Off Celebrity contestant
Chain Reaction:Radio 4 Interviewer/Guest
2016–present Women Talking About Cars:Radio 4[49] Host
2018 Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier Guest panelist
The Big Narstie Show Guest Season 1, Episode 3
2019–2021 Hypothetical Guest panelist
2019 The One Show Guest
2020 Celebrity GoggleboxforSu2c Guest
2021 Taskmaster Contestant Series 12

References

[edit]
  1. ^abCoren, Victoria (19 August 2002)."I made a porn film for my 30th".London Evening Standard.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2012.Retrieved4 May2013.
  2. ^"Victoria Coren's new moniker unveiled".London Evening Standard.14 May 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 19 June 2013.Retrieved23 May2013.
  3. ^Ross, Deborah (17 August 2019)."Victoria Coren Mitchell: smart, sharp, witty. Just like her quiz show, Only Connect".The Times.Retrieved26 October2019.
  4. ^Cailler, Adam (2016)."Judaism Gives Giles Plenty Of Food For Thought".www.jewishtelegraph.com.Retrieved13 November2021.
  5. ^"Alan Coren".The Independent.20 October 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 17 August 2022.
  6. ^Coren, Giles (5 December 2013)."Giles Coren: I married my wife for Christmas".Archivedfrom the original on 16 May 2016.
  7. ^Coren, Michael (5 December 2013)."Canada: A rogue state? Hardly".Ottawa Sun.
  8. ^abc"Interview: Victoria Coren".The Jewish Chronicle.17 September 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 4 April 2023.Retrieved9 September2023.
  9. ^Waugh, Paul (13 November 2017)."Exclusive: St Paul's Girls' School Reveals Former Pupils Have Alleged 'Sexual Abuse'".HuffPost UK.Retrieved27 April2019.
  10. ^Tufnell, Nicholas (13 November 2011)."Interview: Victoria Coren".The Cambridge Student.Archived fromthe originalon 11 November 2014.Retrieved13 November2021.
  11. ^"In Conversation with Victoria Coren Mitchell".St John's College.14 December 2018.Retrieved30 September2022.
  12. ^"Victoria Coren Mitchell".St John's College.Retrieved30 September2022.
  13. ^Coren, Victoria (19 March 2012)."Girls' mags are not sexy, but sweet".The Observer.Archivedfrom the original on 4 February 2014.Retrieved21 March2012.
  14. ^"8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown: Series 10 Episode 1 – All 4".Channel4.com.Retrieved7 October2022.
  15. ^Coren, Victoria (1989).Love 16.Ebury Press.ISBN978-0712-63012-2.
  16. ^Coren, Victoria;Skelton, Charlie(2010).Once More, with Feeling.Fourth Estate.ISBN978-1841-15437-4.
  17. ^Carpenter, Louise (10 August 2002)."Proud to be pornographers".The Daily Telegraph.Archivedfrom the original on 12 March 2014.Retrieved18 September2013.
  18. ^Sands, Sarah (25 August 2000)."You've got to laugh – haven't you?".The Daily Telegraph.Archivedfrom the original on 24 September 2015.Retrieved2 June2015.
  19. ^Coren, Alan; Coren, Giles; Coren, Victoria (2009).Chocolate and Cuckoo Clocks.Canongate.ISBN978-1847-67320-6.
  20. ^Co6ren, Victoria (2009).For Richer, For Poorer: A Love Affair with Poker.Edinburgh: Canongate.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ^"For richer, for poorer: confessions of a player".WorldCat.2011.Retrieved30 June2024.
  22. ^Frankel, Martha (19 September 2009)."For Richer For Poorer: A Love Affair with Poker by Victoria Coren".The Times.Archived fromthe originalon 9 August 2011.Retrieved13 November2021.
  23. ^Docx, Edward (27 September 2009)."For Richer, for Poorer by Victoria Coren".The Observer.Archivedfrom the original on 4 February 2014.Retrieved21 March2012.
  24. ^Colvile, Robert (28 June 2024)."What connects me, a Green, a Labour MP and an Islamic activist?".TheTimes.com.
