Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo 26 May 1953) is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister of the Conservative Party who was born and brought up in Bushey, Hertfordshire. Much of the British Isles coastlines are pristine by comparison with Britains towns, villages and cities, which are awfully cluttered by traffic, parked vehicles, and signage, Portillo said in a January 2022 interview with i.news.co.uk. [39], Some saw the Defence Secretary post as a reward for Portillo's cautious loyalty to Major during the 1995 leadership challenge of John Redwood, following Major's "back me or sack me" resignation as party leader. Michael Portillo has an approximate Net Worth of $9 Million from his career as a journalist, broadcaster, and politician. After two years of their marriage, Eadie had cancer, which resulted in the couple not being able to carry any children. Furthermore, he has regularly appeared on the BBC's'This Week'political discussion show and BBC Radio 4's'The Moral Maze'ethical debate show.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[728,90],'biographyhost_com-box-3','ezslot_1',113,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-box-3-0'); Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo is a screenwriter who is mostly known for his broadcast series of railway documentaries likeGreat British Railway Journeys(2010) andGreat Continental Railway Journeys(20122020). In the 1997 general election, he lost the Enfield Southgate seat to a Labour Party candidate. Show less. Portillo was then asked "are we seeing the end of the Conservative Party as a credible force in British politics?". Former Conservative Cabinet minister Michael Portillo - once vilified for his support of the hated poll tax but now adored by fans of his TV shows such as Great British Railway Journeys -. He was elected as the jury's foreman. After a while, he joined the Conservative Research Department in 1976. On 1 February 2000, William Hague promoted Portillo to the Shadow cabinet as Deputy Leader and Shadow Chancellor. For all the latest London news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here! Michael Portillos wife is a businesswoman. Furthermore,the Daily Mail UKalso mentioned that Portillo allegedly had extramarital affairs during his marriage with Eadie. "a reference to the expectation that the Conservatives were headed for defeat and thus he would no longer be a Minister. Michael Portillo married Carolyn Claire Eadie in February 1982. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/michael-portillo-9403.php. Portillo has earned most of his net worth from his successful career as a journalist, broadcaster, and former Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister of the Conservative Party from Britain. [76], In early 2016, Portillo began a new BBC travel documentary series Great American Railroad Journeys, which saw him travelling across the United States by rail. Portillo married Carolyn Claire Eadie on 12 Feb 1982 in a private blissful wedding ceremony attended by close friends and family. Michael was also a former Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister of the Conservative Party. Portillo unexpectedly lost the up to now the safe seat of the Conservative Enfield Southgate in the 1997 general election. Michaels fathers name was Luis Gabriel Portillo. Birth Sign Gemini. I saw this and I thought if there's one thing I do when I lose, I'm going to lose with as much dignity as I can muster and not be like this David MellorGoldsmith thing. GRV Media Ltd, 18 Mulberry Avenue, Widnes. Portillo was born in Bushey, Hertfordshire, to an exiled Spanish republican father, Luis Gabriel Portillo (19071993)[3] and a Scottish mother, Cora Waldegrave de Portillo (ne Blyth; 19192014). Discover Michael Portillo's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Information regarding Michaels annual salary has not yet been disclosed. [60] He is also an Honorary Vice-President of Canning House, the Hispanic and Luso Brazilian Council. A year later, he was promoted to. This came as a shock to many political pundits. [59] He was a member of the board of the Kerr-McGee Corporation for a few months in 2006.[60]. However, his political career was marred with criticism on many fronts. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? [79] This was followed by a series Great Asian Railway Journeys from 27 January 2020,[80] and Great Coastal Railway Journeys (BBC2, January-February 2022). ", because I deduced from that that I had. Michael left the Chamber of Commons in 2005. Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo was born on 26 May 1953 in England. He made appearances in many political documentaries such as Great Britons in 2002. Portillo joined the multinational defense contractor BAE Systems as a non-executive director in September 2002 and resigned from that position in March 2006. Carolyn and I have bought a lovely house near Seville. [69] Between 2002 and 2007, he presented a discussion series called Dinner with Portillo on BBC Four, in which political and social questions were explored by Portillo and his seven guests over a four-course meal. Michael was born to both parents as the only child in a small-sized family in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England. He's seen. He was born on 26 May 1953. Family (1) Spouse Carolyn grew up in North London where she first met her husband at a teen party in the mid-70s during their time at school. Michael was born to a Scottish mother, Cora Waldegrave, and a Spanish father, Luis Gabriel Portillo, in Bushey, Hertfordshire. Named Carolyn Claire Eadie at birth, Michael Portillos wife was born in North London on the 15th of March 1952. He is 66 years old as of 2019. Additionally, his father was a staunch Catholic who served as head of the London Diplomatic Office of the Government in Exile in 1972. Portillo has been married to his partner Carolyn Eadie since 1982 and currently lives together in Britain. (i.e., "Were you awake/did you see Portillo's result announced on television? He has since revealed that, prior to the interview, he had already come to believe he had lost his seat:[42].mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, I saw that the exit poll was predicting a 160 seat majority for Labour. Many urged Portillo, the "darling of the right", to run against Major. From what we gathered, the couple met for the first time in the mid-70s at a school party. Hazel Krasinski is All Grown Up Get To Know Emily Blunts Daughter. He also worked in broadcast series including railway documentaries such as Great British Railway Journey and Great Continental Railway Journey. Also Read British Politician -Harlan Hill - Wife, Age, Bio, Fox News & Wedding. "I have a large number of cousins in Spain and I tend to be the organiser of reunions and parties. [25] Portillo has stated that he considers "saving the Settle to Carlisle railway" to be his greatest achievement. He sat on of the Board of BAE Systems plc from 2002 to 2006 and of Kerr McGee Corporation during 2006. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'biographyhost_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_9',148,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-biographyhost_com-large-leaderboard-2-0'); We assure our audience that we will remove any contents that are not accurate or according to formal reports and queries if they are justified. Paxman opened the interview with the question "so Michael, are you going to miss the limo? David is married to Judy. For BBC4 he has made several series of Dinner with Portillo, a discussion program, and in 2008 The Ladys not for Spurning (about Margaret Thatchers legacy). Michael lived in 1935, at address. Important information Image Formats 679 784 pixels JPG Show more Image Contributor Mike Forster/Shutterstock The programme was originally broadcast on 7 November 2008. Returning to the Commons in the 1999 by-election in Kensington and Chelsea, Portillo rejoined the frontbench as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. "One of them, not only my father's younger brother . Carolyn Eadie has always lived her life away from the spotlight. Carolyn has no record of any social media accounts and therefore keeps a more private lifestyle than her husband. He also appears to be tall in stature in his photos. Here are some interesting facts and body measurements you should know about Portillo. In 2015, he was dragged into controversy when he appeared in the BBC Two documentary series Portillos State Secrets. The series showed him scrutinize a number of classified documents from the British National Archives. He has also hosted documentaries such as Portillos Hidden History of Britain and The Enemy Files.. [16], On 12 February 1982 Portillo married Carolyn Claire Eadie. Symbolising the loss of the election by the Conservative Party, it has been referred to as "the Portillo moment", and in the clich "Were you up for Portillo?" In an interview with The Times given in the summer of 1999, Portillo said that "I had some homosexual experiences as a young person. He studied at Harrow High School, Peterhouse, Cambridge, and the University of Cambridge. Other television programmes presented by Portillo have included: On 26 May 2022, Channel 5 commissioned The Pyrenees with Michael Portillo, a four-part series that premiered 23 August 2022. His nationality is British. He then appeared in Great American Railroad Journeys and Great Indian Railway Journeys. He later mentioned that the Indian part of the documentary was a profound experience and that he was mesmerized by the sheer diversity of the Indian population. During this session, Portillo declared that a future Conservative government would enhance the independence of the Bank of England and increase its accountability to Parliament, and that it would not repeal the national minimum wage.