Newsround stars now – cancer death at 43, bitter split, politics career U-turn
Newsround has been a staple on the CBBC ever since it was launched by co-founders John Craven and Edward Barnes back in 1972.
And it’s fair to say the beloved programme has featured some of the world’s biggest stars as we well known public figures throughout its 50-year reign.
It has gone on to inspire the next generation of journalists across the world including the likes of BBC Entertainment reporter Liza Mzimba and Channel 4 journalist Krishnan Guru-Murphy.
READ MORE: ITV announces axe of beloved channel after 40 years as viewers left devastated
As the long-running news programme celebrates its 51st birthday with a bang, Daily Star has taken a look at where some of the fan-favourite presenters are now.
Let’s take a look…
John Craven
The show was originally named John Craven’s Newsround with the famous host taking on a vital role in the shows conception back in the 70s.
He also presented other children’s TV programmes including the weekend show Multi-Coloured Swap Show and Saturday Superstore.
After more than 3,000 episodes under his belt, the star said goodbye to the children’s news programme in 1989 and went on to present Countryfile which he is still piloting today.
More recently, the 82-year-old broadcaster revealed his eyesight while his hearing continues to deteriorate.
However, the dad-of-two reassured fans he has no plans to retire any time soon and continues to put in the hours both on and off screen.
Back in November 2011, Craven attended the British Academy Children’s Awards to collect a Special Award for Newsround in recognition of its contribution to television.
Helen Rollason
Hele Rollason was a reported on the fan-favourite children’s news channel for three years from 1987, covering its increasingly popular sports content.
She went on to become the first female presenter of Grandstand and covered some of the biggest matches on the silver screen including Wimbledon and the Olympic games.
But in 1997, the broadcaster was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer at the age of 41.
Despite the devastating diagnosis, Helen was determined not to let this hold her back as she went on to present for a further too months while undergoing chemotherapy.
She sadly passed away just two years later in August 1999 when she was 43.
Following her death, an annual award is presented in her honour at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards.
David Bull
After training as a doctor for seven years, David Bull joined Newsround as a health report for several years before he went on to present Watchdog and Most Haunted.
But this wasn’t the only career U-turn the star would make, after he branched out into a political career back in December 2006 where he was selected by the Conservative party to represent the Brighton Pavilion at the 2010 general election.
However, the star withdrew his candidacy before the election took place after he was drafted to pilot a Conservative policy review on sexual health.
Later in his career, he joined the Brexit party where he went on to become an MEP back in 2019.
Since then, he has gone on to become the deputy leader of Reform UK, the successor to the Brexit Party.
Leah and Ricky Boleto
Ricky Boleto joined the Newsround team back in 2008, followed by his co-presenter Lead Gooding just one year later.
The pair initially started out as friends but after working closely together for a number of years, love soon blossomed between them.
On their website, the couple recalled: “When our paths crossed we instantly clicked. Life was never the same again.”
In 2014, the two love-birds officially tied the knot and continued to work together on the show until 2021 when Leah went on maternity leave after having their son Enzo.
Ricky has previously credited John Craven for meeting his loving wife, saying: “I hold John Craven partly responsible for bringing Leah and me together.
“Without Newsround, our paths may never have crossed. Thank you John and your wonderful jumpers.”
Krishnan Guru-Murthy
Many will recognise him as the face of Channel 4 News, but before he became a reporter on the long-running TV programme, Krishnan presented Newsround.
The star helmed the show for three years from 1991 to1994 before he joined BBC News 24 when it launches in 1997.
A year later he made the move over to Channel 4 where he regularly fronts their evening news as well as covering the Paralympics.
Now 51, the host has become known for his probing interview style which has led to several onscreen clashes over the years.
Some of his more notable interviews was with Hollywood legend Quentin Tarantino and Robert Downey Jr who struggled to keep their cool in the hot seat.
The Channel 4 presenter also issued a grovelling apology to Tory minister Steve Baker after he was caught calling the politician a "c**t" following a "robust interview."
Julie Etchingham
Julie was a fresh-faced reporter when she first joined the Newsround team after beating 1,000 other competitors for the high-profile job.
Arguably a turning point in her career was when she covered the UK’s collective grief following the death of Princess Dianna in 1997.
The star went on to present Holiday and Sky News before she joined ITV as a broadcast journalist.
In 2010, Julie was the first woman awarded the Presenter of the Year award at the Royal Television Society awards.
Most recently, the 53-year-old journalist has covered the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the funeral of his grandfather Prince Phillip.
Ore Aduba
Following in his previous colleagues' footsteps, Ore hosted the CBBC show for five years from 2008 to 2013.
After bidding a fond farewell to the TV channel he went on to join the BBC Breakfast sofa as their sports presenter.
During this time he also front Claimed and Shamed before he took a break from his broadcasting duties to take part in Strictly Come Dancing.
During his time on the show, he found he truly found his twinkle toes and danced his way to the final where he won the glitterball trophy in 2016.
Since then he has put his dancing skills to good use, landing West End roles in Grease, Curtains and The Rocky Horror Show.
Helen Skelton
Joining at the same time as her co-host Ore Aduba, Helen was a welcomed addition to the Newsround team where she presented for 12 months before landing a job on Blue Peter.
Since then, she went on to present Countryfile and regularly covered the Olympic games for the BBC.
In April 2022, the star announced her difficult split from her husband of eight years Richie Myler just four months after she welcomed their daughter Elsie.
Weeks after revealing their split, the Leeds Rhinos player revealed he was in a relationship with his new girlfriend Stephanie Thirkill who was pregnant with his fourth child.
But Helen didn't let that hold her back, as she went on to join the cast of Strictly Come Dancing similarly to her former co-star Ore.
The blonde bombshell dazzled the judges with her brief stint in 2012 in the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special, and she certainly came back with a bang with pro dancer Gorka Marquez for the annual show last year.
Helen made it all the way to the grand final before Hamza Yassin and his professional dance partner Jowita Przystal beat them to the glitterball trophy.
Jake Humphrey
Jake Humphrey first started his career on Newsround which he presented from 2005 to 2008 before he moved on to become the established sports presenter we know today.
After leaving children’s television behind, he has hosted Football Focus and Match of the Day, and in 2009 he became the host of BBC’s F1 coverage.
Currently, Jake presents football programmes for BT Sport which he joined in 2013.
He also has his own successful podcast, titled The High-Performance podcast, which he co-hosts with Damian Hughes.
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