Nina Nannar has spent more than two decades as one of British television’s most recognisable arts journalists. As the Arts Editor for ITV News, she has interviewed everyone from Hollywood royalty to literary giants, bringing culture and entertainment coverage to millions of viewers every week. This article looks at who Nina Nannar is, her career journey, her personal life, and why she remains such a trusted voice in British broadcasting.
Who Is Nina Nannar?
Nina Nannar is a British journalist and broadcaster best known for her work as Arts Editor at ITV News. Born and raised in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, to Punjabi parents, she was often the only Asian child in her neighbourhood growing up, an experience she has spoken about candidly over the years. That background shaped her determination to succeed in an industry that, at the time she started out, had very few faces or names like hers on screen.
She studied English and German at Leeds University before beginning her broadcasting career. Her early years were spent at the BBC, where she worked as a news trainee before moving into regional and national television and radio. During this period, Nina Nannar presented Asian Perspective, a live news and current affairs programme on BBC Radio Five Live, for three years, and also fronted the Asian quiz show Q-Asia on BBC Two.
Nina Nannar ITV News Career
Nina Nannar joined ITN, the production company behind ITV News, in 2001 as a media and arts correspondent. Within a year she had firmly established herself, and by 2002 she was a fixture of the network’s entertainment coverage. Over the following years, she worked her way up from correspondent to news reporter, before being announced as ITV News Arts Editor in December 2016, a role she formally took on from 2017.
In her current position, Nina Nannar covers the full spectrum of arts and culture for ITV News. Her responsibilities include:
- Reporting on major awards ceremonies, including the Oscars, which she has covered around eight times
- Attending and reporting from BAFTA and the Brit Awards, where she also holds voting membership
- Chairing press launches for new ITV drama series
- Contributing regularly to ITV’s flagship News at Ten programme
- Producing documentary features for ITV’s On Assignment strand
Her interview list reads like a who’s who of film, television and music. Nina Nannar has sat down with Daniel Craig, Dame Helen Mirren, Karl Lagerfeld and countless other leading figures in entertainment. She has also reported on more serious cultural stories, including documentary work on HIV and AIDS treatment breakthroughs in San Francisco and coverage of Morocco’s growing film industry.
Awards and Recognition
Nina Nannar’s contribution to broadcasting hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2007, she received an honorary doctorate in recognition of her services to media. More recently, in 2025, she was named a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), a distinction that reflects her sustained influence across journalism and the creative industries.
She’s also heavily involved in charitable and advocacy work outside of her day job. Nina Nannar serves as an ambassador for both the King’s Trust and the British Asian Trust, and she’s a patron of several arts organisations, including Akademi (the South Asian dance company) and the Norwich Film Festival. She’s also a trustee of the Young Norfolk Arts Festival and a governor at Norwich University of the Arts.
Nina Nannar Age: What We Actually Know
One of the most searched questions about the journalist is her exact date of birth. Nina Nannar has never publicly confirmed her precise birthday, which is fairly typical for a broadcaster who prefers to keep the focus on her work rather than personal milestones. Various biography sites estimate she is in her late forties to mid-fifties, based on the timeline of her career—she began working in television in the late 1980s or early 1990s after finishing university.
Given that Nina Nannar joined ITN in 2001 following an established run at the BBC, and has now worked in broadcasting for close to four decades in total, most reasonable estimates place her birth in the late 1960s. Without an official confirmation from Nina Nannar herself, though, any specific figure should be treated as an educated guess rather than a hard fact.
Nina Nannar Husband and Family Life
Like her age, Nina Nannar has kept much of her family life private throughout her career. What is known is that she was married to a man named Steve, who was originally from New Zealand. The couple settled in London together.
Sadly, Steve passed away after complications caused by kidney disease. Nina Nannar has spoken movingly about this loss through her work with Kidney Research UK, where she has described her late husband as someone who remained positive and hopeful about medical breakthroughs, even as his own health declined. Steve was born with a condition called reflux, which affects the valve in the ureter and can cause serious kidney damage over time; in his teens he had to begin dialysis treatment after his kidney function collapsed.
This personal experience has made Nina Nannar a genuine and committed supporter of kidney research and awareness campaigns, lending her voice to fundraising events and public appeals in her husband’s memory. It’s a side to her public life that shows a different kind of authenticity than her arts reporting—one rooted in personal loss rather than professional achievement.
Interestingly, despite marrying, Nina Nannar chose to keep her own surname professionally rather than adopting her husband’s. She has spoken about how, early in her career at the BBC, colleagues once suggested she might need to change her name to something considered more mainstream for British television. She declined, and Nina Nannar has remained her professional identity throughout.
Why Nina Nannar Stands Out in British Journalism
There are plenty of arts correspondents on British television, but Nina Nannar has built a reputation for a few specific reasons.
Longevity and consistency. Few broadcasters manage to stay at the top of a specialist beat for as long as she has. Nina Nannar has covered arts and entertainment for ITV News for well over two decades, adapting through huge shifts in the media landscape, from the rise of streaming platforms to changing awards-season formats.
Trust from the industry. Being a BAFTA member and part of the Brit Awards voting academy isn’t something handed out lightly. It reflects genuine standing within the creative industries Nina Nannar reports on, rather than simply covering them from the outside.
A pioneering presence. As one of relatively few British Asian women in mainstream broadcast journalism when she started, Nina Nannar has often spoken about representation in the media. She continues to be a vocal advocate for greater diversity and inclusion, both through her ITV role and her wider public speaking engagements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nina Nannar still working at ITV News? Yes. Nina Nannar continues to serve as ITV News Arts Editor, regularly appearing on News at Ten and other ITV programming.
Where did Nina Nannar grow up? She was raised in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, alongside two brothers and a sister.
Did Nina Nannar go to university? Yes, she studied English and German at Leeds University before entering broadcasting.
How many times has Nina Nannar covered the Oscars? She has reported from the Academy Awards approximately eight times during her ITV News career.
Final Thoughts
Nina Nannar’s career is a story of persistence, adaptability, and genuine passion for the arts. From her early days at the BBC to becoming one of ITV News’ most familiar faces, she has built a body of work that spans celebrity interviews, hard-hitting documentaries, and tireless charity advocacy. While she keeps details like her exact age and the full story of her family life relatively private, what comes through clearly is a broadcaster who has earned her place through decades of consistent, credible reporting. For anyone following British arts journalism, Nina Nannar remains essential viewing keep an eye on ITV News to catch her latest interviews and reports.
