Emily Maitlis is a British journalist, newsreader, and documentary-maker who was born in Canada on September 6, 1970. She currently works for the BBC as a presenter of ‘Newsnight’, a news and current affair program that is broadcast on BBC. Maitlis also covers elections in the UK, United States, and Europe for the BBC. Throughout her career, she has also been the quiz mater on ‘The National Lottery: Come and Have a Go’ and she has presented ‘BBC Breakfast’ and ‘STORYFix’. Additionally, Maitlis has covered some major events around the world, such as the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong. She has had a very interesting career, and there are many facts that people do not know about her work and personal life. Here are 10 interesting facts about Emily Maitlis.
1. She Did Not Have a Private Education
Emily Maitlis did not have a private education. While this may not seem that strange, it is very unusual in her line of work. In fact, she is currently the only newsreader working for the BBC that was not privately educated. Although she was born to British parents in Canada, she grew up in Sheffield, England. There, she attended King Edward VII School before studying at Queens’ College at Cambridge University.
2. She is Multilingual
Maitlis is a highly intelligent woman with many talents. One of her talents is that she is multilingual. Other than English, she is also fluent in Spanish, Italian, and French. Furthermore, she can also speak some Mandarin. The natural flair for languages has come in useful throughout her career as she has worked in locations across the globe. Some of the places she has worked include Hong Kong, Cambodia, China, the Philippines, and the United States.
3. Maitlis is Married with Two Children
While working in Hong Kong, Maitlis met investment manager Mark Gwynne. In 2000, they were on holiday in Mauritius when Maitlis proposed to Gwynne, and they later married. The couple has since gone on to have two sons together; Milo and Max.
4. She Has a Stalker
Although Maitlis has many happy and successful aspects of her life, such as her family and her career, she has also faced difficulties. One of these is being stalked by a former platonic friend she had met while at university. In 2002, Maitlis revealed that Edward Vines had stalked her for more than a decade and that he would often hang around her place of work. Although he was sentenced to four months in prison for harassment, he was released because of the time he had spent on remand. However, a restraining order was put in place. He was later sentenced to three years’ imprisonment in 2016 because he had breached his restraining order but was released early for good behavior. Vines was then given a second prison sentence in January 2018.For breaching the restraining order and contacting Maitlis, he was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison. At court, he admitted sending Maitlis two letters and sending emails and letters to Maitlis’ mother. Maitlis has admitted that her marriage has suffered as a result of the stalking.
5. She Has Been in Prison a Few Times
It may surprise many of her fans to learn that Emily Maitlis has had a few brushes with the law and has been in prison a couple of times. In an interview with The Guardian, she admits that she had a couple of brushes with the law while working in various international locations, which were generally misunderstandings. She was imprisoned in both Cuba and Cambodia. On both occasions, she was released after a few hours.
6. She Hates Platitudes
Maitlis told BBC Radio 4 in an interview that one of her biggest dislikes is platitudes, and she wishes that people wouldn’t use them. She especially hates phrases such as ‘fairer or all’ and ‘forwards not backward’. She says that when people say these things in political manifestos, they hold very little meaning. She would rather people just said what they really mean.
7. Maitlis is Powered by Adrenaline
One thing that Maitlin believes keeps her going is adrenaline. There are times when she has reported at horrific incidents and wanted nothing more than to get in bed with a vodka. However, the next day, she is mooching around looking forward to the next adrenaline rush. Although she finds it hard to admit to herself, she thinks she is powered by adrenaline.
8. She Nearly Gave Up Working as a Reporter
In the early days of her career, Maitlis believed that she was a terrible reporter and she almost gave up on many occasions. She has said that it took her a ridiculously long time to learn the basics of reporting that other people grasped straight away. The newsreader says that she made almost every mistake in the book. Some of these include letting the tape run out in an important interview and leaving her microphone on the bus.
9. She Has Some Bad Late-Night Habits
One of Emily MAitlis’ worst habits is shopping online. She has said that her husband hates finding her shopping on Amazon at 3 am. Often, the items that she buys end up being returned. When she is working in the United States, she has said that her guilty pleasure is to stay up in the hotel room watching the evangelical channels and Fox News.
10. Her Prized Possession is a Bracelet
According to The Guardian, one of Emily Maitlis’ most prized possessions is a gold bracelet that has more sentimental than monetary value. It was the gold bracelet worn by her grandmother as she fled Nazi Germany. Maitlis likes to wear the bracelet when she is away from home.
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