HAMPSHIRE PEOPLE
Ed Chamberlin Gill Grant speaks with Ed Chamberlin the King of Presenting Sport
T
o talk with Ed Chamberlin is a delight for more than one reason. Ed has lived in Hampshire all his life and has endless enthusiasm for our county. “Although my parents were originally from the West Country we moved near to Andover and then to St. Mary Bourne. Later I went to Exeter University to study politics, from there I lived in London working on a placement at Ladbrokes, I attempted to start my own magazine but the financial crash of the late 80s - 90s put paid to that” Ed had not planned for a career in television, “Journalism was absolutely where I wanted to be but I was picked up by Sky TV for football presenting, I worked on various shows with fellow presenters Kirsty Gallacher and Jeff Stelling but there again I was jinxed - every show I worked on didn’t seem to last long! “Everything changed in 2011 when I had the opportunity to host Sky Sports News. Then, in 2017 I moved to ITV to present horse racing. I still get asked now how I could leave the world of football for racing.
But I’ve not lost my passion for football, St Marys remains one of my favourite places in Hampshire loved by my ten-year-old son too. My daughter and I are fans of T20 cricket at the Rose Bowl.” Ed is equally passionate about The Sport of Kings, I wonder if he can recognise good horse when he sees one. “I have become more knowledgable about horses over the years, it’s a hobby, and I enjoy the odd flutter or too- without much success I have to add. Presenting racing requires a lot of concentration, you have to keep up with the whole race, I couldn’t be willing my horse to win - too much of a distraction. “My role as a presenter as I see it is to make racing accessible to all, irrespective of age, expert or novice. So I ask the professionals the questions I think the viewers want to hear. Also, people watching also want to be entertained, that’s important too. Des Lynam is my hero - that dry humour, intelligence, and generosity to allow people to speak and get the best out of them.” Is there a special racecourse for him? “To be honest they all have a special quality in their own right. Doncaster, Cheltenham Festival, Glorious Good Wood and I just love Royal Ascot. Aintree is the biggest attracting ten million viewers, when you consider the size of a game between Manchester and Liverpool would attract around three million viewers you can see how pressurised racing presenting can be, it’s a big responsibility. I still get nervous before an important meeting but I think that's a good thing, I’m never complacent.” There was an underlying reason behind Ed’s move to ITV because in 2009 his life changed dramatically. “It was in Winchester hospital that I was diagnosed with stomach cancer. I was immediately placed in the care of the phenomenal team at Southampton General and my Oncologist Ben Needham who told me that although the tumour was the size of a grapefruit he was confident I would be cured, that was on Wednesday and by Friday I had commenced my chemotherapy. “I always felt in control of my treatment, I knew what was going on. By week six my blood markers were coming down - that’s the information you live to hear. The Southampton FC players give regular time visiting the children’s cancer ward, so I arranged to have
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