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Johanna Griggs

Johanna Griggs has hosted Seven’s Better Homes and Gardens since 2005. Over that time she has also hosted the network’s Brisbane International, APIA Sydney International (formerly the Adidas then Medibank International), Australian Open and Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival telecasts. From 2001-2007 she was one of the hosts of Sportsworld. She also presented the sport news on Seven Sydney’s weekend bulletins in 2009 and 2010.

Prior to her move to television, Johanna represented Australia in swimming, winning Bronze at the Auckland Commonwealth Games in 1990, and a silver at the 1991 World Championships.

After announcing her retirement from swimming in May 1993, Johanna joined the Seven Network. She reported for shows such as Sportsworld and Sydney Weekender, and hosted The AFL Half Time Show. In 1994 and 1995, Johanna hosted Seven’s Summer of Tennis, and worked as a presenter of the 1994 World Swimming Championships from Rome. Later that year Johanna presented the Weekend Sports News and then became the network’s first national female (and youngest ever) sports presenter.

Johanna took time out to care for her two sons, returning to television in 1998. She was a regular panellist on Foxtel’s Beauty and the Beast. She was also a regular guest on ABC TV’s sports panel show, The Fat and Good News Week.

Johanna returned to Seven in 2001 after successfully co-hosting the Network’s Olympic Sunrise program in 2000. That year she hosted the Adidas International Tennis broadcast, followed immediately by the Australian Open. Also in 2001 through to 2007 she was one of the hosts of the Sunday morning panel show Sportsworld. During the year Johanna also presented several of the Network’s special sport broadcasts and was host of Auction Squad for five seasons.

In 2002, Johanna travelled to Salt Lake City where she became the first solo female host of any Olympics Coverage in this country when she fronted Seven’s coverage of the Winter Olympics, and in 2006 she again hosted this event in Turin. She also hosted Seven’s coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In 2007, she was appointed to the Board of Events New South Wales and in 2009 received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters - Honoris Causis - from Macquarie University in NSW for services to swimming, media and charity fundraising.

In 2012, Better Homes and Gardens was awarded a record 10th Silver Logie for Australia’s Most Popular Lifestyle Program. The series is now in its 18th season.