Jameela Jamil

Jameela Jamil
Jameela Jamil at London Fashion Week in 2009
Born (1986-02-25) 25 February 1986
Hampstead, London, England
Residence London, England
Nationality British
Occupation TV and radio presenter, actor
Employer Channel 4, BBC, NBC
Known for
Height 5 ft 10 1⁄2 in (1.79 m)[1]
Television T4, Channel 4, NBC
Website jameelajamil.co.uk

Jameela Alia Jamil (born 25 February 1986)[2] is a British television presenter, radio presenter, model and actress. She has appeared on various Channel 4 programmes and has been a presenter of T4 from 2009 until 2012 when T4 ended. She is a former host of The Official Chart and was co-host of The Official Chart Update, alongside Scott Mills on BBC Radio 1 until January 2015.[3] Since 2016, she has appeared as Tahani Al-Jamil in the American television series The Good Place.[4]

Biography

Jamil was born to an Indian father and a Pakistani mother on 25 February 1986.[5] She was born with congenital hearing loss and labyrinthitis, which she had to have several operations to correct. She states that she has "70% audibility in [her] left ear and 50% in [her] right ear" as of 2015.[6] After accusations that she was a 'bad Muslim' in 2018 she went on record to state that she is not a Muslim and follows no religion.[7] At school, Jamil says she was "bookish and shy".[8] Her interests include art and biology.[9]

As a teenager, she suffered from anorexia nervosa, not eating a full meal between the ages of 14 and 17. She has stated that she believes her eating disorder developed due to societal pressure, explaining that "I was bombarded with a narrative that had no alternative. There were never any women who were celebrated for their intellect ... and all of my magazines were selling me weight loss products or telling me to be thin. Otherwise, I wasn't worth anything."[10] At the age of 17, Jamil was struck by a car after being chased by a bee, breaking several bones and damaging her spine. She was told that she might never walk again, but after steroid treatment and physiotherapy she slowly recovered, using a Zimmer frame to start walking.[9][11] She cites the car accident as what pushed her towards recovery in that it "changed [her] relationship with [her] body" and "literally knocked some sense into [her]".[10]

Jamil taught English to foreign students at the Callan School of English, Oxford Street, London;[11] she also worked as a model, photographer, and as a fashion scout for Premier Model Management Limited.[12][9][13]

In 2012, she began radio hosting.[14] In June 2012, Jamil collaborated with Very.co.uk to debut her first fashion collection.[15] Later in 2015, Jamil launched Why Not People?, an events and membership company dedicated to hosting live entertainment events accessible to disabled people.[16]

In March 2018, Jamil launched an Instagram account called I Weigh,[17] inspired by a photo that she came across online of Kourtney, Khloé and Kim Kardashian with their half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner, detailing each woman's weight.[18] Jamil describes I Weigh as "a movement... for us to feel valuable and see how amazing we are, and look past the flesh on our bones".[19] The account welcomes submissions of followers' non-edited or airbrushed selfies using the hashtag #iweigh, with text describing the things that they feel grateful for or proud of.[19][18]

Jamil has been in a relationship with musician James Blake since 2015.[20]

Career

Magazines

Jamil was photographed for a Vogue feature on "British Editorial Class of 2010" in January of that year, by David Bailey. From 2011 to 2014 she wrote a column for Company, the women's monthly magazine.[21][22] She made her first American magazine cover on the February 2018 edition of The Cut.[23]

Television

She appeared on the E4 show Music Zone towards the end of 2008. She began presenting T4 in 2009.[24][21] In January 2009, Alexa Chung left the morning TV show Freshly Squeezed; Jamil succeeded Chung as co-host, alongside Nick Grimshaw.[12][24][25][26]

Jamil presented "The Closet", an online fashion advice show on the social networking site Bebo.[21][25][27] Created and produced by Twenty Twenty Television, it formed part of the 'Bebo Originals' commission programme.[27] In January 2012, Jamil replaced June Sarpong as the new host of Playing It Straight.[28]

In 2016, Jamil moved to Los Angeles with no plans of acting, but instead to DJ and work with radios. Jamil was contacted and told that Michael Schur, who co-created Parks and Recreation, was looking for a British actress for a new upcoming comedy series. Although Jamil had no prior acting at this point and was wary of auditioning, she was later recalled for a second interview and was called to confirm she had landed the role.[29][30][31] The show premiered in September 2016, with Jamil being a regular cast member of the NBC fantasy comedy series The Good Place, where she plays Tahani Al-Jamil.[32]

Television filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2009–2012Freshly SqueezedHerselfLead host
2012Playing It StraightHerselfHost
2016–presentThe Good PlaceTahani Al-JamilMain cast
2018DuckTalesN/AGuest voice [33]

Radio

Year Title Role Notes
2013–2015 The Official Chart Host BBC Radio 1

Charity

Jamil appeared on C4 "Orange Rockcorps 2009", volunteering for four hours to help create a concert to fund local community projects.[34] She has supported the Cultural Learning Alliance, which promotes access to culture for children and young people,[35] and Vinspired National Awards for people aged 16–25 who have contributed to their communities through volunteering.[36][37] Jamil designed her own version of SpongeBob SquarePants, for a Childline charity auction.[38]

