Jenni Falconer (born 12 February 1976) is a Scottish radio and

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a " television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for people who garne ...

. She appears on the ITV daytime show '' This Morning'' as a regular travel reporter and was a regular presenter of the National Lottery Draws 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, ...

. She was a

radio presenter A radio personality (American English) or radio presenter (British English) is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host, and in India and Pakistan as a ra ...

Heart FM Heart is a British radio network and brand of 13 adult contemporary local stations operated by Global throughout the United Kingdom, broadcasting a mix of local and networked programming. Ten of the Heart stations are owned by Global, while th ...

, presenting Heart Early Breakfast on weekdays from 4am to 6:30am and Sunday Breakfast from 6am to 9am. She stepped down from Sunday Breakfast in June 2019 after Early Weekday Breakfast was extended from 4-6am to 4–6.30am (an extra 30 minutes) due to changes of scheduling and presenting at Heart Breakfast. In December 2019, it was announced that Jenni Falconer would leave the show after the new year. She presented her final show on Friday 20 December 2019. In January 2020, it was announced that Falconer will be the new host for

Smooth London Smooth London is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Smooth Radio network. It broadcasts to the Greater London area from Croydon transmitting station on 102.2 MHz. It broadcasts a soft adult contemporary rad ...

breakfast & hosting on Saturday mid-mornings.

Early life

Falconer spent her formative years in

Bishopbriggs Bishopbriggs ( sco, The Briggs; gd, Achadh an Easbaig) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the northern fringe of Greater Glasgow, approximately from the city centre. Historically in Lanarkshire, the area was once part of ...

and

Milngavie Milngavie ( ; gd, Muileann-Ghaidh) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland and a suburb of Glasgow. It is on the Allander Water, at the northwestern edge of Greater Glasgow, and about from Glasgow city centre. It neighbours Bearsden. Mi ...

, two towns on the outskirts of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

. After her family relocated to the South of England when she was seven, she was educated at the independent

Abbey School The Abbey School is an independent selective day school for girls, in Reading, Berkshire, England. Overview The Abbey School provides education for girls aged 3 to 18 years. The school is based in the centre of Reading, on Kendrick Road. The ...

and attended the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

in 1994 to study Spanish and Italian with minors in Latin, Geography and Management Studies. Whilst studying at university, she also launched her television career. She was offered a contract by ITV to make a documentary and a consumer show on the proviso that she left her studies.

Career

Television

Falconer made her television debut in 1994 as a contestant on ''

Blind Date A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance. Structure A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind ...

'', and later presented

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Irela ...

's ''Big Country'', ITV's documentary series ''3D'' and consumer show ''We Can Work It Out'' alongside Judy Finnigan and Jane Harvey. She hosted travel shows, ''

Holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or t ...

'' and ''How to Holiday''. She was the main co-host of '' Entertainment Today'' from its launch in 2000 until its end in July 2008 on ''

GMTV GMTV (an acronym for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited, was the name of the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 ...

''. Falconer's other work includes reporting on '' I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'' in Australia for ''

'' in 2003, 2004 and 2006, hosting ''

The National Lottery Draws ''The National Lottery Results'' (previously ''The National Lottery Live'', ''The National Lottery Draw'', ''The National Lottery Stars'' and ''The National Lottery Draws'') is the television programme that broadcasts the drawing of the Natio ...

'' in September 2006 and hosting ''

Cirque de Celebrité ''Cirque de Celebrité'' is a celebrity reality television show broadcast on Sky One. The show features celebrities training for and then performing various circus acts. The winner of the series of 2006 was Grace Adams-Short. A second series o ...

'' in October 2007. She also worked on a show about ''24'' for

Sky1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

''24 in 24'' which she suggested in the first place so she could meet Kiefer Sutherland. In 2006, Falconer won the

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 ...

showjumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes show ...

competition ''

Only Fools on Horses ''Only Fools on Horses'' is a BBC reality television programme produced by Endemol UK. The show's name was a play on that of the sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', and first aired on 7 July 2006. It featured twelve celebrities who performed eques ...

'' riding an 8-year old 16 hands

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than fo ...

called J-Lo. She hosted three series of ''Fantasy Homes By the Sea'', which was broadcast around the world. In 2009, Falconer was the host of the daytime quiz show ''

Wordplay Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phon ...

