Sky Sports host returns 10 years after quitting TV and disappearing with Olympian husband
The former Sky Sports presenter is back working in sports media.
Iconic Sky Sports host Georgie Ainslie, formerly Thompson, is making a long-awaited return to sports media a decade after she disappeared from television screens. Georgie was a regular on Sky Sports News during the late 2000s and early 2010s, and won fans over with her quick wit and quirky personality.
She also presented the likes of Formula One, Wimbledon and the Speedway World Cup, with Georgie becoming an iconic face of the broadcaster. However, in 2013 she left Sky Sports to move to Fox Sports in the United States, before eventually leaving the public eye altogether in 2016.
Georgie had married Olympic swimming legend Sir Ben Ainslie in 2014, with the couple having two kids together. Now 48 years old, Georgie is back working in the media, as she hosts a podcast titled ‘Performance People’ alongside Ainslie, where they interview big names from the world of sport.
Guests have included Formula One icon Lewis Hamilton and former England goalkeeper Mary Earps, while the most recent participant was FA CEO Mark Bullingham. The show delves into what makes a superstar successful, as well as the lesser-seen sides of their personality.
From Georgie’s time working in sports media and Ben’s endeavours on the Olympic and sailing circuit, the pair will certainly have plenty of connections in their phonebook. The Olympic gold medalist opened up about his relationship with the ex-Sky Sports star earlier this year, telling the i Paper: “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.
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“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.”
Meanwhile, speaking in 2013, Georgie had 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.”
