Kristiane Backer
Kristiane Backer | |
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![]() Kristiane Backer in 2018 | |
Born | (1965-12-13) 13 December 1965 (age 58)[1] Hamburg, West Germany |
Nationality | German, British[1] |
Occupation(s) | TV presenter, journalist, author |
Years active | 1987–present |
Kristiane Verena Backer[1] (born 13 December 1965[1]) is a German art dealer with a previous career as a television presenter, journalist and author residing in London.
Biography
At the age of 15, Backer went to the United States as an exchange student for a year.[2][3]
From 1987 to 1989 Backer volunteered at the private radio station Radio Hamburg.[4][5]
In 1989 she moved to London to work at the then Europe-wide, exclusively English-language TV channel, MTV Europe.[5] Backer was the first German to present and VJ there and among the programmes she presented were The Coca-Cola Report, The European Top 20 and Awake on the Wild Side.[6][5] She remained there until 1996.[3] While still at MTV Europe, she created and moderated the youth program Bravo TV on the German TV channel RTL II from 1993–95.[5]
From 1996 to 1999 she presented the daily cultural programme The Ticket on NBC Europe.[5]
From 2000 to 2009, Backer continued to do TV presenting as well as voiceover work.[5] In 2005 she presented the in-flight music show for Emirate Airlines.[5]
For her work as a television presenter, Backer was awarded a Goldene Kamera award in 1994[7] and in 1993 and 1994 two Bravo Otto awards.[8][9]
Backer also hosts and presents conferences, business presentations, and galas throughout Europe.[9]
Personal life
In 1992, Backer began dating former Pakistani cricketer and now former prime minister Imran Khan.[10][11] He gave her books on Islam and took her travelling with him through Pakistan.[3] In 1995, she converted to Sunni Islam from Protestantism. The relationship ended after the three years. According to Backer, she and Khan were planning to get married and move to Skardu.[12][13][14]
She does not wear a headscarf at all times but insists that "women who cover themselves are not discriminated against but respected." In May 2009 she published the book From MTV to Mecca – How Islam Changed My Life.
On 14 April 2006, she married the Moroccan television journalist Rachid Jaafar.[15] She and Jaafar later divorced.[15] Backer lives in London and works as a fine art consultant.[9]
Voice filmography
- 1994: Asterix Conquers America as Ha-Tschi (German Dub)
Publications
- From MTV to Mecca: How Islam Inspired My Life, 2009; ISBN 978-1908129819
- Der Islam als Weg des Herzens: Warum ich Muslima bin, 2010; ISBN 978-3-548-74511-4
References
- ^ a b c d ""Kristiane Verena BACKER - Personal Appointments"". Companies House.
- ^ "Moderatoren - Kristiane Backer: Girl Number One - Medien". Süddeutsche.de (in German). Süddeutsche Zeitung. 15 June 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- ^ a b c "Kristiane Backer on Islam and Imran Khan". YouTube. 22 Jul 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- ^ "Experts - Kristiane Backer". Forum for International Relations Development. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Kristiane Backer, German". Mandy.com. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- ^ "From MTV to Mecca". The Bookseller. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- ^ "GOLDENE KAMERA 1994 - 29. Verleihung - Chronik & Fakten". Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- ^ "BRAVO OTTO - SIEGER 1994". bravo-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- ^ a b c "Official website". Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- ^ "Former German MTV host promotes Islam with new autobiography". Deutsche Welle. 7 July 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- ^ Akbar Ahmed (1 November 2017). "This Former MTV Icon Found Inner Peace Through Islam". Huffington Post. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- ^ "Former German MTV host promotes Islam with new autobiography". dw-world.de. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- ^ "Kristiane Backer: from MTV to Mecca". spiegel.de. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- ^ "MTV-Diva Kristiane Backer". welt.de (in German). Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- ^ a b "Von MTV nach Mekka – Die Wandlung von Kristiane Backer". Rheinische Post (in German). 18 June 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official website
- Kristiane Backer at IMDb
- Kristiane Backer's channel on YouTube
- Kristiane Backer on X
- "Der Islam ist sehr zugänglich", interview with the Islamische Zeitung (in German)
- Kristiane Backer on the Matters of Faith website
- Kristiane Backer, from MTV to Mecca