Mary Riddell
Mary Carmella Riddell | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 19, 1952 Grimsby, England |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, columnist |
| Known for | Columns in The Observer and The Daily Telegraph; assistant editor at The Daily Telegraph |
Mary Carmella Riddell (born 19 April 1952) is a prominent British journalist recognized for her columns in The Observer and The Daily Telegraph, where she also held the position of assistant editor.
Early life
Riddell was born at Nunsthorpe Maternity Home in Grimsby. She attended Boston High School, a selective girls' grammar institution, before pursuing Modern Languages at the University of Nottingham. Raised in a Catholic household, she has siblings named Sheila, Maddi, and John. Her sister, Professor Sheila Riddell, is an academic at the University of Edinburgh and leads the Centre for Research in Education Inclusion and Diversity (CREID).
Career
Between 2001 and 2008, Riddell contributed as a columnist for The Observer. She has also written for the Daily Mail and New Statesman. Earlier roles in her career include deputy editor at the Today newspaper, as well as women's editor and assistant editor at the Daily Mirror. Additionally, she is a member of the advisory board for Out of Trouble, an initiative linked with the Prison Reform Trust.
Personal life
Her mother, Emmeline Mary Carmella, who passed away in Boston, Lincolnshire in 2006 at age 86, was honored with an MBE in the 1988 New Year Honours for her charitable efforts supporting Bangladesh in Boston. Her father served as chief executive of Holland County Council starting in 1954 and died in January 1991 at Pilgrim Hospital.
Mary Riddell is married to John Shute and they have two sons born during the mid-1980s.