Christmas cocktails
2025 Cunard Insights highlights
During 2025, Cunard Insights is proud to present a number of familiar faces and experts in their fields to awaken the imagination and spark a new perspective.
4 min
19 Dec 2024
Queen Anne
Rebecca Adlington OBE
Olympic icon Rebecca Adlington is one of the most successful female British swimmers of recent times. Having won double gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and smashing the world record for the 800 meters event, Adlington retired in 2013 after also winning double bronze at the 2012 London Olympics. Most notably, her 2008 gold win makes her the first female gold medallist swimmer for Great Britain since 1960.
Away from the pool, Adlington has undertaken the challenge of starring on shows such as I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!, Channel 4's The Jump, Celebrity Masterchef and many more. Rebecca also continues to be a face within the sport, working as part of the BBC team during various events, including the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She now runs her very own learn to swim business for children, aiming to break down as many barriers as possible so every child has the opportunity to learn this vital life skill.
Rebecca Adlington
Rebecca Adlington
Rebecca Adlington
Paul McKenna
Paul McKenna was named by The Sunday Times as one of the world’s leading and most important modern gurus alongside Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama.
He is one of the world’s bestselling self-help authors, having sold over 15 million books in the last decade. He has worked his unique brand of personal transformation with Hollywood movie stars, Olympic gold medallists, rock stars, leading business achievers, and royalty. Over the past 30 years, Paul has helped millions of people successfully quit smoking, lose weight, overcome insomnia, eliminate stress, and increase self-confidence. In recent years, as a therapist, he has specialized in helping people with trauma, PTSD and depression and has been involved in researching these areas. He is regularly watched on TV by millions of people around the world and is an internationally renowned motivational speaker.
Paul McKenna
Paul McKenna
Paul McKenna
Phil Spencer
Phil Spencer, English media personality, television presenter, and journalist, is best known as the co-presenter of Channel 4 property show Location, Location, Location.
After he gained his Surveying degree, Phil founded the company Garrington Home Finders and was one of the very first property professionals to specialise in looking after the interests of purchasers.
Kirstie and Phil have been filming Location Location Location for over 20 years, plus Love it or List it, another ratings winner on Channel 4. Phil has also authored his own series for Channel 4, such as Stately homes and New Zealand’s Best Homes.
Phil Spencer
Phil Spencer
Phil Spencer
We look forward to welcoming Rebecca Adlington, Paul McKenna, and Phil Spencer to voyages on board Queen Anne, sailing respectively on 18 January, 11 April, and 26 October.
Queen Mary 2
Linford Christie OBE
Europe's greatest ever 100m sprinter, Linford became the Olympic 100m Champion after winning the gold medal in Barcelona in 1992. In an international career spanning 17 years, Linford competed over 60 times for his country and won more major championship medals (23) than any other British male sprinter. He was the British team captain from 1990, a year that saw him claim his second European Championships 100m title, and his first Commonwealth Games gold, until his retirement from international athletics in 1997.
Amongst the numerous awards bestowed upon Linford was the prestigious 1993 BBC Sports Personality of the Year and European Athlete of the Year. One of his proudest achievements is creating the youth engagement programme Street Athletics with fellow athlete, Darren Campbell which ran for over 12 years and has discovered talented young people, some of whom have gone on to compete in an Olympic Games.
Linford Christie OBE
Linford Christie OBE
Linford Christie OBE
Shirley Ann Robertson OBE
Shirley Ann Robertson OBE is the only British female athlete to have won gold medals at consecutive Olympic Games. She is already the greatest female Olympic sailor in history.
Shirley started sailing at the age of seven in a Mirror Miracle on Loch Ard in the Trossachs in Scotland. By the 1990s she had won silver medals at the 1998, 1999 and 2000 Europe World Championships. Her excellent form continued at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Shirley Ann Robertson OBE
Shirley Ann Robertson OBE
Shirley Ann Robertson OBE
Fisherman's Friends
Thanks to the small film with a big heart that shares their name, the story of the original Cornish ‘buoy band’ is known around the world – bound by shared experience, for 40 years they have met on the Platt on the harbour in their native Port Isaac to sing the songs of the sea.
The Fisherman’s Friends are: lobster fisherman Jeremy Brown; writer and shopkeeper Jon Cleave; smallholder and engineer John ‘Lefty’ Lethbridge; builder John McDonnell (a Yorkshireman who visited Port Isaac more than 30 years ago and never left); Padstow fisherman Jason Nicholas; filmmaker Toby Lobb and the new boy, former ambulance driver Pete Hicks
Fisherman's Friends
Fisherman's Friends
Fisherman's Friends
We look forward to welcoming Shirley Ann Robertson OBE, Fisherman’s Friends, and Linford Christie OBE to voyages on board Queen Mary 2, sailing respectively on 15 February, 14 September, and 26 November.
Queen Victoria
Fern Britton
Fern Britton is a renowned presenter, writer and journalist who obtained her national treasure status by presenting shows such as ITV’s This Morning for over a decade. She began her career in current affairs and news, covering everything from the Queen's birthday celebrations to reporting live from Basra during the Gulf War. Her light entertainment credits include iconic shows like Ready Steady Cook, All Star Mr and Mrs and Strictly Come Dancing. She presented nine series of Fern Britton Meets... where her list of guests included Tony Blair, Desmond Tutu and Dolly Parton.
