Among the first women to make a real impact on football presenting, Gabby Logan has achieved her dream of success, conquering a male-dominated industry in the process

Early Potential

The daughter of Terry Yorath (a Welsh footballer and manager), it is not surprising that Gabby’s love of sport was nurtured from a young age. She was educated at several schools due to the fact the family moved around a lot as her father’s job meant relocating relatively frequently. Having been successful in her studies, she went on to attend Durham University, where she studied law at St Hild and St Bede.

Sporting Success

Throughout school and university, Gabby was an active participant in sport. She played netball and practiced gymnastics, both of which she had a natural talent for.  Her years of training paid off in 1990, when she represented Wales in the rhythmic gymnastics competition at the Commonwealth Games. She achieved eighth place, an impressive result for a 16 year old. Unfortunately, Gabby began to suffer from sciatica at the age of 17 and was unable to continue to pursue her dream of becoming a gymnastic champion. 

Football

Due to her father’s involvement in the sport, football was an important part of Gabby’s life. As a lifelong fan of the sport, Gabby has her own preferences and is a supporter of Newcastle United. She followed the sport as a fan throughout her childhood and teenage years.

Gabby began work as a radio presenter once she had completed her degree. It was whilst Gabby was working at Newcastle’s Metro Radio that she was approached by Sky Sports, who invited her to become a television presenter. Gabby worked with Sky Sports for two years, before moving to ITV. During this time, she also worked as a host for game shows.

She began working as a presenter for ITV’s On The Ball in 1998, a popular lunchtime football show. Whilst working for ITV, she also presented numerous football games, including UEFA Champion’s League matches and interviewing stars for the 2006 World Cup.  She has participated in the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.

The Olympics

During the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Gabby was host of Olympics Tonight, a friendly and fun take on the day’s events and outcomes. In interviews since the even, she has said how much she enjoyed presenting at the Olympics and that she felt the event was enhanced by the amount of female sports presenters taking part in the coverage.

Current Work

Gabby is not only an enthusiastic and talented presenter, she also contributes articles for The Times. She has also appeared in GQ magazine. She currently works as a host of Inside Sport, a BBC programme which discusses current news and trends involving sport and interviews sporting stars. In addition to this, she hosts the Gabby Logan Show on BBC Radio 5 Live, discussing current news, politics and, of course, sport.     

Personal and Charitable Interests

When Gabby was a teenager her younger brother Daniel died unexpectedly of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart condition. The untimely death of her otherwise healthy brother helped Gabby to see how vital it is to make the most of your life. She has worked in support of the British Heart Foundation, helping to raise money and providing a celebrity profile boost for the charity. 

Gabby was married in 2001. Her husband is Kenny Logan, a Scottish international rugby player. The couple have two children, twins called Lois and Reuben.