  25. ^abCoren, Victoria (12 December 2008)."Victoria Coren: My dad's memorial service was going so well. Then the ghouls turned up".The Observer.Archivedfrom the original on 4 February 2014.Retrieved21 March2012.
  26. ^ab"Wily Daughter Outs 'Funeral Crashing' Group Who Tried To Attend Dad's Memorial – CityNews Toronto".toronto.citynews.ca.24 December 2008.Retrieved14 November2020.
  27. ^Coren, Victoria (21 March 2010)."Return of the Jolley gang".Victoria Coren.Retrieved17 June2019.
  28. ^"Chain Reaction - Series 11 - 3. Ian Hislop interviews Victoria Coren-Mitchell - BBC Sounds".BBC.co.uk.
  29. ^"Victoria Coren Mitchell".Curtis Brown.Retrieved28 October2022.
  30. ^"Biography".Victoria Coren Mitchell.Retrieved28 October2022.
  31. ^"European Poker Tour - EPT London, No Limit Hold'em - EPT Main Event".TheHendonMob.com.Archivedfrom the original on 5 November 2012.Retrieved24 December2023.
  32. ^Op de Woerd, Frank (20 April 2014)."Vicky Coren-Mitchell Wins Sanremo Main Event To Become First Two-Time EPT Champion".Pokernews.com.Retrieved13 November2021.
  33. ^Halliday, Josh (21 April 2014)."Victoria Coren Mitchell makes poker history with San Remo victory".The Guardian.
  34. ^"Women's All Time Money List".TheHendonMob.com.Retrieved5 May2024.
  35. ^"Victoria Coren".Team PokerStars Pro. Archived fromthe originalon 7 November 2014.Retrieved20 April2014.
  36. ^Coren Mitchell, Victoria (26 November 2014)."Goodbye Team Pro".Coren Mitchell's blog.Archivedfrom the original on 29 November 2014.Retrieved26 November2014.
  37. ^Carswell, Sue (19 April 2011)."Vicky Coren, the Royal wedding and cucumber sandwiches".PokerStarsBlog.com. Archived fromthe originalon 14 March 2012.Retrieved21 March2012.
  38. ^Burton, Earl (21 May 2016)."Victoria Coren-Mitchell, Debbie Burkhead Earn 2016 Induction into Women in Poker Hall of Fame – Poker News Daily".Archivedfrom the original on 8 August 2017.
  39. ^"David Mitchell and Victoria Coren: Engagement Announcement".The Times.Archived fromthe originalon 11 July 2012.Retrieved21 March2012.
  40. ^"David Mitchell and Victoria Coren announce engagement".BBC News.20 March 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 20 March 2012.Retrieved21 March2012.
  41. ^Freeman, Hadley (19 October 2012)."David Mitchell: goodbye lonely nerd".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 8 January 2014.Retrieved21 October2012.
  42. ^Eames, Tom (22 May 2015)."David Mitchell and Victoria Coren have a baby girl: 'We're extremely happy and sleepy'".Digital Spy.Archivedfrom the original on 27 May 2015.Retrieved2 June2015.
  43. ^Hodges, Michael (19 September 2018)."Upstart Crow's David Mitchell on Shakespeare – and watching Only Connect with his wife".Radio Times.Archived fromthe originalon 5 November 2019.Retrieved13 November2021.
  44. ^Coren Mitchell, Victoria (1 November 2023)."Many people are assuming my tweet yesterday was a Halloween costume. Not at all; last week I had a baby and nothing currently fits me except cloaks. Luckily, Only Connect is a pre-record. Happy All Saints Day! ❤️".X.@VictoriaCoren.
  45. ^"Victoria Coren Mitchell announces birth of second child".BBC News.2 November 2023.Retrieved2 November2023.
  46. ^"Victoria Coren Mitchell on Twitter:" @yellowyell It wasn't a joke.... "/ Twitter".Archived fromthe originalon 26 April 2023.
  47. ^Coren, Victoria (5 April 2012)."Fear of flying".Evening Standard.Retrieved10 May2022.
  48. ^"How To Be Bohemian With Victoria Coren Mitchell".BBC Four.Retrieved25 April2018.
  49. ^"Women Talking About Cars".BBC Radio 4.Archivedfrom the original on 30 November 2016.Retrieved29 November2016.
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