Charlotte Mary Hawkins is one of the most familiar and trusted faces in British broadcasting with a career spanning more than two decades across television and radio. Born on 16 May 1975 in Chichester West Sussex she grew up in a household where faith and music were central parts of daily life. Her father Frank was a vicar who loved classical music and played it as loudly as he could around the house and those early years shaped both her values and her lasting love of classical music. Today she is best known as a presenter on ITV’s Good Morning Britain and as a radio host on Classic FM but the career that brought her to those roles is built on a long and impressive body of work that started in local radio and grew through some of the biggest news events in modern British history.
Quick Facts :Carlotte Hawkins
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Charlotte Mary Hawkins |
| Known For | British television presenter journalist and broadcaster best known for Good Morning Britain and Classic FM |
| Gender | Female |
| Nationality | British |
| Date of Birth | 16 May 1975 |
| Age | 51 years old |
| Birthplace | Chichester West Sussex England |
| Raised In | Chichester West Sussex England |
| School | Bishop Luffa School Chichester West Sussex |
| University | University of Manchester BA in English Literature |
| Postgraduate | Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism London College of Printing |
| Profession | Television Presenter Journalist Newsreader Radio Host Podcast Host and Author |
| Career Start | 1999 at ITN as newsreader and reporter for LBC Radio |
| BBC Career | Regional television and radio presenter in the South West of England |
| ITV Meridian Career | Joined ITV Meridian in January 2000 co-presented The Big Story and presented Britain on the Move and The London Boat Show |
| Sky News Career | Joined Sky News in 2006 co-presented Sunrise breakfast programme with Eamonn Holmes from 2007 to 2014 and hosted Sky News at 9am |
| Good Morning Britain | Joined at launch on 28 April 2014 and remains a core presenter presenting weekday mornings from 6am to 9am |
| Classic FM | Joined Classic FM in January 2018 hosts Pet Classics and other shows on Sunday afternoons |
| ITV Racing | Fashion and lifestyle reporter at major race meetings including Royal Ascot |
| Classical Music Album | Mindful Moments reached number one in the Classical Compilation Albums Chart and stayed there for ten weeks in 2020 |
| Podcasts | Hosts Leaps and Hounds dog training podcast with Dogs Trust launched 2024 and classical music podcast Last Past and Blast |
| Strictly Come Dancing | Competed in series 15 in 2017 paired with Brendan Cole eliminated in fourth week |
| Notable Coverage | Paddington rail crash 1999 London Olympics Diamond Jubilee Royal Wedding Oscars red carpet Los Angeles |
| Notable Interviews | Oprah Winfrey Sir Elton John Sir Paul McCartney David Beckham Johnny Depp Renee Zellweger and Matt Damon |
| Charity Work | Supports Motor Neurone Disease Association Dogs Trust Air Ambulances UK and Ellenor Hospice |
| Charity Ambassador | Ambassador for Dogs Trust |
| Spouse | Mark Herbert married 23 August 2008 at Chichester Cathedral |
| Husband Profession | Producer |
| Children | One daughter Ella Rose Herbert born February 2015 |
| Pets | Rescue dog named Bailey |
| Residence | Surrey England |
| Height | Approximately 5 feet 7 inches |
| Father | Frank Hawkins a Church of England vicar at Chichester Cathedral passed away after battle with motor neurone disease |
| Favourite Music | Pachelbel’s Canon played at her wedding and described as one of her father’s favourite pieces |
| Agent | M and C Saatchi Merlin contact Nicola Wright |
| Website | charlottehawkins |
| Current Status | Actively presenting on Good Morning Britain and Classic FM while maintaining podcast and charity work |
| Legacy | One of the most consistently trusted and respected faces in British broadcasting across more than two decades of television and radio |
Charlotte Hawkins: A Familiar Face in British Broadcasting
What makes Charlotte Hawkins stand out in British broadcasting is a combination of genuine journalistic ability and a warmth that comes through naturally on screen. She has been describing herself as someone who needs to be determined focused and a little nosy to do this job well and those qualities have served her consistently across every role she has held. From breaking news on LBC Radio to anchoring live Olympic coverage on Sky News to holding the morning desk on Good Morning Britain she has moved through different formats and different pressures without losing the approachability that viewers respond to. Her ability to handle hard news and lighter entertainment content with equal ease is something not every broadcaster manages well.
Early Life and Background of Charlotte Hawkins
Charlotte grew up in Chichester West Sussex attending Bishop Luffa School in the city. Her father Frank was a Church of England vicar who served at Chichester Cathedral and that connection to the cathedral became a meaningful thread through her life. She has spoken warmly about her childhood and about her father whose love of classical music became her own. Sadly Frank passed away after a battle with motor neurone disease and Charlotte has since supported the Motor Neurone Disease Association in his memory. Growing up in a household shaped by faith community and music gave her a grounded sense of who she was long before the cameras arrived.
