Sandi Toksvig is a Danish-British TV presenter and comedian. She has recently announced that she will be leaving her role as co-host of The Great British Bake Off. Here are ten things about her that you may not know.
1. She Was Born In Copenhagen
Her father was a Danish journalist and she was born in Copenhagen. However, he was a foreign correspondent and so he spent a lot of time traveling abroad. This meant that the family also went with him and so she never really had the chance to settle in Denmark. She has always felt more at home in the UK and this may be because she has lived here since she was a young adult.
2. She Was At Mission Control For The Moon Landings
When the moon landings were taking place, her father was reporting on the event from mission control and Sandi was able to accompany him. She was eleven years old at the time and one of the clearest memories she has is holding the hand of Neil Armstrong’s secretary as the ship landed on the surface. His secretary was obviously very nervous and she was glad that she was able to offer some comfort.
3. She Graduated From Cambridge University With A First Class Degree
She attended Girton College which is part of Cambridge University. She read law, anthropology and archaeology which meant that she had to put in a lot of hard work to earn her degree. She was also awarded The Raemaker and The Theresa Montefiore prizes which recognize outstanding achievement. After she left Cambridge, she decided to continue with her comedy career rather than following a more academic route.
4. She Was A Member Of Footlights When At Cambridge
While she was studying at Cambridge, she was part of the theatrical group which is known as the Footlights. She wrote the first one-woman show that the group ever performed and she starred in this show as well. She was part of this group at the same time as other notable members such as Emma Thompson and Hugh Laurie. Another member of the group was Stephen Fry, who she replaced as host of the quiz show QI in 2016.
5. She Made A Cameo Appearance In Call The Midwife
She appeared in the Christmas special of Call The Midwife in 2013. Metro named her as one of the top things about the episode. She played a nurse that worked in the local hospital. Her character of Sister Gibbs was described as a grumpy nurse who had a heartwarming story. This is one of the only appearances on TV that she has made in an acting role as she usually appears as herself.
6. She Has Three Children
She has three children that were all carried by her ex partner, Peta Stewart. The children were conceived by artificial insemination and they all have the same biological father. One of the main reasons that she came out as a lesbian was so that her children wouldn’t think it was strange that they had two moms. Sandi and her children have all said that it makes absolutely no difference to them that they are not biologically related. They all believe that there is much more to being a family than blood and that this will always be the case for them. Even though Sandi and Peta are no longer together, they still maintain a good relationship for the sake of the children.
7. She Also Works As An Author
She has written over twenty books for both adults and children. These include both fiction and non-fiction books and some of them are also based on her own life. She spent a lot of time in the USA when she was growing up and she spent some time there traveling around the country to revisit the places where she spent some time when she was younger. She used this experience to write Gladys Reunited: A Personal American Journey. She has also written a fictional novel for young adults that was based on the experiences of her father and grandparents during the holocaust. She has also written several plays.
8. She Has An OBE For Services To Broadcasting
The Wandsworth Guardian reported that she was named in the New Years Honours List at the end of 2013. Her OBE was awarded for services to broadcasting. Her first job on the TV was as a host on a children’s show called No. 73 which aired in the 1980s and she has worked on TV almost constantly since this date. Most of this work has been on panel shows, where she has either appeared as a guest or the host. She was presented with the award by the Prince Of Wales at Buckingham Palace.
9. She Lives On A Houseboat
Sandi currently lives with her wife Debbie on a houseboat in Wandsworth. There is a large community in this area of people that live on these types of boats. She enjoys the simplicity of life on the water, but the downside to this is that she does not have a lot of space. She has overcome this by buying a house in a Kent which she has said that she uses mainly to store all her books. It also means that the couple have somewhere they can escape to if they want a break from life on the water.
10. She Will Be Missed By Noel Fielding On The Great British Bake Off
On announcing that she would be departing the show, her co-host Noel Fielding posted on Twitter to say how much he would miss her. He compared their partnership to Tom and Jerry and said that he would be lost without her. Other stars and previous contestants have also took to social media to say how much she will be missed. Sandi has said that she believes that her friendship with Noel and the other cast members will still continue even though she is no longer part of the show.
