Former Sky Sports news favourite Georgie Thompson is back working in the media – 10 years after she disappeared from television screens for a private life with her Olympic husband.
Georgie, whose surname is now Ainslie, has a plethora of broadcast experience behind her having worked for the likes of Fox Sports, BBC 5 Live and, of course, Sky Sports.
She won over fans with her quirky personality on Sky Sports between the years of 2001 and 2013, working on the likes of Formula One, Wimbledon and the Speedway World Cup, while she was also a presenter on Sky Sports News.
In 2013, she quit Sky Sports to move to Fox Sports in America, and would eventually move out of the public view in 2016 following a stint with 5 Live’s Saturday Morning comedy show Fighting Talk alongside new Strictly Come Dancing host Josh Widdicombe. They both departed in 2016.
She would then indulge in a more private life alongside Olympic sailing icon Sir Ben Ainslie, who she wed in 2014. The couple have two children together – a daughter Bellatrix, who was born in 2016, and a son Fox, born in 2021.
Now 48 and known as Lady Ainslie, Georgie has opened up on her relationship with Ben, 49, who won gold medals in four consecutive Olympic Games from 2000 to 2012.
Former Sky Sports News favourite Georgie Thompson – now Ainslie – is back on our screens
Thompson was a fan favourite on Sky Sports before disappearing from the public eye
She is married to former Olympic hero Ben Ainslie, and the couple have two children together
In 2013, she told the Daily Mail: ‘We met through friends at an event and I don’t really know how to describe it. It was a bit of a thunderbolt moment but a thunderbolt that took years before it became anything real.
‘We were in different places, but then in April the stars aligned and it made sense to be together and we haven’t looked back since. It’s very special… he makes me very happy.’
In January this year, meanwhile, Ben told the I: ‘My wife, Georgie, and I are very different personalities. Georgie is a real people person – extrovert, outgoing, very confident socially – whereas I’m a bit more shy and reserved.
‘We met at a JP Morgan sports awards dinner. She was working at Sky at the time, and we ended up being sat next to one another and just got along brilliantly. We’re actually business partners too as co-founders of ainslie+ainslie, a performance powders business, which began when Georgie saw how supplements were used by our sailing teams.’
And, after years away, Georgie has now returned – alongside Ben.
Together, the couple host a successful podcast titled ‘Performance People’, which sees them interview stars from the world of sport and beyond, having launched in 2022.
Some of the biggest names that have been on their show include Mercedes Formula One icon Lewis Hamilton and former England goalkeeper Mary Earps.
One of their most-recent guests, meanwhile, has been FA CEO Mark Bullingham.
Perhaps most famously, though, Georgie was the face of Sky Sports News’ ‘Afternoon Report’ show, and the voice of Premier League years on the channel.
