When Ellie Crisell joined CBBC's Newsround in February 2003, she had finally achieved the dream of appearing on national television every weeknight, watched by millions throughout the UK. However, it took a lot of hard work and dedication to get there, often having to work in unglamorous and thankless jobs just to get the valuable experience in the world of media that would one day take her to where she is today. Here, we look back at Ellie's rapid rise to the top.

Rather than television, Ellie first began her media career in the newspaper industry, before also trying her hand in the world of radio. "I worked for the Mail on Sunday for a year, and a year on radio. I worked shifts, it's not glamorous at all. But you learn a lot and everyone has to do it. Education is pretty essential to becoming a journalist."

Ellie's first appearance on the small screen was for her local regional broadcaster Tyne Tees Television as a newsreader (see picture above), which Ellie sees as vital to the success she was to enjoy in the future, and believes is good advice to those aspiring to follow in her footsteps, "You won't get anywhere in national news unless you get regional experience first. But you make more contacts in London." Ellie's flexibility and willingness to work hard were also crucial factors in her success, "Try and think of other jobs in TV you'd like to do other than presenting. You'll be taken more seriously if you're passionate about something other than being famous."

This hard work was soon to bring high rewards, and the opportunity for national television success. Ellie's abundant charm, coupled with her clear, confident manner in front of the camera soon alerted BBC bosses to her potential, and in February 2003 Ellie joined the Newsround team, achieving her ultimate ambition to read the news on national television.

Since then, Ellie has never looked back. Not only does she read the news most weekday evenings, her role has also enabled her to report on many of the major national and international events of the 21st century, as well as interviewing some of the most important and influential people in the country. Also, her confidence and ease in front of the camera have provided the BBC with a valuable news correspondent for their mainstream news programmes, capable of handling the pressure of reporting to a much larger, more critical audience. Ellie's most recent success in this area came with her excellent reports from the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, proving that she could do more than just present the news by having to provide her own opinions and thoughts on the Olympic news as it unfolded.

So, having achieved so much in such a short space of time, does Ellie have any ambitions for the future? "My ambition was always to read the news! I think now it's just to be happy and have as much fun as possible!"

Sources: www.bbc.co.uk, www.westmidlands.ideasfactory.com

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