British broadcaster Reshmin Chowdhury previously revealed that she felt two male colleagues had tested her by asking her a question she felt that they wouldn’t ask “another guy”.
Chowdhury, 48, is one of the most well-known broadcasters of recent times, having worked for outlets such as the BBC, ITV Sport, beIN Sports, TNT Sports and talkSPORT for a number of years.
The 48-year-old will also be providing coverage of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games for TNT Sports, where she also covers Champions League football.
And despite being a respected figure among her colleagues, like many female broadcasters, she has been subject to previous distasteful comments during the early years of her career in the media.
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Speaking in a 2024 interview with The Sun, Chowdhury opened up about a particular moment she felt like she was being tested by two male colleagues when they asked her a question about a Real Madrid player.
"I can remember when I was at the BBC, a couple of guys asked me a question about a specific Real Madrid player," she said. "I knew they were testing me.
“And maybe this is the case for other women, and not just about colour – but they wouldn’t do that to another guy.”
Chowdhury, who was born to Asian parents, also discussed how progress has been made, allowing women a pathway into broadcasting over the past “five or six years”.
She added: “I get Bengali parents who come up to me and tell me their daughters want to become sports journalists because they saw me.
“I can’t tell you how much that means to me. Every time I hear that, my heart skips a beat.
“I didn’t have that role model, so to know that I can be that role model makes my day.”
The mother of two was among the front-runners to succeed Gary Lineker as host of BBC football highlights show Match of the Day after the presenter exited the role at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
However, Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan now share hosting duties for the iconic show.
Chowdhury also detailed the barriers to entry she faced when pursuing a career in broadcasting.
“The barriers to entry were everywhere,” she explained. “I didn’t have a famous sporting person in my family, or know anyone in TV.
“And being British Asian… I think I had to convince a lot of people that I knew about football. That was the most frustrating part… I mean, is it a surprise?
“I started off working in news; no one questioned me then. I have a politics degree, so it was quite normal.
“But when you come into sport, people look at you, and they are thinking: ‘Does she know what she is really talking about?'”
But the Londoner has certainly proven the doubters wrong as she continues to lead a successful career in the industry.
Luke Davies