Abby Cook (television presenter)
Abby Cook (born 2002) is a Scottish television presenter and wheelchair racer. In March 2023, she became the 42nd presenter of CBBC programme Blue Peter.
Early life
Cook was born in 2002 in Falkirk.[1] She was diagnosed at birth with Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS).[2] She was active in competitive swimming and cross country running until age 12, when her condition made it impossible to continue.[2] She attended St Bernadette's Primary in Stenhousemuir and Grangemouth High School, and then studied applied biological science at Forth Valley College.[3] Cook said that she stayed at home for six months and missed two years of school due to her diagnosis, and later began wheelchair racing.[2]
Cook worked with Forth Valley Disability Sport and as a mental health project administrator for Disability Sport Scotland, as well as uploading videos to TikTok as "hotwheels007".[3] As of March 2023, she was training with Paralympians twice weekly for the club Forth Valley Flyers.[4]
Television work
On 6 March 2023, 20-year-old Cook was announced as the 42nd presenter of Blue Peter, the magazine show that first aired in 1958 and was airing on CBBC at the time.[4] She was its first wheelchair-using presenter.[5] She made her debut on 10 March, and her first challenge was to abseil down Millers Dale viaduct in the Peak District national park.[4]
In 2024, Cook appeared on Would I Lie to You?, as a contestant.[6] Later that year she won an episode of Celebrity Mastermind, with her specialist subject being the BBC series Sherlock.[7] She was a contestant on Do You Know Your Place? in 2026.[8]
Achievements
In April 2024, Cook was named in The Sunday Times' inaugural Young Power List of 25 high achievers aged under 30 in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[9]
On 21 March 2025, on the set of Blue Peter, Cook set the Guinness World Record for most manual wheelchair spins in 30 seconds by a woman, with 31.[10]
On 5 March 2026, World Book Day, Cook hosted a reading lesson for 6,715 children at Portsmouth F.C.'s Fratton Park stadium. The event surpassed the previous Guinness World Record of 3,509 participants in Eastbourne in 2024.[11]
References
- ↑ "Meet Blue Peter Presenter, Abby!". CBBC. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 Holland, Evanna (17 May 2022). "Disabled teen says 'sport saved my life' after diagnosis". STV News. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- 1 2 Buchanan, Jill (18 October 2024). "Falkirk Blue Peter presenter Abby Cook in running for Scottish BAFTA". Falkirk Herald. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 Lewis, Isobel (6 March 2023). "Blue Peter: Wheelchair racer Abby Cook announced as new presenter". The Independent. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ↑ Kahn, Ellie (6 March 2023). "Blue Peter announces first wheelchair user presenter". Broadcast. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ↑ "Did Blue Peter's Abby Cook get detention for watching 'Would I Lie to You?' on her phone?". BBC One. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ↑ "Celebrity Mastermind Winners 2024/25". BBC Two. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ↑ Mockridge, Harry (9 March 2026). "BBC to feature Taunton in new quiz show with Vernon Kay". Somerset County Gazette. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ↑ Buchanan, Jill (29 April 2024). "Blue Peter presenter Abby Cook from Falkirk makes the Young Power List of top 25 under 30s in the UK". Falkirk Herald. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
- ↑ "Most manual wheelchair spins in 30 seconds (female)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
- ↑ Lewis, Sophie (5 March 2026). ""Historic moment for the city" as thousands of children set new Guinness World Record for biggest reading lesson". The News (Portsmouth). Retrieved 6 March 2026.