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Jonathan Ross - Biography

The Masked Singer judge wed Jane Goldman in 1988 

Jonathan Ross attending a premiere
Phoebe Tatham
Content Writer
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Who is Jonathan Ross?

Born in Camden, London, to a lorry driver father and a TV extra mother, it was inevitable that Jonathan would soon catch the fame bug. As his mother coerced Jonathan and his brothers into auditioning for TV adverts, the budding star was cast as the face of Kellogg's Rice Krispies and Persil as a child before he has even considered presenting as a career. Educated at Southampton Solent and The University of London, Jonathan entered the graduate world as a TV researcher for Channel 4 show Loose Talk.

It wasn't long, however, before the chatterbox's talents shone through. Forming a new production company, Channel X, the star was determined to form a British equivalent of The Late Night With David Letterman show. With little time left to find a host, Jonathan stepped forward to star in the debut show in 1987, resulting in the creation of The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross.

With his luck on the up, it was only a year later that Jonathan married his eighteen-year-old girlfriend, Jane Goldman. As well as sharing an impressive 22-year-strong marriage, the pair have both enjoyed incredibly successful careers. Working for magazine Zero when the pair first met, Jane has gone on to celebrate a successful writing career as the penwoman behind box office hits Stardust and Kick Ass.

His TV Career

Although Jonathan enjoyed a successful career with his first show, Jonathan signed to the BBC six years later as he was presented with an irresistible opportunity to present a new Friday night talk show and a slot on Radio 2. The offer led the star to quit Channel X productions. And so, the iconic Friday Night With Jonathan Ross show was born. Attracting a series of captivating a-listers to his sofa, the man dazzled the audience with his audacious conversations, flamboyant suits and witty annecdotes, which resulted in him being awarded an OBE for his services to broadcasting in 2005. 

As well all know, however, too much chatter can result in a lot of trouble. Jonathan experienced this for himself in 2008 when he and comedian and Radio 2 presenter Russell Brand were shamed for taking a practical joke too far. After the pair rang up Fawlty Towers legend Andrew Sachs and made lewd comments about Russell's relations with his granddaughter, Jonathan was suspended from the station for twelve weeks and Russell was sacked from his slot. 

Returning to work in January 2009, Jonathan worked until the end of his contract with the broadcasting network and decided not to renew his contract in 2010. This led to a tearful final episode of his talk show, as he interviewed David Beckham, Mickey Rourke and Jackie Chan in his own idiosyncratic style for the last time for the channel.

Fortunately for his fans, it was not a long wait until the stellar presenter graced the TV as a talk show host once more. Signing a contract with French broadcaster CineMoi, Jonathan started his new career with ITV 1 in a Saturday night slot as the presenter of The Jonathan Ross Show in 2011, which is now running into its third series.

As well as numerous presenting stints for one-off programmes, Jonathan owns his own production company, Hot Sauce, with his wife. The star has also produced a comic called, Turf, which he claimed has been a dream of his since childhood. The star has also lent his distinctive voice to video games Halo 3 and Fable III. He currently resides in Hampstead Garden suburb with Jane, his three children Betty Kitten, Harvey Kirby, Honey Kinney and a menagerie of pets.

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