Sophie Reaper is a British broadcast journalist who has built a strong career across television, radio, digital media and national news. She is best known for her work with GB News, where she serves as National Reporter in the North. Her career has developed through newsroom production, regional journalism and frontline television work.
Born on 20 April 1997, she is 29 years old in 2026 and has deep roots in Bolton, Greater Manchester. Her professional journey includes work with Sky News, That’s TV, NowSkills, ITV Granada, Global Radio and the Manchester Evening News. She has also completed respected journalism qualifications and won recognition for her broadcast training.
Sophie Reaper Early Life and Bolton Background
Sophie Reaper was born on 20 April 1997 and comes from Bolton in Greater Manchester. Bolton has remained closely connected to both her personal life and professional identity. Her LinkedIn location is Bolton, while her work with GB News often places her across northern England and the wider Greater Manchester area.
Her northern background has helped shape her work as a journalist covering communities outside London. She has frequently worked on stories involving local residents, councils, crime, transport and regional issues. This connection to the North gives her journalism a clear sense of place and has become an important part of her professional identity.
Sophie Reaper Age and Date of Birth
Sophie Reaper is 29 years old in 2026. Her date of birth is 20 April 1997. This fits with her own statement from May 2023, when she said she was 26 years old, as well as later birthday posts marking the final year of her twenties.
Her age also matches the timeline of her education and early career. She began university in 2015 before moving into postgraduate journalism training in 2018. By her early twenties, she was already gaining practical experience with major British media organisations and preparing for a full-time career in broadcasting.
Sophie Reaper Education and Journalism Training
Education played a major role in Sophie Reaper’s development as a professional journalist. She studied at the University of York from 2015 to 2018, completing a Bachelor’s degree in English and Related Literatures. She graduated with a 2:1 and was active in student media during her time there.
At York, she also worked as a Student Ambassador from September 2016 until August 2018. She served as an editor at The Yorker magazine, giving her valuable experience in writing, editing and content production before moving fully into broadcast journalism.
Sophie Reaper at the University of Salford
After completing her undergraduate degree, Sophie Reaper studied for a Master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism at the University of Salford from 2018 to 2019. This course helped develop her television, radio, production, interviewing and newsroom skills. Salford has a strong connection with the MediaCity area, making it an important training ground for young broadcasters.
Her performance during this period was especially strong. She gained the NCTJ Gold Standard Qualification in October 2019 through the National Council for the Training of Journalists. Her training gave her the professional foundation needed to move quickly into television news and production roles.
Sophie Reaper and the NCTJ Gold Standard
The NCTJ qualification became an important milestone in her early career. She achieved a high standard in broadcast journalism training and later gained recognition for her performance. This helped place her among a new generation of journalists entering British television with both academic and practical newsroom experience.
Her success reflected more than classroom study. By that stage, she had already completed placements with established media organisations and had experience working with interviews, scripts, audio and news packages. The combination of study and real newsroom work gave her a strong start in a competitive industry.
Sophie Reaper Early Media Experience
Sophie Reaper began collecting journalism experience before completing her university education. In December 2016, she completed an internship with the Manchester Evening News in Chadderton, Greater Manchester. This gave her early exposure to professional local journalism and the pace of a working newsroom.
In December 2017, she spent two weeks at Style magazine, part of The Sunday Times. During the placement, she transcribed interviews, joined content meetings, helped with archive work and worked alongside columnists. This gave her an insight into national magazine journalism and editorial production.
Radio and Television Internships
In January 2019, she completed a week with the news team at Global Radio in Manchester. During the placement, she gathered interviews and vox pops for stories used in Heart Radio news bulletins. She also wrote scripts and used Burli software to edit audio for radio packages.
A few months later, in April 2019, she completed an internship with ITV Granada in Manchester. These placements helped her gain experience across television and radio while completing her postgraduate training. They also prepared her for the next stage of her career as a working journalist.
Sophie Reaper Career at That’s TV and NowSkills
After completing her Master’s degree, Sophie Reaper worked as a freelance Video Journalist for That’s TV from October 2019 until April 2020. Her role focused on stories across Manchester and the Lancashire border area. It was an important step because it moved her from training into daily journalism.
She later became a Video Content Producer at NowSkills IT Apprenticeships, working there from June 2020 until June 2021. The role gave her further experience in digital video production. It also strengthened skills that would later support her work in larger television newsrooms.
Sophie Reaper at Sky News
In June 2021, Sophie Reaper joined Sky News as a full-time Output Producer in Greater London. She remained with the broadcaster until July 2022. Working in production gave her experience in shaping live television coverage, organising material and supporting major national and international stories.
