Gillian Turner is a Fox News contributor, but before becoming a familiar face on television, she earned her way, and gathered experience, from excelling in her education and working in various fields, including four fruitful years at the White House. The lady journalist may be praised often for her looks but has proven over time that she has more to offer than what meets the eye.
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Gillian Turner’s Bio
A Quick Lookback
Gillian was born on the 6th of September 1982, in Cape Town, South Africa. Some articles say that both her parents were writers, and others only refer to her mother as an author but with little information about what she has written. So, one can gather where the innate talent came from.
Gillian spent a few years of her life in South Africa before her parents decided to move and raise the family in New York City, USA. At seven, she dreamt about becoming a professional dancer, after getting inspired by the well-known personalities in the field, namely, Peter Boal, Maria Kowroski, and Wendy Whelan.
She started taking dancing lessons at eight. She pursued ballet after graduating from high school. Gillian enrolled at the School of American Ballet, after which she joined the Pennsylvania Ballet for a year. While doing ballet, she also spent time learning other forms of dancing, such as belly dancing.
Her dancing stint was not only a childhood dream come true, it was also where she learned the discipline to be tough, and take criticism – all of which she would later apply to her job as a media practitioner.
Confusion with Her Name
There is a slight confusion with her name. Some people pronounce and write her name as Jillian Turner. Actually, her name’s spelling is Gillian Turner.
Educational Background
Gillian took a bachelor’s degree in Comparative Politics at Columbia University, in New York and graduated cum laude in 2006. She then went to the University of Cape Town, South Africa to get a master’s degree in African Security Studies.
Her education gave her a broader view of politics and helped her in pursuing related careers. She was named Columbia University’s Sharp Fellow. Her accomplishments as a student also earned her Academic Excellence and American politics awards from Vidda.
Career Life
After finishing her master’s degree, Gillian worked at the US House of Representatives, at the office of the Minority Leader. She then worked for the Albright Group, LLC, before joining the Bureau of Democracy for Human Rights and Labor, at the US Department of State.
She has worked under two US presidents, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, while hired at the White House National Security Council, starting from 2006. She lasted four years in the job, which was more than enough to broaden her political ideas and boost her net worth.
Under Bush’s term, Gillian worked at the National Security Council Advisor’s Office as a Research Assistant. The position required traveling to many places around the world, for foreign policy visits. Her brilliance and service made her the youngest awardee of the National Security Council Outstanding Service Award.
When Obama stepped into the White House, Gillian was delegated as the Acting Director of Legislative Affairs. She worked on the communications between the House of Representatives and the White House, in issues regarding foreign policy and national security.
Gillian decided to leave her stint at the White House, in 2010.
Life as a Female Journalist at Fox News
Gillian embraced journalism as a profession, in 2014, when she joined the Fox Network as a contributor. She was immediately sent to cover stories about high-ranking officials in Washington DC. It was then that she started to get people’s attention, both for her looks and genius.
She was promoted as a full-time correspondent three years later. Her valuable opinions on news and current events landed her in various Fox News channel programs, including The Five, Fox News Sunday, Fox & Friends, and America’s Newsroom.
Her fierce opinions roused former President Donald Trump’s ire, and he launched a furious attack on the social media platform, Twitter, over Gillian and another Fox News reporter, John Roberts. The tweet became an infamous one, which the former president later deleted, as he mistakenly tagged a teenager from California, whose name happens to be Jillian Turner.
He was furious about the so-called fake news being spread by Fox News and other news organizations, about the issues involving the Mexican Border Wall negotiations.
Trump deleted the tweet but reposted it later, making sure that he got Gillian’s correct Twitter handle that time.
Gillian’s COVID Experience
Despite Gillian’s awareness and prompt precautions, she admitted in October 2020 that she got infected with the COVID-19 virus. In her interview with the US television program, Outnumbered, she described the condition as mild and that she had already fully recovered by the time the interview took place.
The experience was an eye-opener for Gillian – the Covid-19 virus has a lot of mysteries that may remain unknown to humans for more years to come. Before getting infected, she stayed indoors often and wore masks all the time, but she still contracted it.
Her partner, who was living with her at the same house, did not get infected, and her doctors were clueless about how she possibly contracted the virus. She could only advise people to stay safe, while the medical community tries their best to slowly uncover the truth behind the virus that has caused a worldwide pandemic.
Beauty with a Purpose
In 2016, she was included in the list of The Hill’s 50 Most Beautiful. She may be popular and fierce when it comes to getting her points and opinions across, but she refrains from sharing too much information about her personal life.
Her Instagram account posts revealed her engagement to Alex Kramer, who also works as a journalist.
Aside from her contributions to Fox News, Gillian’s net worth continues to increase, due to her involvement with the Jones Group, as its Vice President. Her work involves handling customer relationships, advocacy, political consultations, and lobbying services. The job may be challenging, but with her long years of experience with policy issues, international affairs, and national security, Gillian makes it appear like a piece of cake.
Gillian Turner is proof that women can excel in any field they wish to be part of. Her appearance may be a plus factor, but she has done more than enough to be remembered for her work and brilliance in the years to come.
