Biography
Alexa Chung is an English talk show host Gonzo with Alexa Chung for MTV UK, and is scheduled to host Thrift America for PBS in 2011. Previously, Chung was the host of MTV's It's On with Alexa Chung and former fashion model. Chung was the host of the UK's "Popworld" and "Freshly Squeezed" before she moved to the US to host MTV's "It's On With Alexa Chung." In July 2007, she began dating Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner.
At present, she is the face of Lacoste's "Joy of Pink" fragrance and Superga's Italian sneakers.
Birth date November 5, 1983
Birth place Privett, Hampshire, England
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Hair colour Brown
Eye colour Blue
Measurements 32-24-36 (US); 81-61-91 (EU)
Dress size 2 (US); 34 (EU)
Shoe Size 6 UK
Alexa Chung grew up in Privett, Hampshire, England by her Chinese/English father, Philip, a graphic designer, and her English mother, Gillian (née Burgess), a housewife. She is the youngest of four children and has two brothers, Jamie and Dominic, and one sister, Natalie.
She attended the local comprehensive school, Perins College, and later the sixth form Peter Symonds College, Winchester (2000–2002). She had been accepted by King’s College London to read English, but was scouted by a modelling agency before attending.
Modelling Career
Chung was approached in the comedy tent at Reading Festival at the age of 16 and was taken on by the London-based Storm Model Management. She modelled for teen magazines such as Elle Girl and CosmoGIRL! and worked for companies including Fanta, Sony Ericsson, Sunsilk, Urban Outfitters and Tampax. She appeared in music videos for artists including The Streets, Westlife, Delta Goodrem, Reuben and Holly Valance and starred as Jake in a scripted reality show called Shoot Me, broadcast on Fashion TV in 2005.
After four years, Chung quit modelling with the intention of beginning an art foundation or fashion journalism course, having become disillusioned. She had developed a “distorted body image” and “low self-esteem” through modelling.
After becoming a TV personality, Chung made a return to occasional modelling. In 2008, she was the face of both Australian fashion label Antipodium's SS 2008 collection and Oxfam's ethical fashion range, Revamped. In September 2008, Chung walked the catwalk as part of the Vivienne Westwood Red Label Spring/Summer 2009 show at London Fashion Week. In early 2009, she became the face of British high street giant New Look. Chung then joined London-based modelling agency, Select, and, in April 2009, she modelled Wren's Holiday 2009 collection, alongside her friend Tennessee Thomas.
In July 2009, Chung moved to Next Model Management and became the face of DKNY Jeans. Chung was the face of South Korean brand MOGG's SS10 campaign. In January 2010, she became the main model of the SS10 Pepe Jeans London campaign and later reprised her role for the FW10 campaign. She was announced as the first celebrity face of Lacoste in June 2010, appearing in both the TV and print advertising campaigns for their "Joy of Pink" fragrance. In January 2011, Chung was announced as the face of Italian sneaker brand Superga (brand), in a campaign to mark their 100th anniversary.
In April 2006, then-model Chung was offered the job of co-host on Popworld on Channel 4, a music show known for its irreverent and awkward style of interviews. Chung and co-host Alex Zane also presented a weekly radio show called Popworld Radio in conjunction with the TV programme. The last show aired in July 2007, after Channel 4 decided not to recommission the programme, which had been on air for nearly seven years.
Following this, Chung signed a year-long "golden handcuffs" deal with Channel 4 in August 2007, worth £100,000. As part of this deal, she guest presented Big Brother’s Big Mouth and appeared as a panellist on quiz show 8 out of 10 Cats. She hosted a number of T4 Movie Specials, 4Music Specials, T4 Holiday Mornings along with T4's coverage of many music festivals.
In January 2008, Chung became one of the four anchor T4 presenters. She hosted T4’s Vanity Lair, a reality show investigating the concept of "beauty". When the show was mentioned in a later interview, "Chung raises her eyebrows, indicating embarrassment". As well as her work on T4, she became a long-time host of Channel 4’s early morning music programme Freshly Squeezed, beginning in September 2007.
In addition to her Channel 4 commitments, Chung presented the ITV1 series Get a Grip (2007) and BBC Three's The Wall (2008).
In mid-2008, Chung began to host more fashion-oriented programming. She was the "roving reporter" on Channel 4's "Gok's Fashion Fix". On the programme, Chung roadtested the latest fashion trends with members of the public, and interviewed fashion designers such as Roberto Cavalli, Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier, Margherita Missoni and Christian Lacroix. She described it as 'pretty much my dream job'. Chung also hosted a T4 fashion and music show called Frock Me, with fashion designer Henry Holland.
She was awarded the Elle Style Award for Best TV Presenter in 2009. Also in 2009, she received Glamour's award for Best TV Presenter at the magazine's annual award ceremony.
Chung left Channel 4, and the United Kingdom, in April 2009 in order to pursue a stateside career. She presented It's On with Alexa Chung for MTV. The live, daily show - billed as TRL's replacement- featured celebrity talk, live music and online interaction with viewers. The show was cancelled in December 2009.
She returned to UK TV screens in April 2010 with a second series of the T4 fashion and music series Frock Me. In October 2010, she began hosting Gonzo with Alexa Chung, an informal UK chat show previously hosted by Zane Lowe, for MTV Rocks.
In January 2011, she co-hosted NBC's "2011 Golden Globe Arrivals Special" with Carson Daly and Natalie Morales. The live show featured interviews with television and movie stars as well as segments devoted to fashion on the red carpet.
Chung is the host of PBS's Thrift America, a series exploring flea markets, consignment stores and garage sales across America. It is due to air in Fall 2011.
* When she was 16, Chung was scouted as a model and, despite having been accepted by King's College London to read English and by Chelsea College of Art and Design to do an art foundation course, she signed with Storm.
* After four years - and campaigns for brands including Fanta, Sony Ericsson, Sunsilk and Tampax - Chung quit modelling with the intention of attending university.
* Instead, in 2006, Chung began her presenting career at Channel 4, appearing in shows including Popworld, Vanity Lair, Big Brother's Big Mouth, 8 out of 10 Cats, Gok's Fashion Fix and Frock Me - as well as co-hosting numerous T4 film and music specials.
* In July 2007, Chung began dating Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner. In August 2008, she starred in the video for My Mistakes Were Made For You, a song by Turner's other band The Last Shadow Puppets.
* In 2008, now a recognisable face, Chung returned to modelling, fronting campaigns for Antipodium and Oxfam Revamped. In 2009 she became the face of New Look and DKNY Jeans - and in 2010 fronted the Pepe Jeans London campaign.
* In April 2009, Chung moved to the US to present It's On with Alexa Chung for MTV. The live show featured celebrity interviews and live music, but was cancelled in December 2009.
* In January 2009, British brand Mulberry released its Alexa bag, frequently sported by stars including Olivia Palermo and Chung herself, and it became an instant sell-out. The satchel-style bag was reordered in a range of fabrications and colours and Mulberry credited it with a positive year's trading.
* Having written for the Independent from November 2008 to June 2009, Chung was made a contributing editor of British Vogue in June 2009.
* In February 2010, she appeared on the magazine's cover for the first time and during the same month, whilst the March issue was on sale, documented her daily fashion and style choices in the VOGUE.COM feature Today I'm Wearing.
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