Sue Barker: her husband Lance Tankard, tennis career and family life

Find out everything you need to know about former Question of Sport presenter Sue Barker, including her relationship with her husband, Lance Tankard.

Sue-Barker

by Catherine Ball |
Updated on

After starting her career as a professional tennis player, Sue has been a regular on our TV screen since. Over the years we've seen Sue's friendly face pop up when presenting coverage of Wimbledon and the Olympics and also on popular game show, A Question of Sport.

Find out more about Sue here including her age, family and husband, Lance Tankard.

Who is Sue Barker’s husband?

SueBarkerLanceTankard

In 1988, Sue married landscape gardener and former policeman, Lance Tankard. The two met one another in Portugal where Sue was working as a tennis coach and Lance was on holiday.

Once they returned home to England, the two co-incidentally met each other while out for dinner and soon after their relationship became romantic.

Sue and her partner Lance have been living together as a happy couple ever since their marriage in 1988.

Sue Barker and Cliff Richard

Before she married Lance, Sue was in a relationship with the singer Cliff Richardduring the 1980s. Cliff has said he came close to proposing but decided against it.

How old is Sue Barker?

Sue was born April 19, 1956 and is 66 years old.

Has Sue Barker ever won Wimbledon?

Although she never won Wimbledon, Sue did manage to reach the semi-finals of the tournament in 1977.

Has Sue Barker got any children?

Sue and her husband haven't got any children together.

Does Sue Barker have any dogs?

Sue loves dogs and she currently has two. Charlie and Baiatu. She adopted Baiatu at eight years old from a Romanian dog shelter.

Wimbledon's Sue Barker on the rescue dog she had to help

Where does Sue Barker live?

Sue lives in the Cotswolds with her husband. Her home made headlines in 2017 after she won a planning battle to raise the roof of their property after her very tall husband knocked himself out on the low ceilings.

Neighbours feared the renovations would overpower and dominate the surrounding property. But after a long debate, Sue and her husband were granted planning permission.

Did Sue Barker ever win the French Open?

Sue's career highlight was her Grand Slam French Open victory in 1976. Here she is in her younger days playing tennis in the tournament.

What TV shows has Sue Barker presented?

Wimbledon

SueBarker-Wimbledon
Here is Sue speaking to Andy Murray

Sue has presented the Wimbledon coverage on BBC since 1993 as well as the BBC Sport Personality of the Year awards from 1994 to 2012.

As well as Wimbledon, Sue has also presented coverage for the French Open, Australian Open, Queens Championships and the Davis Cup.

Sue recently stepped down from her role as the presenter of the BBC's Wimbledon coverage following the 2022 tournament.

Speaking about her decision, Sue said, "What a wonderful time I've had working on some of the biggest sporting events around the world, I will miss it terribly but after 30 years I feel the time is right for me. I've worked with the best of the best."

Sue Barker's final Wimbledon ended with tributes from Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Billie Jean King, with an emotional send-off in front of cheering tennis fans.

A Question of Sport

Sue has also presented A Question of Sport, with Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell, however she was axed from the show recently after 24 years ahead of a shake-up of the popular quiz show, despite saying it was her 'dream job'.

A BBC spokesperson said: “We would like to thank Sue for her enormous contribution to the show’s longest reigning host over the last 23 years.”

She will be replaced on the show by Bolton comedian and host of dating show Take Me Out Paddy McGuinness. He told the press that Sue would "always be A Question of Sport icon".

Athough most famous for her tennis presenting, Sue has also covered the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and The Grand National.

What is Sue Barker's net worth?

According to celebrity Net Worth, Sue is estimated to be worth $2 Million.

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