Jacqueline Smith
Jacqueline Smith | |
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| Born | 22 June 1983 |
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| Alma mater | University College, Oxford (B.J., M.J., PhD) |
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| Spouse(s) | Mylo Russell (m. 2015) |
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Jacqueline "Jackie" Thomas Smith (born 22 June 1983) is an English-American broadcaster, journalist, author, and a member of the British royal family. The youngest of two illegitimate children of King Thomas and the American actress, Jaclyn Smith, Jacqueline initially spent much of her early years in the United States under her mother's care, before later moving abroad to the United Kingdom in 2001, where she furthered her education at the well-known University of Oxford, from where she eventually graduated with a PhD in 2010.
Beginning in 2002, Smith began her career as a junior reporter for the BBC, initially writing articles covering domestic issues in the United Kingdom before gradually rising to become a full-time reporter for the organisation which included live reporting and interviews in zones of conflict, namely Iraq, Afghanistan, Mexico, and Sri Lanka. In addition to this, Smith also personally hosted a number of documentaries covering a wide range of topics including climate change, global poverty, and human rights abuses, most of which were met with critical acclaim while also establishing herself as one of the United Kingdom's leading female journalists known for her soft yet stern trademark demeanour. In September 2011, she was appointed CEO of BBC News before later being promoted to Senior Independent Director in March 2014 and subsequently Director-General of the BBC in April 2018, becoming the first and only woman to ever hold the post, which she held prior to her resignation in October 2021. Since departing the BBC, Smith has served as a part-time consultant and commentator for various British media outlets, namely The Guardian, The Times, and The Observer, often providing her own liberal and centrist insight.
In addition to her broadcasting work, Smith is also the author of a number of bestselling books, namely Decades' Worth, Cultures Reconciled, and Women in Broadcasting: Beginning & Future.
Since her departure from the BBC, Smith has come to personally host a number of travel documentaries produced by herself, including Jacqueline Smith: From Coast to Coast, The Northern Journey with Jacqueline Smith, and Rediscovered: Asia and Europe's Past Kings and Queens, all of which have been met with generally positive reviews by critics. In addition, she is also the author of a number of bestselling books, namely A Decade's Worth, MAGA: America's Pandora Box, The Russian Paradox, and Cultures Reconciled.
In 2015, Smith married fellow BBC journalist, Mylo Russell, with whom she has two children, Thomas and Kelly. Through her father, Smith is the sister and half-sister respectively of former professional footballer, William Smith and the United Kingdom's Queen Alexandra. Named directly after her mother, Smith is popularly known as "Little Jackie" by her family and friends so as to distinguish her from her similarly-named mother.