Clare Balding heads strong sporting line-up at Ilkley Literature Festival, with Stephen Roche, Robbie Paul and Ed Smith also talking books
Television sports presenter Clare Balding leads a strong sporting line-up at the Ilkley Literature Festival, which began today in the beautiful Yorkshire spa town and continues for the next two and a half weeks. Clare will be talking about her newly-published memoir, My Animals and Other Family , at the Kings Hall on Friday, October 12 (7.30pm). My Animals and Other Family (Viking) is a memoir of Clare's early life at the racing stables run by her father, Ian Balding, where she sat astride legendary thoroughbreds such as Mill Reef, winner of the Derby and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and would sometimes walk into the family kitchen to find the Queen sitting at the breakfast table. Tour de France winner Stephen Roche , rugby league giant Robbie Paul and former England Test batsman Ed Smith are other sports stars who will be appearing at the Festival. Roche, the Irishman who won the cycling triple crown of Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and world championshi