Oli Bell: 'Everyone thinks I got a job because of my dad - but in many ways I got a dad because of my job'
Jonathan Harding finds the ITV Racing presenter keen to correct some misconceptions
Those who tuned into ITV Racing's coverage of the Grand National on Saturday would have seen a familiar face in presenter Oli Bell and many will have formed their own theories about how he reached that privileged position, but few know the true story.
It would be easy to assume the 35-year-old had every door held open for him as the son of broadcaster Rupert and nephew of Derby-winning trainer Michael, but things are rarely so straightforward and Bell is ultimately the product of two different worlds: one prominent within the racing industry and another much further removed from it.
As I sit down with him in the Bean & Hop cafe in Earlsfield, which proves to be among the loudest cafes in south-west London, Bell is keen to correct some of the misconceptions around his family background in the sport and the influence it has had on his career.
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- 'It's so wonderful to be here. If you're the only person in a wheelchair you find people tend to avoid you. Here you feel ordinary'
- 'I was in so much pain - I needed the time off for my mind and my body'
- 'There has been no promotion because there is nothing to promote' - will Premier racing recover from its stuttering start?
- 'There's a time to be serious because it's a multi-million-pound business - but you've got to have a laugh'
- Internal unrest and financial blows: is there a crisis brewing at the Jockey Club?