'' on Channel 5 (previously called ''Brainteaser''). Between 17 and 21 August 2009, Falconer was a guest presenter on STV's '' The Hour'', with main anchor

Stephen Jardine Stephen Jardine (born 1963) is a Scottish journalist, broadcaster and presenter. He has worked for the BBC, Scottish Television, GMTV and Radio Tay. Early years Born in Dumfries, Jardine is the son of the late Bill Jardine, a former chairman ...

. Falconer currently works as a travel reporter for '' This Morning''. She also guest presented the show during

Holly Willoughby Holly Marie Willoughby ( ; born 10 February 1981) is an English television presenter, author and model. She is currently the co-presenter of ITV's '' This Morning'' (2009–present) and ''Dancing on Ice'' (2006–2011, 2018–present) alongsid ...

's maternity leave from May to July 2011, sharing duties with

Ruth Langsford Ruth Wendy Holmes (née; Langsford; born 17 March 1960) is an English television presenter. She has presented various television shows, including '' This Morning'' (1999–present) in which she is the longest serving presenter, '' Gift Wrapped ...

and returned in 2013. In January 2013, Falconer participated in the first series of the ITV's diving show '' Splash!'', but was voted off by the judges. In August 2015, Falconer 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 regular host

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 ...

Radio

On 14 March 2013,

Global Radio Global Media & Entertainment Limited, trading as Global, is a British media company formed in 2007. It is the owner of the largest commercial radio company in Europe having expanded through a number of historical acquisitions, including Chrys ...

announced that Falconer would join

Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as ca ...

to host the Sunday morning show from 6am to 8am, replacing

Jason Donovan Jason Sean Donovan (born 1 June 1968) is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap ''Neighbours'', playing Scott Robinson, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 m ...

who took a break from the network to tour in the musical '' Priscilla: Queen of the Desert''. She has since also presented the 46am Early Breakfast slot during the weekdays, known as ''4 O'Clock Club''. Later, her Sunday show was expanded by an hour, now finishing at 9am. In June 2019, her early breakfast show was extended 4–6:30am due to Heart Breakfast (usually 6am-10am) becoming national with the new Scheduled of 6.30am-10am. As a result, she decided to step down from her Sunday show. Zoe Hardman replaced Jenni on the Sunday Show. In December 2019, It was announced that Falconer had decided to leave Heart and would be replaced on her Early Breakfast slot by James Stewart. In January 2020, it was announced that Falconer will be the new host for

breakfast & hosting on Saturday mid-mornings, the latter being broadcast across the UK.

Other work

In June 2009, Falconer was unveiled as the face and body of Adore Moi underwear range by Ultimo. Falconer has also posed for photographs in ''

Arena Magazine ''Arena'' was a British monthly men's magazine. The magazine was created in 1986 by Nick Logan, who had founded ''The Face'' in 1980, to focus on trends in fashion and entertainment. British graphic designer Neville Brody, who had designed ''T ...

'' and ''

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 ...

''. In 2016, she starred in the

Very Very may refer to: * English's prevailing intensifier Businesses * The Very Group, a British retail/consumer finance corporation ** Very (online retailer), their main e-commerce brand * VERY TV, a Thai television channel Places * Véry, a co ...

television advertisements. In March 2019 Falconer, a dedicated runner, announced the launch of her new podcast,
RunPod
'. The podcasts see Falconer meet a selection of celebrities and former sports stars who also love running for pleasure. In July 2020 Jenni Falconer became the new running coach in the Start 2 Run app, guiding and motivating others to start and keep on running.

Personal life

Falconer married James Midgley at

Babington House Babington House is a Grade II* listed manor house, located in the village of Babington, between Radstock and Frome, in the county of Somerset, England. Converted to a private members club and hotel by Nick Jones, it is currently owned by Soh ...

in June 2010. She gave birth to a daughter, Ella, in September 2011. Since 2002, Falconer has been a celebrity patron of the charity Breast Cancer 2000. In 2012, Falconer took part in the

London Marathon The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically he ...

, raising money for

CLIC Sargent Young Lives vs Cancer, the operating name for "CLIC Sargent", is a charity in the United Kingdom formed in 2005. Young Lives vs Cancer is the UK's leading cancer charity for children, young people and their families. Its care teams provide speci ...

. She finished with a time of 3 hours and 53 minutes. In the following two years, Falconer took part in the London Marathon, where she raised money for The Children's Trust charity. In 2014, she completed the marathon in 3 hours and 57 minutes. Falconer took part in the 2015

, raising money for

Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organization. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...

