A key player in Scoop, Emily Maitlis is the lauded journalist who quizzed Prince Andrew over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and his alleged relationship with Virginia Giuffre.
Renowned for her rapid-fire, no-nonsense style of questioning, Emily was named network presenter of the year at the Royal Television Society Awards 2020, just months after the Newsnight interview aired.
Since leaving the BBC, the 53-year-old has also launched The News Agents podcast and is serving as an executive producer on A Very Royal Scandal for Amazon Prime. But, away from the cameras, what's life like for the celebrated journalist? Here's what you need to know about Emily Maitlis…
Meet Emily Maitlis' family
Emily is married to investment manager Mark Gwynne, whom she met while working abroad.
Speaking to Good Housekeeping magazine in 2019, the TV star reflected on their first meeting. "We met at a party when we were working in Hong Kong. We don't see enough of each other, we're like ships that pass in the night, but it works," she said. "My best night of the week is Saturday as it's always at home. I hate going out on Saturday nights – I like a box set, red wine and that is it."
Appearing on an episode of The Jonathan Ross Show in 2019, Emily noted that she'd proposed to Mark in 2000 while they were on holiday in Mauritius. While she was keen to elope, her fiancé wasn't sold on the idea. "It was about day three [of our holiday] and I'd packed this white dress and I thought, 'What have I got to lose?' And so I proposed and he went: 'Oh my God, that's amazing, no,'" she said.
"I was like, 'We could get married on the beach on Friday, I've packed a dress.' So he said yes to the proposal but no to [getting married there and then on the beach]."
After tying the knot in the early 2000s, Emily and Mark went on to welcome their sons, Milo and Max. The former Newsnight star rarely comments on her family life with the boys, although she has noted that motherhood has impacted her career.
Explaining that she was previously scrutinised for her on-screen wardrobe, Emily told The Times: "It's such a relief. Having children must have informed what I did. It definitely made me more emotional, and I have a thing about covering any more school shootings – even the idea of them makes me cry. But I am so happy not to be defending what I am wearing or being asked whether I feel guilty as a mother if I work. I've left that behind."
Stalking ordeal
Emily has spoken publicly about her stalker, Edward Vines, who was jailed for eight years in 2022. An acquaintance from her alma mater, Cambridge University, Vines' 30-year obsession reportedly began after the journalist rejected his advances in 1990.
Resulting in numerous restraining orders that Vines breached on several occasions, both Emily and her mother had also received letters and emails detailing his unrequited love for her.
Speaking on the Desperately Seeking Wisdom podcast in 2024, Emily explained that she was "empathetic" towards Vines. "Look, I think of [Edward Vines] as having kind of lost his whole life over this, quite frankly. Of course I feel empathetic to that," she said.
Emily noted: "I think the trouble with stalking is that in our heads it sounds sort of celebrity-related or glamorous – sort of dark streets and high heels – and most stalking has nothing to do with that.
"It's just to do with an obsessional illness in the head of the person and actually we're getting much better at recognising mental health and all its myriad forms now."