Lisa Snowdon
7 May 2001, ''People'' (born Lisa Snawdon on 23 January 1972) is an English television and radio presenter and

fashion model A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Thoug ...

. She was the host of the

Living TV Sky Witness is a British pay television channel owned and operated by Sky, a division of Comcast. The channel primarily broadcasts drama shows from the United States, aimed at the 18–45 age group. An Italian version of Sky Witness, named S ...

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

show '' Britain's Next Top Model'' from 2006 until 2009. She also co-presented ''

Capital Breakfast ''Capital Breakfast with Roman Kemp'' is a British national breakfast radio show on Capital. The show is broadcast from 6am to 10am each weekday.

'' on

Capital London Capital London is a radio station owned and operated by the Global media company as part of its national Capital FM Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Britain's first two commercial radio stations. ...

from August 2008 until 18 December 2015.

Early life

Snowdon was born in

Welwyn Garden City Welwyn Garden City ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London. It was the second garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first new towns (designated 1948). It is unique in being both a garden city and a new town and ...

to insurance salesman Nigel and hairdresser Lydia Snawdon. She has two younger sisters. She gained a scholarship to the

Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts is a performing arts conservatoire based in Woking, England. It was founded in 1911 by Italia Conti, an actress. The first production at Italia Conti Academy was the play '' Where the Rainbow Ends''. F ...

, where her classmates included

Naomi Campbell Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is an English model, actress, singer, and businesswoman. She began her career at the age of 15, and established herself amongst the most recognisable and in-demand models of the past four decades. Cam ...

. She auditioned for the ''

Minipops ''Minipops'' is a television series broadcast in 1983 on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. Designed primarily for younger viewers, it consisted of music performances on a brightly coloured set featuring preteen children singing then-contempora ...

''. After gaining too much additional height, and after her parents split up when she was 17, Snowdon stayed in London and worked briefly as a dance and

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consci ...

teacher.

Modelling

A fan of

Christy Turlington Christy Nicole Turlington Burns (born January 2, 1969) is an American model and humanitarian. She represented Calvin Klein's Eternity campaign in 1989 and again in 2014, and also represents Maybelline. Turlington was named one of '' Glamour'' ...

from age 14, Snowdon never thought about becoming a model. Spotted by a Premier Model Management agent at age 19 while

pole-dancing Pole dance combines dance and acrobatics centered on a vertical pole. This performance art form takes place not only in gentleman's clubs as erotic dance, but also as a mainstream form of fitness, practiced in gyms and dedicated dance studios ...

at a rave at London's MFI club, she was auditioned and signed up. She started working with renowned photographers and became one of Britain's top fashion models. Snowdon is best known for her beauty commercials and high-fashion cover and spread modelling, including cover shots for ''Later'', ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'', '' Marie Claire'' and ''

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...

''; she was also the face for

Gucci Gucci (, ; ) is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and branding to Coty, Inc. for fragran ...

.' She went on to be the "elevator girl" for Lynx deodorant (Axe in certain countries) in 2003, appeared in advertisements for

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...

Dove soap Dove is a brand owned by the multinational consumer goods company Unilever. Dove products are manufactured in countries around the world. The products are sold in more than 150 countries and are offered for both women, men, and babies. Dove's ...

, and

Kelloggs The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toaste ...

Special K Special K is an American brand of breakfast cereal and meal bars manufactured by Kellogg's. The cereal was introduced to the United States in 1955. It is made primarily from grains such as lightly toasted rice, wheat and barley. Special K used ...

, and was the face of campaigns for

Neutrogena Neutrogena Corporation, trading as Neutrogena, is an American company that markets skin care, hair care and cosmetics owned by parent company Johnson & Johnson and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

and

After Eight After Eight Mint Chocolate Thins, often referred to as simply "After Eights", are a brand of mint chocolate covered sugar confectionery. They were created by Rowntree Company Limited in the UK in 1962 and have been manufactured by Nestlé sin ...

mint straws, the ''Taxiwise'' safety campaign and numerous catalogues. Her modelling career led to appearances in ''

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment * ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...

'', ''

Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

'', '' Loaded'' and '' GQ''. She featured on ''

FHM ''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...

s List of FHM 100 Sexiest Women every year between 1996 and 2007 except for 1998. Snowdon returned to modelling when she became the face and model of Avon lingerie, and was one of the models for the

Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...

autumn 2010 campaign. From 2010-2014 she was the face of Belvita breakfast biscuits, having appeared in adverts for the biscuits with fellow Capital FM DJ

Johnny Vaughan Jonathan Randal Vaughan (born 16 July 1966) is an English television and radio presenter and a film critic. He was the main presenter of '' Capital Breakfast'' alongside Lisa Snowdon on 95.8 Capital FM between 2004 and 2011. Vaughan currently ...

. In 2015 she was appointed the lead-UK model for

Triumph International Triumph International is a Swiss underwear manufacturer founded in 1886 in Heubach, Germany. The company's headquarters has been located in Bad Zurzach, Switzerland, since 1977, and it has branches in 45 countries. In addition to the Triumph bra ...

Television

Snowdon's first presenting role was on

MTV UK MTV is a British pay television channel focusing on reality TV and music programming operated by Paramount Networks UK & Australia. The channel launched as part of MTV Networks Europe localisation strategy in 1997. MTV UK (previously MTV UK & ...