Jamil also said that she would wear a chicken costume for the same number of days equal to the number of thousands of pounds she raises for Comic Relief. She was sponsored approximately £16,000 so vowed to wear the costume for 16 consecutive days.[39]

References

  1. ↑ "Biography". Jameela Jamil. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  2. ↑ "Jameela Jamil". Claimed date of birth on Facebook profile. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  3. ↑ "Clara Amfo to present BBC Radio 1's Official Chart Show". Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  4. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (26 February 2016). "Good Place: English presenter Jameela Jamil cast in Mike Schur NBC series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  5. ↑ Anna Silman (5 February 2018). "Jameela Jamil Has Found Her Good Place". The Cut. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  6. ↑ McGrath, Nick (2015-04-20). "Jameela Jamil has faced cancer and spine damage but has never felt better". mirror. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
  7. ↑ "Jameela Jamil slams 'hater' who accused her of being a 'bad Muslim'". Metro News. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  8. ↑ "Jameela Jamil of T4 is our chic look celeb". Metro.co.uk. 24 February 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  9. 1 2 3 Katie Mulloy; Photographer – Bella Howard; Stylist – Steve Morriss (December 2009), Nylon, New York: Nylon Holding Inc. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. 1 2 Channel 4 News (2018-08-29), Jameela Jamil on banning airbrushing, the Kardashians and her traumatic teens, retrieved 2018-08-31
  11. 1 2 "Interview: Jameela Jamil", Look magazine, London, UK: IPC Group Limited, 16 February 2010
  12. 1 2 "Jameela Jamil: Our Style Crush – Sky Showbiz". Showbiz.sky.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  13. ↑ "Jameela Jamil". Premiermodelstyle.com. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  14. ↑ "Reggie Yates, Vernon Kay to leave Radio 1, Jameela Jamil for Chart Show". Digital Spy. 9 November 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  15. ↑ "The exclusive first collection designed by Jameela Jamil for Very.co.uk". Blog.very.co.uk. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  16. ↑ "Jameela Jamil: 'Britain deals with disability by pretending it's not happening'". The Independent. 2015-06-24. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
  17. ↑ "I Weigh (@i_weigh) • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2018-06-07.
  18. 1 2 Jamil, Jameela. "I weigh". Jameela Jamil - Diary of a Goon. Retrieved 2018-06-07.
  19. 1 2 "What is i_weigh - @i_weigh". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2018-06-07.
  20. ↑ "Jameela Jamil on Instagram: "3 years with this untalented bastard ❤️"". Instagram. Retrieved 2018-06-07.
  21. 1 2 3 "Hackford Jones PR – Entertainment – Jameela Jamil". Hackford Jones PR. Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  22. ↑ Levine, Daniel S. (20 September 2017). "Jameela Jamil as Tahani Al-Jamil: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  23. ↑ "Jameela Jamil on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
  24. 1 2 "Jameela Jamil". Millndoll.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  25. 1 2 "Jameela | represented by Money Management". Moneymanagementuk.com. 11 November 2009. Archived from the original on 24 October 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  26. ↑ Alex Fletcher (23 January 2009). "T4 unveils new host Jameela Jamil". Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  27. 1 2 "Jameela Jamil undresses for Westfield London Flash Mob". Fashionandrunway.com. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  28. ↑ "'Playing It Straight' to return to E4". Digital Spy. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  29. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41609603
  30. ↑ Fetters, Ashley (11 January 2018). "Jameela Jamil Had Never Acted Before 'The Good Place'". GQ. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  31. ↑ Adams, Erik (4 January 2018). "Jameela Jamil suggests you take all your Good Place spoiler requests to Ted "Loose Lips" Danson". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  32. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (25 February 2016). "'Good Place': British Presenter Jameela Jamil Cast In Mike Schur NBC Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  33. ↑ https://twitter.com/jameelajamil/status/1043183443356540929
  34. ↑ "Orange RockCorps – Series 1 – Episode 7 – Orange Rockcorps 2009". Channel 4. 19 September 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  35. ↑ "Stories". Cultural Learning Alliance. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  36. ↑ "Millennium Volunteers, Youth Volunteers, Volunteering Opportunities". Bacyp.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 December 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  37. ↑ "national awards". Nationalawards.vinspired.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  38. ↑ "Photos from the Spongebob Squarepants Tenth Birthday Celebration and Charity Auction With The Saturdays, Sophie Ellis-Bextor". Popsugar.co.uk. 22 January 2010. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  39. ↑ Digital Spy. "Jameela Jamil offers to wear chicken suit for a month for Comic Relief". Retrieved 17 March 2013.

Further reading

  • Vogue, January 2010 Missing or empty |title= (help); |section= ignored (help)
  • "Jameela Jamil finds T4 surreal". TV.com. Press Association. 11 August 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  • Lorraine Crowther (24 December 2009). "T4 presenter Jameela Jamil: I was stuck in Portaloo for over an hour". Now Magazine. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
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