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{{short description|British writer, director, and television presenter}}{{Distinguish|Nyree Dawn Porter|Dawn Porter (filmmaker)}}{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}

factoids

Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire>Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland| nationality = British| occupation = Television presenter, journalist, writer| alma_mater = Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts| years_active = 2005–present| networth =Chris O'Dowd|2012}}| children = 2Dawn...'Extreme Wife'My Breasts Could Kill Me'Balls of Steel (TV series)>Balls of Steel'This Old Thing| website = }}Dawn O'Porter (born Dawn Porter; 23 January 1979) is a Scottish writer, director, and television presenter.

Early life

Dawn O’Porter was born in Alexandria, Scotland, but raised in Guernsey.WEB, Porter, Dawn,weblink 25 things you might not know about me...,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120115153704weblink">weblink 15 January 2012, The Dawn Report, 3 February 2009, NEWS, Daily Record (Scotland),weblink Alexandria born Dawn O'Porter returns to Scotland to promote new book, 18 April 2017, Jenny, Foulds, She studied acting at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts but in her third year decided that acting was not for her and did work experience on the television series Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned rather than participate in a school production.WEB,weblink Dawn Porter interview, Emma, Knock, Emmaknock.wordpress.com, 9 May 2011, 7 June 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110517021716weblink">weblink 17 May 2011, Porter's father is Scottish and still lives in Scotland.8 Out of 10 Cats, 17 February 2014

Television career

Porter first came to widespread public attention when she attempted to slim down to a size zero by using drastic dieting regimes for the BBC documentary Super Slim Me. Porter also presented the product-testing section of How to Look Good Naked on Channel 4.Dawn Porter: Extreme Wife Channel4.comIn 2008, Porter presented a BBC Three series of four documentary films, Dawn... (14 February–6 March), exploring attitudes to nudity, lesbianism, dating and pregnancy (including childbirth).BBC Three's new programming, new look and huge move forward into multiplatform BBC Press Office,WEB,weblink Record share and reach figures for BBC Three, BBC Press Office, 19 February 2008, WEB, Dawn..., BBC Three, BBC,weblink Later that year, she made a four-part series called Extreme Wife for Channel 4. In the first programme, Dawn Porter: Free Lover (30 September 2008), Porter travelled to San Diego, California, to investigate polyamory, then she travelled to former East Germany to visit ZEGG in Belzig, a German free love commune. The programme highlighted the world of free love, such as ritual sensuous oil sessions with naked people covered in warm olive oil, and included discussions with the people who lived in the commune. It premiered with 1.75m viewers (10.7% share).WEB,weblink Jamie Oliver's Ministry welcomes 3m, Digital Spy, 1 October 2008, In the second programme, Dawn Porter: Mail Order Bride (7 October 2008), Porter travelled to Odesa, Ukraine, with a group of American men in their search for a partner. The third programme, Dawn Porter: Geisha Girl (14 October 2008), saw Porter travel to Kyoto, Japan, and spend a week in a geisha house. In the fourth and final programme, Dawn Porter: Polygamist's Wife (21 October 2008), Porter investigated women who are prepared to share their husbands with other women. This included a stay in Centennial Park, Arizona.Radio Times, 18–24 October 2008, p. 89In February 2009, Porter narrated the BBC Three series Undercover Princes.WEB,weblink Network TV BBC Week 2, BBC Press Office, January 2009, In May 2009, it was announced that Porter would present a documentary, The Booby Trap, exploring breast cancer, for Sky1.Booby Trap heads to Sky1 Digital Spy, 14 May 2009 The show aired on 6–7 July 2009, under the title My Breasts Could Kill Me.Dawn Porter: My breasts could kill me Sky1 HD It premiered with 181,000 viewers (0.9% share).5.9m tune in for new Torchwood Digital Spy, 7 July 2009 Porter appeared topless in the documentary to undergo a breast examination and breast screening.{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}Porter has her own television production company Hot Patootie TV.Companies House Listing; accessed 17 March 2017WEB,weblink'PORTER, DAWN O'PORTER - LONDON, Checkcompany.co.uk, 4 December 2017, On 11 November 2011, Porter made an appearance in (List of works by Derren Brown#Derren Brown: The Experiments|Derren Brown – The Experiments) entitled "The Secret of Luck"WEB,weblink Derren Brown: The Experiments - Series 1 - Episode 4 - Derren Brown: The Secret of Luck, Channel 4, 11 November 2011, 7 June 2013, and later filmed six episodic advertisements for Andrex Washlets.She appeared in E4 drama Skins and has appeared on the television show Balls of Steel.In 2012, Porter organised an Oxfam "get together" alongside friend Gemma Cairney, and raised money for Oxfam by selling clothing previously owned by celebrities.WEB,weblink Rumble in the jumble for International Women's Day – Now. Here. This. – Time Out London, Now-here-this.timeout.com, 25 February 2012, 14 March 2013, In 2014 Porter hosted and co-produced a series for Channel 4 called This Old Thing exploring vintage clothing.WEB, Dawn O'Porter interview for This Old Thing: The Vintage Clothes Show,weblink Channel 4, Channel Four Television Corporation, 17 September 2019, 12 June 2014, WEB, Ramsey, Terry, This Old Thing: the Vintage Clothes Show, review: 'so predictable it felt second-hand',weblink The Daily Telegraph, 17 September 2019, 25 June 2014, Porter hosts Soul Food on Munchies for Vice.{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}

