Katie Derham adds another string to her bow after being unveiled as new host of BBC Proms

By Daily Mail Reporter

New beginnings: Katie Derham the new BBC Proms presenter makes a glamorous start to her new role, seen here with violinist Nicola Benedetti


Katie Derham made a glamorous start to her role as the host of the BBC's Proms coverage.

Just a day after it was announced that she was quitting her role as ITN's news anchor for a £250,000 move to the BBC, the 39-year-old has been unveiled as the television corporation's new signing at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Dressed in a royal blue goddess gown, Miss Derham posed with showgirls, a dapper dancer in tophat and tails and glamorous violinist Nicola Benedetti, the former winner of BBC young musician of the year.


On the job: Katie posed for outside the Royal Albert Hall in central London, the venue of the 2010 BBC Proms


Miss Derham said: 'I'm thrilled to be joining the BBC Proms team at the start of such a fantastic season.

'It's going to be tremendous fun bringing viewers in-depth coverage from the concerts and digging deeper into the history of some of the wonderful music.'

The 2010 BBC proms will feature more than 90 concerts, starting Friday 16th July until Saturday 11th September, with two concerts dedicated to Broadway legends Rogers & Hammerstein and Stephen Sondheim.

Proms director Roger Wright said: What we want Katie to do is present in the authoritative, knowledgeable and personable way she has.'


Passion: The former ITN news anchor said she was 'thrilled' to be joining the BBC Proms team


A BBC insider said it was the lure of being able to indulge her passion for classical music that had attracted her back to the BBC where she will work across television and Radio 3 and Radio 4.

The 39-year-old newsreader has been a stalwart of ITN for 12 years and has anchored the lunchtime news since 2004.

Miss Derham was believed to be on a salary of around £200,000 a year at ITN and will receive a pay rise as she prepares to front a variety of shows for the corporation.

An ITN source told the Mail: 'There is no row. Katie just felt that it was time to look at different things.'

The married mother of two has been a popular face on news bulletins since she joined ITN in 1998 as media and arts editor.


Pastures new: The married mother of two will be able to indulge her passion for classical music, as well as working across television, and Radio 3 and 4


Soon afterwards, at just 27, she became the youngest national newsreader on British television.

An ITN spokesman confirmed: 'We can confirm that Katie Derham will be leaving ITN to join the BBC in a non-news role.

'We wish her all the best and will announce in due course our presenting plans for ITV Network News and London Tonight, where we already have a very strong roster of experienced female presenters.'

Miss Derham has mainly presented the 1.30pm edition of the ITV's news and London Tonight in the past six years, but has stepped in as relief anchor for the 6.30pm bulletin and News at Ten.

She is married to restaurateur John Vincent and has two daughters -Natasha May, aged nine, and Eleanor Margaret, four



At work: Derham at ITN, alongside Nicholas Owen


source: dailymail