| Gillian Burke | |
| Birth Place: | Kenya |
| Nationality: | Kenyan/British |
| Occupation: | producer, TV presenter |
| Years Active: | 2000–present |
| Alma Mater: | University of Bristol |
| Children: | 2 |
Gillian Burke (born [1]) is a natural history television programme presenter, producer and voiceover artist.[2] She is best known for co-presenting BBC nature series Springwatch and its spin-offs since 2017.
Burke studied biology at Bristol University, and subsequently worked as a researcher for the BBC's Natural History Unit. She worked as a producer and director on several series for Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel, and as a voiceover artist,[3] before becoming a regular presenter on Springwatch in 2017.[4] As part of her role, Burke has also presented its seasonal spin-offs Autumnwatch and Winterwatch.
In 2019, she hosted Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved (Animal Planet), and in 2020 narrated Thailand's Wild Side (National Geographic Channel).[5] [6] [7] In 2020, Burke became vice president of the Wildlife Trusts.[8] In 2022, Burke took a break from presenting The Watches programmes due to schedules clashing between roles.
Burke's grandmothers are from the Seychelles, and her grandfathers are from Sri Lanka. She was born and grew up just outside of Nairobi, Kenya, where her father was a mechanic. At the age of ten the family relocated to Vienna, where she learnt to speak German.[9] [10] Her ancestry is Afro-Trinidadian, Seminole, Mauritian and Somalian; her mother was a journalist and worked with the United Nations.[11] As a teenager, she developed an interest in wildlife through photography. She now lives in Cornwall with her two children.[4] She is an ambassador of the rainforest protection charity Cool Earth.[12]