Fearne Cotton

Fearne Cotton (born 3 September 1982) is an English presenter known for presenting a number of popular TV programmes such as Top of the Pops and the Red Nose Day telethon. In 2007, she became the first regular female presenter of BBC Radio 1's Chart Show.

Biography

Fearne Cotton was born 3 September 1982, in Northwood, London to Lyn and Mick Cotton; she has a younger brother called Jamie. Former BBC executive Sir Bill Cotton (1928–2008) was her paternal grandfather's cousin. He was the son of the well-known entertainer and band leader Billy Cotton. Former ITV sport presenter Jim Rosenthal is her uncle.
She began her presenting career in 1998, at the age of 16, with early morning GMTV children's programme The Disney Club, after she was discovered in a nationwide talent search during the show.
Cotton is a keen artist having studied art at A level, a skill she made much use of whilst presenting the series Draw Your Own Toons. She also enjoys body art and claimed on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross that she has eleven tattoos over her body, the most notable of which is a fern leaf, covering her right hip up to her rib cage.
Cotton has dated many celebrities including rocker Ian Watkins, Fame Academy's Peter Brame, and Channel 4 presenter Steve Jones. Cotton and Sarah Cawood acted as two of the bridesmaids at Willoughby's wedding to Dan Baldwin on 4 August 2007.

Presenting career

UK Children's TV

After being discovered by the The Disney Club in 1998, Cotton continued with the show and with its replacement Diggit. She left in 2000 to concentrate on her other projects with CITV, including Draw Your Own Toons and Mouse, a show aimed at encouraging children to use computers.
Cotton joined CBBC in 2001 to present children's science programme Eureka TV. In 2002 she presented Finger Tips, an arts and crafts programme for children, with co-presenter Stephen Mulhern. She later co-presented on CBBC's Sunday morning show, Smile and on The Saturday Show.

UK Mainstream TV and Radio

In 2003 Cotton moved over to mainstream broadcasting. She and Simon Grant (her co-presenter from The Saturday Show) presented the spin-off show Top of the Pops: Saturday (later renamed Top of the Pops: Reloaded) that year. In 2004, she moved up to work alongside Reggie Yates on the main program, Top Of The Pops (the then flagship chartshow for BBC-TV) becoming one one of the last regular presenters for that programme, which ended in July 2006. Due to other commitments, she was unable present the final show itself, appearing instead in a short film shown at the head of that show, in which she made her personal farewells. Cotton and Yates presented the one-off Christmas and New Year specials in 2008.
Cotton has hosted many reality TV programs. In 2006 Cotton presented the second series of Love Island with Patrick Kielty on ITV, taking over from Kelly Brook. She also presented the Friday night live eviction programme that year for the Five reality TV series Make Me A Supermodel. In 2007, she took over from Ben Shephard as the host for the X Factor spin-off programme, The Xtra Factor on ITV2. She presented it for one series before resigning to work in America. Starting on 5 September 2007, Cotton hosted a dating programme, alongside Holly Willoughby, called Holly & Fearne Go Dating. In this programme they find dates for lonely singles.
Cotton has also presented many telethons . She hosted parts of the Red Nose Day telethon for Comic Relief in 2005 and 2007, presenting several strands alongside Jonathan Ross and Lenny Henry. She will be involved again in 2009, being among the nine celebrities attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, and by recording her voice for the BT Speaking Clock. In July 2005 she presented Live 8 in Hyde Park. During the event, the British pop-star Robbie Williams flirted with her in front of the cameras, causing much speculation in the media at the time, but which was later repudiated by the pair. She has also hosted the BBC's annual telethon, Children in Need, alongside Terry Wogan and Natasha Kaplinsky, since 2005. In 2006, she designed the official BBC Children in Need t-shirt - featuring a henna style design of the charity's mascot, Pudsey Bear. In 2008, she hosted a Strictly Come Dancing special as part of Children in Need 2008.
In September 2005 she joined BBC Radio 1, to present the Friday early morning slot with Reggie Yates, whom she had previously worked with on CBBC, Only in America and Top Of The Pops. Since 14 October 2007, Cotton and Yates have presented BBC Radio 1's Chart Show, taking over from JK & Joel, who had left the station. Cotton then became the first ever permanent female presenter of a BBC radio chart show. (Jo Whiley had preceded her as the first female presenter of The Official UK Top 40, as it was then called, but presented it only once, on November 24, 2002.)
Cotton has presented parts of the BBC's coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest. On 20 May 2006 she read the United Kingdom's votes at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, held in Athens, Greece. On 17 March 2007 she, along with Terry Wogan, hosted Making Your Mind Up 2007, the show to decide which song the UK sent to the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki, Finland. On the night, after the final "sing-off" between the two remaining acts, Wogan and Cotton simultaneously announced different winners. Since Wogan was the more experienced presenter, it was assumed that he was right. In fact, Wogan had accidentally announced the wrong artist, Cyndi, as the winner. Cotton had to persist in repeating the correct name until the confusion was resolved. The group Scooch was quickly proclaimed as the correct winner but came only second from bottom in the main competition, just avoiding Nil Points. Cotton also presented the United Kingdom's votes at the show itself, held in Helsinki, Finland on 12 May 2007.
She has made many other notable TV appearances in the UK. In January 2007, Cotton presented The Brits Launch party and The Brits are coming for the ITV and ITV2 and on 14 February 2007 she interviewed performers backstage at the 2007 BRIT Awards for ITV. She reprised the role in 2009. She interviewed Princes William and Harry for the BBC before the Concert for Diana on 1 July 2007. She also interviewed performers and guests at the concert, which was held at the new Wembley Stadium. She presented Guinness World Records Smashed with Ben Shephard for Sky1, which aired in November 2008. Cotton's coverage of the Oscars for Sky 1 on February 22nd 2009 was notable for containing the words "me","I","my" and "myself" over three thousand times in a three hour broadcast, as well as for Cotton letting slip her ambitions with the comment that she isn't a proper celebrity- "not yet"!

US Mainstream TV

In 2008, Cotton moved over to the USA to host The Guinness Book of Records - Live. Cotton later co-hosted the NBC reality show Last Comic Standing. She resigned her presenting role on The X Factor spin-off The Xtra Factor to concentrate on her US career, and was replaced in that role by her friend Holly Willoughby.

TV appearances

• Diggit (1998-2001)
• The Saturday Show (2002-2003)
• Smile (2002-2004)
• Serious... (narrator, 2002)
• Comic Relief Does Fame Academy (2003)
• Top of the Pops: Saturday/Top of the Pops: Reloaded (2003-2005)
• Top of the Pops (2004-)
• Red Nose Day (2005-)
• Live8 (2005)
• Children in Need (2005-)

• Never Mind The Buzzcocks (2005)
• Eurovision Song Contest (2006-)
• Love Island (2006)
• Only in America (2006)
• Make Me A Supermodel (2006-)
• Brit Awards (2007)
• Oscars (2007)
• Making Your Mind Up (2007)
• Concert for Diana (2007)
• The Xtra Factor (2007)

• Holly & Fearne Go Dating (2007)
• Last Comic Standing (2008)
• Nelson Mandela: Happy 90th Birthday (2008)
• Guilty Pleasures (2008)
• Everybody Dance Now! (2008)
• Celebrity Juice (2008 & 2009)
• Guinness World Records Smashed (2008)
• Only in America (2009)
• The Brit Awards 2009 (2009)
• Golden Globes 2009 (2009)
• Baftas 2009 (2009)
• Oscars 2009 (2009)