Victoria Coren Mitchell, the host of BBC quiz show Only Connect, has built a remarkable career while keeping her family life largely private. Beyond television, she is known for her marriage to comedian David Mitchell and the surprise announcement that the couple had welcomed a second daughter in their 50s.
Family and early life
Born in Hammersmith in 1972, Victoria grew up in Cricklewood, north London, alongside her brother Giles Coren, a journalist and restaurant critic. Her father, Alan Coren, was a celebrated writer and satirist who regularly appeared on The News Quiz and served as editor of Punch. He died in 2007. Her mother, Anne Kasriel, also played a key role in her upbringing.
Marriage to David Mitchell
Victoria met David Mitchell in 2007 at a film premiere, where comedian David Baddiel introduced them, saying, "There's David Mitchell over there, I think you should probably marry him." Though Victoria initially dismissed the idea, she later thought, "a couple of hours later, I thought I would probably marry him." Romance did not blossom until three years later. She had been grieving her father at the time. Victoria also once said someone tried to set her up with Ed Miliband, but it did not work out.
Surprise baby news
In 2023, Victoria revealed that she and David had become parents again, following the birth of their first daughter, Barbara, in 2015. The birth of their second daughter, June Violet, had been kept private. Victoria, then 51, announced it on social media with a joke: "Many people are assuming my tweet yesterday was a Halloween costume. Not at all; last week I had a baby, and nothing currently fits me except cloaks." She added, "Luckily, Only Connect is a pre-record. Happy All Saints Day!"
The couple continues to keep their daughters out of the spotlight. Victoria told Radio Times that Barbara loves The Masked Singer and classic Poirot episodes, while June, then 18 months old, enjoys Bluey but does not realize it is a TV programme, viewing it as "a source of really great plastic dog Weebles."
Victoria Coren Mitchell presents Only Connect on BBC2 at 8pm.
