Elizabeth Jane Barker was born on 16 May 1975 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. She grew up in the village of Oakington, near Cambridge, and attended Impington Village College before undertaking a philosophy degree at the University of Southampton. Details about her parents are not publicly confirmed. Wikipedia

After completing her degree, she became a runner for independent production company Lion TV, a researcher, and eventually the sports presenter for BBC Choice programme Backstage. On 23 June 2000, Barker joined the children’s television programme Blue Peter. During her six years on the programme she reported from Vietnam, Morocco, Brazil, Austria, Greece, India and the United States. GRM DailyGRM Daily

Her adventures included an inverted spin in a jet, lawn mower racing, paragliding, walking a circus high-wire, cleaning windows at London’s Canary Wharf tower, and winning a bronze medal in the two-woman bob at the British Bobsleigh Championships. She interviewed top celebrities including David Beckham and Quentin Blake, flew to Las Vegas to present Elton John with a Gold Blue Peter Badge, and raced former Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton at go-karts.

After leaving TV, Barker spent several years working as a cake decorator for her family’s bakery business. She also co-presented a weekly radio show for six years on Cambridge 105 with Tim Willett, and has worked largely in voiceovers. In recent years, she took a lead role in the 2023 feature film Harvey Greenfield Is Running Late and launched a podcast in 2024 focused on house histories and design.

Liz Barker is married to Michael Todd and relocated from London back to Cambridgeshire, where she grew up, to create a more balanced home environment for her growing family.