Dawn O’Porter is a British writer, television presenter and director. Best known for her documentary film-making, she has presented a variety of factual programming for BBC, Channel 4, Sky and Vice. She also writes for a range of publications and has published several novels.
Born in Scotland but raised in Guernsey, O’Porter studied acting at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts before deciding against becoming an actor. Following her graduation, she established herself as both a writer and journalist, before rising to prominence thanks to the BBC documentary Super Slim Me, which saw her attempt to slim down to a size zero using dramatic dieting techniques. This established her reputation as a fearless reporter and a gifted presenter. In 2008, O’Porter fronted a four-part BBC Three series that explored attitudes towards dating, lesbianism, nudity and pregnancy. This was followed by another four-part documentary series called Extreme Wife, produced for Channel 4. This saw the journalist investigate polyamory in California and Germany, mail-order brides in Ukraine, and geishas in Japan.
Since then, O’Porter has been seen in various television programmes, including Sky1’s The booby Trap, BBC Three’s Undercover Princes and E4’s Skins. She has also continued to flourish in her career as a writer, publishing several books and making appearances on the Sunday Times Best Sellers list. O’Porter is also a founding member of the charity Help Refugees, which seeks to provide essential support to those seeking asylum across the globe.