Leslie Roberts is a famous Canadian journalist, radio talk show host, and television personality. He was born on June 28, 1962, in Montreal, Canada to parents Bill Roberts and Anna Roberts. Leslie has one sibling - brother Rob Roberts, who is the east coast bureau chief for the Canadian Press as well as night editor of the National Post newspaper. His mother, Anna, is an assistant to federal members of parliament. Hailing from a family with the journalism background, Roberts is a fourth-generation journalist. Indeed journalism is in his genes.
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The paternal great-grandfather of Leslie Roberts was John H. Roberts, the founder of The Axe, a very controversial tabloid based in Montreal. The Axe tabloid published from 1922 to 1924. Leslie’s paternal grandfather and namesake was an honorable Canadian historian who was serving as a special advisor to Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. After long years of serving as special advisor Roberts became editor in chief of Montreal’s CJAD radio.
Bill Roberts was the morning man and announcer on CJAD radio in Montreal. Leslie’s uncle, Grant Roberts, worked for the Globe, Mail, and Montreal Star newspapers. He is the executive editor and anchor for Global Ontario’s News Hour at 5.30 – 6.30 pm. He is also the anchor for GTA’s only one-hour local news at 11 pm.
Career
At the young age of 18 years, Roberts started working at Montreal’s newsroom CKGM Radio. He was proficient in covering the 1980 Quebec Referendum. He interviewed numerous celebrities including Rene Levesque and Pierre Trudeau. In 1985, after finishing school, Roberts worked as a medical reporter for CFCF TV and also as a CTV affiliate. During his 12 years stint at CFCF he gained valuable knowledge and experience. His career, which included hosting of morning shows and evening talks, was successful. Roberts really enjoyed every piece of work that came his way.
In 1995, Roberts went to New York. He was an anchor presenting the infotainment show “A Current Affair”. He then moved to Fox News Affiliate in WNYW. Three years later, he returned to CTV Montreal as a full-time anchor. In 2000, he became the news director of Global Quebec and also co-hosted the evening news.
Leslie Roberts hosted a talk show “The Leslie Roberts Show” on radio station Newstalk 1010 CFRB, one of the most popular radio stations in Toronto, Canada from 2007 - 2008. The show aired on Saturday and Sunday mornings and featured a number of interesting guests.
In 2008, Roberts authored “The Five Things I Learned This Week”, which is a national post. Besides his work as a professional journalist, Roberts focuses on helping out at many non-profit organizations and charities. He is best described as very charming and incredibly smart.
After leaving Global Quebec he was a freelance broadcaster and communications specialist working with technology firms based in Los Angeles. In December 2016, he returned to his hometown of Montreal, QC with his own show called, "The Leslie Robert's Show" airing weekdays 9-noon on CJAD 800 Radio.
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Awards
Awards and recognition are not uncommon to Roberts. In 2010, he was bestowed with the Man of the Year Consumers Choice Award. He was also a member of the team which won the prestigious Canada’s Best Newscast from the Radio & Television News Directors of Canada, and he was also a part of the Ontario Association of Broadcaster Community Award. In 2011 he was nominated for the Gemini Award for his work as Canada’s Best News Anchor. In 2013, Roberts along with the Global team walked away with the Best Newscast Award from the Canadian Screen Awards.
Personal Life
The assignment editor of CTV Montreal, Amalia Fernandez was the wife of Roberts. He has a daughter, Lauren, whom he is passionately fond of. Lauren was raised by her mother and saw her father occasionally. Leslie Roberts announced he was gay in 2010. However, his friends knew he was gay long before that time. Roberts’ current partner’s name is Chris.
Leslie had a very bitter experience with his parents dying at a young age and his goal today is to lengthen his lifespan. His father had cancer and his mother died of a liver failure. To achieve his goal, Leslie does strict workouts 6 days a week to reduce his stubborn belly fat, which he fears may cause health problems later. He is of the opinion that by shrinking his waistline he can expand his lifespan.
Global News career
Canwest Global Communications Corporation division in Toronto, Canada called Leslie Roberts in order to recruit him to be the co-host of an evening television show. Leslie Roberts accepted the call made to him in September 2001 to become a part of Global News team, co-hosting it together with famous Canadian journalist Beverly Thomson.
Together with the team from Global News, Leslie Roberts was on the spot when September 11 attacks happened. He and his colleagues from Global News, Michael Kuss, a meteorologist, and Jim Tatti, a sports director, arrived a week before the attacks and witnessed and covered the attacks on the spot. Leslie’s co-anchor at Global News until his resignation in 2013 was Anne Mroczkowski, a former CITY-TV anchor. Leslie was the host of Global Ontario’s television news broadcast at 11 p.m.
Suspension and resignation from Global News
Global Television Canada announced on 8 January 2015 that they have suspended Leslie Roberts due to a conflict of interest and after finding out that Leslie had equity in BuzzPR, a public relations company.
Lifestyle
Leslie Roberts is an avid fan of fitness and working out. At home, he has a mini-gym where he works out every day after work. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are his days for chest and arm workouts. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are the days for his lower body workouts. The first thing Leslie Roberts does in the morning is eat either oatmeal or pineapple and strawberries with granola. In the past, Roberts ate sugary cereals for breakfast. For lunch, Roberts usually has grilled chicken and salad. He limits himself eating red meat only once a month.
Last Modified: Apr 8, 2020
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