Clare Balding announces her memoirs, My Animals and Other Family
Friday 01st Jul 2011
Viking Penguin is to publish the childhood memoir of BBC sports presenter Clare Balding, My Animals and Other Family, in September 2012.
Clare Balding said: “I am utterly thrilled to be joining the Penguin family, especially because they are the literary home to Gerald Durrell. This is a huge moment for me and I hope I can repay their faith in my writing ability. I can honestly say that I am more excited about this than anything that has ever happened in my working life.”
Joel Rickett, Editorial Director of Viking, said: “My Animals and Other Family is Clare’s story of growing up in an unusual household where the horses took priority, the dogs looked after the children, and the Queen would drop by for breakfast. It’s tender and painfully true, full of huge characters both animal and human. The writing is magical. This is a book which will be loved by everyone.”
Clare Balding will be at the heart of the BBC's coverage of the London 2012 Olympics. A former leading amateur flat jockey, she became the face of the BBC's racing output in 1998. She presents flagship sporting events including the Olympics, Wimbledon and Royal Ascot, and has been voted RTS Sports Presenter of the Year and Racing Journalist of the Year. She also presents Ramblings on BBC Radio 4, and in 2010 she filmed Britain By Bike for BBC4.
My Animals and Other Family will be released as a Viking hardback and ebook in September 2012. Lee Durrell, widow of Gerald Durrell, has given permission to use the allusive title.