Over the past 20 years, Simon Thomas had earned a reputation as a highly successful broadcaster. Such a reputation has been earnt through presenting a number of popular programmes, using his charming personality and natural presenting abilities to win the heart of the nation. Simon began his career back in 1999 accepting a role as the 27th presenter on Blue Peter, the BBC’s flagship children’s show. He spent six years presenting the show, a period of time that allowed Simon to have some extraordinary experiences. Some of those experiences included climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, racing Darren Campbell, Frankie Fredericks and Jason Gardner at an International Athletics Meeting, sky diving with the RAF and presenting Queen Elizabeth with the gold Blue Peter badge. Simon was also privileged to co-present Proms In The Park for CBBC in both 2002 and 2003 whilst with Blue Peter.
In 2005 Simon decided to leave Blue Peter to pursue sports presenting. He joined Sky Sports and for the next eight years, he was one of the biggest names in Sky Sports News. Whilst in this role Simon presented a number of significant stories. Some of those included the Sky Sports News World Cup Report in 2010, 2010 Ryder Cup coverage, 2010 Ashes series coverage, 2012 London Olympic Games coverage and the live launch of the FA 150th Anniversary. Quickly establishing a reputation as a versatile presenter, Simon was called upon to present other sporting programmes. One of his most prominent presenting jobs was becoming the first presenter of Cricket AM, presenting alongside Anita Rani and Sarah-Jane Mee.
After impressing officials, Simon was asked to become the lead presenter for Football League coverage at Sky. Simon is not only known for presenting on television, he also hosts his fair share of live events. Back in 2012, Simon hosted Olympic stadium warm-up shows and post shows at the London 2012 Olympic Games, a colossal 80,000 person audience which he delivered to impeccably. His hosting didn’t stop there, he has since gone on to host a number of season dinners for a range of football clubs, from Chelsea to Wolverhampton Wanderers. He has also hosted numerous awards ceremonies, with the Football League Awards being the most prominent. Unfortunately, in 2017 Simon experienced a devastating and life-changing event. His wife, Gemma, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and passed away just three days after diagnosis.
After experiencing such a traumatic loss, Simon decided it would be best to leave Sky Sports, devoting his time to looking after his son Ethan. After leaving Sky Simon used his grief to help others, becoming the president of Bloodwise UK. He is passionate about helping others experiencing grief and wants to help improve their mental health and even support those in newfound single parenthood like himself. He published his first book, titled Love Interrupted which documents his own experience with grief. He also has his own blog where his posts about grief, mental health and single parenthood have been read by millions. Currently, Simon is working on a number of projects to complement his book and mission to help other grieving people. He is developing a podcast titled Life Interrupted, a podcast that will see him speaking to a range of people who have experienced great challenges in life yet still gone on to achieve greatness. Simon is a great choice to have as a mental health speaker at your next event. Specialising on the topic of grief, Simon is guaranteed to leave a lasting impression on an audience of any size.
How to hire Simon Thomas
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Simon Thomas for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
Feedback from virtual events and webinars
During the Covid-19 pandemic and the temporary halt of live events, Simon was booked as the exciting guest speaker for a range of virtual events and webinars. Read his latest feedback from virtual events below.
"The event was fantastic, Simon was really engaging with lots to take away and I've received some really encouraging feedback." - Kim, National Grid
"The session with Simon had a real impact on the business. Simon really connected with so many of our staff who are experiencing issues and a number came forward to seek help after the event. It had more of an impact than we ever thought that it could. Simon's honesty and vulnerability was inspiring for our staff and we are very grateful for him sharing his story with us" - Jamie, BHP
Feedback from in-person events
Simon is also booked as a speaker for in-person events. Read his latest feedback from in-person events below.
"Just wanted to say thanks for Simon's support during the mental health filming on Tuesday, we were all really happy with the outcome" - Becky, Senior Account Manager, Mongoose Agency
"Simon was brilliant, he is a really eloquent and moving speaker. I felt like he had everyone’s full attention and everyone in the room was impacted by his story."- Linklaters
"We invited Simon to join Nomad Foods’ first celebration of International Men’s day on November 19th 2019 to support us in driving awareness of changing roles in the workplace, and the need to ensure an open and supportive culture around mental health. Simon spoke eloquently and engagingly for 45 minutes about his own experiences which transcend gender…around imposter syndrome, depression, grief and recovery. A highly emotive session which has had a real impact at both personal and business level whether you are familiar with Simon’s career or not. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him as a speaker to any other businesses." - Rachel, Nomad Foods
"Our thanks to Simon for the incredibly inspirational talk that he gave at our staff conference last Friday. He made such an impact with our staff and they are still talking about it now" - Julie, Great Well Homes
"We invited Simon to the Cabinet Office to do a talk for staff as part of January’s Wellbeing Month. Simon gave a very honest account of his personal experiences with grief and poor mental health, speaking eloquently and ensuring everyone in the room was engaged throughout. Although the situation he found himself up against is not applicable to everyone, the challenges that he spoke of are certainly true to many people suffering with mental health, and he provided some useful tips for anyone who may be suffering. Simon’s inspirational talk really helped to open up the discussion about mental health (and in particular, men’s mental health) in the Cabinet Office. I would definitely recommend Simon for any event where mental health and wellbeing is a priority." - Laura, Cabinet Office
