Pandora Christie
Pandora Christie (born 1982[1]), also known as Pandora, is a British radio presenter. She presents on Heart Radio.
Background
[edit]Christie grew up in South London.[1] Christie's mother suffered from alcoholism and died in front of Christie from a heart attack when Christie was nine years old.[2] Christie has said that her memories of her life before she was nine years old are snapshots; she says that she can remember visits by social services' staff relating to both her, and her sister, being temporarily taken into care. She remembers being aged either five or six when her family were evicted and became homeless.[3] She stated in 2018 that she had stayed close to a family fostered her in her teen years and whose care and support she found particularly helpful.[4]
Career
[edit]Christie originally wanted to become a professional actor[5], and played the character of Jessica in the 2001 film Beginner's Luck. Early in her career in radio, Christie was a member of staff promoting Heart 106.2, before she worked at the community radio station Westside Radio;[6] while at Heart, she handed out leaflets promoting the station and was also involved in organising events promoting Heart.[7] She was then given a role by Choice FM, a radio station in London playing Black music. She initially presented overnights on Choice FM, before presenting during the day on the station.[8] Her daytime show was between midday and 4pm in the afternoon.[9] She was then offered a presenting role at Capital FM. She remained at Capital FM for 4 and a half years, presenting nationally.[6] She maintained a personal lifestyle and beauty blog while at Capital.[10]
Christie joined Kiss FM from Capital in the early half of 2017[11] and presented on Kiss and its sister station, Kisstory. After 18 months of presenting a weekday show on Kiss which followed the breakfast show, Christie stopped presenting the show and was replaced by Neev, who Christie herself had replaced.[11] Kiss broadcast on FM and national digital radio, whereas Kisstory broadcast on national digital radio but not on FM. While at the Kiss FM, Christie also presented her own show on the television channel 4Music, "Hit Afternoons With Pandora".
In 2019, Christie was presenting on the QLive app game from News UK,[8] in addition to her other activities within the media.
In April 2019, it was announced that Christie was joining Heart Radio to present a weekday show between 9am and 1pm, the first hour of which would not be broadcast on local Heart stations apart from Heart London;[8] it was also announced that she would present Club Classics on Saturday evenings on Heart.[12]
Christie now no longer presents between 9am and 10am on any Heart station; her show runs from 10am to 1pm on weekdays. She continues to present Club Classics on Saturday evenings nationally.[13] Club Classics is also broadcast on Heart Dance. Her weekly audience at Heart Radio is 4.6 million.[14]
In 2022, Christie starred in a single West End theatre performance of the musical & Juliet.[15] She played a number of roles in the performance.[16] In 2024, Christie appeared as a contestant on Pointless Celebrities.[17] In addition to her other media activities, Christie currently plays DJ sets at various events.[14]
Christie is an ambassador for the Care Leavers Covenant[18] and an ambassador for the Fostering Network. She has also been involved, in encouragement of people to foster, with the National Fostering Group.[19]
Personal life
[edit]In 2022, Christie lived in Fulham, West London; she spoke about her love for Fulham in an interview with the London Evening Standard.[20]
Christie is known for being a fan of dogs[21]. Her charity work includes organising a fundraiser which raised more than $5,000 for dogs in the Maldives.[22]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Pandora Christie". Care Exp Culture. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
- ^ "I thought my prankster Mum was joking when she died in front of me". Metro. 2024-06-03. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "Heart FM's Pandora: 'Foster care saved me from a life on park benches and in police cells'". ITV News. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ "I thought my prankster Mum was joking when she died in front of me". Metro. 2024-06-03. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ Thair, Rebecca. "DJ Pandora Christie". Happiful. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ a b Columnist, Guest (2017-08-17). "KISS FM's Pandora: Success isn't defined by school and A-levels. I'm proof!". Big Issue. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
- ^ Lofthouse, Tina (2020-12-01). "Pandora Christie - the Heart presenter tells us about her life". Time & Leisure. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ a b c "Pandora replaces Toby Anstis on Heart mid-morning show". RadioToday. 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ The Big Music Project (2015-02-25). So You Want To Be A Radio Presenter? We Interview Capital FM's Pandora!. Retrieved 2024-11-23 – via YouTube.
- ^ Rayfield, Imogen (2015-09-30). "Capital FM Presenter Pandora Christie & Henry". PetsPyjamas. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
- ^ a b "Neev to replace Pandora on KISS mid-mornings". RadioToday. 2018-11-30. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "'We welcome her back with open arms': Pandora Christie to present Heart mid-morning show". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
- ^ "Heart". Heart. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ a b "Pandora Christie | Alta Loma MGMT". www.altalomamgmt.com. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "Heart's Pandora Christie to star in hit West End musical & JULIET". West End Best Friend. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "Pandora Christie to appear in West End "& Juliet"". 2022-11-01. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
- ^ Pointless Celebrities - Series 16: Episode 13. Retrieved 2024-11-23 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "London Eye And Blackpool Tower Are Among Iconic Landmarks To Join Forces To Light Up And Celebrate National Care Leavers Week". www.merlinentertainments.biz. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
- ^ "As seen on the news: fostering is in crisis. How can you help?". National Fostering Group. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
- ^ Bloomfield, Ruth (2022-01-24). "Heart DJ Pandora Christie shares her top local's tips for Fulham". The Standard. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ "Pandora Christie: "Dogs Give You Memories No Human Could Come Close To"". 2023-02-27. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
- ^ "Heart FM presenter Pandora hosts charity fundraiser for Maldives' furriest residents at Amilla". 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2024-11-23.