Inside Graham Norton's life from near-death experience to Terry Wogan inspired Eurovision tradition
Graham Norton is among the UK’s best loved hosts but what is there to know about the Irish star?
The 61-year-old will be taking centre stage on New Year’s Eve for a special edition of The Graham Norton show kicking off at 10.25pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Listed to appear on the iconic red sofa are Robbie Williams, Motsi Mabuse, Rami Malek, John Bishop and other surprise guests.
So with fans gearing up to see in the New Year with Norton on their screens, here’s everything there is to know about the host.
Mini-breakdown
Born in 1963 in Clondalkin, County Dublin as Graham William Walker, Norton’s parents were Guinness sales rep William “Billy” Norton and mum Rhoda Walker.
As well as his older sister Paula, the family spent many years in Bandon, County Cork, with the presenter going on to study English and French at the University of Cork.
However, it’s been reported that after two years, he had a “mini-breakdown” and left the university with The Guardian stating that he was “feeling very low and collecting dead insects”.
But Norton doesn’t believe he was depressed but rather just fed up with Cork after spending time in Paris and London.
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He said: “Some people think they're depressed and they go to the doctor and want pills.
“And you just think: ‘You hate where you live, you've lost your job, your boyfriend has dumped you, could all this be why you're depressed?'”
Near-death experience
The Graham Norton Show star made the decision to move to London after living in San Francisco for a year and went to study at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
It was around this time that he was violently mugged and stabbed in the street when an elderly couple found him.
He shared with The Guardian: “'It was interesting because when you're losing blood it really is your life force going out of you.
“And what's nice about it is that it's only a little bit panicky and then you're just really tired.
“The old lady was there in her dressing gown, God love her, with someone bleeding on her doorstep, and instinctively I asked to hold her hand - which I think is a kind of human thing, where you don't want to die alone.”
Early career
Norton’s career started to take a positive turn when his time at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival led to a regular spot on the BBC Radio 4 show Loose Ends.
He then made his acting debut on Channel 4’s sitcom Father Ted where he portrayed Father Noel Furlong for four years.
Norton was given his own weekly chat show, So Graham Norton, in the late 1990s and then a daily weeknight show in 2002.
Following his time presenting on Comic Relief, he went on to land more presenting roles and launched The Graham Norton Show which still airs in the primetime Friday night slot, welcoming major stars from across the world.
Eurovision
Norton went on to become the UK’s voice for Eurovision after Terry Wogan stepped down in 2008.
But following the 77-year-old’s death in 2016, his predecessor began a Eurovision tradition in his honour.
He explained to Eurovision viewers: “For those who aren’t aware, song number nine is famous because Sir Terry always warned me not to have anything to drink until that point.
“During song number nine this year [2016] the host country Sweden will be performing and I will be encouraging everyone to raise a glass.
“It has all worked out very nicely as Swedish people in the arena will be cheering their song in the stadium as everyone back in the UK will join me and say cheers to the memory and legacy of Sir Terry Wogan.”
Love life
Norton is married to Scottish filmmaker Jonathan “Jono” McLeod, after the couple tied the knot in July 2022.
As the pair prefer to keep their relationship private, it isn’t known how long they have been together but they wedded at Bantry House, Country Cork, surrounded by around 120 guests.
In the past, the host was in a relationship with drag performer Kristian Seeber who is best known as Tina Burner, as well as Trevor Patterson and Andrew Smith.
The Graham Norton Show returns for its New Year’s Eve Show on Tuesday, December 31, at 10.25pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
