Celebrity friends

David Aaronovitch
David is a regular columnist for the Times, and has won the George Orwell prize for political journalism in 2001, and was the What the Papers Say Columnist of the Year for 2003. David has also pursued a career of presenter of, and contributor to, radio and television programmes, mainly for the BBC, such as Have I Got news For You.

Tom Aikens
Award winning chef Tom Aikens owns his own eponymous eatery in Chelsea, London, and has just recently won a coveted Michelin star for his delectable cuisine. Tom, originally from Norwich, has worked in top restaurants in London and Paris, and has recently taken up fencing.

Adrian Chiles
Adrian Chiles presents Match of the Day 2, Five Live’s Chiles on Saturday, and BBC Two’s Working Lunch. He joined the BBC originally for 3 weeks work experience on Business Breakfast. This led to a full time position as an assistant Producer, and by October 2003, Adrian was presenting Radio 4’s Financial World Tonight. Since August 2001, Adrian has presented Wednesday’s late edition of 6-0-6, Five Live’s flagship football phone-in.

Gearoid Devaney
As Sommelier goes, they don’t come much better than Paris-trained Gearoid Devaney. He is currently Head Sommelier at Tom Aiken’s restaurant in Chelsea, London, where he has received rave reviews for his enthusiastic and friendly approach to his work. He was named Tatler Sommelier of the Year in 2004, and won the Torres Quiz Master Trophy in 2005.

Orlaith McAllister
Orlaith came second in the Miss Northern Ireland competition in 1999 and is currently Belfast’s Model of the Year. Orlaith is famous for her appearance in this year’s high profile Big Brother, where she became a famous pin-up. Orlaith has gone from strength to strength.

Phina Oruche
Phina has been in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and various small parts in Hollywood. Television appearances include Nip & Tuck and Diagnosis Murder. Phina has recently joined the cast of Footballer Wives as Liberty Baker.

John Parker
John is one half of chart topping band Nizlopi, who secured their first number one with the JCB Song in December 2005. John, who is originally from Leamington Spa, plays the double bass, guitar, and is a human beatbox. John, along with his band mate Luke, have just completed a British tour, and while on stage in London, received a Gold disc for the JCB Song.

Patricia Potter
British actress Patricia Potter is a former star of the channel 4 soap Brookside, and is currently starring as the senior registrar Diane Lloyd in BBC’s Holby City. She is up for a number of awards at the Holdby TV Awards, including Favourite All Time Female and Best Ever Performance in a storyline.

Chucky Venice
Chucky Venice plays Tremaine Gidigbi in Footballers Wives; the latest Earls Park signing. As well as this role, Chucky has played Curtis Alexander in Sky One’s Dream Team, Johnny in Draining Lizards and Barry Tucker in Holby City.

He has appeared in a variety of other productions for theatre, film and television including Randell & Hopkirk for the BBC, plus several other commercials and music videos including Craig David’s Rendezvous.

Kellie Shirley
Kellie Shirley works as an actress. Her work includes 'The Office Xmas Special', 3-part BBC drama 'Twenty-Thousand Streets Under the Sky', 'Eastenders', and the films 'Wimbledon', 'Venus' and horror flick 'The Sick House' due to be released next year, along with 'The Grind'.

Kellie became involved with the Anthony Nolan Trust a few months ago when she was asked to run the 2007 Flora London Marathon.

Evan Davis
Evan Davis is the BBC's Economics Editor, responsible for reporting and analysing economic developments on a range of programmes on BBC radio and television, particularly the Ten O’clock News and News night.

His book, Public Spending, was also published in 1998 and he is co-author of the Penguin Dictionary of Economics and the New Penguin Dictionary of Business. Awards he has won include the Industrial Society Award for Broadcast Journalist of the Year in 1998 and the Work Foundation's Workworld Broadcast Journalist of the Year in 2001 and 2003. 

He has also won Best Broadcast Submission at the Business Journalist of the Year Awards for Big, Bad Business on Radio 4 and the Harold Wincott Foundation's Business Broadcaster of the Year.