Alexa Chung
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Age: 26
Alexa Chung is a British TV presenter and former model.
Alexa Chung was raised in Privett, Hampshire, England by her English mother, a housewife, and her Chinese father, a graphic designer. She is the youngest of four children and has two brothers and one sister.
She attended the local comprehensive school, Perins Community College, and later the sixth form Peter Symonds College, Winchester (2000-2002). She had been accepted by King’s College London to read English and by Chelsea College of Art and Design to do an art foundation course, with two 'A' grades (English and Art) and a 'B' (History) at A-level, before being scouted by a modelling agency.
Chung was first scouted by an agency, Elite Model Management, while attending The Clothes Show at the age of 14, but nothing came of it. She was approached again, in the comedy tent at Reading Festival, at the age of 16 and was taken on by the London-based Storm Model Management.
She modelled for teen magazines such as Elle Girl and CosmoGIRL! and appeared in adverts for products including Fanta, Sony Ericsson, Sunsilk and Tampax. She also modelled for Urban Outfitters. She appeared in music videos for artists including The Streets, Westlife, Delta Goodrem, Reuben and Holly Valance and starred as Jake in a scripted reality show called Shoot Me, broadcast on Fashion TV in 2005.
After four years, Chung quit modelling with the intention of beginning an art foundation or fashion journalism course, having become disillusioned. She had developed a “distorted body image” and “low self-esteem” through modelling.
After becoming a famous TV personality, Chung made a return to occasional modelling. In 2008, she was the face of both Australian fashion label Antipodium's SS 2008 collection and Oxfam's ethical fashion range, Revamped. In September 2008, Chung walked the catwalk as part of the Vivienne Westwood Red Label Spring/Summer 2009 show at London Fashion Week. In early 2009, she became the face of British high street giant New Look. Also in 2009, Chung joined London-based modelling agency, Select.
In April 2006, then-model Chung was offered the job of co-host on Popworld on Channel 4, a music show known for its irreverent and awkward style of interviews. Chung and co-host Alex Zane also presented a weekly radio show called Popworld Radio in conjunction with the TV programme. The last show aired in July 2007, after Channel 4 decided not to recommission the programme, which had been on air for nearly seven years.
Following this, Chung signed a year-long "golden handcuffs" deal with Channel 4 in August 2007, worth £100,000. As part of this deal, she guest presented Big Brother’s Big Mouth and appeared as a panellist on quiz show 8 out of 10 Cats. She hosted a number of T4 Movie Specials, 4Music Specials, T4 Holiday Mornings along with T4's coverage of many music festivals.
In January 2008, Chung became one of the four anchor T4 presenters. She hosted T4’s Vanity Lair, a reality show investing the concept of "beauty". When the show was mentioned in a later interview, "Chung raises her eyebrows, indicating embarrassment". As well as her work on T4, she became a long-time host of Channel 4’s early morning music programme Freshly Squeezed, beginning in September 2007.
In addition to her Channel 4 commitments, Chung presented the ITV1 series Get a Grip (2007) and BBC Three's The Wall (2008).
In mid-2008, Chung began to host more fashion-oriented programming. She was the "roving reporter" on Channel 4's "Gok's Fashion Fix". On the programme, Chung roadtested the latest fashion trends with members of the public, and interviewed fashion designers such as Roberto Cavalli, Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier, Margherita Missoni and Christian Lacroix. She described it as 'pretty much my dream job'. Chung also hosted a T4 fashion and music show called Frock Me!, with fashion designer Henry Holland.
Chung has also hosted industry events including the Hair Magazine Awards 2007, Diesel U Music Awards 2007 and the Elle Style Awards 2008 and 2009.
She was awarded the Elle Style Award for Best TV Presenter in 2009.
Chung left Channel 4, and the United Kingdom, in April 2009 in order to pursue a stateside career. She will begin presenting The Alexa Chung Show for MTV on June 15, 2009. The live, daily show - billed as TRL's replacement- will feature celebrity talk, live music and online interaction with viewers .
Chung wrote a monthly column for British women’s magazine Company from October 2007 to June 2008.
She currently writes a weekly newspaper column for The Independent, 'Girl About Town', which is published every Wednesday.
In 2007, Chung came to the attention of the fashion press for her distinctive, quirky style. She frequently appears on Best Dressed Lists, in fashion magazines and on the front row of fashion shows. She socialises with many well-known faces but has said the idea of lots of celebrity friends is "so cheesy". She has dismissed the notion of being an It girl, saying “there’s not much to being an It girl. It’s really quite a depressing title to hold”.
See also: Model, Chinese, British, TV Personality
