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Marie Ashby

Marie Ashby takes you Inside Out in the East Midlands

Hi, IÂ’m Marie Ashby and IÂ’m your Inside Out presenter.

IÂ’ve lived in the East Midlands now for longer than I should probably admit to.

IÂ’m not from round these parts originally though.

I was born in bonny Scotland but my parents moved south of the border from Edinburgh when I was just a wee bairn.

I donÂ’t have a Scottish accent by the way.

I grew up in Carlisle with the Lakes on my doorstep which was rather nice, then spent three years in Leeds mainly doing a degree in French but also have a great time being a student!

Some of it was spent in France and Switzerland on attachment to Radio Monte Carlo and Radio Television Suisse Romande which were amazing experiences.

My mum had a cousin who worked in Geneva. I used to get a lift in with him in the mornings and unbeknownst to my dear old mum, hitch home in the evening.

Well, he lived half way up a mountain and there werenÂ’t any buses for the last bit!

Journalism bug

I didnÂ’t always want to be a journalist - it just kind of happened. I did consider nursing for some time but while I was in France I got hooked.

Marie started her career in Nottingham

Having sworn never to take another exam again and somehow getting my degree, I found myself on a post grad course studying journalism in Portsmouth and very often found myself on the beach at Southsea when I should have been studying.

A year later I was back in Cumbria. My first job was as a district reporter for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio Cumbria based in Barrow in Furness.

Six months later I was at ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio Nottingham, and then ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Midlands Today at Pebble Mill as it was then.

I remember getting passers by to 'Do the Locomotion', outside with a very young and quite nervous Kylie Minogue.

Flying high

A few months later I was working for the 'other side', having being lightly poached by ITVÂ’s Central News!

Marie Ashby - from helicopters to home maker and TV heroine

I stayed there for much longer than I ever meant to but during those 15 years I reported for and anchored their live nightly news which was enormous fun and presented 'Sky High' taking viewers all over the Midlands by helicopter.

During this time I also got married and had my two boys, Patrick whoÂ’s eight and Sean whoÂ’s five.

When IÂ’m not Inside Out-ing, doing The Politics Show or East Midlands Today on a Friday, IÂ’m usually with them acting as a United Nations peacekeeping force and trying to stop them squabbling.

Boys like to bicker IÂ’ve discovered!

At home in the East Midlands

IÂ’ve lived in Leicestershire for 13 years and I love it!

The East Midlands is home and I think IÂ’m a very lucky girl being able to combine work with pleasure.

Inside Out takes me all over the region and reminds me why I like living here so much.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!