Ben Fordham

Ben Fordham
Born (1976-11-29) 29 November 1976 (age 42)
NationalityAustralian
Occupation
  • television presenter
  • television host
  • news anchor
  • sports reporter
  • journalist
  • radio presenter
Years active1997−present
EmployerNine Network
Spouse(s)
Jodie Speers (m. 2011)
Children3

Ben Fordham (born 29 November 1976) is an Australian journalist, sports reporter and radio presenter. Fordham is currently drive presenter on Sydney radio station 2GB and host of television program Australian Ninja Warrior.

Career

Fordham began his career on Sydney's 2UE radio station, for which he won a Walkley Award[1] for his coverage of the 1997 Thredbo landslide. In 1998, Fordham moved to television and joined Sky News Australia as a reporter and presenter.

After less than a year at Sky News, Fordham joined the Nine Network, working on tabloid current affair and news programs including 60 Minutes, A Current Affair, Nine News and Today.[citation needed]

Fordham filled in for Stuart Bocking on 2UE Nights in the 2008/09 summer period and also filled in for Ray Hadley on 2GB in the 2009/10 summer period.[citation needed]

In 2010, he joined Nine News and Today as a reporter, he also covered the 2010 federal election.[citation needed] In January 2011, Fordham became the Today sports presenter replacing Cameron Williams. He also joined 2GB in January 2011 replacing Jason Morrison to present 'Sydney Live'.[citation needed]

In March 2014, Fordham announced that he would be leaving Today at the end of the year to concentrate on his radio career.[2]

In 2016, he was announced as co-host of Australian Ninja Warrior alongside Rebecca Maddern on the Nine Network.[3]

In 2018, Fordham was also made an inaugural board member of the Ash Williams Show Podcast, alongside other media personalities such as Ed Kavalee, Sonia Kruger and Tony Martin. Fordham was also instrumental in securing the support of Scott Pape as a permanent board member.[4]

Personal life

When Fordham was seven years of age, he was diagnosed with epilepsy after suffering a seizure.[5] He did work experience at a radio station as a teenager while a student at Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, a Catholic college in Lane Cove.[6]

He is managed by The Fordham Company which is run by his father, John.[7]

In October 2011, Fordham married Seven News presenter Jodie Speers. In August 2014, Fordham announced on Today that his wife was pregnant with their first child: their son was born later that year.[8]

In April 2016, Fordham announced on radio that Speers was pregnant with their second child.[9] She gave birth to a daughter later that year.[10]

In September 2019, Fordham announced that Speers gave birth to their third child.

Fordham is a fill-in presenter on Today.

Legal issues

On 26 February 2009 Fordham was charged with concealing a serious crime and breaching the Listening Devices Act.[11] The Nine Network and A Current Affair's producer Andrew Byrne were also charged.

On 20 July 2010 NSW Supreme Court judge Elizabeth Fullerton called Fordham's attitude "disrespectful" when he failed to appear in court to hear her judgement on the charges of breaching the Listening Devices Act. Justice Fullerton found him guilty of one of four charges against him, that he knowingly recorded a conversation on 28 May 2008. Byrne was convicted of four charges of breaching the act.

The conversation was aired on ACA in May 2008, claiming to show former Waverley mayor James Markham ordering a fatal hit on a male escort.[12] Although found guilty, Fordham and Byrne each escaped conviction, with Justice Fullerton saying it was "an appalling lack of judgment by two senior journalists who are otherwise held in esteem by their colleagues".[13]

References

  1. ^ "Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (Australia) - records of the W.G. Walkley Awards, 1956 - 1999". State Library of New South Wales. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
  2. ^ "Sports presenter Ben Fordham quits Channel Nine's The Today Show to concentrate on 2GB Drive show". news.com.au. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Ben Fordham, Freddie Flintoff join Australian Ninja Warrior 2017". MediaWeek. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  4. ^ https://twitter.com/ashwilliams1/status/989422331712843776
  5. ^ Auerbach, Taylor (9 September 2015). "My epilepsy battle: 2GB host Ben Fordham tells how he has suffered and coped". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  6. ^ Rao, Shoba (20 October 2015). "Ben Fordham talks about his private battle with epilepsy". News.com.au. News Corp. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  7. ^ "Media Watch - Fordham follies". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 June 2004. Archived from the original on 21 September 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
  8. ^ "Ben Fordham and wife Jodie Speers welcome their first child Freddy". News.com.au. News Corp. 6 December 2016. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Ben Fordham's wife Jodie Speers shows off her growing baby bump". Mail Online. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  10. ^ "'We had a little Pearl. She's as cute as a butterfly'. Ben Fordham and Jodie Speers announce birth of daughter". Daily Telegraph. News Corp. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  11. ^ "Channel Nine charged over report". news.com.au. 26 February 2009. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
  12. ^ Kontominas, Bellinda (20 July 2010). "ACA reporter found guilty of breaching listening devices law". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  13. ^ Wells, Jamelle. "Hit man sting journalists avoid conviction". www.abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 February 2011.

External links

Media offices
Preceded by
Cameron Williams
Today
Sport presenter

January 2011 – November 2014
Succeeded by
Tim Gilbert
Preceded by
Program started
Australian Ninja Warrior
Co-host
(with Rebecca Maddern)

2017-present
Succeeded by
Incumbent

This page was last updated at 2019-11-08 08:13 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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