Jillian Whiting

Early life

Whiting was born in Mackay, Queensland on 12 July 1971, moving with her family to Brisbane after her parents divorced. The move enabled her brother Chris to attend university and so she could attend high school in Brisbane.

Career

After graduating from the University of Queensland, Whiting took up a position as a research assistant in 1991 with Seven Brisbane where she later became a reporter and weekend news presenter for Seven News.

She joined Nine Brisbane in 1996 as a reporter and soon became presenter of the weekend editions of Nine News Queensland. She became co-presenter of the weekday news with Bruce Paige in 2001; together, they took the bulletin on top of the ratings in Queensland and were presenting at the time when the September 11 attacks took place. She later returned to presenting on weekends following the birth of her first child.

In 2006 she became presenter of the Gold Coast edition of Nine Gold Coast News after production moved to Brisbane, and soon after assumed role as presenter of Extra, Nine's local tabloid current affairs program.

In December 2008, Whiting resigned from the Nine Network in Brisbane.

In January 2009, Jillian returned to the Seven Brisbane where she became a presenter for Queensland Weekender and a fill-in presenter for Seven News Brisbane.

During recent years Whiting has been a presenter with Brisbane radio station 4BC and a columnist for The Courier-Mail. Whiting is currently involved in media consulting work which has included establishing her own media consulting business.

Personal life

Whiting is married and has two children, Harper and Josephine.

Whiting has a sister, Liz and a brother, Chris who was a local councillor with Caboolture Shire Council and Moreton Bay Regional Council before being elected to the Queensland Government in 2015 as MP for Murrumba.

Jillian is five years younger than Chris and their mother had to leave for the hospital to have Jillian during Chris' 5th birthday party.

Chris was 16 and Jillian was 11 when their father left to move in with another woman while they were living in Mackay. After reuniting with Whiting and her siblings in 2003 when he retired and moved to Brisbane, he died in August 2010.

Whiting owns a holiday home at Peregian Beach on the Sunshine Coast which she purchased in 2008. In October 2016, Whiting was offering the single level apartment for anyone to rent.

Despite their shared surname, Whiting is not related to Brisbane media colleague Frances Whiting. However, Frances Whiting filled in for Jillian Whiting on Extra in 2007 during Jillian Whiting's maternity leave.

In 2009, Whiting said she regretted keeping her maiden name when she married her husband.