How did a Wirral schoolgirl become TV's highest-paid newsreader?; Answer: Brains, guts and hard work.

Byline: Mike Hornby

ONCE a happy primary schoolgirl in Heswall, the new big name in TV learned the lesson that perseverance is the name of the game.

BBC-TV's Ten O'Clock News presenter Fiona Bruce is set to become the corporation's highest paid news reader after clinching a pounds 400,000- a year deal to present Call My Bluff and a number of other projects.

None of it might have happened but for a stroke of luck when she met the then Panorama editor, Tim Gardam, now Director of Programmes for Channel 4, at a wedding -and her determination to make the most of the contact.

Fiona pestered him continually for months until he eventually gave her an interview. It landed her as a job as a Panorama researcher. Once in the job she found herself being sent to locations throughout Europe, the Gulf, Kurdistan and the US. In 1992, she moved on to become a reporter on BBC's Breakfast News, before joining BBC South East to host their regional current affairs programme and news bulletin.

In 1994, Fiona became a reporter for BBC Two's Public Eye, before moving on to present the Six O'Clock and Breakfast News as well as reporting for the flagship current affairs programme Newsnight.

She joined Nick Ross on Crimewatch in 1999 replacing the murdered Jill Dando.

Fiona has been presenting the Six o'Clock News since May 1999 but earlier this month, after the BBC News revamp, Fiona became the second presenter on the Ten O'Clock News.

Because the role is part-time, she presents the bulletin on Fridays and when Huw Edwards is on holiday. Married to husband Nigel, she has a daughter Mia, three and a four year-old son, Sam. She juggles their care with her demanding career.

But new role will mean an even busier time ahead. As well as taking on the mantle of Bob Holness, she will continue to read the 10 o'clock news and launch a new current affairs programme.

Fiona attended the Heswall Primary School in the early 1970s when her father John worked for Unilever in Port Sunlight.

After quickly rising through the company ranks, John was moved the Lever's head office in Kingston-upon-Thames and eventually became the company chairman.

Like father, like daughter, Fiona has enjoyed speedy progress in one of the nation's best-known businesses.

After leaving Wirral, she attended Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College in New Cross, London and Hertford College, Oxford where she gained an MA in French and Italian.

Despite an interest in news, politics and current affairs, Fiona did not choose to go immediately into journalism after leaving university. She worked for a year in management consultancy for one of the top firms before joining the frantic advertising world where she worked for a couple of years. Then came the stroke of luck . . . and her resolve not to let it slip through her fingers.

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Q FIONA: It's; what -and who you know; ANTI-CRIME: Fiona with Crimewatch co-star Nick Ross