Fern Britton
Fern Britton
Fern Britton
Kate Thornton
Kate is a talented and versatile broadcaster and journalist who first rose to public prominence as the first female and youngest ever Editor of Smash Hits at the age of 21.
As a writer she's also worked as a Contributing Editor at The Sunday Times and Marie Claire, but is probably best known for her work as a television and radio presenter on some of the most high-profile programmes on British television including Top of the Pops, Holiday, Pop Idol Extra, The Royal Variety Performance, The One Show, Comic Relief, This Morning, Loose Women and The Brits, as well as presenting the first three series of ITV’s The X Factor.
She currently hosts weekly show The Royal Beat which goes to 55 million homes in the US on Amazon Prime, and in 2024 it debuted on ITV1.
Kate Thornton
Kate Thornton
Kate Thornton
David Coulthard MBE
One of the world’s most widely recognised sports personalities, David Coulthard MBE is a renowned Formula 1 Grand Prix driver, television broadcaster, author and entrepreneur.
Born in Twynholm, Scotland, David began racing karts at the age of 11 and achieved significant success in the lower formulae of motor racing. He won the inaugural McLaren Autosport Young Driver of the Year Award in 1989, leading to a test drive for the McLaren Formula 1 team.
He joined the Williams Formula 1 team in 1993 as test driver, supporting Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna in successive seasons. He made his Formula 1 World Championship debut for the team the following year, scoring his maiden victory at the 1995 Portuguese Grand Prix. He then moved to McLaren for nine seasons where he enjoyed a series of stellar performances including winning a further 12 Grands Prix, including twice winning the prestigious British and Monaco Grands Prix. In 2005 David joined the newly created Red Bull Racing team and played a key role in the team’s development, including bringing the team its first podium finish at the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix. He stepped away from Formula 1 racing at the end of 2008, scoring his final podium finish in that year’s Canadian Grand Prix.
David Coulthard MBE
David Coulthard MBE
David Coulthard MBE
We look forward to welcoming David Coulthard MBE, Kate Thornton, and Fern Britton to voyages on board Queen Victoria, embarking respectively on 21 January, 26 May, and 18 August.
Queen Elizabeth
Bill Wichrowski (Captain Wild)
The American television personality “Captain” Bill Wichorwski is best known for his appearances on the hit Discovery Channel show, Deadliest Catch.
In the mid-2000s, Wichorwski left Alaska for Costa Rica to run a company specializing in fishing tours. But when Discovery Channel came to him with an offer to star in their new series, Deadliest Catch, Captain Bill returned to the Bering Sea to resume work as a crab fisherman. Now in the show’s sixth season, Deadliest Catch features not only Captain Bill Wichorwski but also his son, Zack Larson, as part of the cast.
Bill Wichrowski
Bill Wichrowski
Bill Wichrowski
Michael Robotham
Michael Robotham began his career as an investigative journalist in Australia and the UK before becoming a ghostwriter, collaborating on 15 autobiographies for politicians, pop stars, soldiers, and adventurers (12 of which were Sunday Times bestsellers).
Now a celebrated crime writer, his psychological thrillers have been translated into 25 languages. He has also won the UK Gold Dagger twice and has been a finalist for the US Edgar Award for Crime Novel of the Year twice.
Michael Robotham
Michael Robotham
Michael Robotham
Sarah Outen
When her father died suddenly in 2006, Sarah Outen decided to chart her grief with a solo rowing voyage across the Indian Ocean, from Australia to Mauritius. This four-month crossing in 2009 led her to conceive her next journey ‘London 2 London: Via the World’.
Between 2011 and 2015, Sarah rowed, cycled, and kayaked a loop of the northern hemisphere. Crossing oceans, deserts, and mountain ranges on her way around the planet, Sarah encountered the kindness of strangers, the joys of life on the move, and many challenges and storms, both inner and outer. Sarah has written two books about her journeys (A Dip in the Ocean and Dare to Do) and made an award-winning feature-length film, Home with director Jen Randall.
Sarah Outen
Sarah Outen
Sarah Outen
We look forward to welcoming Michael Robotham, Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski, and Sarah Outen MBE FRGS to voyages on board Queen Elizabeth, sailing respectively on 11 February, 31 July, and 8 September.
On board with Cunard
Queen Elizabeth reimagined
Wellness waves
Artist showcase: Elysia Gilman
Cunard presents The Mediterranean with Nathan Outlaw
Spending on the seven seas
Strangers to shipmates: Friends enjoy five consecutive voyages
How to choose your stateroom
A life on board: Queens Room vocalist
Family friendly bars and lounges
Family accommodation with Cunard
Family dining on a Cunard Queen
Family activities on board
Evening entertainment for families
Queen Anne's first wedding at sea
A standing ovation
A book-lovers dream
Art on the edge
Rave reviews - London Theatre at Sea in 2022
Let us entertain you
Shopping on Queen Anne
World crews
Solar eclipse cruises with Cunard
Graffiti or greatness?
In conversation with Captain Evans Hoyt
In conversation with Captain Stephen Howarth
Signature Shore Experiences on Queen Anne
Cunard announces collaboration with David Pugh
Your Vogue-approved guide to cruise fashion
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