| Carrie Gracie | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 1966 (age 45) Bahrain |
| Education | University of Edinburgh University of Oxford Middlesex University |
| Occupation | Television producer, Newsreader |
| Spouse(s) | Jin (div) |
| Children | Daughter and son |
| Ethnicity | White British |
| Nationality | British |
| Notable credit(s) | BBC World Service BBC News 24 |
Carrie Gracie (born November 1966 in Bahrain) is a Scottish journalist and newsreader for BBC News.
Contents |
Gracie's father was a Scottish oil executive; Gracie was born while he was on assignment in Bahrain. She was educated in Aberdeenshire and Glasgow. She studied at University of Edinburgh, where she edited the student newspaper, before leaving to run her own restaurant for a year. She then graduated from the University of Oxford with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.[1]
In 1985 she went to China to teach English and Economics at Yantai and Chongqing Universities. On her return to Britain a year later she managed a small film company.[1]
She obtained a BA in Chinese in 1996 followed by an MA in Design for Interactive Media from Middlesex University.[1]
Gracie joined the BBC World Service in 1987 as a trainee producer, working in many areas at the headquarters in London as well as on assignment, including African, Chinese and Asia-Pacific regions. She became a correspondent for BBC World Service and then for domestic radio and television in Beijing in 1991. Gracie moved back to the UK in 1999 as a presenter on BBC News and on World Service.[2] Since January 2008 she has been the main morning presenter on BBC News each Tuesday to Friday alongside Simon McCoy, previously her co-presenter on Fridays. She is also a presenter for the BBC World Service programme "The Interview".
Highlights of her career include covering the death of Deng Xiaoping and the handover of Hong Kong in 1997.[1] More recently, Gracie took part in the BBC's coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, as a co-commentator during the opening and closing ceremonies. In October 2008, she was presented with the inaugural Nick Clarke Award for her interview with BBC journalist Alan Johnston, who was kidnapped by the Palestinian Army of Islam in 2007.[3]
In an interview with George Foulkes, Baron Foulkes of Cumnock on the BBC News Channel (12 May 2009) about the MPs' expenses row, Gracie was asked how much she earned. When she stated that her salary is £92,000, Foulkes accused her of being paid "nearly twice as much" as Members of Parliament[4] to "talk nonsense" and "undermine politicians" without mentioning the constituency work done by MPs.[5][6]
Gracie speaks good Mandarin. She has two children with Chinese rock musician Jin (born 1958): Rachel (born 1996), and Daniel (born 1998). The children both spent a term in a Chinese school.[7]