Konnie Huq

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Konnie Huq

Konnie Huq (left) and Andy Akinwolere (right)
Born 17 July 1975 (1975-07-17) (age 32)
Ealing, London, England
Occupation Television presenter
Known for Blue Peter presenter

Konnie Huq (Bengali: কনি হক, pronounced Huck; born 17 July 1975) is a British television presenter who is best known for being the longest-serving female presenter of Blue Peter, having presented it from 1st December 1997 until 23 January 2008. She is of Bengali origin, and describes herself as being a "relaxed Muslim".[1]

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[edit] Biography

Konnie Huq's parents moved to England from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in the 1960s from the village of Pabna, and she was born and grew up in Ealing, London, with her two sisters, Rupa and Nutun. Her real name is Kanak, however she is widely known as Konnie. She was educated at Notting Hill & Ealing High School in London, and Robinson College, Cambridge, where she obtained a 2:1 in Economics.

In 1989, at the age of 14, Huq was a guest on Blue Peter with the National Youth Music Theatre, where she sang a solo. In 1992, ahead of the upcoming general election, Huq interviewed Labour leader Neil Kinnock for the children's programme Newsround.

In 1997, several months prior to joining Blue Peter, Huq presented Five's early morning children's programme Milkshake!

In 2008, Huq reportedly turned down a six figure sum to pose naked for Playboy magazine, Huq also refused to pose topless for Loaded Magazine. This was mentioned on an Episode of Al Murray's Happy Hour aired on 21 January 2008.[2]

[edit] Blue Peter

Huq is best known for presenting the BBC children's television programme Blue Peter, which she joined on 1 December 1997. (At the time, Huq was regarded as being its 25th presenter, but the subsequent acknowledgement in 1998 of Anita West as a former presenter, means Huq is now the programme’s 26th host.)

One of Huq's most memorable early moments on Blue Peter was going to Bangladesh, and visiting members of her extended family whom she had not seen in a long time. In the programme's 2004 "Summer Expedition" to India, Huq became an extra in a Bollywood film, and practised dancing alongside its stars. For the programme's 2004 "Welcome Home" appeal, she made an emotional visit to Angola on behalf of Blue Peter, in the hope of reuniting children with the families they had been separated from due to war. In 2008, during her last ever programme, she broke a Guiness World Record by managing to pin 17 Blue Peter Badges onto fellow presenter Andy Akinwolere's shirt in a minute.

She presented with Stuart Miles, Katy Hill, Romana D'Annunzio, Richard Bacon, Simon Thomas, Matt Baker, Liz Barker, Zöe Salmon, Gethin Jones and Andy Akinwolere.

In March 2007 she apologised to viewers after a competition on the programme was faked, saying "We'd like to say sorry to you because when this mistake happened, we let you down."[3] She was later reported as saying that this event contributed to her decision to leave the programme. [4][5]

On 31 May 2007, Huq announced that she would be leaving Blue Peter in early 2008.[6] Her last live programme was broadcast on 22 January 2008, making her the third longest-serving Blue Peter presenter of all time and its longest-serving female host, having passed Valerie Singleton's record on 1 October 2007.[7].

On 23 January 2008, Huq hosted her final Blue Peter, with a clip show of her highlights through the ten years she had been on the programme.

The BBC was accused of political bias by a Conservative councillor in August, 2007, because Huq attended a pro-cycling event with London's Mayor, Ken Livingstone, and Jenny Jones from the Green Party.[8] Her agent went ahead with this event despite the BBC telling him not to.[8]

[edit] Other television work

Between 2002 and 2004, Huq co-presented the CBBC Channel's UK Top 40. More recently, she made her debut as a news presenter on the BBC Asian Network, in a series of documentaries on a new radio current affairs programme called the Asian Network Report.

In early 2004 Huq was briefly a presenter for Top of the Pops. She appeared on the CBBC series M.I.High as herself in the episode "The Big Freeze" broadcast on 22 January 2007. She presented GMTV's coverage on New York Fashion Week on the week of 10 September 2007. She has also been a guest panelist on the comedy gameshow 8 out of 10 Cats.

December 2007 saw Konnie appear on a celebrity version of Ready Steady Cook alongside Blue Peter co-presenter Andy Akinwolere, as well as playing a servant (called Konnie) on the last episode of the second series of Robin Hood. Also in 2007, Konnie began presenting the ITV1 London show London Talking, a political debate show, alongside Vanessa Feltz and Nick Ferrari.

She has also co-presented some of the weekly Your News programme for BBC News 24 in 2008.

On Monday 14th April 2008 Konnie was seen filming at Colchester Zoo for the forthcoming Channel 5 show "Zoo Days" which is scheduled for transmission in June 2008.

[edit] Comic Relief

In 2005, she took part in BBC One's reality TV show Comic Relief Does Fame Academy, in aid of Comic Relief, and was the third contestant to be voted off, after her rendition of Kim Wilde's "Kids in America". She also travelled to Uganda and met orphan children, on behalf of Comic Relief, and is currently a celebrity ambassador for the British Red Cross.

[edit] The Tube

On 15 September 2006 Huq became one of the presenters of The Tube alongside Tony Wilson, Alex James and Emily Rose Channel 4 Radio[9] working with production company UKoneFM. The first show was broadcast on 3 November 2006.[10]

[edit] Olympic Torch Incident

On 6 April 2008, Huq was one of 80 carriers of the Olympic torch relay through London when on Ladbroke Grove a protester tried to grab the torch from her whilst Huq was about to give the torch to the next runner. On BBC News later that day she defended carrying the torch, saying she "did the procession because I believe in the Olympic values, the ideals, I think sport on a global scale is a brilliant thing, it transcends culture, race, money," despite what she calls China's "terrible track record when it comes to human rights." [11] Huq was not hurt in the incident. Police wrestled the protester to the ground and arrested him.[12] She however voiced concern over the Chinese torch guards, saying "They were very robotic, very full on, and actually I noticed them having skirmishes with our own police and the Olympic authorities before our leg of the relay,"[13]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Caesar, Ed (2008-04-06) "Konnie Huq is feeling the heat but still ready to carry the Olympic flame", The Sunday times (2008-04-07)
  2. ^ Huq says no to Playboy
  3. ^ Blue Peter editor leaves job
  4. ^ I Quit Over BP Kon. Daily Mirror. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
  5. ^ Television - News - 'Blue Peter' presenter left due to scam - Digital Spy
  6. ^ Blue Peter editor leaves job
  7. ^ Blue Peter's Konnie Huq to leave. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-05-31.
  8. ^ a b Blue Peter woman defies BBC to share platform with mayor. The Times (15 August 2007). Retrieved on 12 September 2007.
  9. ^ Presenters. microsite: the Tube. Channel 4. Retrieved on 2007-04-23.
  10. ^ Tube returns on Channel 4 Radio
  11. ^ Clashes along Olympic torch route. BBC News (2008-04-06). Retrieved on 2008-04-06.
  12. ^ Arrests and scuffles as Olympic torch crosses London. The Sunday Times (2008-04-06). Retrieved on 2008-04-06.
  13. ^ Olympic torch guards called "thugs". The International Herald Tribune (2008-04-08). Retrieved on 2008-04-15.

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Romana D'Annunzio		 Blue Peter Presenter No. 26
1997- 2008		 Succeeded by
None
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Blue Peter presenters
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