Christiane Amanpour

Christiane Maria Heideh Amanpour (; ; born 12 January 1958) is a British-Iranian journalist and television host. Amanpour is the Chief International Anchor for CNN and host of CNN International's nightly interview program Amanpour. She is also the host of Amanpour & Company on PBS. Early life and education Amanpour was born in the West London suburb of Ealing, the daughter of Mohammad Taghi and Anne Patricia Amanpour (née Hill). Her father was Iranian, from Tehran, and Amanpour was raised in Tehran until the age of 11. Her father was Shia Muslim and her mother was Roman Catholic. After completing the more significant part of her primary school education in Iran, her parents sent her to a boarding school in England when she was 11. She attended the Convent of the Holy Cross, an all-girls preparatory school in Chalfont Saint Peter, Buckinghamshire, and then, at the age of 16, she attended New Hall School, a Roman Catholic school in Chelmsford, Essex. Christiane and her family returned to England shortly after the Islamic Revolution began. She maintains that they were not forced to leave the country but were returning to England due to the Iran–Iraq War. The family ultimately remained in England, finding it difficult to return to Iran. After leaving New Hall, Amanpour moved to the United States to study journalism at the University of Rhode Island. During her time there, she worked in the news department at WBRU-FM in Providence, Rhode Island. She also worked for NBC affiliate WJAR in Providence as an electronic graphics designer. In 1983, Amanpour graduated from the university summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a BA degree in journalism.