Writing career

O'Porter writes for many publications, on feminism and aspects of women's lifestyle.In 2006, she published Diaries of an Internet Lover.BOOK, Diaries of an internet lover,weblink registration, Porter, Dawn, 2006, Virgin Books, 9780753510094, In May 2013, she released her first novel, Paper Aeroplanes, the fictional tale of an intense female friendship loosely inspired by her own childhood in Guernsey.WEB, Williams, Andrew,weblink Dawn Porter: I was sick of making TV documentaries all about me, Metro.co.uk, 2 May 2013, 7 June 2013, Her publication, The Cows, was released in 2016 and has since been featured on the Sunday Times Best Sellers list.WEB,weblink The Sunday Times Best Sellers, BookBeat, en-GB, 2019-07-12, In October 2019, HarperCollins published her novel, So Lucky.BOOK, So lucky, O'Porter, Dawn, HarperCollins, 2019, 978-0-00-812607-0, London, 1112375537,

Charity work

O'Porter was one of the founding members of the charity Help Refugees (now called Choose Love).WEB,weblink Accidental activists: the British women on the front line of the refugee crisis, The Guardian, 12 June 2016, 2017-09-11, Andrew, Anthony,

Personal life

In August 2012, Porter married Chris O'DowdNEWS,weblink Chris O'Dowd Interview, The Daily Telegraph, 20 June 2011, 26 August 2011, Husband, Stuart, London, and changed her name to Dawn O'Porter.NEWS,weblink I was never going to be Mrs O'Dowd, Milton, Stephen, 27 April 2013, Irish Independent, Independent News & Media, 8 May 2013, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140222193550weblink">weblink 22 February 2014, TWEET, BigBoyler, chris o'dowd, 239798748870492160, 26 August 2012, Just married!!!!, In January 2015, O'Porter gave birth to a son, Art, in Los Angeles, where they lived until 2023WEB,weblink It's a boy: Chris O'Dowd and Dawn O'Porter announce birth of son Art and joke 'I think we'll keep him', 2 February 2015, evoke.ie,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160301030600weblink">weblink 1 March 2016, In 2017, O'Porter gave birth to a second son, Valentine.WEB,weblink Chris O'Dowd and Dawn O'Porter welcome baby boy', Rte.ie, 13 July 2017, 3 December 2017,

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

• {{Official websiteweblink}}
• {{IMDb name|2010266}}

{{Authority control}}