Clare Balding OBE (born 29 January 1971) is a British television presenter. She was born in Kingsclere, Hampshire. She is openly lesbian. In 2009, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She recovered later that year. In 2012, a book she wrote about her life was published. It was called "My Animals and Other Family". In February 2013 Woman's Hour, a programme on BBC Radio 4, put her on their list of the most powerful women in the UK. Balding presents "Britain's Brightest".