Her period at Sky News included production work linked with coverage of the Tokyo Olympic Games. She later spoke about wanting to become a journalist who could one day cover an Olympic Games from the scene. That ambition became reality after she joined GB News.
Sophie Reaper GB News Career
Sophie Reaper joined GB News in July 2022 as North West Correspondent. The role placed her at the centre of major stories across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and other parts of northern England. She quickly became a familiar face on the channel through live reports, interviews and field coverage.
She remained North West Correspondent until late 2025. Her LinkedIn records the position from July 2022 to November 2025. During that period, she covered major criminal cases, community issues, public policy stories, breaking events and stories affecting people across the region.
Sophie Reaper Becomes National Reporter
In October 2025, Sophie Reaper moved into the role of National Reporter at GB News. Her current professional description identifies her as National Reporter in the North. This position widened her responsibilities beyond a strictly regional correspondence role while keeping northern England at the heart of her work.
Her recent work includes stories concerning local development, councils and community disputes. In August 2026, she covered opposition to plans for large warehouses in Atherton, between Bolton and Wigan. The assignment reflected the type of community-based journalism that has become closely associated with her television work.
Major Assignments and Olympic Coverage
One of her most notable career moments came when she covered the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. The assignment fulfilled an ambition that had developed while she was working behind the scenes at Sky News. Moving from producing Olympic coverage to reporting from the Games marked clear professional progress.
She has also covered major national events and serious criminal cases. Her work has taken her from courtrooms and local communities to international assignments. This range shows how her career has developed from regional video journalism into a broader national television role.
Sophie Reaper and the John Schofield Trust
Sophie Reaper is a John Schofield Trust Fellow from the 2023 programme. The fellowship supports journalists in developing their skills and careers through professional guidance and mentoring. Her connection with the trust forms another important part of her professional development.
She includes the fellowship in her current professional description alongside her GB News role. It reflects a career built through formal education, practical newsroom experience and continued development. By her late twenties, she had already worked for two major British television news organisations.
Sophie Reaper Boyfriend Connor Smith
Sophie Reaper is in a relationship with Connor Smith. She publicly identified Connor as her boyfriend in December 2025 when she praised his participation in Movember and described him warmly as her “lovely boyfriend”. This provides direct confirmation of their relationship.
The couple have also shared major personal milestones online. A joint Instagram post in 2026 showed Sophie and Connor celebrating a new home together with the caption “Onto the next chapter”. Friends and family congratulated them both and wished them happiness in their home.
Is Sophie Reaper Married?
There is no confirmed indication that Sophie Reaper and Connor Smith are married. Connor is publicly identified as her boyfriend and partner rather than her husband. Their shared home shows that the relationship is an important part of her life, but marriage has not been announced.
She has generally kept much of her personal life separate from her work. Her social media contains selected moments from holidays, friendships, family life and her relationship, while her main professional presence remains centred on journalism and broadcasting.
Sophie Reaper on Instagram and X
Sophie Reaper maintains an active presence on social media. Her Instagram account, @sophiereaper, describes her simply as a journalist and has more than 3,500 followers. Her posts combine professional work, holidays, friendships, personal celebrations and selected moments from her life outside television.
On X, she uses @SophieReaper and has built an audience of more than 12,000 followers. Her account describes her as National Reporter in the North for GB News and a John Schofield Trust Fellow ’23. She also uses the platform to share journalism, professional updates and personal moments.
Sophie Reaper Career Timeline and Professional Growth
Sophie Reaper’s career shows steady progression from internships to national broadcasting. Her early work with the Manchester Evening News, The Sunday Times, Global and ITV Granada gave her experience across print, radio and television. She then moved into paid roles in regional video journalism and digital production.
Sky News gave her national newsroom experience as an Output Producer before GB News moved her into a visible correspondent role. Her promotion to National Reporter in 2025 represented another major step. Each stage has added new skills while keeping journalism at the centre of her professional life.
Sophie Reaper Today
Today, Sophie Reaper is one of GB News’ journalists covering important stories from the North while also contributing to national coverage. She combines strong academic training with hands-on experience across television, radio and digital production. Her career has already taken her from student journalism in York to major live broadcasting assignments.
At 29, she has built a substantial media career while remaining strongly connected to Bolton and Greater Manchester. With experience at Sky News, GB News and several respected British media organisations, she has developed into a confident national broadcaster whose career continues to move forward.
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