Anna Foster
{{About|BBC News and BBC Radio 4 presenter Anna Foster|the BBC Radio Newcastle presenter|Anna Foster (broadcaster)}}{{short description|English radio news reporter and presenter}}
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{{Infobox person
| name = Anna Foster
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| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1979}}
| birth_place = South Shields, Tyne and Wear, England
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| occupation = Journalist
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Anna Foster (born 1979) is an English journalist, news reporter and presenter. Since 2025, she has presented the Today programme and presents and reports on location for BBC News. Previously, she presented Drive and other programming on BBC Radio 5 Live, was a regular presenter of the News at One, and was the BBC's Middle East correspondent in Beirut.
Early life and education
The daughter of an engineer father and a mother who worked as a nurse, she and her brother were born in South Shields. Educated in South Shields, she attended South Tyneside College for A-levels, and went on to study at Collingwood College at Durham University, where she worked on student radio. She then undertook a postgraduate certificate in journalism at City University London.
Career
She joined BBC Radio Cleveland as a reporter for three years, before becoming a news presenter, and then presenting the drive-time show. She then joined BBC Radio 5 Live as a regional North East reporter, before relocating to London to present Newsbeat.
Foster joined the BBC Radio 5 Live Weekend Breakfast show on 23 April 2011, replacing Rachel Burden who moved to the weekday 5 Live Breakfast team alongside Nicky Campbell on 3 May.{{cite press release |title=Anna Foster joins 5 Live Weekend Breakfast |date = 13 April 2011|access-date = 11 March 2025|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2011/04_april/13/foster.shtml |publisher=BBC}}
On 14 November 2012, Foster became the Wednesday-to-Friday co-presenter of 5 Live Drive (4–7 pm) alongside Peter Allen; Louise Minchin was the Monday and Tuesday co-host. Foster subsequently became the permanent co-host, alongside Tony Livesey who replaced Allen in October 2014.
Foster left Drive on 12 August 2021 to take up a new role as BBC Middle East correspondent in Beirut.{{cite web |title=Anna Foster announces departure from BBC Radio 5 Live |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2021/06/anna-foster-announces-departure-from-bbc-radio-5-live/ |website=RadioToday |date=24 June 2021 |access-date=13 August 2021 |language=en-GB}}{{cite web |title=BBC Radio 5 Live |url=https://twitter.com/bbc5live/status/1425845632812605444 |website=Twitter |date=12 August 2021 |access-date=13 August 2021}}
In May 2024, the BBC announced that Foster was one of six well-known BBC presenters to start presenting the BBC News at One from its new home at Salford studios at the beginning of June 2024.{{cite web |title=BBC News at One to start broadcasting from Salford on Monday 3 June |url=https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2024/bbc-news-at-one-to-start-broadcasting-from-salford |website=BBC Media Centre |date=30 May 2024 |access-date=25 May 2024 |language=en-GB}}
In March 2025, Foster was announced as one of five presenters of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, replacing Mishal Husain. {{cite web |title=Anna Foster replaces Mishal Husain on BBC Radio 4's Today programme|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpwdvex0587o |website=BBC |date=10 March 2025 |access-date=10 March 2025}}
Personal life
She married fellow radio presenter John Foster in October 2009 at Crathorne Hall near Yarm, North Yorkshire;{{cite web |last=Administrator |first=journallive |title=Interview: Anna Foster, breakfast show presenter on Radio Five Live |url=http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/interview-anna-foster-breakfast-show-4428832 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228194603/http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/interview-anna-foster-breakfast-show-4428832 |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 December 2014 |website=www.thejournal.co.uk}} they have a son and a daughter.{{cite news|url=https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/wellbeing/heartbreak-miscarriage-anna-foster-hopes-help-mothers-16047|title=Anna Foster hopes to help other mothers with the loneliness of pregnancy and miscarriage|date = 29 July 2016|author= Roberts, Genevieve| work = The i Paper|access-date=11 March 2025}}
References
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Category:Alumni of City, University of London
Category:Alumni of Collingwood College, Durham
Category:BBC Radio 5 Live presenters