The British-Danish comedian, broadcaster and presenter Sandi Toksvig has lived an incredible life with more than a few interesting stories to tell.
Her father was a well-known newsreader and because of this, she was present at the NASA Mission Control Centre in Texas during the first moon landing.
According to the Radio Times, she even held the hand of Neil Armstrong's nervous secretary as they touched down.
READ MORE:ITV The Chase fans fuming at Dark Destroyer accusing him of being 'half asleep'
Sandi, host of Channel 4's Extraordinary Escapes, started off on children's TV before appearing as a panellist in comedy shows including Mock the Week and QI.
The 63-year-old has an extensive history in politics and activism, and in 1994 became one of the first big British TV personalities to come out as gay.
“In the early 90s, I was warned that I was about to be outed by a tabloid, so I did it myself. At the time, I don’t think there was a single, solitary 'out' gay woman in the British media, and I was told my career was definitely over,” she told Readers Digest.
“Making that decision to tell people wasn’t easy and it got very heavy. We had death threats. People actually wanted to kill me!"
“It’s impossible to understand how much psychological damage has been done over the years, just by people having to keep such an essential part of themselves secret,” she added.
Sandi spoke about her sexuality in an interview with the Sunday Times, explaining it was having three young children that made her decide to come out.
After the interview, Save the Children dropped Sandi's services but later were forced to apologise after a protest by the Lesbian Avengers.
She said to the best of her knowledge there were no "out" lesbians in public life and she didn't want her children to grow up being ashamed of having two mothers.
Get the very best of What's On in London straight to your inbox
London has it all - the best nightlife, food, drink, events, markets, everything!
But how do you keep on top of this? Our weekly What's On newsletter, Going Out Out, is how.
You'll get a fully curated newsletter with the most exciting stories, reviews, previews and more every single week.
And the best bit? It's completely FREE.
All you have to do is sign up for Going Out Out here.
The TV star has two daughters, Jesse and Megan, and a son, Theo, all with her partner, Peta Stewart, who she separated from in 1997.
They were all carried by her partner, conceived through artificial insemination by a donor.
Speaking to Readers Digest about her children, Sandi said: “My former partner and I were talking for years about wanting to have them.
“Obviously, our situation was slightly different to most families, but I honestly believe that anyone thinking of having kids needs to have long and serious discussions about what they’re about to do.
“We tried to go through every eventuality and problem, but the truth is that you only really know how life is going to change after you hold that little bundle in your arms and go, 'Wow!'
“Does the biological connection make a difference? Not to me, it doesn’t—I wouldn’t have cared if we’d got them from Tesco.
“Being a parent is all about the love you give to your child. I sat down for dinner with my children recently and I was so full of love for them I thought I was going to burst!”
The donor for all three children, Christopher Lloyd-Pack, is the younger brother of the Vicar of Dibley and Only Fools and Horses actor Roger Lloyd-Pack.
Sandi and her now partner Debbie Toksvig entered into a civil partnership in 2007, and married in 2014.
They now live happily in a houseboat in Wandsworth.
Sandi continues to be a staple on Biritish TV, having hosted the much-loved The Great British Bake Off, took over from Stephen Fry as the host of QI, and has been a familiar voice for BBC Radio 4 listeners.
You can catch Extraordinary Escapes on Channel 4 at 2.50pm on January 2.
Do you want tailored celebrity stories sent straight to your inbox? Customise your notifications here .
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rsXLqKWdp55ju6bD0milnq%2BjZMG3e8KhmKemlaF6dXnEsaurmZ%2Bnsaq6wKuwZp2jmK6xsdJmqpqmlJ56c36VamdvcWY%3D
