Rosie Millard

Rosemary Harriet Millard OBE (born 17 April 1965) is a British journalist, writer, and broadcaster known for her work in arts journalism, cultural leadership, and literature. She chairs Firstsite gallery in Colchester and serves as vice-chair of Opera North, having previously chaired BBC Children in Need (2018–2024) and Hull City of Culture 2017. Millard was the BBC's arts correspondent from 1995 to 2004 and has contributed to The Times, The Independent, The Spectator, and The Telegraph. She has authored four books, including the travel memoir Bonnes Vacances and the novel The Square (2015). In 2018, she was appointed an OBE for services to the arts in Hull, and in 2024, she resigned from BBC Children in Need amid controversy over grant allocations.

Education Millard was educated at Wimbledon High School, an independent girls' school in southwest London, and participated in a US high school exchange through the English-Speaking Union. She earned a BA in English and Drama from the University of Hull, followed by studies at the London College of Communication and the Courtauld Institute of Art. In 2018, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Hull for her cultural contributions to the city.

Life and career

Early career Millard began her career in 1988 as a junior researcher on Granada Television's This Morning. She authored the "Mr and Mrs Millard" column for The Timess Body and Soul section and presents BBC Radio 4's Saturday Review, while reviewing newspapers for Sky News and ITV. Her BBC Radio 4 documentaries include In Defence of Pushy Parents (2012), Stories from The Squeezed Middle (2013), and Towering Ambition (2014), exploring urban architecture. She appears on Newsnight, BBC Radio 5 Live, and Jeremy Vine on Radio 2, and co-produced Kick Out The Jams (2013), an ITV Perspectives documentary on Young British Artists. Her advocacy highlighted Hull's cultural renaissance, describing it as a city "on the cusp of change". Millard denied transphobia allegations, emphasising child safeguarding. In a resignation letter to the charity's board, Millard accused the organisation of "institutional failure" and criticised chief executive Simon Antrobus for "dithering" in addressing her concerns about the grants, which were awarded between 2017 and 2023. The controversy centred on LGBT Youth Scotland's former chief executive, James Rennie, convicted in 2009 of child sex offences, and historic allegations of abuse linked to the charity, which Millard argued raised safeguarding concerns.

Millard's resignation attracted significant media attention and public debate. In her letter, she claimed she was "thrown under the bus" by the charity for raising safeguarding issues, asserting that whistleblowers faced retaliation. In interviews, Millard defended her decision, stating, "If protecting children from harm makes me a Terf, then I'm proud to be one", in response to accusations of transphobia, emphasising that her concerns were rooted in child safety, not ideological opposition to transgender issues. She highlighted the charity's failure to conduct adequate due diligence on grant recipients. The charity noted that the grants supported youth programmes and that it had implemented robust safeguarding measures since the 2009 conviction.

The resignation drew varied reactions. Some media outlets and commentators praised Millard's stance on safeguarding, while others, including LGBT Youth Scotland and advocacy groups, condemned her letter as inflammatory and harmful to transgender youth. The controversy underscored broader debates about charity governance, due diligence, and the balance between safeguarding and inclusivity. Bonnes Vacances: A Crazy Family Adventure in the French Territories (Summersdale, 2011), a humorous travel memoir lauded for its engaging narrative. She described the diagnosis and recovery as a transformative challenge. She has four children with her ex-husband, Pip Clothier. An avid marathon runner, Millard has completed twelve marathons, including the Great Wall of China Marathon and the six Abbott World Marathon Majors, with a personal best of 3:48. She co-founded the Second South Islington Brownies and served as a Brownie leader, reflecting her community engagement.