Julia Somerville was born on 14 July 1947 in Wells, Somerset, England. Her father, John Arthur Fownes Somerville, was a naval officer who later worked for GCHQ.

She studied English literature at the University of Sussex, graduating in 1969. She began her journalism career in publishing before joining the BBC in 1972 as a radio news sub-editor.

Somerville rose through the BBC to become Labour Affairs correspondent on BBC Radio 4 and later a presenter on the BBC Nine O’Clock News in the mid-1980s. She later moved to ITN, presenting News at Ten and other major bulletins.

After leaving ITN in 2001, she returned to the BBC in 2010 and joined Rip Off Britain in 2011, where she helps investigate consumer issues and scams.

She lives in the UK with her partner Jeremy and continues to work in broadcasting and public life.