Ashley Blake

Ashley Blake (born 1969 in Lozells, Birmingham, England) is a former television presenter and newsreader. A well-known personality in the English Midlands, he worked mostly for the BBC, where his credits include reporting and presenting on Midlands Today, the region's edition of Inside Out, and briefly on the TV series Watchdog. In September 2009 he was sentenced to two years' imprisonment after being convicted of assault. He was released on 8 June 2010, after serving nine months of his sentence, as part of the home curfew system for early release.

Early life

Blake grew up in the Lozells area of Birmingham in a single-parent household. He is mixed-race, and is the youngest of six children.

Personal life

Blake has one child.

After losing his mother to cancer in 2000, he raised money for a cancer support charity.

Career

Blake has had a career "from driving and renting out cars and trucks to working with young offenders in the care of social services in Birmingham." After spending almost three years as a flight attendant for Britannia Airways, followed by a postgraduate degree in journalism, Blake started working in Liverpool for L!VE TV, before moving to its sister station in Birmingham (UK).