This is the story of how a former publicist used her insider knowledge to build a movement—and why Ria Hebden is one of the most influential architects of change in modern British television.
The Publicist Who Wanted to be in Front of the Camera
Every great presenter has a unique origin story, but Hebden’s is particularly instructive. Before she was the face of ITV’s entertainment news, she was the strategic brain behind the scenes. Born in London in 1983, Hebden (née Cunningham) studied at Brunel University before entering the corporate world as a publicist . She worked for giants like Disney, Discovery, Fox, and Channel 4 .
This background is crucial to understanding her success. Most presenters learn to perform; Hebden learned the business. As a publicist, she understood the mechanics of a set, the anxiety of a talent about to be interviewed, and the specific pressure of live television. More importantly, she saw the data. She saw who was being booked, who was being promoted, and, crucially, who was being left behind.
This insider perspective fueled her pivot to on-air talent. She started getting noticed on shows like This Morning and Sunday Morning Live on BBC One. In 2020, she landed the coveted role of Entertainment Editor on ITV’s Lorraine . It was a big job, but for Ria, it was never just about the paycheck or the fame. It was about using the visibility to unlock doors for others.
The Birth of Wonder Women: A Systemic Solution
While her on-screen career was skyrocketing, a meeting or a conversation in 2016 sparked an idea that would become her legacy. Ria noticed that while there were plenty of networking events for women in media, they often served the same demographics. Women of color, those from working-class backgrounds, and those with disabilities were still struggling to move from mid-level roles to senior leadership.
So, she stopped waiting for permission and founded Wonder Women .
What started as a small community has grown into a transformative Community Interest Company (CIC). Wonder Women isn’t just a “chat and canapés” club. It is a rigorous, year-long mentorship program designed to elevate underrepresented women in television and the creative industries. It provides masterclasses, live events (including the sold-out Wonder Women Conference), and something that is often missing in the industry: visibility .
As she detailed in a recent LinkedIn reintroduction, her mission extends “far beyond the screen” . She is building a pipeline. In July 2025, this work received significant academic validation when Brunel University awarded her an Honorary Degree in recognition of her services to diversity and inclusion . This wasn’t just a pat on the back; it was an acknowledgment that her grassroots work has created measurable, institutional change.
Through The Wonder Women TV Podcast, she amplifies these voices further, moving beyond the superficial “how to succeed” tropes into tangible career advice. It is leadership development disguised as a chat over a cuppa .
More Than a “Diversity Hire”: Competing on Primetime
One of the most refreshing aspects of Hebden’s career is her refusal to be siloed. She resists the tragic industry habit of labeling diverse talent only to discuss “diversity issues.” Ria is a mainstream entertainer.
In 2022, she proved her mettle to a national audience by strapping on skates for ITV’s grueling Dancing on Ice . She has tested her general knowledge on Celebrity Mastermind and raised over £130,000 for charity by appearing on The Chase and Catchphrase . She has even made history as part of the first mixed-race couple to present a BBC daytime show .
Why is this important? Because representation is not just about the serious news desk. It is about joy. It is about seeing a woman of color skating for a glitterball trophy or laughing through a comedy panel show. By succeeding in these mainstream entertainment arenas, Hebden normalizes diversity in spaces that are often less scrutinized than the newsroom but just as vital to the cultural fabric.
The Voice of Authority in Archival Storytelling
In a sign of her growing gravitas, Ria was selected to host the FOCAL International Awards 2026 . For the uninitiated, FOCAL celebrates the use of archival footage in storytelling. It is a niche but incredibly prestigious corner of the industry, attended by the gatekeepers of history and documentary filmmaking.
Her selection here is telling. FOCAL praised her “energy, insight and authenticity” . For an organization dedicated to preserving the truth of the past, hiring a host who has dedicated her present to changing the future of the industry is a powerful synergy. It proves that the skills required to interview Harrison Ford are the same skills required to guide a room full of Oscar-winning documentarians: preparation, empathy, and authority.
The Entrepreneurial Blueprint
If there is a lesson to be learned from Ria Hebden, it is that talent alone is not enough; you need infrastructure. Through her production company, Carpe Diem Media Productions, Ria controls her own narrative . She isn’t waiting for the BBC or ITV to commission a show about diversity; she produces it herself.
Her work with brands like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney isn’t just hosting gigs; they are strategic partnerships . She is the “safe pair of hands” that global brands trust, but she leverages that trust to advocate for inclusive hiring on set. As one client from Amazon Prime noted, she “goes way over and above to deliver,” understanding the producer’s pain points because she used to be one .
She is also an Ambassador for MAMA Youth Project and Peer Power Youth, organizations that help underprivileged young people find careers in media . This is the full circle: she trains the next generation (Wonder Women), she advocates for the current workforce (mentorship), and she provides visibility for the industry (her broadcasting).
The Bookshelfie Effect: Intellectual Curiosity
To understand the depth of Ria Hebden, one only needs to look at her appearance on the Bookshelfie podcast for the Women’s Prize for Fiction . When asked to list the five books that shaped her, she didn’t pick easy beach reads. She selected Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez (about data bias in a world designed for men) and The Good Ally by Nova Reid (a handbook for anti-racism).
This intellectual rigor is her secret weapon. She isn’t just winging it on the red carpet. She is deeply versed in the sociological theories of why the industry looks the way it does. She understands the “invisible” workload carried by women of color and the structural biases that prevent promotion. Her advocacy is not emotional; it is evidence-based.
Conclusion: The Legacy in Progress
As of 2026, Ria Hebden is at the peak of her powers. She is a BAFTA voting member, a national treasure on daytime TV, and the CEO of a growing media empire . But the most exciting part of her career is that she is currently in the process of rewriting the job description of a “television presenter.”
In the past, a presenter was a vessel—pretty, articulate, but ultimately reading someone else’s words. Ria Hebden is a force. She walks onto the set of Lorraine to promote a movie, but she walks off to run a mentorship scheme that will change the demographics of the production crews in five years. She hosts an awards show, but she uses that platform to lobby for equitable hiring practices .
She proves that you can be both the talent and the executive, the entertainer and the activist. In an industry that often tries to put people in boxes, Ria Hebden has taken the box, recycled it, and built a ladder out of it.
Whether she is spinning around on Dancing on Ice or giving a keynote at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ria Hebden carries a singular message: The media we watch should look like the world we live in. And thanks to her tireless work behind the microphone, it finally might
