Alexa Chung - TV Career

TV Career

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. In 2009 she was awarded the Elle Style Award for "Best TV Presenter" and Glamour’s award for Best TV Presenter in 2009. Also in 2009, she received Glamour's 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 presented the iTunes Festival in July 2011.