BORN: Northern Ireland, raised three miles from Antrim on a farm near Lough Neagh.
FAMILY: Mum, dad, two sisters - completely child-free not even nieces or nephews.
CV: Money advisor for Citizens' Advice Bureau in Norfolk and Suffolk. Finance columnist for News of the World. I joined the BBC in 1991 as a researcher. I presented Moneycheck and After Hours for Radio 5 and on television, Pound for Pound and The Small Business Programme.
BEST MOMENT IN CAREER: Spending three weeks in Hong Kong working on eight hours of programmes and getting to know the people and place. Or meeting Van Morrison - it's a difficult choice.
WORST MOMENT IN CAREER: An interviewee passed out in a live television studio and slid off his chair and on to the floor.
PET HATES: Posh parties where I don't know anyone; bad grammar; toilet attendants who expect tips
PET LOVES: Films with happy endings; parties; red wine; pets