Academic Journey and Education
After finishing school Charlotte went on to study English Literature at the University of Manchester where she graduated with a BA. That choice of degree gave her a strong foundation in communication language and critical thinking skills that translate directly into the kind of journalism she went on to do. After Manchester she completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism at the London College of Printing which gave her the practical technical grounding needed to move into professional broadcasting. That combination of a solid academic degree followed by specialist vocational training is a path that has worked well for many of Britain’s most respected broadcasters.
Charlotte Hawkins’ Entry Into Journalism and Broadcasting
Charlotte began her broadcasting career in 1999 after completing her postgraduate diploma joining ITN where she worked as a newsreader and reporter for LBC Radio. It was during this period that she found herself at the scene of one of the most tragic news events of that era the Paddington rail crash which killed 31 people in October 1999. She was one of the first journalists on the scene and provided live reports from the crash site a moment that underlines how early in her career she was handling serious breaking news under considerable pressure. That experience shaped her as a journalist and gave her a composure in difficult situations that has stayed with her ever since.
Rising Through the Ranks of British Television
In January 2000 Charlotte moved to ITV Meridian in the South East of England where she co-presented the current affairs series The Big Story and later presented Britain on the Move and The London Boat Show. Those years in regional television gave her a broad range of presenting experience across different formats and subjects. In 2006 she made the move to Sky News where she eventually became co-presenter of the flagship breakfast programme Sunrise alongside Eamonn Holmes a role she held for seven years. During that time she also hosted her own daily programme Sky News at 9am and was at the front of major live events including the London Olympics the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Royal Wedding. She also reported live from Los Angeles on the Oscars red carpet and covered Sky’s BAFTAs output.
Charlotte Hawkins’ Role at Good Morning Britain
In March 2014 it was confirmed that Charlotte would join ITV’s newly launched Good Morning Britain and she made her debut on the programme on 28 April 2014. Since then she has been one of the core faces of the show presenting alongside Susanna Reid Ben Shephard and Sean Fletcher on weekday mornings from 6am to 9am. The early alarm call of 2.45am that comes with the role is something she has mentioned openly and it reflects the genuine commitment that morning television demands. Beyond the main news desk Charlotte has also taken on the role of fashion reporter for ITV Racing covering lifestyle and fashion at major race meetings including Royal Ascot which adds a different dimension to her presenting portfolio.
Life Beyond the Morning News Desk
Charlotte’s career has never been limited to a single outlet or format and her work beyond Good Morning Britain reflects a genuine range of interests. She has appeared on a number of popular television programmes including Britain’s Got More Talent The Chase Pointless and Tipping Point. In 2017 she took part in the fifteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing where she was paired with professional dancer Brendan Cole. Although the partnership was eliminated in the fourth week her appearance on the show introduced her to a wider audience and showed a more playful side of her personality that regular news viewers don’t always get to see.
Charlotte Hawkins as a Classic FM Presenter
One of the most natural extensions of Charlotte’s personal life into her professional work has been her role at Classic FM which she joined in January 2018. Her connection to classical music goes back to childhood and her father’s love of the genre and hosting a show on the UK’s most listened to classical music station has clearly meant a great deal to her personally. She hosts Pet Classics one of the most popular shows on the channel which plays calming classical music to help animals cope during fireworks season. Her classical music album Mindful Moments reached number one in the Classical Compilation Albums Chart and stayed there for ten weeks a remarkable achievement for a broadcaster rather than a professional musician. She has also launched a classical music podcast called Last Past and Blast.
Charlotte Hawkins’ Style and On Screen Personality
Charlotte is regularly noted for her polished and elegant on screen style with viewers frequently commenting on her fashion choices particularly during race day coverage and high profile events. Beyond style though what defines her presenting approach is a combination of authority and warmth. She handles breaking news with calm precision and transitions into lighter segments without the jarring shift that can make morning television feel uneven. She has described the skills needed for good journalism as determination focus and curiosity and those three qualities are visible in how she approaches interviews whether the subject is a politician a celebrity or a member of the public caught up in a major story.
Charlotte Hawkins’ Most Memorable Moments on Air
Over a career of more than twenty five years Charlotte has been present for some of the most significant moments in recent British and international history. She was on the ground at the Paddington rail crash in 1999 as one of the first reporters to file live from the scene. She anchored Sky News coverage of the London Olympics the Diamond Jubilee and the Royal Wedding. She reported live from Los Angeles on the Oscars red carpet. She announced live on Good Morning Britain in August 2014 that she was expecting her first child. And she has conducted interviews with figures ranging from Oprah Winfrey and Sir Elton John to Sir Paul McCartney and David Beckham. That breadth of experience across news entertainment and live events is genuinely unusual.
