Michelle Ackerley
The TV presenter talks about her career, her interest in psychology, coping with anxiety and finding comfort during testing times
INTERVIEW DANIELLE WOODWARD
PHOTOGRAPH: STEFAN SIELER
I studied psychology at university; I’ve always been fascinated by people. My mum is a life coach and my grandad was chief of the Ga tribe in Ghana; he was a kind of counsellor – he had to listen to people and communicate with them. I enjoyed learning about the science behind why people behave the way they do. One of my tutors was a body language expert on Big Brother. He made me realise I could explore being a good communicator in the media.
I was lucky to have a work placement at the BBC in my third year of university. It was hectic! I’d finish my day’s work, then go home and study all evening. When I started in TV production as a runner, my first job was on Mastermind; I wrote biographies about the contestants to brief John Humphreys. Being on Celebrity Mastermind last year was amazing – suddenly, it was me in the famous chair!