Dermot O'Leary's Biography

Sean Dermot Finton O'Leary, better known as Dermot O'Leary, was born on 24 May 1973 in Colchester, Essex.

Dermot O'Leary studied Media and Politics at Middlesex University. He had a stint as a DJ on BBC Radio Essex, but it took him about 200 letters to production companies before he was accepted as a runner in the television business.

He then became a researcher on Mel and Sue's The Light Lunch on Channel 4, where he also did the audience warm-up.

Dermot O'Leary had a break when he got a presenting job on T4. He then collected an assortment of presenting roles for the BBC and Channel 4 including Big Brother's Little Brother and The Dog's Balearics.

O'Leary now has his own production company, Murfia and also has a slot on BBC Radio 2.

Dermot O'Leary has supported the Everyman Action Against Male Cancer Campaign and run the London Marathon to raise funds for the cause.

Asked by Channel 4, what his favourite family movie was, Dermot replied: " ... Probably Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom, I'm a massive Spielberg fan. It's a great rollercoaster and it's that whole Spielberg/Lucas philosophy that I love."

Dermot's hero is Ernest Shackleton.

In 2006, as well as presenting Big Brother's Little Brother, Dermot O'Leary hosted Big Brother's Big Brain.

From September 2006, Dermot O'Leary presented a Saturday night National Lottery game show on BBC One, entitled 1 vs 100 - in which one player is up against 100 opponents.

In ITV's Extinct, Dermot O'Leary appealed on behalf of the Leatherback turtle.

In March 2007, it was announced that Dermot O'Leary was taking over from Kate Thornton as presenter of The X Factor.

In November 2007, Dermot O'Leary announced that he was quitting as presenter of Big Brother's Little Brother because it was impractical to work on it as well as The X Factor.

In January 2008, Dermot O'Leary hosted Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack, but after that he moved on from the world of Big Brother.

On 11 May 2010, Radio 2's The Dermot O'Leary Show won the best music programme category at the Sony Radio Academy Awards.

In September 2012, Dermot O'Leary married Dee Koppang.

In March 2015, it was revealed that he would no longer present The X Factor, after eight years. Earlier in the month, he had completed a marathon stint of another kind when he performed a 24-hour dance session and raised £643,336 for Comic Relief.

In 2016 he hosted Getaway Car, BBC One's new flagship Saturday night game show.

In March 2016, ITV announced that Dermot O'Leary was returning to The X Factor. He commented: "The show is naturally very close to my heart, after having hosted it for 8 years. I'm really looking forward to it, and excited to be back”.

On 23 June 2020, Dermot's wife Dee Koppang gave birth to a baby boy.

In August 2020, it was reported that he had his wedding ring stolen from a gym locker.

In 2024, Dermot presented a Saving Lives at Sea World War II special - to commemorate the 2024 bicentenary of the RNLI, of which he is an ambassador.