Charlotte Hawkins’ Husband and Family Life
Charlotte met her husband Mark Herbert in 2003 and the couple married on 23 August 2008 at Chichester Cathedral the same cathedral where her father had served as a vicar. Pachelbel’s Canon was played as she walked down the aisle a piece of music she has described as deeply personal because it was also one of her father’s favourites. Mark works as a producer and has largely stayed out of the public eye which is a choice Charlotte has respected by keeping her family life relatively private. In August 2014 she announced live on Good Morning Britain that she and Mark were expecting their first child and their daughter Ella Rose was born in February 2015. Charlotte has described Ella Rose as a miracle baby and the family including their rescue dog Bailey live in Surrey.
Balancing a Career in Broadcasting With Personal Life
The demands of morning television are genuinely unusual. A 2.45am alarm call five mornings a week while also managing a household with a young child requires a particular kind of organisation and resilience. Charlotte has spoken about the importance of family support in making that balance work and about being deliberate about protecting family time from the pressures of a high profile broadcasting career. Her additional work at Classic FM and her various other presenting commitments mean her schedule is consistently full but she has managed to keep her personal life largely separate from her public presence which takes consistent effort.
Charlotte Hawkins’ Impact on British Broadcast Journalism
Charlotte’s impact on British broadcasting comes from consistency and quality over a long period rather than from any single landmark moment. She has held major presenting roles at three of the most significant outlets in British television and radio covering BBC regional ITV Meridian Sky News and ITV nationally as well as Classic FM and she has done so while maintaining a reputation for reliability and professionalism that the industry values highly. Her charity work including her support for the Motor Neurone Disease Association Dogs Trust Air Ambulances UK and Ellenor Hospice reflects a commitment to using her public platform for things beyond broadcasting.
Interesting Facts About Charlotte Hawkins
A few things about Charlotte Hawkins stand out when you look at her career and life closely. She was one of the first journalists on the scene at the 1999 Paddington rail crash. Her classical music album Mindful Moments spent ten weeks at number one in the Classical Compilation Albums Chart. She gets up at 2.45am on mornings when she presents Good Morning Britain. Her father was a vicar at Chichester Cathedral where she later married. She launched a dog training podcast called Leaps and Hounds in partnership with Dogs Trust in 2024. And despite competing on Strictly Come Dancing she was eliminated in the fourth week paired with Brendan Cole.
Where Is Charlotte Hawkins Today?
As of 2026 Charlotte Hawkins continues to present on Good Morning Britain and at Classic FM while also maintaining her various other media commitments. Her LinkedIn and broadcaster profiles also note a connection to ITV News from 2025 suggesting her role within the ITV family has continued to develop. She remains an active charity ambassador particularly for Dogs Trust and continues to host her Leaps and Hounds podcast. With over two decades of broadcasting behind her and multiple active roles across television and radio she remains one of the most consistently present and respected figures in British media.
FAQS About Charlotte Hawkins
Who is Charlotte Hawkins?
She is a British television presenter journalist and broadcaster best known for her work on ITV’s Good Morning Britain and Classic FM with a career spanning more than twenty five years.
Where did Charlotte Hawkins grow up?
She grew up in Chichester West Sussex and attended Bishop Luffa School before going on to study at the University of Manchester.
Who is Charlotte Hawkins married to?
She is married to Mark Herbert a producer. They married in 2008 at Chichester Cathedral and have one daughter named Ella Rose born in February 2015.
Did Charlotte Hawkins appear on Strictly Come Dancing?
Yes she took part in the fifteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2017 paired with Brendan Cole and was eliminated in the fourth week.
What is Charlotte Hawkins doing now?
She continues to present on Good Morning Britain and Classic FM while also hosting her dog training podcast Leaps and Hounds and her classical music podcast Last Past and Blast.
Final Thoughts
Charlotte Hawkins’ career is a study in what sustained commitment to quality broadcasting looks like over the long term. She started in local radio in 1999 and built her way through regional television national news and morning television to become one of the recognizable and trusted faces in British broadcasting. Her range across hard news entertainment classical music and charity work reflects a presenter who has never allowed herself to be limited by a single format or audience. The personal losses she has experienced particularly the death of her father have clearly shaped her values and the way she uses her platform. Whatever comes next the foundation she has built across more than two decades of live broadcasting is a strong and lasting one.
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