Living: Ingrid's still the voice of the North; North-East born Ingrid Hagemann is best known in the region presenting on Metro FM. Hannah Davies speaks to her on career notoriety and why now she's happier than ever.
Byline: Hannah DaviesMEETING Ingrid, in Newcastle's Cafe Royal, she immediately breaks into a smile unleashing bounds of winning personality.
This woman is a pro at meeting people and setting them at ease. Despite being incredibly good-looking, she was a teenager model, she has a friendly, quirky quality which makes her immediately accessible.
Based firmly back in Newcastle and expecting her first baby (who may well have been born now as she is due imminently) Ingrid speaks of being settled and her joy at being based back home.
Her career has had its' ups and downs as any in the broadcasting business, she's been the fresh new face and the old professional - all by the age of 35.
But now she's enjoying splitting her time between presenting Sky Sports unlikeliest success, their netball coverage, and running her own voiceover business.
"Since Big Brother there's been a huge surge on interest for North-East voices," she says, "it's been a great thing for me!"
Ingrid's voice can be heard presenting TV programmes in Australia, advertising in Asia and on homegrown radio commercials.
She produces everything herself from her studio in Gosforth, Newcastle, in the house she shares with husband Andrew.
Ingrid was born in Norway but spent her childhood in South Shields, a pupil at Mortimer Comprehensive School, she was just 16 and 5ft 10ins when she was spotted by a model scout who signed her up to the Models One agency.
She was sent to Japan to live and work for the agency over there. Four of them lived together including another girl from Tyneside. One of the girl's mums acted as chaperone.
Despite notoriously bad stories surrounding young models living away from home Ingrid's experience was very positive.
She recalls: "The agency looked after us very well.
"In fact they gave us a chaperone who was the mother of one of the models. I did hear some horror stories about girls in other parts of the world but I think also because Japan values respect that's how we were always treated." The girls did everything together from auditions through to shooting shots.
Ingrid adds: "It was really good fun. But I did it long enough to realise I wouldn't be happy with pursuing it as a career. I needed something which was more interesting, something I could get my teeth into."
So Ingrid decided to return home to the North-East. But with a confidence gained working in the industry it wasn't long until she was making waves again. This time radio waves. She had approached Metro FM about doing some work with them. Her timing was perfect. They were looking for a young presenter to attract young listeners and Ingrid fitted the bill perfectly. Just shy of 18-years-old in 1989 she started with a brief stint on Steve Coleman's breakfast show.
"It was fab," she declares, "I loved working with Steve. "But I was even happier when I moved to an evening show. The evening show was the ideal place for Ingrid to talk and play the songs she loved.
"Dance had really taken off so I was in my element. I think the best thing about it was just was so much fun."
Ingrid hosted hits not homework with friend Lee Finan for years, then hosting it by herself. Sunday Surgery was another of her shows along with Dance Decade. In 1999 Metro created one of Ingrid's two controversial moments when they screened a giant image of her onto Durham Cathedral. Ingrid spent around 14 years on Metro FM before she decided to spread her wings a bit.
"It was a fabulous time at Metro," Ingrid adds, "I worked with Mark Goodyear and David Freeman. Such a good period.
"By the end I'd worked on most of the shows in the station. I realised it was time to move on when the fun went out of it."
Ingrid had spent her 20s working at the station but now moved on to Radio Aire in Leeds in 2001.
Her year here ended shortly after a notorious incident and a humourless boss.
Ingrid explains giggling: "Someone in a magazine had written women on radio were only on radio because they didn't have the face for TV.
"Apparently they got a number of people writing in to say their local DJs were OK looking - and I got a phone call to come down and take part in the fashion shoot."
Ingrid says she knew her boss wouldn't let her have the day off so she called in sick but, she explains: "I thought he'd be chuffed when he saw it. It was a good laugh and it was giving the radio some great publicity."
But when the pictures were published, in January 2002, of Ingrid in a bath her boss took a hard line - giving her a hefty fine and a suspension.
"Spoilsport," Ingrid laughs good-naturedly. But you can't keep a good woman down and Ingrid decided to pursue her career in the altogether sunnier climes of Miami, Florida.
She recalls: "I had a fabulous time. I wouldn't have stayed there in definitely though. The thing about Miami is it is really great fun but you can get bored of it quite quickly. It is very glamorous but also very superficial, you really understand the power of celebrity and importance of image there."
