Charlie Webster

Charlotte "Charlie" Webster (born 9 November 1982) is an English television presenter.

Early life

Born in Sheffield, Webster attended Tapton School^[1] where she participated in elite junior athletics, and then studied Language and Linguistics at Newcastle University.^[2] At university, she worked part time as a personal trainer, fitness instructor, amateur model, and actress. Webster is a lifelong fan of Sheffield United.^[3] She also was a contestant on the Channel 4 reality TV show Fool Around With.^[4]

Career

Broadcasting

Webster moved to Spain as a TV presenter for Real Madrid TV interviewing the Galactico team and presenting football programmes. In 2006, she moved to Asia to join ESPN where she presented live Premier League football in addition to motorsport and Asian football.

Upon moving back to the UK, Webster presented Setanta Sports News and ITV4's live GP2 coverage. At the end of the motorsport season, she became a sports broadcast journalist for BBC Look East. Next she moved on to present the Red Bull Air Race worldwide for ITV4. In addition, she was the voice of Channel 4's World Superbikes highlights show. From 2009-2014, she was a presenter/reporter on Sky Sports' live coverage of Elite League and also of Speedway Grand Prix.

In November 2010, Webster became a regular presenter on Sky Sports News through until March 2014. Also in 2010 she presented the Goodwood Festival of Speed live on Sky Sports,^[5] she featured on BBC One's Football Focus,^[6] and presented the UK School Games for Channel 4 with Iwan Thomas.^[7]

Webster features on Channel 4 presenting triathlon and endurance events which she also competes in herself including the London Triathlon. Webster presented the Sky Sports boxing Prizefighter series for 2012/2013. Webster also presented the women's boxing at the London 2012 Olympic Games, as well as the beach volleyball and the athletics for the Paralympics 2012. She also presented Wimbledon report in 2012 for Sky Sports.^[8]

On 26 April 2014, Webster made TV history by becoming the first female presenter of boxing coverage as Wladimir Klitschko defended his heavyweight belts against Alex Leapai shown live on British Eurosport 2. She has since presented six World Title fights including Terry Flanagan's title defence and Liam Smith's world title win on BoxNation. Webster has her own boxing themed chat show, called Charlie's Web, on BoxNation.^[9]

Webster has made guest appearances on Good Morning Britain discussing breaking sports and social topics including the sacking of Jose Mourinho in 2015.^[10] Also in 2015, Webster presented the World's Strongest Man for Channel 5 which was broadcast in the UK on six consecutive evenings over that year's Christmas period.^[11]

Webster presented the 2016 Tour Series Cycling for ITV4 ^[12] the BDO World Darts Trophy for the Dave channel. She hosted the Wings For Life World Run for Red Bull TV as well as the Red Bull Air Race 2016.

Writing

Webster has written numerous sports columns, including a weekly football feature in the New Paper. She writes a blog on SkySports.com,^[13] and also writes for the Huffington Post,^[14] the Sheffield Star^[15] and football.co.uk.^[16] She writes a football column for Football Punk magazine and guest writes for the Independent^[17] and the Telegraph.^[18]

Other activities

Following university, Webster took up modelling professionally. Webster hosted various Nike training club events for Nike Women to help inspire females into sport and exercise.

In 2004, Webster posed in lingerie for FHM magazine. Webster has hosted the RCM obesity seminar, spoke at the Women's Aid 'real man' campaign dinner and at the London Football Coaches Association dinner.^[19]

She is a keen runner, triathlete, and boxer, training at the Lynn ABC, and is taking a level 2 Football Association coaching badge.^[3]

In November 2014 Webster resigned as a patron of Sheffield United after Ched Evans was invited to train at the club.^[20]

Sports

Webster completed her first Ironman Triathlon in July 2015. She completed the UK Ironman in 15 hours, 8 minutes and 59 seconds.^[21] She did the Staffordshire 70.3 Ironman five weeks before in June 2015 as preparation in 6 hours 20 minutes.

She has run ten marathons to date including the London, New York, Singapore and Houston marathons.^[22]

Her first attempt at triathlon was at the London Triathlon where she not only competed but presented at the same time for Channel 4.^[23]

Charity work

In April 2009, Webster ran in the London Marathon raising money for the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK. In April 2010, she ran the London Marathon again, raising money for the Women's Aid Federation of England.

Webster in March 2010

An ambassador for Women's Aid, on 15 January 2014 in interview with BBC Radio 5 Live's Phil Williams,^[24] she revealed that aged 15 she had been sexually assaulted by her running coach, choosing to waive her right to anonymity to go public with the revelations to "break the taboo about abuse as a whole". Webster stated:^[24]

The man was later sentenced to 10 years in jail and put on the sex offender registry, after another younger girl recorded the abuse and contacted police.^[25] Later that month, Webster embarked on a 250 miles (400 km), seven day run between 40 football grounds for the charity.^[26] Webster has appeared on BBC's This Week discussing domestic abuse^[27]

In March 2010, she competed in the Macmillan 4x4 UK Challenge event in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. She took an active role in the event, quickly learning the art of navigation and 4x4 driving, the event itself took place in the Mid to North Wales forests. The event raised £123,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.^[28]

Webster was presented with a heroes award in Parliament for her work in raising awareness of domestic abuse and funds for Women's Aid. She is part of Chris Grayling's Ministry of Justice victim's panel to advise ministers directly on how to improve the criminal justice system.^[29]

She rode the three UK stages of the Tour de France in a Tour de Force group raising money for the William Wates Memorial Trust for disadvantaged young people and won the 2014 Running Awards Runners' Challenge.^[30]

In 2016 Webster cycled 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from the London Olympic stadium to Rio, Brazil in memory of Jane Tomlinson and to raise funds for the Jane Tomlinson appeal in the summer of 2016.^[31] On 18 August 2016, during the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, it was reported that Webster was seriously ill and had developed severe complications caused by a bacterial infection, and was receiving hospital treatment in the city.^[32][33]

Illness

Webster contracted malaria after completing a six week, 3,000-mile bicycle ride to Rio de Janeiro. She has been brought out of an induced coma but remains on dialysis. ^[34]

References

External links

• Official website
• Empowering Women Awards launch party Marie Claire, 2 March 2010