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

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 1 ...

show ''

Britain's Next Top Model ''Britain's Next Top Model'' (or ''Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model'' 2011–13), often abbreviated as ''BNTM'', ''BINTM'', or ''Top Model'', is a British-Irish reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of ''Bri ...

'' from 2006 until 2009. She also co-presented '' Capital Breakfast'' on Capital London 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''. 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 Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

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-consciou ...

teacher.

Modelling

A fan of Christy Turlington from age 14, Snowdon never thought about becoming a model. Spotted by a Premier Model Management agent at age 19 while pole-dancing at a

rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mu ...

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 ''Marie Claire'' is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937, followed by the United Kingdom in 1941. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on wo ...

'' 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 fragranc ...

.' 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 headquarte ...

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 toast ...

Special K, 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.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 si ...

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 spectator ...

'', '' 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 Belvita, sometimes stylized as belVita or BelVita, is a brand of breakfast biscuit introduced originally in France in 1998 as LU Petit Déjeuner by Kraft Foods Inc. and currently owned by Mondelēz International. Overview The biscuits were fir ...

breakfast Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night.Anderson, Heather Arndt (2013)''Breakfast: A History'' AltaMira Press. Various "typical" or " ...

biscuits A biscuit is a flour-based baked and shaped food product. In most countries biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be ...

, having appeared in adverts for the biscuits with fellow Capital FM DJ Johnny Vaughan. In 2015 she was appointed the lead-UK model for Triumph International.

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 ''

''. Snowdon left the show to concentrate on her radio show and was replaced by Elle Macpherson as of season six. In autumn 2007, she was announced as the new co-presenter of '' Through the Keyhole'' with Sir

David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was a British television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ...

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 Steve or Steven Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Steve Jones (English presenter) (born 1945), English musician, disk jockey, television presenter, and voice-over artist * Steve Jones (musician) (born 1955), English rock and roll guita ...

. 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. 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 20 ...

''.

''Strictly Come Dancing''

Snowdon took part in the sixth series of ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 j ...

'' on the BBC paired with former champion Brendan Cole.

Radio

At the end of August 2008, it was announced that Snowdon was to be the permanent replacement for Denise van Outen on Capital London 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 Breast Cancer Care is the only specialist UK-wide charity in the UK providing care, support and information to anyone affected by breast cancer. The charity's headquarters are in London, with additional offices in Sheffield, Cardiff, and Glasgow. ...

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 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 Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the ...

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 men ...

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 George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Academy Awards, one for his acting and the ot ...

from 2000 until 2005. Their relationship was well reported in the

tabloid Tabloid may refer to: * Tabloid journalism, a type of journalism * Tabloid (newspaper format), a newspaper with compact page size ** Chinese tabloid * Tabloid (paper size), a North American paper size * Sopwith Tabloid The Sopwith Tabloid an ...

s 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