When Ophelia Dennis was six years old, she had an experience that changed the direction of her young life.
"I was watching a TV show and there was a woman on the screen and the audience were clapping and cheering for her. They were so excited to hear her speak and I loved that. Seeing people respond to her in that way was amazing. I knew in that moment, I wanted to be like her." That woman was Oprah Winfrey, who was at the height of her fame with her hugely popular chat show. "There was no-one else like her on TV. Someone who was like my mum and me. She was so inspiring!"
After seeing the legend on TV, Ophelia was single-minded in what she wanted to do with her life - be on TV.
"I knew what I wanted and worked hard to get there. I did work experience at the BBC and spent some time on Casualty and EastEnders, but I just loved presenting. I may be a drama queen, but I'm not an actress! I ended up doing a production course at university. At first, I was frustrated, but I came to realise this was giving me a fantastic grounding in the industry. I had a great insight into what goes on behind the camera."
From there, Ophelia started getting odd jobs in the TV industry, supplementing her income with a job at the world-famous Selfridges in London's Oxford Street, which proved to be a formative experience.
This story is from the May 16, 2023 edition of My Weekly.
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This story is from the May 16, 2023 edition of My Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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