Anna Foster

Anna Foster (born 1979) is an English radio news reporter and presenter, she presented the drivetime programme on 5 Live Monday to Friday.

The daughter of a surveyor father (who also served as a magistrate) and a mother who worked as a nurse, she and her brother were born in South Shields.

Educated in South Shields, while attending South Tyneside College doing her A-Levels, she worked as a Saturday girl on Metro Radio.

She went on to study English at Collingwood College at Durham University, where she worked on student radio.

She then undertook a postgraduate certificate in journalism at City University London.

On graduation she joined the BBC's trainee reporters scheme.

She then joined BBC Radio Cleveland as a reporter for three years, before becoming a news presenter, and then co-presenting the drive-time show.

She then joined BBC Radio 5 Live as a regional North East reporter, before relocating to London as a weekend news presenter, and also presenting on Newsbeat.

She married fellow radio presenter John Foster in October 2009 at Crathorne Hall near Yarm, North Yorkshire; they have a son and a daughter.

Foster joined the BBC Radio 5 Live Weekend Breakfast show on 23 April 2011, replacing Rachel Burden who moved to the weekday 5 Live Breakfast team alongside Nicky Campbell on 3 May.

On 14 November 2012, Foster became the Wednesday-to-Friday co-presenter of 5 Live Drive (4–7 pm) alongside Peter Allen; Louise Minchin was the Monday and Tuesday co-host.

Foster subsequently became the permanent co-host, alongside Tony Livesey who replaced Allen in October 2014.

Foster left Drive on 12 August 2021 to take up a new role as BBC Middle East correspondent in Beirut.