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Countdown star Susie Dent gives rare insight into family life

The lexicographer is a doting mum to two daughters

susie dent
Sharnaz Shahid
Deputy Online Editor
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Channel 4 star Susie Dent may be one of the longest-serving members on the Countdown panel, but first and foremost, being a mother is at the top of her priority list.

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Writing in The Times column Day In The Life, the 55-year-old - who is married to primary school teacher Paul Atkins - gave fans a rare insight into her family life with her partner and their two daughters, Lucy, 20, Thea, 12.

Of spending time with her children, she said: "I'm an early bird, up at 6. Morning is mum-time. Lucy, 20, Thea, 12, and I have breakfast - oats, Brazil nuts and seeds, soaked in apple juice and yoghurt - then I walk to school with Thea. We have some of our best chats watching the gossamer float across the fields."

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Susie, who has been in the Dictionary Corner on the popular daytime show since 1992, lives in Oxfordshire with her family. "If I'm not filming, I spend a lot of time at home, living in my head," she added.

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The lexicographer went on to reveal how she carves out time in the evenings to bond with her youngest daughter. "Thea and I sometimes read a book together in the evening," she explained. "To Kill a Mockingbird will get us talking.

susie dent smiling

Susie has been a Countdown fixture since 1992

"I've tried to show my daughters that a passion for language is a wonderful thing, but you can’t force that on a child."

As well as Countdown, the mum-of-two has appeared on 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Susie Dent's Guide To Swearing for Channel 4. It's coming up to three decades since Susie first appeared on the iconic Countdown series alongside late host Richard Whiteley and mathematician Carol Vorderman.

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