Getty Alex Beresford.
Alex Beresford is a British weatherman and television host. He is part of ITV’s weather team and frequently appears on the morning program Good Morning Britain.
Beresford made headlines on March 9 for a contentious exchange he had with Good Morning Britain co-host Piers Morgan over the interview Meghan Markle and Prince Harry did with Oprah Winfrey. Beresford described Morgan’s criticism of Markle as “diabolical” and “pathetic,” prompting Morgan to storm off the set during the live program.
As he left the set, Morgan stated that he wouldn’t be “trashed” on his own show. Morgan eventually returned to the set and the two had a calmer discussion about race and the lasting impact of Harry and Meghan’s interview. ITV announced hours later that Morgan had decided to leave the program.
Here’s what you need to know about Alex Beresford:
1. Beresford’s English Mother & Guyanese Father Raised Him in Bristol
Getty Alex Beresford attends the Good Morning Britain Health Star Awards at the Rosewood Hotel on April 24, 2017 in London.
Beresford and Morgan talked about race during the Good Morning Britain segment that has since gone viral. One of the issues they discussed was Markle and Prince Harry’s claim that before their son Archie was born, someone within the royal family had raised “concerns” about how dark the baby’s skin would be.
Beresford explained to Morgan how that hit home for him because as a person of mixed heritage, he had faced similar questions before his own son was born. “I’ve walked into institutions as the only person of color and experienced covert and overt racism on so many occasions and why the Meghan interview really resonates with me is because an ex-work colleague — not on this show — asked me if I was worried about the shade of cocoa that my son was going to come out, Beresford explained. “So I fully understand the hurt that is behind all of that.”
Beresford’s English mother was white and his father, who was Black, was originally from Guyana, Beresford told The Voice in 2019. Beresford said his strong work ethic was inspired by his father, who was an engineer for British Aerospace.
According to The Bristol Post, Beresford was born and raised in Bristol. Beresford told The Telegraph in 2018 that as a young child, he lived in his grandparents’ house before his parents purchased their home in Eastville, which is a suburb of Bristol.
2. Beresford Has Been on ITV’s Weather Team Since 2005
Beresford began his professional career working at a radio station called Vibe 101. He explained to The Voice that while working there, a coworker told him that ITV needed a freelancer who could “read the autocue” a few times per week. Beresford got the job and while he enjoyed it, he said he “always had a burning desire to be on the other side of the autocue. I always knew I wanted to be a presenter, I always knew I wanted to be on camera before I got to ITV.”
Beresford volunteered his time to help with other projects at the TV station. Beresford said a producer noticed his hard work and rewarded him by helping him put together a showreel. According to The Voice, Beresford was able to get the showreel in front of his boss. After about a year of waiting for a position to open up, Beresford was offered an on-air position as a weather presenter.
According to his ITV profile, Beresford developed an interest in weather as a child. He described his grandmother as “weather obsessed” and that her enthusiasm had rubbed off on him. Beresford began his on-camera work as a “regional presenter in the West Country” before he was promoted to the National team in 2005.
Beresford’s resume also includes hosting weather-related documentaries. According to his LinkedIn profile, Beresford has hosted programs focused on floods, tornadoes and the “world’s weirdest weather” for ITV and Britain’s public-service network Channel 4.
3. Beresford Is Working to Become a Personal Trainer
Beresford is an athletic man and he’s not shy about sharing shirtless photos of himself on Instagram. Beresford included on his ITV bio that being active at the gym “has been another big passion since he was 17.”
Beresford is acting on that passion by working to become a personal trainer. He started a second Instagram account in March 2020 called @thegymforecast that is focused on his training.
He explained on the first post, “This year I’ve decided to challenge myself by converting a passion that started 23 years ago into something more serious. I love training, learning and helping people so getting a PT qualification makes sense at this stage in my life. I’m excited about this path and thank you for following me on this journey.”
Beresford has also shared on Instagram that he enjoys getting his son, Cruz, into the gym with him. Beresford posted a photo alongside his son in May 2020 with the caption, “Training with the best spotter watching over me.”
4. He Competed on ‘Ninja Warrior UK’ & ‘Dancing on Ice’
Beresford has also displayed his athleticism before British viewers on TV. He competed on ITV’s game show Ninja Warrior UK in 2019.
Beresford told the Bristol Post he was pumped to participate because he was a “massive fan of the show. I used to sit at home and watch it with my family whenever it was on. I just thought it looked like a great laugh. I’ve always kept quite fit and I always like a challenge.”
As the newspaper reported in April 2019, more than 1,000 people had attempted the challenging obstacle course at that time but no one had managed to finish it. Beresford joined the masses and failed to get through the entire course before falling into the water. Watch a clip of Beresford on the obstacle course here.
Beresford has also portrayed more delicate athleticism before British audiences. In 2018, Beresford participated in the British series Dancing on Ice and was paired with pro skater Brianne Delcourt. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
As the Daily Mail reported, Beresford took the elimination in stride. He told the judges and the audience he’d had “the best time” and had lasted far longer on the show than he’d ever have imagined he would. “It was everything I could have wished for and more. When I came into the competition, I thought I was going to go out at week one, week two, so I’m really happy.”
5. Beresford & Wife Natalia Natkaniec Separated in 2019
Beresford shares son Cruz with ex-wife Natalia Natkaniec. According to the Bristol Post, the couple broke up in 2019 but continued to live together for several more months. Natkaniec moved out of the house they shared shortly before the coronavirus pandemic promoted lockdowns in the United Kingdom.
Beresford opened up about the split during an interview on the Britain Get Talking podcast in June 2020. As Hello magazine recounted, Beresford shared how lonely he felt amid the lockdown after Natkaniec left. “When Natalia and Cruz moved out, it was two weeks before lockdown. Natalia developed symptoms, she had a cough. It turned out not to be COVID-19, they had to self-isolate for 14 days. So I went from living in a house full of people to living on my own in lockdown. I watched Boris Johnson’s lockdown message sitting on my sofa feeling really lonely. And I couldn’t see Cruz for two weeks.”
According to her Instagram account, Natkaniec was launching a hair extensions company and is a professional artist. The Daily Star reported that neither Beresford nor Natkaniec has implicitly explained that caused their breakup.
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Alex Beresford: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know