I have over a decade's experience in entertainment journalism (specialising in digital journalism, digital content strategy and digital editorial transformation). The vast majority of my writing has been published on Digital Spy, although I've also contributed to Hearst UK's Legends bookazine series and Best magazine.
My bylines have been syndicated across the Hearst digital network on sites including Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Prima and ELLE, and externally to the likes of Yahoo! and MSN.
Now based in London, I grew in a small, rural village in north west England and decided that I wanted to be a journalist when I was 15 – although my dream career when I was very small was to become a doctor, nurse or vet!
I studied for a postgraduate diploma (NCTJ-accredited) at the University of Salford, after completing a qualifying law degree at the University of Manchester with unofficial optional modules in 'spending lots of time at the student newspaper and radio station'.
While at Salford, I was a finalist in the 2009 Bridgestone Europe e-reporter competition. I was lucky enough to cover GP2 (as it was then) at the German Grand Prix, and got to to chat to racing drivers including Nico Hülkenberg and Roman Grosjean prior to their entry into Formula 1, and Sébastien Buemi – then a 20-year-old F1 rookie and now a four-time Le Mans winner and WEC endurance racing champion!
Prior to writing and editing for a living, I worked variously as a bookkeeper, office assistant, bookkeeper, cleaner, photographer's assistant, audio typist, radio plugger and social researcher.
My greatest career regret is turning down the opportunity to visit the Taskmaster house because I had too much work on (although getting to do the live experience was fab).
My proudest career moments are securing a coveted BSME Talent Awards nomination for my subbing and production team, shaking hands with Stevie Nicks (which also made my late mother very proud) and getting to write about a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis through the lens of an EastEnders storyline – I will always believe that soaps have a huge power to influence their audiences.
When I remember to log off the internet, I enjoy live theatre, dance and comedy, appreciating nature, baking (badly), tending a recently-rented allotment (equally badly) and pampering one very spoiled rescue cat named Jolene.
