All you need to know about television sports presenter Claire Balding <\/p>
Claire Balding is a very familiar face, but who is she and how did she get into television sports presenting? <\/strong><\/p> Claire Balding is one of our top sports presenters. She has been presenting sport since 1994 and today is at the helm of many our top sporting occasions, from Wimbledon to the Olympics. <\/p> Claire Balding was born on <\/strong>29 January 1971<\/p> Claire Balding was born into a very horsey family and grew up in Kingsclere Hampshire, where her father, Ian Balding, was a successful racehorse<\/a> trainer. Among his clients was the late Queen Mother. Claire’s brother is the top racehorse trainer Andrew Balding.<\/p> Kingclere is very close to Highclere Castle, which is probably better known as Downton Abbey<\/a><\/p> On Who Do You Think You Are<\/a> <\/em>Claire discovered that her grandmother can trace her family line all the way back to King Henry VII, who died in 1509 so she has royal blood – but exactly what relation that makes her to the late queen we are not sure.<\/p> Throughout her childhood and teenage years, Claire has ridden and competed at a number of equestrian sports<\/a> including eventing, show jumping and dressage<\/a>. From 1988 until 1993, Clare was also a leading amateur\u00a0flat jockey and won Champion Lady Rider in 1990 <\/p> After leaving school Claire studied English at \u00a0Newnham College, Cambridge.<\/p> In 1994 she became a trainee with BBC National Radio and worked on\u00a05 Live<\/a> and presented the sport on Chris Evans<\/a>\u00a0Breakfast Show<\/em>.<\/p> Her television debut came in 1995\u00a0when she introducing highlights of\u00a0Royal Ascot.<\/p> Claire has presented live from many illustrious sporting events, from Wimbledon to Badminton Horse Trials, the Grand National and Cheltenham Festival to top golf tournaments. In 2024, she will be leading the Olympic and Paralympic coverage.<\/p> She is also a regular on radio having presented Ramblings<\/em> on Radio 4 since 1999, and has also fronted Saturday Live and Woman’s Hour.<\/p> Claire has written a couple of autobiographies called My Animals and Other Family<\/em> <\/a>(which won Autobiography of the Year at the 2012 Specsavers National Book Awards) and Walking Home<\/a><\/em>.<\/p> She has also written Heroic Animals: 100 Amazing Creatures Great & Small<\/em><\/a> and a series of fiction books for children.<\/p> This article contains affiliate links and we may receive a commission for purchases made. Please read our affiliates\u00a0FAQ page<\/a>\u00a0to find out more and read about how we write BBC Countryfile Magazine reviews.<\/em><\/p>Who is Claire Balding?<\/h2>
How old is Claire Balding<\/h2>
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Is Clare Balding related to the late Queen?<\/h2>
What sports did Clare Balding do?<\/h2>
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How did she get into sport presenting?<\/h2>
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