. In January 2019 Falconer became an Ambassador of The Children's Trust , the UK's leading charity for children with brain injury and neurodisability, having been a supporter since 2009. She has run 3 marathons for the charity, 2009, 2014 and 2019 and hosted gala fundraising events in London.

Filmography

;Television ;Guest appearances *''

'' (1994) *'' Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' (2001, 2006) *''

Celebrities Under Pressure ''Celebrities Under Pressure'' is a British game show that aired on ITV from 13 September 2003 to 7 August 2004. It was first hosted by Melanie Sykes for series 1 & 2 and then hosted by Vernon Kay for series 3. Format The show follows familie ...

'' (2004) *''

The Paul O'Grady Show ''The Paul O'Grady Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by comedian Paul O'Grady, first shown on 11 October 2004. The programme is a teatime chat show consisting of a mixture of celebrity guests, comic stunts, musical performances, a ...

'' (2005, 2007) *''

Hider in the House ''Hider in the House'' is a British children's game show presented by Jason King and Joel Ross (aka JK and Joel). In the programme, a celebrity has to be hidden in a family's house by three children and a parent. If the family has fewer than t ...

'' (2007) *''

All Star Family Fortunes ''Family Fortunes'' is a British television game show based on the American game show '' Family Feud''. The programme ran on ITV from 6 January 1980 to 30 December 2002. A celebrity version, ''All Star Family Fortunes'', followed from 2006 t ...

'' (2007) *'' School's Out'' (2007) *''

Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong ''Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong'' is a game show on Channel 4, presented by Alan Carr. During the first series, voice-over commentary in between rounds on the scores is provided by Leslie Phillips. From Series 2, the announcer is Peter Dic ...

'' (2008) *''

Daily Cooks Challenge ''...Cooks!'' is an ITV television cookery show, hosted by Antony Worrall Thompson, broadcast on the ITV networks between 10 June 2006 to 21 May 2010. Formats There were different names for the show, depending on which day it aired. The Satu ...

'' (2008) *''

All Star Mr & Mrs ''All Star Mr & Mrs'' is a British television show which first began airing on 12 April 2008 on ITV. It is a celebrity revival of the original '' Mr and Mrs'' that aired on ITV from 1968 to 1988 with two separate revivals in 1995–1996 and 1 ...

'' (2010) *''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and ev ...

'' (2010) *'' Ten Mile Menu'' (2010) *'' The Cube Celebrity Special'' (2010) *''Live with Gabby'' (2012) *'' What's Cooking?'' (2013) *'' The Chase: Celebrity Special'' (2013) *'' Sport Relief's Top Dog'' (2014) *'' Tipping Point: Lucky Stars'' (2014) *''

Celebrity Antiques Road Trip ''Antiques Road Trip'' (also known as ''Celebrity Antiques Road Trip'') is a BBC television series produced by STV Studios. It was first shown on BBC Two from 2010 to 2012, and has been shown on BBC One since 2013. This show is not to be conf ...

'' (2016) *''

Pointless Celebrities ''Pointless'' is a British television quiz show produced by Banijay subsidiary Remarkable Television for the BBC. It is hosted by Alexander Armstrong. In each episode four teams of two contestants attempt to find correct but obscure answers t ...

'' (2016) *'' The Saturday Show'' (2016) *'' Celebrity Ninja Warrior'' (2017/2018) *''

James Martin's Saturday Morning ''James Martin's Saturday Morning'' is a British television program aired on ITV presented by James Martin. On Saturday 28 May 2022, Martin presented the 200th episode of the show with special guests model David Gandy, comedian Johnny Vegas a ...

'' (2021) *'' The Chase Celebrity Christmas Special'' (2021) *''

The Weakest Link ''Weakest Link'' (also known as ''The Weakest Link'') is a television game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and originally ended on 31 March 2012 when its host Anne Robinson completed her contract. ...

'' (2022)

References

External links

Official Website

Smooth Breakfast on Smooth Radio

Jenni Falconer on Smooth Radio
*
Instagram account
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falconer, Jenni 1976 births Living people Alumni of the University of Leeds Scottish television presenters Scottish women television presenters Scottish radio presenters Scottish women radio presenters GMTV presenters and reporters Reality show winners Mass media people from Glasgow People educated at The Abbey School Heart (radio network)