Amy and husband Brandon on a trip home
At the Royal Television Society Awards
making new and exciting episodes.” Amy’s journey into the industry started with an early love of drama and performance. At school, she aced all eight elocution grades and was a committed member of local choirs and the Riverside Youth Theatre. Her passion for storytelling took her to Nottingham Trent University in 2012 and she graduated three years later with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. “My first job was with a local radio station in Nottingham, Gem 105,” Amy recalls. “I started going to press conferences all around the Midlands, and I found it very exciting.” While her early experience was rooted in news, a move to Manchester turned the tide toward entertainment. “I moved to Media City in Salford around 2015/2016 and started off as a runner for the Jeremy Kyle Show and then Judge Rinder.” Now living with hubby Brandon in Stockport, the 31-year-old has played a major part in the hugely popular and award-winning Four in a Bed series. First aired in 2010, the show pits B&B owners against each other. They stay at each other’s premises and pay what they consider a fair
price. The winner is declared every five episodes on ‘Payment Day’. Last year, the programme won Best Daytime Programme at the North West RTS (Royal Television Society) awards. “This is my sixth series being involved with the show. “I love what I do, and these days, the welfare side of things,which I enjoy, is very important.” Despite her career success, Amy remains deeply connected to her Coleraine roots. “Brandon and I are enjoying life now, but one day in the future we will move back. The thought is in our heads,” she says. South African Brandon is a freelance 3D designer who branched out on his own this year with his business Pickled Studios. The couple met at university. They lived in the same halls in first year and lived a couple of streets apart in second year. “We kept bumping into each other and the rest - 12 years and counting - as they say is history!,” laughs Amy. Despite their happy life together, there will always remain the lure of the North Coast. “Coleraine will always be home for me. I have so many happy memories growing up. “ I was never away from the Riverside Theatre, between
Dominican concerts and being involved with Ballywillan Drama Group and the Youth Theatre. “It was so sad to hear the news about the Riverside, and what a blow to the town. “I try to get back home three or four times a year and as I get older, the visits become more frequent. “Nothing can beat walking up the town centre and striking up conversations with people. “ I miss that real Northern Ireland charm. “It’s always nice to come back to see family and friends and run into a friendly face. “And of course there’s the beautiful landscape as well!” Whether in Stockport or strolling through Coleraine’s town centre, Amy Culbertson is quietly, but brilliantly, shaping the television we love to watch. And it’s clear her star is only going to shine brighter.
Amy with mum and dad, Anita and Martin
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