Sam Quek: Age, Ethnicity, Husband, Children, Career

Most people know Sam Quek as the hockey star who scored Olympic gold, then swapped her stick for a microphone. But the journey from Rio’s podium to the TV studio is built on a foundation few fans see. Here’s the full picture of her career, family, and what she’s doing now.

Born: 18 October 1988 ·
Age (2024): 35 ·
Olympic Gold: 2016 (Rio) ·
International Caps: 120+ ·
MBE: Awarded 2017 ·
TV Presenter: Yes

Nine key facts about Sam Quek, condensed:

What ethnicity is Sam Quek?

Sam Quek’s Background

• Sam Quek was born and raised in Liverpool, England, to an English mother and a father of Chinese descent (Chartwell Speakers – biography platform).
• Her mixed heritage is often noted in public profiles, though specific details about her parents’ backgrounds are not widely covered.

Twin Brother

• She has a twin brother named John Quek (Chartwell Speakers – biography platform).
• Beyond this, little is publicly known about John’s life or career.

Age

Born on 18 October 1988, Quek was 35 years old in 2024 (Team GB – official Olympic association).

The implication: her mixed-race background and twin brother add nuance to her public story, but both remain personal details she hasn’t explored deeply in interviews.

Why is Sam Quek famous?

Olympic Gold Medalist

• Quek won a gold medal with Great Britain women’s hockey at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Team GB – official Olympic association).
• She also earned European silver (2013) and Commonwealth silver (2014) with England (Team GB – official Olympic association).

Television Presenter

• After retiring from hockey, she became a broadcaster, co-presenting on ITV’s Morning Live and hosting on talkSPORT (NMP Live – speaker and broadcaster agency).
• She also appeared on A Question of Sport (BBC) and guest-presented on other daytime shows.

Strictly Come Dancing

• In 2016, she competed in the BBC dance competition Strictly Come Dancing, reaching the semi-finals (Team GB – official Olympic association).

The pattern: Quek’s fame rests on a rare double achievement—elite sporting success at the highest level followed by a smooth transition into mainstream TV presenting, something few Olympic athletes have managed.

Has Sam Quek got children?

Family Life

• Quek and her husband Tom Mairs have two children: a daughter named Molly and a son named Isaac (also called Zac) (WalesOnline – regional news outlet).
• Goodto magazine reported that the couple’s children are Molly and Isaac (Goodto – women’s lifestyle magazine).
• The family lives in Liverpool (Chartwell Speakers – biography platform).

Husband

• She married Tom Mairs, a former rugby player now working as a property entrepreneur, in July 2019 (WalesOnline – regional news outlet).

Who is Sam Quek’s husband now?

Marriage Details

• Tom Mairs is a property entrepreneur and former rugby player (WalesOnline – regional news outlet).
• The couple married in July 2019 after a private ceremony (WalesOnline – regional news outlet).
• They have two children together (as confirmed by multiple sources).

The catch: while Mairs keeps a low profile, Quek has shared glimpses of their family life on social media, particularly Instagram, where she posts about parenting and family outings.

What has happened to Sam Quek?

Recent Career Moves

• In 2023, Quek appeared on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! (publicly reported, though no official biography on Team GB or similar confirms the show).
• She currently co-hosts a talkSPORT radio show on weekends and regularly contributes to ITV’s Morning Live (NMP Live – speaker and broadcaster agency).

Net Worth

• Her net worth is estimated to be between £1 million and £2 million, but these figures are not publicly confirmed and vary widely across sources (Get A Pep Talk – speaker booking platform (tier3)).

Future Career Plans

Specific future plans are unclear; Quek has not announced any major career shifts, but she continues to take on live presenting roles and public speaking engagements, as listed by agencies like Chartwell Speakers and NMP Live.

Sam Quek is a former England and Great Britain field hockey defender who later became a broadcaster and television presenter. Team GB – official Olympic association

She is married to Tom Mairs, a property entrepreneur, and they have two children. WalesOnline – regional news outlet

For the UK sports broadcasting landscape, Quek’s trajectory offers a distinct model: she hasn’t become a single-show anchor but rather a versatile personality who moves across talkSPORT, ITV, BBC, and reality TV. That flexibility gives her resilience in a volatile media market. For any former athlete eyeing TV, the strategy is clear: build a portfolio, not a pedestal.

Frequently asked questions

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