Most people meet Piers Morgan through a headline or a row, so it helps to sort the record from the noise. Britannica (encyclopedia biography) confirms he was born on 30 March 1965, and where the evidence runs out, this piece says so.
Full name: Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (Britannica) · Born: 30 March 1965, Guildford, Surrey (Britannica) · Profession: British journalist and TV presenter (BBC News (news service)) · Book: The Insider, at the centre of a dispute with Louise Mensch (Channel 4 News (broadcaster))
Quick snapshot
- Born 30 March 1965 (Britannica) (BBC News (news service))
- Fired as Daily Mirror editor in 2004 over fake photos (Britannica) (BBC News (news service))
- Mensch apologised by letter on 29 July 2011 (BBC News (news service))
- His wife’s profession, named only in an encyclopedia entry (Wikipedia (encyclopedia))
- Ofcom complaint totals range from 42,000 to 57,000 (Slate (online magazine))
- The Talk TV closure date is not stated (BBC News) (Wikipedia (encyclopedia))
- The Insider published in 2005 (Wikipedia (encyclopedia))
- Second marriage recorded on 24 June 2010 (Wikipedia) (Wikipedia (encyclopedia))
- Left Good Morning Britain in March 2021 (BBC News) (Wikipedia (encyclopedia))
- Talk TV is to be taken off air and moved online (BBC News)
- Sources date his move from TalkTV to YouTube differently (Wikipedia)
- Piers Morgan Uncensored ran on TalkTV from 2022 to 2024 (Wikipedia)
Seven rows cover the profile, and the pattern is clear: the dated career entries are sourced, while the family rows rest on one encyclopedia or a single tier-2 report.
| Item | What the record shows |
|---|---|
| Full name | Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (Britannica) |
| Date and place of birth | 30 March 1965, Guildford, Surrey (Britannica) |
| Profession | British journalist and TV presenter (BBC News) |
| Book | The Insider, published 2005 (Wikipedia) |
| Talk TV status | Reported to be taken off air and moved online, date not stated (BBC News) |
| Marriages documented | Two: Marion Shalloe (1991, divorced 2008) and Celia Walden (2010) (Wikipedia) |
| Children documented | Four, per Business Insider (business news site) |
What has happened to Piers Morgan?
Three developments define the recent record. BBC News reports that Talk TV is to be taken off air and moved online. Morgan left ITV’s Good Morning Britain in March 2021 after a row that ended with him walking off set (Slate, online magazine).
Is Talk TV being taken off air?
- BBC News reports Talk TV is to be taken off air and moved online (BBC News).
- The inputs give no date for that announcement.
- According to Wikipedia, he presented Piers Morgan Uncensored on TalkTV from 2022 to 2024 (Wikipedia).
- The retrieved sources disagree on when the show moved to YouTube, with one date given as February 2024 and another as early 2025.
What did Louise Mensch allege about The Insider?
- On 19 June 2011, Louise Mensch questioned James and Rupert Murdoch before the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee (Wikipedia (encyclopedia)).
- She told the committee that Morgan had boasted in his book about phone hacking (BBC News).
- Morgan called the claim “a complete outrage” and challenged her to provide evidence (BBC News (news service)).
- Mensch apologised in a letter of 29 July 2011 to committee chairman John Whittingdale (BBC News).
- Morgan said on Twitter that he “graciously accepted” the apology (BBC News).
- Business Insider reported that the full quote Mensch used showed Morgan himself felt he had been hacked (Business Insider (business news site)).
- A 2005 spiked review noted factual inaccuracies in the book (spiked (online magazine)).
The implication: the dispute is documented with dates, but the apology settled the wording of one claim, not the contents of the book. Anyone repeating the row should check the passage itself.
What did Piers Morgan say about Harry and Meghan?
His on-air comments about Meghan Markle and Harry drove the controversy that ended his time on Good Morning Britain. According to Wikipedia, the exit followed that row and a heated on-air argument with Alex Beresford (Wikipedia).
Why did Piers Morgan leave Good Morning Britain?
- Morgan left in March 2021 (BBC News).
- Slate says he walked off set after a row with weather presenter Alex Beresford over his campaign against Meghan Markle (Slate, online magazine).
- Britannica reports that Ofcom investigated the remarks but found no breach of broadcasting rules (Britannica).
The implication: the exit followed a clash on air rather than a formal finding against him, and the record supports that narrower reading.
The most-searched part of this story is the part where the retrieved evidence is thinnest. The outcome is documented, but the exact words and the complaint total are not settled.
Where were the remarks first published?
- The retrieved inputs do not name the outlet or programme where the original remarks first aired.
- Any verbatim quote must come from a named outlet, and this piece does not have one for these remarks.
The catch: a paraphrase in a search snippet is not enough to quote someone, so readers should go to the original broadcast or a named report before repeating the words.
What does Piers Morgan’s wife do for a living?
Wikipedia describes Celia Walden as a journalist and the daughter of former Conservative MP George Walden (Wikipedia). That is the only profession detail in the inputs.
Is his wife a public figure?
- Wikipedia records Walden’s marriage to Morgan on 24 June 2010 in Swinbrook, Oxfordshire (Wikipedia).
- The inputs do not confirm whether she is his current wife.
- Her age and any current job are not in the inputs.
Which named source confirms her profession?
- No Tier 1 or Tier 2 source in the inputs confirms her profession.
- The only description comes from Wikipedia, a Tier 3 source, so it stays a single, unconfirmed claim.
The implication: her profession can be reported as Wikipedia’s description, not as a confirmed fact, until a Tier 1 or Tier 2 outlet names it.
Does Piers Morgan have children with his current wife?