After her stint in Miami Ingrid did a stint in Chicago - the home of house music.
"I loved Chicago - I'd still be there probably if I'd got the visa. It was less snobby than Miami, you would go to a rock night one night, a house night the next and then a trance night. Everything was much more mixed up than in Miami where you stuck to one specific scene."
Sadly however Ingrid's stay had come to an end but she had bigger fish to fry, this time at London's Capital FM where she moved in 2003 working alongside the likes of Neil "Dr" Fox, to present the overnight Thursday, Friday and Saturday show from 1am to 6am.
"Capital was just mad. It's where everyone wants to be in commercial radio and you have free reign with what you play. It was a great location on Leicester Square. You'd have a fabulous view of all the premieres which went on there." Ingrid saw stars from Johnny Depp to singer Beyonce - who she introduced on stage in front of an audience of 75,000. It was a regime change at Capital with new owners which saw Ingrid's departure. Not that she was very upset about it.
Since her Metro days, she had been together with Fiancee Andrew, originally from Durham, who is a designer. And they had married in 2002 in Hardwick Hall, Sedgefield, County Durham.
"The time came when I wanted to come home," Ingrid adds, "I'd grown up and tired of living away. It was just time for Andrew and I to live together properly."
I ask Ingrid if she found it a strain living away from her fiancee for so long. "I actually think it was probably healthy for us," she answers, "because we got together so young. If you have your own space to grow in life you respect and understand each other more for it. A long distance relationship ultimately comes down to respect and communication."
Ingrid also found her friends, who she had made in the region but had moved away were also returning.
"The group of girls I hang around with from are into various artistic things like fashion and design. We all supported each other though a lot and funnily enough loads of them are moving back to the region.
"Everyone moved all around the world but I think once you hit 30 people recognise what they've got back home."
In 2005 Ingrid moved back to the region, to Gosforth and got a job as a National Postcode Lottery Ambassador. It's a role that has brought her in contact with some interesting people. "Bill Clinton!" she almost shrieks, "he was great.
"He was chatting to me about the North-East he said he and Kevin Costner (who filmed Robin Hood Prince of Thieves in the region) had a conversation about how lovely the people are here.
"He was incredibly charismatic and a very charming man," she smiles, "I can see why he's had troubles with the ladies."
Ingrid says she really loves her job with the postcode lottery and her new passion, presenting the netball, has also taken off with a bang.
"I always used to play netball so it was a great thing to take on. I'm so pleased with how much the sport has grown, the viewing numbers have surprised Sky.
"But it is the biggest women's sport and there are some fabulous teams - especially in the region."
Ingrid cites Northumbria University's team as one of the best.
"The dedication of the players is really admirable," she muses, "they have full-time jobs, studies, mothers. But they put so much into their training and playing."
Things are going well for Ingrid, she adds, her own voiceover business is growing and now she is pregnant with her first child.
"I can't wait but I know I'm going to have to grow up," she says.
"It's the most exciting thing."
Whatever happens in her life Ingrid seems to be finished with radio presenting, which will come as a blow to her fans.
But, she comments: "Radio has changed. There's a lot less talk.
"People are trying to compete with the easy availability of MP3s by just really restricting talk ti me.
"You have to have a maximum of 30 or 40 seconds now which is taking the personality out of it.
"I found it very frustrating. It took all of the joy out of it for me.
"It had gone from it being fun to being governed by strict rules. For me radio should be exciting - so I left."
You get the impression Ingrid is finding her life at the moment very exciting, with a new baby followed quickly by a new net-ball season there's no sign of her stopping yet!
CAPTION(S):
EXCITING TIMES AHEAD: Former Metro FM presenter Ingrid Hagemann has returned to the region to launch her voiceover business and is expecting her first baby.; ROLE MODEL: Ingnd Hagemann with Bill Clinton, right, a picture from her modelling days, and, below, on her wedding day with husband Andrew.; CONTROVERSIAL SNAP: Ingrid Hagemann in the bath; SEEING STARS: Capital FM DJ Ingrid with Busted; pose for a magazine which saw her stung with a hefty fine and suspension from Radio Aire.
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| Title Annotation: | Features |
|---|---|
| Publication: | The Journal (Newcastle, England) |
| Date: | Sep 1, 2007 |
| Words: | 1769 |
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