Who is Paralympics and Olympics presenter Clare Balding?

CLARE Balding is a well-known figure among sports fans for her engaging coverage of live events.

She is part of Channel 4's presenting team for the Paris 2024 Paralympics, alongside prominent figures such as the first ever deaf presenter Rose Ayling-Ellis.

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Who is Clare Balding?

Clare Balding is an English broadcast journalist, author and former amateur jockey.

Born on January 29, 1971, she is known for her work with BBC Sport, Channel 4, and BT Sport.

She has covered numerous major sporting events including the Olympics, Paralympics, and Commonwealth Games.

Clare started her career in horse racing, as her family have long been involved with the sport.

From 1988 until 1993, Clare was a leading amateur flat jockey and even won an award for her memoir covering her time growing up in a racing yard.

After studying English at Cambridge University, Clare started working for the BBC as a trainee back in 1994.

There she worked on 5 Live, Radio 1, Radio 2 and Radio 4.

She later made her television debut in June 1995 - when she introduced highlights of Royal Ascot.

Clare is part of the Channel 4 presenting team for the Paralympics, joining a roster that includes notable figures such as Rose Ayling-Ellis, Ade Adepitan, Ellie Simmonds and many more.

Together, they will bring extensive coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which begin with the opening ceremony on August 28.

The Games will officially kick off the following day, August 29.

The competition will run for ten days, concluding with the closing ceremony on September 8.

Clare also hosted the 2024 Paris Olympics for the BBC.

What TV shows has Clare Balding been in?

Clare made her television debut in June 1995, introducing the prestigious horse racing event Royal Ascot Highlights.

She has since become a prominent figure on Grandstand, where she covered a variety of major sporting events, including rugby league.

Her extensive sport presenting career includes reporting from six Olympic Games, hosting Channel 4 Racing, and covering Wimbledon, the Boat Race, the Grand National, and BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Clare also gained recognition as a familiar face on Crufts, the celebrated dog show, which she presented from 2004 to 2009.

In 2010, Clare fronted Britain By Bike, a series retracing British cycle tours.

She temporarily co-hosted Countryfile on the BBC from 2011 to 2012 during Julia Bradbury’s maternity leave.

From 2013 to 2016, she also hosted The Clare Balding Show on BT Sport and BBC Two.

Her involvement in Sport Relief, a charity event she has supported since 2002, has further cemented her television presence.

Clare has been the lead presenter for Today at Wimbledon since 2015 and worked on Channel 4 Racing from 2013 to 2016, covering major horse racing festivals like Cheltenham and Royal Ascot.

In 2013, she presented Secrets of the Suffragettes for Channel 4, a documentary on the suffragette movement, and explored Queen Elizabeth II's equestrian interests in the BBC documentary  The Queen – a Passion for Horses.

Clare has also been involved in presenting The Lord Mayor's Show and has provided commentary for significant events including the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding, and King Charles's Coronation.

Awarded an OBE, Clare also worked on Good Morning Sunday for BBC Radio 2.

In 2023 she recalled on the podcast her lifelong love of dogs, saying:“I did think I was a dog [when I was a child] because I was left with the dogs quite a lot.

“I may have genuinely believed that Candy, our boxer, was my mother.

“I used to write letters that were ostensibly to my parents but really were for my dogs.”

In 2023, Clare took on the role of lead commentator for Wimbledon for the BBC, succeeding Sue Barker.

She commented on the role:“It’s a huge honour to be given this responsibility but I am very aware that no one person can fill Sue’s shoes.

“This will always be a team effort and we’re lucky that the BBC line-up includes former professionals with huge insight as well as wonderful reporters and commentators.

“It’s my job to bring out the best in them and to help make our viewers feel they have a front row seat on the greatest sporting stage."

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What is Clare Balding's net worth?

During her life as TV presenter, Clare has built up an impressive fortune.

As of August 2024, she has an estimated net worth of around £1M

This is largely boosted by her BBC salary, which is between £205,000 and £209,999

Who is Clare Balding's wife?

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Clare Balding is married to Alice Arnold, a British broadcaster and journalist.

Born in 1962, Alice Arnold was a newsreader and continuity announcer on BBC Radio 4 for over twenty years, until the end of 2012.

She currently works for Bauer Media Audio UK, hosting on Mellow Magic.

The couple entered into a civil partnership in 2006, but when same-sex marriage was legalized in the UK, they chose to marry again.

Clare and Alice officially tied the knot in a private ceremony in April 2015.

Talking about her marriage to wife Alice on The Jonathan Ross Show, Clare said: "It's about equality.

"It's just about knowing that you can and knowing that you can say, 'I'm married' and nobody's going to think that's married in inverted commas, no that, actually married. I think it's great."

Revealing more about their relationship to , the presenter said: "We are very easy together. We don't row. I don't know how we achieve that but I don't think there is a secret. You're on this wonderful adventure together."

The couple, who live in Chiswick, London, do not have children.

Both Clare and Alice are keen amateur golfers, with Alice having written about the Scottish Muirfield golf club's rejection of female members in .