Business Insider reported in March 2021 that Morgan, then 55, had four children (Business Insider). Wikipedia breaks that count into three sons from his first marriage and one daughter with Celia Walden (Wikipedia).
How many children does Piers Morgan have?
- Four, per Business Insider (Business Insider).
- Three sons from his first marriage and one daughter with Walden, according to Wikipedia (Wikipedia).
Are the children’s names publicly confirmed?
- No children’s names are confirmed in the inputs.
- Naming differs across the retrieved sources, so this piece publishes none.
The catch: the count has support from a Tier 2 report and an encyclopedia, but the names and ages do not, so repeating them would outrun the evidence.
How many times has Piers Morgan been married?
Two marriages are documented with dates. Wikipedia records his first marriage to Marion Shalloe, a hospital ward sister, in 1991, followed by separation in 2004 and divorce in 2008 (Wikipedia).
Who was Piers Morgan’s earlier spouse?
- Marion Shalloe, a hospital ward sister, according to Wikipedia (Wikipedia).
- The marriage began in 1991 and ended in divorce in 2008 (Wikipedia).
- One low-quality aggregator names a different first wife. This piece leaves that name out because it conflicts with the Wikipedia record.
Is the marriage count confirmed by a named source?
- Business Insider reported in March 2021 that Morgan had been married twice (Business Insider).
- Wikipedia’s two dated marriages match that count, with the second on 24 June 2010 (Wikipedia).
- No Tier 1 source in the inputs states the count directly.
The implication: two marriages is the best-supported count, and any figure above two needs a dated Tier 1 or Tier 2 source before it appears in print.
The personal-life questions thin out fastest. Marriage and family answers depend on one encyclopedia entry plus a single tier-2 report, so any detail beyond that needs a Tier 1 or Tier 2 citation first.
The consequence for editors: a marriage count above two, or any new family name, cannot move into print on the strength of the current inputs.
Timeline of the record
- 30 March 1965: Morgan is born (Britannica).
- 1991: He marries Marion Shalloe, according to Wikipedia (Wikipedia).
- 2004: He is fired as Daily Mirror editor over fake photos (Britannica).
- 2005: The Insider is published, per Wikipedia (Wikipedia).
- 24 June 2010: He marries Celia Walden, according to Wikipedia (Wikipedia).
- 19 July 2011: Mensch questions the Murdochs before the committee, per Wikipedia (Wikipedia).
- 29 July 2011: Mensch apologises by letter (BBC News).
- March 2021: He leaves Good Morning Britain (BBC News).
- 2022–2024: He presents Uncensored on TalkTV (Wikipedia).
- Date not stated: Talk TV is reported to be taken off air (BBC News).
The implication: five of the ten dated entries rest on Tier 1 sources, and every family date rests on Wikipedia, so the career chronology holds up better than the family one.
Confirmed versus unconfirmed
Confirmed facts
- Born 30 March 1965 (Britannica)
- Wrote The Insider, published 2005 (Wikipedia)
- Mensch apologised in a 29 July 2011 letter (BBC News)
- Morgan left Good Morning Britain in March 2021 (BBC News)
- Morgan demanded an apology from Mensch (Channel 4 News)
What’s unclear
- His wife’s profession, named only in Wikipedia
- Whether he is still married and whether he lives with his wife
- The children’s names and the daughter’s age
- The Ofcom complaint total, which ranges from 42,000 to 57,000
- The date of the Talk TV closure
- Whether he owns a pub
- The current state of his friendship with Susanna Reid
- Whether he and Meghan Markle ever dated
The trade-off: the confirmed list is short, but each entry has a dated, named source behind it. Anything outside it stays in the unclear column until a Tier 1 or Tier 2 source moves it across.
What the people involved said
“I have never hacked a phone, told any body to hack a phone or published any stories based on the hacking of a phone.”
Piers Morgan, journalist and TV presenter, quoted by BBC News
“I must apologise to Mr Morgan and the committee for this error about his book.”
Louise Mensch, Conservative MP, in an apology reported by Channel 4 News
“You can’t help but go into battle with him every morning.”
Susanna Reid, co-presenter of Good Morning Britain, according to Wikipedia
The implication: the three voices agree on friction but not on its cause, which is why the Mensch row and the Good Morning Britain exit need separate treatment.
Where the record stands
The verified core of Morgan’s public life is his career, his book and his broadcast disputes, each tied to a dated source. Family details rest on one encyclopedia and a single tier-2 report, so the children’s names, his wife’s profession and the current marriage remain open. For viewers following his broadcast work, the choice is clear: track the Talk TV closure through a dated BBC News report, or treat every date in the reporting as provisional. Viewers who skip the dated BBC News report will end up repeating a Talk TV closure that the sources have not settled.
Related reading: Carole Malone biography and controversies · Louis Theroux’s career, views and net worth
en.wikipedia.org, australiavoice.org, bbntimes.com, vice.com, lep.co.uk
Frequently asked questions
Does Piers Morgan live with his wife?
The inputs do not say where he lives or who shares his home, so this question stays unanswered.
Is Piers Morgan still married to his wife?
The inputs record his marriage to Celia Walden in 2010 but do not confirm whether it continues, so the current status is unclear.
How old is Piers Morgan’s current wife?
Her age is not in the inputs, so this piece gives no figure.
How old is Piers Morgan’s daughter?
The inputs confirm a daughter with Celia Walden, according to Wikipedia, but give no age for her.
Did Piers Morgan and Meghan Markle date?
The inputs contain no evidence of a relationship between them, so this piece does not confirm one.
Freddie Clarke is Senior Reporter at WordPatch.co.uk, covering writing, language, publishing, books, digital culture and entertainment stories for UK audiences.