[50]. Information ranging from who her parents are to the number of siblings she has remain unknown to the public. Furthermore, he was registered as a Spanish citizen while 4 years old and goes by the Spanish nameMiguel Portillo y Blyth. Latest in Bollywood is an Independent News Media organization. Her husband was born in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, to a refugee father named Luis Gabriel Portillo and a Scottish mother, Cora Waldegrave. Portillo's documentary Michael Portillo: Death of a School Friend explores how the suicide of Portillo's classmate Gary Findon affected Findon's parents, brother, music teachers, schoolteachers, classmates, and Portillo himself. He is British. He became a Conservative Party MP and by 1987, was appointed to his first ministerial post, as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security. Frank says he doesn't have regrets about spending time with. [53], Talking to Andrew Neil on This Week in May 2016, he gave his views on the effectiveness of David Cameron's government and its legislative plans as described in the Queen's speech: "After 23 years of careful thought about what they would like to do in power the answer is nothing", a description which The Guardian described as "elegant". The show first aired in 2010. "The highlights were the two epic journeys on The Ghan and the Indian Pacific," the 66-year-old recalled to Journey Beyond. Michael Portillo was born on May 26, 1953, in Bushey, Hertfordshire, to Luis Gabriel Portillo and Cora Waldergrave. As of when they got married, Michael was yet to kick start his political career. According to multiple reports, she has done well for herself as an entrepreneur. His religion is a Non-denominational Christian. Who is Patrick Swayzes Son, Jason Whittle? Michael came into the spotlight at the tender age of 6 years, and this was after appearing in an advertisement for a commercial drink called Ribena.. In 2009, he worked for a series of documentaries named Great British Railway Journeys. The series showed him talking about how the British railway had affected the geographical, social, and economic plane of the country. In November 2003, he turned down an offer of a Shadow Cabinet post from the incoming Conservative leader Michael Howard. [20] In the 1983 general election, he fought his first electoral contest, in the Labour-held seat of Birmingham Perry Barr, losing to the incumbent Jeff Rooker. Michael stands at a height of 5 feet and 11 inches (1.81 m). He is the founder of DebRA, Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), the national charity working on behalf of people with genetic skin blistering disorder. In celebration of World Book Day a photo of me holding a copy of Bradshaw's guide. One thing is certain though, the entirety of Carolyn Eadies life does not revolve around her husband. The TV star has also captivated followers with other adventure screenings, including Great Indian Railway Journeys and Great American Railroad Journeys. pic.twitter.com/aFfpJe81Ju, Michael Portillo (@portilloandhen) March 3, 2016. Since 2006 he has been on The Moral Maze team on BBC Radio 4. 1998 saw Portillo make his first foray into broadcasting on Channel 4 with Portillo's Progressthree 60-minute-long programmes looking into the changed social and political scene in Britain. Michael Portillo was born on 26th May 1953, making him 69 years old at the time of writing and three years older than his beloved wife, Carolyn. At 67, Michael Portillo is a man very much at home in his own skin, a far cry from the somewhat uptight and buttoned-up Right-winger of old. He was knocked out in the final round of voting by Conservative MPs, his sexual history according to Kenneth Clarke having damaged his chances,[51] leaving party members to choose between Iain Duncan Smith and Kenneth Clarke. Michael Portillo's Wife, Children Michael is a married man. He was a whip, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Social Security, Minister of State for Transport, Minister of State for Local Government and Inner Cities; and as Minister of Cabinet, he was Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Secretary of State for Jobs, and Secretary of State for Defence. He was known to live an exuberant life and was known in the media as Portaloo. He once rented Alexandra Palace to celebrate his decade-long career in politics. [24], In 1987, Portillo was given his first ministerial post, as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security; the following year, he was promoted to Minister of State for Transport. He has made a number of television programs for BBC2 including Art that shook the world: Richard Wagners Ring, Portillo in Euroland, Elizabeth I in the series Great Britons, When Michael Portillo became a single mum, Portillo Goes Wild in Spain and The Science of Killing.