From 1997, Perry presented coverage of BBC Sport's Grand Prix motorcycle racing for 13 years.[6] In February 2010, following a year in which she suffered a number of health issues including viral meningitis and an ectopic pregnancy, it was announced that she was stepping down from presenting motorcycle racing.[7] She stated that the extensive travelling involved combined with her other TV commitments was having a detrimental effect on her work-life balance.[7]
Following her departure from motorcycle racing, Perry was part of the BBC presenting team at the 2010 Epsom Derby,[8] and Royal Ascot.[9] She was due to be part of the 2011 Grand National coverage but was replaced at the last moment – without any explanation – by Dan Walker, who happened to be at Aintree presenting Football Focus on the same day.[citation needed]
On 21 December 2012, the BBC announced that Perry would replace Jake Humphrey as presenter of the BBC's Grand Prix car racing coverage from the 2013 season, covering 10 live races and 10 highlight shows.[10] She also wrote regular blogs for BBC Sport to give a behind-the-scenes look at F1. This was the first time a woman had taken on the full-time main anchor-role in Formula One on British TV.
In 2015, it was announced Perry would present a new F1 show for BBC Two with Murray Walker. The show, called Formula 1 Rewind, involves Walker looking back at some of the BBC's archives.[11][12]
BT Sport
In March 2016 it was announced that Perry would join BT Sport,[13] presenting the channel's motorsport content, including World Championship motorcycle racing, FIM Speedway and the World Rally Championship. The announcement coincided with the news that UK terrestrial TV coverage of Formula 1 was moving from the BBC to Channel 4.[14]
The BT Sport motorcycle racing team includes Perry, hosting the coverage alongside former bike racers and pundits Sylvain Guintoli, Michael Laverty, and Natalie Quirk. Commentary and reporting is provided by Neil Hodgson and Gavin Emmett.[15]
Perry was the original presenter of Live Elite League Speedway on Sky Sports. She appeared on the 2002–03 revival of Treasure Hunt, where she took the "skyrunner" role made famous by Anneka Rice.[16]
In September 2016, Perry was made an honorary Doctor of Engineering by the University of Wolverhampton for services to science, technology, and work encouraging young entrepreneurs.[24][25]
Personal life
In 1997 Perry married Steve Bullock; their marriage lasted four years.[2] In September 2008, she was engaged to her Dutch boyfriend, Bastien Boosten, whom she met while filming The Gadget Show[2] She suffered a ruptured ectopic pregnancy on 17 February 2009, and was taken to West Middlesex Hospital from her home in Chiswick, where she underwent surgery after losing four pints of blood.[2] From April 2010, Perry lived in London, but shared a house in the south of France with Boosten.[2]
In 2019, Perry contracted Dengue fever virus followed by post viral fatigue which forced her out for six weeks.[26] In 2023, Perry missed six races because of a suspected heart problem, coped with the death of her mother and a close-friend from schooldays, then had to care for her dad after he fell and broke his femur.[27]
In 2006, Perry appeared as a celebrity showjumper in the BBC's Sport Relief event Only Fools on Horses. On 12 July, after being voted off the show, she revealed that she had fallen off her horse 12 times.[28]
Perry is a patron of Promise Dreams,[2] a charity launched in 2001 in her home town of Wolverhampton, to provide treatment for seriously or terminally ill children and to support their families.[29]
