Lucy Mary Hockings was born on 7 March 1974 in Taranaki, New Zealand. She grew up in the country’s North Island and later attended Kristin School in Auckland. From an early age she was interested in journalism and global affairs, which led her to pursue formal training in media.

She studied journalism at the University of Auckland, earning a degree before beginning her career as a reporter with Television New Zealand. After several years reporting in New Zealand, she moved to the United Kingdom to work for the BBC.

Hockings joined the BBC in 1999 as a producer and soon became a senior producer before transitioning into reporting and presenting roles. During her career she has reported on major global stories including the September 11 attacks, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

She later became a prominent presenter on BBC World News programmes such as GMT, Impact, and Live with Lucy Hockings. After the BBC merged its international and UK news channels in 2023, she became a Chief News Presenter, anchoring BBC News Now and appearing on BBC Weekend News on BBC One.

Hockings lives in Hackney, East London, with her husband and two children while continuing her role as a leading BBC international news anchor.