If you’ve searched “Fiona Bruce” you’re most likely after one of two things: you want to know who she is and what she presents now, or you’re trying to work out why there seem to be two different Fiona Bruces (one still on your telly, one who used to sit in Parliament). Fiona Bruce is a British journalist and broadcaster, born on 25 April 1964, best known today as the presenter of BBC One’s Question Time and Antiques Roadshow. There was also a separate person, Fiona Bruce MP, the former Conservative politician for Congleton, and this guide covers both so you’re not left guessing which one a headline means.
Quick facts
- Full name: Fiona Elizabeth Bruce
- Born: 25 April 1964, in what was then Singapore, Malaysia
- Age: 62 (as of July 2026)
- Occupation: Journalist, newsreader, TV presenter
- Known for: Question Time, Antiques Roadshow, Fake or Fortune?, BBC News at Ten
- Spouse: Nigel Sharrocks (married since 1994)
- Children: Two, a son and a daughter
- Honours: OBE for services to broadcasting (2021)
Early life and education
Fiona Bruce was born in Singapore, where her father worked, before the family moved back to England. She was educated at a primary school on the Wirral and later at the International School of Milan, which is where her fluent Italian comes from. She also speaks French.
Fiona Bruce read French and Italian at Hertford College, Oxford, then spent a spell working in management consultancy and advertising before deciding it wasn’t for her. That career change is a big part of why people search for her: she’s often held up as an example of someone who didn’t start out in journalism and made a late switch into broadcasting.
How she got into broadcasting
Bruce joined the BBC in 1989 as a researcher on the current affairs programme Panorama, working her way up to reporter. From there she moved through Newsnight, BBC Breakfast News and Crimewatch, which she co-presented for eight years from 2000.
In 1999 she became a presenter of the BBC Six O’Clock News, and she went on to become the first woman to read the BBC News at Ten solo. That “first female newsreader on News at Ten” fact comes up a lot in searches about her, and it’s genuinely one of the more notable milestones in British broadcasting history.
What Fiona Bruce presents now
This is usually the real question behind the search, so here’s the current line-up:
Question Time. Bruce took over as host in January 2019, replacing David Dimbleby, and became the programme’s first female presenter. She’s still hosting it as of 2026, fronting weekly debates from a different UK town or city each episode, with panels of MPs, commentators and members of the public taking audience questions. The show does take scheduled breaks around major sporting events such as the World Cup, so if an episode is missing from the listings that’s usually why rather than any change of presenter.
Antiques Roadshow. She’s been the lead presenter since 2008, touring stately homes and public venues around the UK while guests bring in family heirlooms and car boot finds for valuation by the show’s specialists.
Fake or Fortune? Co-hosted with art dealer Philip Mould, this one investigates the authenticity and value of artworks, and has run for multiple series on BBC One.
She’s also presented one-off documentaries over the years, including profiles of Bill Gates, Alan Sugar and Cherie Blair, and historical programmes on the Royal Palaces and Leonardo da Vinci.
Fiona Bruce’s salary and net worth
Her pay is public because she’s one of the BBC’s highest-earning on-air journalists, and the corporation has to disclose salaries above £178,000 in its annual report. For the financial year to 31 March 2025, according to the BBC’s annual report as reported by Press Gazette and Deadline, Fiona Bruce earned between £410,000 and £414,999 for her BBC roles, which include Question Time and news presenting. That figure doesn’t include anything she’s paid separately by BBC Studios for Antiques Roadshow, since that’s a commercial arm and isn’t covered by the same disclosure rules.
For context, that put her joint fifth on the BBC’s overall pay list for 2024/25, level with Radio 4’s Nick Robinson, behind Gary Lineker, Zoe Ball, Alan Shearer and Greg James. She and Robinson became the BBC’s two highest-paid journalists after Huw Edwards left the corporation in 2024.
Net worth estimates you’ll see online (often quoted around £3 million) are third-party guesses rather than anything Bruce or the BBC has confirmed, so treat those figures as rough estimates rather than fact.
Personal life
Bruce has been married to advertising executive Nigel Sharrocks since 1994; the pair met while working at the same agency. They have two grown-up children, a son named Sam and a daughter named Mia. Outside of work she’s spoken about enjoying art and has described herself as an amateur painter, which fits neatly with her long association with Antiques Roadshow and Fake or Fortune?
Fiona Bruce the broadcaster vs Fiona Bruce the MP: don’t get them mixed up
This trips a lot of people up in search results. There was a second, entirely separate Fiona Bruce who sat in the House of Commons as the Conservative MP for Congleton in Cheshire. She left Parliament on 30 May 2024 when the seat was abolished in boundary changes. She’s a different person from the broadcaster: different career, different background, and the two aren’t related. If you’re seeing a mix of TV headlines and political ones in your search results, that’s why.
Awards and recognition
Bruce was made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2021 for services to broadcasting. She’s also won the Television and Radio Industry Award for Best Presenter multiple times, and has picked up nominations from the Royal Television Society over the course of her career.
Common mistakes people make when searching for Fiona Bruce
Confusing her with the ex-MP. As above, these are two different women who happen to share a name.
Assuming her Antiques Roadshow pay is in her BBC salary figure. It isn’t. The published BBC salary only covers her BBC-employed roles like Question Time and news presenting, not the BBC Studios commercial work.
Treating net worth figures as confirmed. Salary bands come from an official BBC report. Net worth totals you’ll find on celebrity finance sites are estimates, not disclosed facts, so it’s worth checking the source before repeating them.
Expecting Question Time every week without fail. The show pauses for major events like the football World Cup and comes back afterwards, which can look like a schedule change if you’re not expecting it.
FAQS
How old is Fiona Bruce?
Fiona Bruce was born on 25 April 1964, which makes her 62 as of July 2026. She was born in what was then Singapore before her family later moved to England.
What does Fiona Bruce present now?
She currently presents BBC One’s Question Time, Antiques Roadshow and Fake or Fortune?, alongside occasional BBC News bulletins. She’s presented Question Time since January 2019 and Antiques Roadshow since 2008.
How much does Fiona Bruce earn?
According to the BBC’s 2024/25 annual report, she earned between £410,000 and £414,999 for her BBC-employed roles that year. This figure excludes any separate payment for Antiques Roadshow, which is made through the commercial arm BBC Studios and isn’t subject to the same disclosure rules.
Is Fiona Bruce married?
Yes, she’s been married to Nigel Sharrocks, who works in advertising, since 1994. They have two adult children together.
Did Fiona Bruce replace David Dimbleby on Question Time?
Yes. She took over as host in January 2019 after David Dimbleby stepped down, becoming the programme’s first female presenter in its history.
Is Fiona Bruce related to the former MP Fiona Bruce?
No. They’re two different people who happen to share the same name. The broadcaster has spent her career at the BBC, while the politician represented Congleton as a Conservative MP until the seat was abolished in May 2024.
What was Fiona Bruce’s first big TV job?
She joined the BBC in 1989 as a researcher on Panorama before becoming a reporter, and later moved into newsreading, eventually becoming the first woman to present the BBC News at Ten solo.
Does Fiona Bruce speak other languages?
Yes, she’s fluent in French and Italian, both of which she studied at Hertford College, Oxford, and used during time spent living and studying in Milan as a teenager.
