Gabriel Jessie Corfield Weston (born 15 July 1970 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

) is an English surgeon, author and television presenter. Her memoir entitled ''Direct Red: A Surgeon's Story'' was published in February 2009. It was long-listed for the Guardian First Book Award in September 2009 and won the PEN/J Ackerley Award for Autobiography in May 2010. She is one of the four presenters of the

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

medical series '' Trust Me, I'm a Doctor''.

Education and medical training

Weston was educated at

Windlesham House School Windlesham House School is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 4 to 13 on the South Downs, in Pulborough, West Sussex, England. It was founded in 1837 by Charles Robert Malden and was the first boys' preparatory school ...

, Sussex and

Bedales School Bedales School is a co-educational, boarding and day independent school in the village of Steep, near the market town of Petersfield in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1893 by John Haden Badley in reaction to the limitations of conventio ...

, Hampshire, both co-educational

independent schools An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

, followed by the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, where she gained an MA degree in English. Despite her only scientific qualification being one

O level The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-depth ...

in biology, at the age of 23, Weston decided to re-train as a doctor and attended medical school in

from 1993. She qualified as a doctor in 2000 and became a member of the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

in 2003.

Author

In February 2009, Weston's book ''Direct Red: A Surgeon's Story'', a set of 14 short stories chronicling her experiences training and practising as a surgeon, was published by Jonathan Cape in the UK.

Elizabeth Day Elizabeth Day (born 10 November 1978) is an English novelist, journalist and broadcaster. She was a feature writer for ''The Observer'' from 2007 to 2016, and wrote for '' You'' magazine. Day has written six books, and is also the host of the po ...

wrote in ''The Observer'': "I can't remember reading a book that absorbed me so completely, that was so riveting and yet so exact, that so cherished the beauty of language even when using it to convey the ugliest extremes of disease". On 6 June 2013, Weston's first novel ''Dirty Work'' was published by Jonathan Cape. The novel explores the taboo subject of

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

. '' The Daily Telegraph'' wrote: "Weston brings passion to everything she does, and she is immersed in a subject that will always hold people in thrall. Everyone is obsessed with hospital dramas such as ER, House and Casualty. They provoke a thrill, the thrill of our own mortality. Weston’s books underpin that drama with integrity and a sense of nobility."

Personal life

Gabriel Weston is the daughter of former

British Ambassador to the United Nations The Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative to the United Nations, and in charge of the ''United Kingdom Mission to the United Nations'' (UKMIS). UK permane ...

Sir John Weston. She is married to the Australian consultant vascular physician Alexander ("Ander") Cohen with whom she has four children and lives in London. She continues to practise as a part-time ENT surgeon.

Publications

*''Direct Red: A Surgeon's Story''. London: Jonathan Cape, 2009. *''Dirty Work''. London: Jonathan Cape, 2013.

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weston, Gabriel Living people 1970 births English surgeons English women writers People educated at Bedales School Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People educated at Windlesham House School British women memoirists British memoirists