's MTV Select. She took over the role from

Lisa Butcher Lisa Butcher (born 14 October 1971) is a former English fashion model and TV presenter. Career Butcher won British ''Elles first ''ELLE's Angels'' modelling competition in 1987, judged by Marie Helvin, Laraine Ashton, and photographer Te ...

as the "

supermodel A supermodel, also spelled super-model or super model, is a highly paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in ''haute couture'' and commercial modeling. The term ''supermodel'' became prominent in the po ...

" judge and host on '' Britain's Next Top Model''. Snowdon left the show to concentrate on her radio show and was replaced by

Elle Macpherson Eleanor Nancy Macpherson (; née Gow; born ) is an Australian model, businesswoman, television host, and actress. She is known for her record five cover appearances for the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' beginning in the 1980s, leading ...

as of season six. In autumn 2007, she was announced as the new co-presenter of ''

Through the Keyhole ''Through the Keyhole'' is a British comedy panel game show created by the TV producer Kevin Sim and originally presented by Sir David Frost in the studio and Loyd Grossman on location. The location presenter goes around celebrities' houses and ...

'' with Sir David Frost on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

. Snowdon had a starring role in

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

's short film ''Man's Best Friend''. She also had a cameo role in Channel 4 programme, '' Plus One''. In 2014, Snowdon co-hosted '' Weekend Kitchen with Waitrose'' with Steve Jones. The show aired on Saturday mornings on

. In August 2016, Snowdon guest presented five episodes of ''

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...

'', standing in for

Lorraine Kelly Lorraine Kelly, (born 30 November 1959) is a Scottish journalist and television presenter. She has presented various television shows for ITV, including '' Good Morning Britain'' (1988–1992), '' GMTV'' (1993–2010), ''This Morning'' (2003 ...

. In November 2016, Snowdon was confirmed as a contestant for the sixteenth series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!''. She was voted off as the second celebrity to leave the jungle coming in second last place to her camp-mate

Danny Baker Danny Baker (born 22 June 1957) is an English comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter. Throughout his career he has largely presented for London's regional radio and television. Baker was born in Deptford to a working-class fami ...

. In September 2022, Snowdon was crowned winner of the seventeenth series of ''

Celebrity Masterchef ''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. In the UK, it is produced by the BBC. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 2 ...

''.

''Strictly Come Dancing''

Snowdon took part in the sixth series of '' Strictly Come Dancing'' on the BBC paired with former champion

Brendan Cole Brendan Cole (born 23 April 1976) is a New Zealand ballroom dancer, specialising in Latin American dancing. He is most famous for appearing as a professional dancer on the BBC One show, ''Strictly Come Dancing''. From 2005 to 2009, he was a j ...

Radio

At the end of August 2008, it was announced that Snowdon was to be the permanent replacement for Denise van Outen on

as co-host with Jonny Vaughan. In January 2010, the pair signed a two-year deal to continue presenting the show. On 1 December 2011 it was confirmed she would remain at Capital. She was given the nickname 'Eggy' on the show by colleague Dave Berry after her penchant for

boiled eggs Boiled eggs are eggs, typically from a chicken, cooked with their shells unbroken, usually by immersion in boiling water. Hard-boiled eggs are cooked so that the egg white and egg yolk both solidify, while soft-boiled eggs may leave the yolk, ...

and the smell they gave in the studio. On 13 November 2015 she announced that she would be leaving Capital Breakfast at the end of 2015.

Charitable activities

In 2005, Snowdon became an ambassador for the Breast Cancer Care charity. In 2008, Snowdon participated in a celebrity edition of ''

The Apprentice ''The Apprentice'' is a reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States. Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with various professional backg ...

'' as part of the BBC's biennial

Sport Relief ''Sport Relief'' was a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002. It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Director of Educat ...

event. In 2010, she became an Ambassador of Capital FM's Help a Capital Child charity. In November 2010, after turning on the Bond Street Christmas Lights, Snowdon was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with

viral meningitis Viral meningitis, also known as aseptic meningitis, is a type of meningitis due to a viral infection. It results in inflammation of the meninges (the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord). Symptoms commonly include headache, fever, sen ...

. As a result, she began raising money and acting as an ambassador for the

Meningitis Trust Meningitis Now is a national charity based in the United Kingdom. It was formed following a merger between the charities The Meningitis Trust and Meningitis UK in 2013. Meningitis Now is working towards a future where no one in the UK dies from meni ...

Personal life

Snowdon dated Dave Loeffler from US band E.Y.C. for three years. She was also in a five-year on/off relationship with actor George Clooney from 2000 until 2005. Their relationship was well reported in the tabloids on both sides of the Atlantic. After 14 months of dating, Snowdon revealed in 2017 her engagement to her boyfriend George Smart. When Snowdon appeared on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, she revealed that a series of difficult relationships were what put her off having children. Snowdon lives in

Epping Forest Epping Forest is a area of ancient woodland, and other established habitats, which straddles the border between Greater London and Essex. The main body of the forest stretches from Epping in the north, to Chingford on the edge of the London ...

, and has a flat in Camden,

north London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...

, which she uses during the week.

References

External links

Official website''Capital Breakfast'' at capitalfm.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Snowdon, Lisa 1972 births Living people English television actresses English female models English television presenters Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts People from Welwyn Garden City Capital (radio network) English radio DJs British women radio presenters I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) participants Top of the Pops presenters