Amanda Platell

Early and personal life Platell was born in Perth, Western Australia. Her father was a journalist working for The West Australian newspaper and her mother was a secretary.

Platell graduated with an Honours Degree in Politics and Philosophy from the University of Western Australia.

She has lamented that for medical reasons she has been unable to have children.

Career After a backpacking tour of the world with her then fiancé John Chenery, she arrived in London in 1985.

From 1999 to 2001, Platell moved into politics to become the Conservative Party's head of media, during which she supported William Hague, advising him to just "be yourself" as it was at these times he was his strongest. In her role, Platell made an important contribution to Hague's reversion from a modernising agenda to a 'core vote' strategy pursued during the 1999 European Elections, in which the Conservatives gained the most votes, as well as the 2001 General Election campaign. Hague, however, only managed to make a net gain of 1 seat in 2001, forcing his resignation shortly after the General Election.

Since 2002, Platell has contributed as a freelancer to the Daily Mail. In 2020 the Daily Mail paid damages of £25,000 to the Cambridge academic Professor Priyamvada Gopal and agreed to pay her legal costs after Platell libellously claimed, citing fake tweets, that she was "attempting to incite an aggressive and potentially violent race war".

Television Unspin: Amanda Platell's Secret Video Diary – Channel 4 (2001) Morgan & Platell – Channel 4 (2004–2005) Prime Ministers Spouses – Channel 4 (2005) Crisis Command: Could You Run The Country? – BBC Two (2004) Bee in Your Bonnet – BBC Two (2004) How Euro Are You? – BBC Two (2005) Richard & Judy – Channel 4 (2001–07), regular commentator The Daily Politics – BBC Two Question Time – BBC One (1993, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2014), panellist The Apprentice: You're Fired! – BBC Two (2008, 2009, 2010), guest panellist The Andrew Marr Show – BBC One (2005–), regular newspaper reviewer The Alan Titchmarsh Show – ITV (2007–), occasional discussion contributor This Morning – ITV (2009–), occasional newspaper reviewer Dan Wootton Tonight – GB News (2021–), weekly panellist Press Preview – Sky News (2023–), weekly panellist