★ '''
Alison Bell' is also the name of a former
actress and
dancer who appeared on
The Benny Hill Show in the
1980s.''
'Alison Bell' (born
21 September 1966 in
Beverley,
East Yorkshire) is a British journalist and radio presenter.
Biography
A trained Journalist, she was one of the launch presenters for the
ITN News Channel in August 2000, presenting various programmes during the day. 2003 saw her move to
Sky News, where she presented the Sunrise programme every weekday morning between 6am and 9am. A year later, she made a move to
CNN International at the height of her career. However, this career was to came to an abrupt end, as she found herself making the news, rather than delivering it.
In July 2004, she was arrested outside a restaurant with
James Hewitt, a former British Army officer who had previously had a relationship with the late
Diana, Princess of Wales. Alison was in a relationship with Hewitt at the time, after they met when she interviewed him for Sky News. They were arrested on accusation of possessing cocaine. Hewitt was given a warning, and Alison escaped any criminal charges.
After a certain amount of negative publicity from various quarters of the press, particularly the tabloids, Alison was forced to resign from her highly-paid job.
She then joined London radio station
LBC 97.3, presenting shows for brief periods in various timeslots, before presenting a regular show on Friday nights until April 2006, which was subsequently taken over by
Caroline Feraday. However, Alison has remained with the station as a fill-in presenter.
She has also appeared as a poker player on
Celebrity Poker Club.
Further Information
In her teenage years she performed in many stage productions, as she was a professionally trained singer. This reflects in her hobbies, which include music, travel, tennis, swimming and rollerblading. She's also an unrepentant smoker. A frequent traveller, she is a regular visitor to Australia where her parents now live.
In late 2004 she launched
Globell Media, a training program for students, the public and professionals trying to get into broadcasting, through extending her boundaries of Journalism. The programme gives tips, advice and training sessions for film-making, documentaries, article writing, and of course, radio presenting and newsreading.
She is also a patron for the charity
Harvest Help, a charity supporting rural African families to grow enough food and earn a living, and has visited Africa and taken an active interest in its work.