Penny Smith (journalist)
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Penelope Jane Smith (born September 21, 1958 in Rutland, England), is a television presenter and newsreader best known for her work on the breakfast TV show GMTV. She has previously worked for Sky News and Classic FM.
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[edit] Career
Penny began her career as a reporter and feature writer on the Peterborough Evening Telegraph. After four years, she left to backpack through Central and South America and South East Asia where she reported and presented on a current affairs programme for Radio Television Hong Kong.
In 1984 she joined Radio Trent as a reporter/presenter and then worked for Central Television as press officer for documentaries and drama. After that she co-presented the local evening news for Border Television and after a year she co-presented Thames News with Andrew Gardner.
Penny then moved to Sky News before becoming presenter of GMTV`s 'News Hour' in April 1993. Penny has also presented 'Crime Monthly', 'Crime Net', 'Crime File' and 'Crime Fighters' for Carlton, 'Most Wanted' for LWT, 'Going For A Song' for the BBC and 'Celebrity' for ITV. She also co-presented the final series of The Krypton Factor alongside veteran host Gordon Burns in 1995. She has written for a number of national newspapers and magazines, including a beauty column for 'Femail' in the Daily Mail and articles in 'Essentials' magazine, 'Good Housekeeping' and 'Woman and Home'.
In 2006 Penny starred in the BBC show Just the Two of Us. She sang with Curtis Stigers and was eliminated on 3rd March. She came 4th. Her singing was accused in some quarters as tone-deaf, and was given the nickname 'Penny Dreadful' by TV critic Garry Bushell.
[edit] Personal life
Smith was married to journalist Tony Birtley for three years, but they divorced in 1987. In 2000 she was voted the 92nd sexiest woman in the world by readers of FHM, and counts Rory Bremner and Paul McKenna among her ex-boyfriends
[edit] Trivia
- She presented an opera show on Classic FM, and has produced three yoga videos: "Penny Smith's Power Yoga", "Penny Smith's Essential Guide to Yoga" and "Penny Smith's Yoga Masterclass".
- She had a fan-run website called Penny from Heaven. But after the murder of Jill Dando in April 1999, the owner removed the website when it was revealed that Dando's killer had found out much information about her from her fan-site.
- She appeared on the fourth episode of season 19 of Never Mind the Buzzcocks. [1]
[edit] External links
- Penny Smith at GM.TV
- Penny Smith at the Internet Movie Database
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