Aly Vance presenting a pretty picture on sport
From an aspiring athlete to a presenter, the 32-year-old has done a perfect makeover
For some athletes finding a purposeful and fulfilling life when their initial career comes to an end can be a daunting prospect.
It is not uncommon to succumb to a bout of depression while they seek the next big thrill or at the least a future doing something worthwhile. The 32-year-old Aly Vance has made the transition in remarkable fashion. The sport-mad teenager has turned her obsession into a long-term career as a sports journalist and broadcaster. She is working her way through the ranks in a steady and purposeful fashion, lighting up the TV shows she presents with her strong, though neutral, sounding voice and the kind of unaffected elegance, which hides an in-depth knowledge and love of all sport. There are definite similarities between Aly Vance and Clare Balding, the BBC networks lead presenter. Both ladies are hugely passionate about all sports but have a special place in their hearts for equestrianism, especially horse racing.
Love for equestrianism
“I had always harboured a fierce ambition to go to the Olympics — and last year I did — as a broadcaster!” says the glamorous face of CNN Internationals monthly horse racing programme The Winning Post. Aly is a young and attractive lady, who spent the first part of her life as a very successful athlete herself, representing Great Britain in Junior Modern Pentathlon.
In some ways her choice of event somewhat reflects her character, the grit and determination needed for the swimming and cross-country running combined with the delicate precision required for fencing and shooting. The show jumping section came naturally through her innate love of equestrianism.
A sport mad teenager, who spent her life either training in the gym and swimming pool or at the shooting range and fencing practice and in the spare time left over she would be found riding her beloved horses. A spell in front of the camera at aged 18 when a film crew shadowed her for a few days set alight a small flame within her, which was to be rekindled a few years later when she decided to move from the competitor’s stand to the media rostrum.
Aly put her brain instead of her muscles to work and gained a Post Graduate Masters Degree in Journalism at Cardiff University. In a very short time she has worked her way up from an assortment of jobs behind the scenes such as a researcher at BBC Wales to her current role with CNN.
Rugby fan
Being a product of Wales, naturally rugby features high on her list of favourite sports. She says “I love a day at the cricket, possibly more for the social side than the scoreline! And, of course, horse racing comes top of the list, for its beautiful animals, glorious venues and the lovely people who take part, be it as owners, trainers or jockeys.
It is horse racing that allows Aly to bring her glamorous side out to its fullest. She is often the recipient of beautiful classic outfits on loan from young designers, and for Aly the occasion varies greatly. One day she could be in South Africa and the next in St. Moritz.