Helen Croydon is a British author, broadcaster and former journalist who has written for titles such as The Times, Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, Psychologies and worked for the broadcaster ITN.[1][2][3]
Helen Croydon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Linguistics and Japanese (Graduation) Broadcast Journalism (Post-graduation) |
| Alma mater | University of Sheffield, University of Westminster |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, journalist |
| Notable work | Sugar Daddy Diaries: When a Fantasy became an obsession |
Career edit
After graduating in linguistics and Japanese at the University of Sheffield, Croydon started her professional life as a tax consultant for Arthur Andersen before returning to studies to complete a post graduate diploma in broadcast journalism at University of Westminster.
She began her journalism career as a producer and breakfast newsreader for Silk FM radio station in Cheshire and then worked as a producer for ITN for five years before going freelance to focus on writing.[4]
In her early writing days she contributed mostly to The Times, The Sunday Times, The Independent and women's magazines focusing on relationship trends and dating.[5]
Her first scoop was an undercover piece for The Daily Mirror exposing an escort agency using YouTube to approach young girls and entice them into prostitution. [6]
She then became known for immersive journalism pieces, where she would partake in an event, sometimes undercover, and write about her findings. These include a Sunday Times article where she accompanied western men on a paid wife-finding tour in Ukraine,[7] trying out steroids for The Times to expose their prevalence in London gyms,[8] setting up a fake profile on an adultery website to hear the stories of men using them for an article for The Telegraph,[9] and testing the world's most expensive bed for The Sunday Times.[10] She moved on to write broader opinion pieces on the subject of feminism, social trends and questioning society's preoccupation with life-long monogamous relationships, which mirrored the themes of her first two books.[11] In more recent years, after the publication of her third book, she focused on health, fitness and environmental issues for titles including The Telegraph, Metro, Mail Online and fitness magazines.[12][13]
Books edit
2011: Sugar Daddy Diaries: When a Fantasy became an obsession (Mainstream Publishing)
2014: Screw the Fairytale: A Modern Girl’s Guide to Sex and Love (John Blake Publishing)
In a media interview in 2014 she admitted facing criticism for the subjects of her first two books and defended the charge of being anti-relationship saying. “I think romantic love is one of the biggest human highs of all. But really, do you have to share a fridge?...I wanted to write about this, question if love has to lead to a sacrifice of self-identity and whether ‘the fairytale’ is such a great life goal in the 21st century.”[14]
2018: This Girl Ran: Tales of a Party Girl Turned Triathlete (Summersdale). This book was longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year.[15]
Broadcast edit
Croydon has appeared on programmes such as Newsnight, Sky News, BBC Breakfast, ITV's This Morning, Good Morning Britain, BBC Radio 5 Live and Woman's Hour discussing topical issues relating to her books and doing paper reviews.[16]
Personal life edit
In 2018 she spoke about her love of triathlon, and has written several articles about how endurance sport has played a role in building resilience in other areas of life.[17][18]
In 2015 she qualified for ITU Agegroup Triathlon World Championships and competed in Chicago for Great Britain.[19]
References edit
- ^ "Helen Croydon". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- ^ "Andrew Lownie Literary Agency :: Authors :: Helen Croydon". Andrew Lownie Literary Agency. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- ^ CROYDON, HELEN (20 February 2018). "'I no longer lie in bed full of self loathing': Party girl swaps cocktails for triathlons". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
- ^ "Q&A: Helen Croydon on investigative journalism and freelancing | Freelance news". www.journalism.co.uk. 11 May 2009.
- ^ "Helen Croydon". www.amazon.co.uk.
- ^ "Undercover with the escorts trying to recruit through MySpace". mirror. 25 March 2009.
- ^ Croydon, Helen (18 March 2012). "From Ukraine with love" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
- ^ Croydon, Helen (26 September 2009). "My two weeks of steroid hell" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
- ^ Croydon, Helen (20 August 2015). "Why cheaters on sites like Ashley Madison are not all bad" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ Croydon, Helen (28 April 2013). "The £125,000 question: is the world's priciest bed worth it?" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
- ^ "Helen Croydon". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ "Helen Croydon". The Telegraph.
- ^ "Metro Archives". Helen Croydon.
- ^ "Interview with Helen Croydon: journalist, broadcaster, and author".
- ^ "WHSBOTY 2018 longlist announcement". William Hill Plc.
- ^ "On TV". Helen Croydon.
- ^ "Going From Party Girl To Team GB Triathlete: The Resilience I Didn't Know I Had". HuffPost UK. 4 April 2018.
- ^ "Helen Croydon: From Party Girl to Team GB Triathlete". 9 February 2018.
- ^ Union, International Triathlon. "Athlete Profile: Helen Croydon". ITU World Triathlon Series.