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Hazel Irvine

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Hazel Irvine
MBE
Born (1965-05-24) 24 May 1965 (age 59)
St Andrews, Scotland[1]
Alma materUniversity of St Andrews
OccupationSports presenter
Years active1988–present
Known forSnooker, Athletics, Golf, 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, 2016 Rio Olympics, 2018 Winter Olympics.
Children1
Parent(s)William Hyslop Irvine (father)
Norma Bryson (mother)

Hazel Jane Irvine MBE (born 24 May 1965) is a Scottish sports presenter.[2]

Early life

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Irvine was born in St Andrews, Scotland. She has a younger brother, David William Irvine (born 1968).[3] Educated at Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh, she achieved an MA in History of Art at the University of St Andrews, and competed in golf, netball and athletics at university level. In her final year she was Senior Student of Hamilton Hall.[4]

Broadcasting career

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Irvine (right) in the studio for BBC coverage of the 2024 World Snooker Championship

Irvine began her broadcasting career on Radio Clyde in 1986, before moving to work for Scottish Television in 1988 as a continuity announcer and latterly, as a sports reporter/presenter. This led to slots on the national ITV network co-presenting coverage of the 1988 Olympics[1] alongside Dickie Davies, and presenting reports from the Scotland football team's training camp at the 1990 World Cup.[1]

Irvine joined the BBC in 1990, working as presenter on BBC Scotland's Sportscene programme and becoming the youngest-ever presenter of the BBC's flagship sports programme Grandstand on 19 June 1993. She also anchored BBC Scotland's coverage of Children in Need for ten years. In 1994, Irvine co-hosted the BBC's Hogmanay Live, and in 1995 she introduced coverage of the FIFA Women's World Cup and began reporting for Football Focus. Irvine has presented for the BBC at every Summer Olympics since Barcelona 1992, as well as five Winter Olympics and four FIFA World Cup tournaments. In December 1996, she became the lead presenter of Ski Sunday, initially with Julian Tutt, but then alone from 1997.[1] She is also a regular presenter of the Triple Crown snooker tournaments (the World Snooker Championship, the Masters and the UK Championship) since 2002 and has regularly presented the sports news on major BBC evening news bulletins, as well as reporting on events such as Wimbledon and the London Marathon.

In August 2008, Irvine presented Olympic Breakfast as well as being one of the commentators for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.[5][6] She reprised these roles for the 2012 Games in London.[7][8]

Irvine also presented BBC coverage of the Winter Olympics in 2014[9] and 2018,[10] the Commonwealth Games in 2014[11] and 2018[12] and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.[13]

Irvine covered golf for the BBC as a reporter and presenter for 25 years, finishing with the Masters in April 2017.[14]

Irvine also presented the 2019 Netball World Cup from Liverpool for the BBC.

She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to sport and charity.[15]

Other interests

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Irvine also works as a media-trainer[16] and after-dinner speaker.[17]

Personal life

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Irvine claims to have married her long-term boyfriend, whose identity is unknown,[18] at a private ceremony in Scotland in 2008.[19] The couple live in London with their daughter who was born in 2008.[20][21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "BBC TEAM: Hazel Irvine". BBC Sport. 11 July 2000. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  2. ^ "Hazel Irvine". Helensburgh Heroes. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  3. ^ "Search results | ScotlandsPeople".
  4. ^ "BBC - Press Office - Hazel Irvine". 14 January 2007. Archived from the original on 14 January 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Olympics opening ceremony – live!". The Guardian. London. 8 August 2008. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  6. ^ "Olympics: closing ceremony – as it happened". The Guardian. London. 8 August 2008. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  7. ^ "London 2012: Row after NBC drop opening ceremony '7/7 tribute'". The Guardian. London. 28 July 2012. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  8. ^ "Hit or miss? Our columnists' verdicts on the Olympics closing ceremony acts". Daily Mirror. 14 August 2012. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  9. ^ "Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games on the BBC". BBC Media Centre. 4 December 2013. Archived from the original on 17 January 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  10. ^ "Winter Olympics 2018: BBC Sport's live coverage times on TV, radio & online". BBC Sport. 22 February 2018. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  11. ^ "Glasgow 2014: Commonwealth Games on the BBC". BBC Sport. 20 May 2014. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  12. ^ "Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games on the BBC". BBC Media Centre. 7 March 2018. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Rio 2016 on the BBC". BBC Media Centre. 7 March 2018. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  14. ^ "Hazel Irvine to front her final Masters on the BBC in 2017". BBC Sport. 29 March 2014. Archived from the original on 5 August 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  15. ^ "No. 64269". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2023. p. N21.
  16. ^ "Our team of media specialists". Media Mentor. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  17. ^ "Hazel Irvine". Jeremy Lee Associates (JLA). Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  18. ^ Colderick, Stephanie (29 July 2022). "Hazel Irvine's secret wedding and brilliant baby announcement". WalesOnline.
  19. ^ "Scots TV star Hazel Irvine in secret wedding shock". Daily Record. Media Scotland. 11 July 2008. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  20. ^ Ferguson, John (28 November 2008). "Exclusive: Baby joy for BBC presenter Hazel Irvine". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  21. ^ Doyle, Ella (27 July 2021). "Hazel Irvine's life from marrying at age 43 to new London home". MyLondon.
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Awards
Preceded by RTS Television Awards
Best Sports Presenter
2006 		Succeeded by
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