Rebecca Wilson | |
---|---|
Born |
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
22 December 1961
Died | 7 October 2016 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
(aged 54)
Nationality | Australian |
Occupation | Journalist, radio and television presenter |
Years active | 1980–2016 |
Spouse(s) | Howard Sacre (1990-2003, divorced) John Hartigan (2012-her death) |
Children | Two sons |
Relatives |
Bruce Wilson (father) Jim Wilson (brother) |
Rebecca Louise Wilson (22 December 1961 – 7 October 2016) was an Australian sports journalist, radio and television broadcaster and personality, known for the comic television talk sports show The Fat, in which she appeared regularly with host Tony Squires. She was a panellist on numerous television programs including Beauty and the Beast, Sunrise and The Footy Show. She worked in both the newspaper and television industries for over 20 years and won a Kennedy Award in 2013.
Wilson was born in Brisbane in 1961. She recollected that she could not remember a time when newspapers were not in her life – her grandfather was a newsagent and her father a journalist. She attended the University of Queensland and began to study a Bachelor of Arts in journalism, however she was offered a four-year cadetship with the Brisbane Courier-Mail and abandoned her studies in order to take the position.
After four years of general reporting at the Courier-Mail, Wilson moved into television. She worked for Channel 10 Brisbane, where she reported on the Brisbane Commonwealth Games, the Seoul Olympics and rugby league. She also worked for ABC Television as a host and reporter on the show Saturday Afternoon Sports, and was later Media Manager for Super League for four years, a role which she later described as "the most interesting time in my career". Following this, she moved to News Limited as General Manager of their Sydney Olympics Division and then Project Manager for the agency's Rugby World Cup coverage.
Wilson continued her newspaper work with a sports column in the Sunday Telegraph and also co-wrote a sports blog called Bec and Buzz with Phillip Rothfield in the Daily Telegraph. Wilson's opinion pieces regarding the A-League have been controversial and faced significant criticism. She leaked the names and faces of 198 individuals who were banned from entering football stadiums by the Football Federation Australia. As a result, Wilson received death threats from the public and the Football Federation issued a statement urging football fans to refrain from threatening her.