Ms Maitlis has hit headlines today because Edward Vines, who has stalked and harassed her for over 25 years, has been sentenced for three years in prison today for breaching his restraining order. Vines was already in prison for breaching the same order, having been sentenced to three years in 2016 and a further three years and nine months in 2018. Ms Maitlis, expressed her frustration in 2018 when she claimed that it was “bizarre beyond belief” that her tormentor was still able to contact her from inside prison.

Despite the difficulties of coping with her terrifying stalking ordeal, Ms Maitlis has been a rising star in the BBC, finally taking over as the lead presenter on Newsnight last year.

She started her career working in Asia, with six years reporting from Hong Kong during the last days of British colonial rule.

After returning to the UK, she had a brief stint at Sky News before becoming a presenter of BBC London News in 2001 at the age of 31.

According to former Newsnight employees, Ms Maitlis made an impact in their studios well before she joined the programme in 2006.

READ MORE: Emily Maitlis’ ’embarrassing encounters’ with Jeremy Paxman revealed

While presenting BBC London News, she would appear on TV screens in the show’s offices and apparently Mr Paxman – then-leader presenter of Newsnight – was rather mesmerised.

One former employee told The Guardian: “The joke on the programme was that when Paxman was presenting Newsnight no one was allowed to disturb him for half an hour while she was on air.

“People would say, ‘You can’t disturb Paxman because Maitlis is on BBC London’.”

Meanwhile, Ms Maitlis apparently saw Mr Paxman as her “broadcasting hero”.

She revealed in a 2006 interview with The Independent, that she used to embarrass herself in front of him when she first started at the BBC Two flagship political programme.

She recalled how she always seemed to bump into him when she was dropping bags or dressed frivolously for a party.

Mr Paxman, known for his tough, no-nonsense interviews on Newsnight since 1989, finally quit the show in 2014.

Ms Maitlis was overlooked for the top job, which ended up going to Evan Davis.

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However, Mr Davis himself moved on in 2018, giving her a second opportunity.

In 2016, Ms Maitlis revealed when Mr Paxman left she had decided that it would mark the end of overly aggressive questioning by presenters.

She said she made a deliberate effort not to ask questions that came across as “rude or aggressive”.

The journalist added after her hero departed the show, she felt more liberated to implement her own, more gentle technique.

She told The Times Magazine: “Jeremy’s style was brilliant and inimitable, but that was the key word.

“I am now really cautious never to ask a question that sounds rude or aggressive or stupid to me.

“I like to take a step back, it’s all about listening.”

An interview with exemplified Mr Paxman’s style was the infamous exchange with former Home Secretary Michael Howard

The BBC veteran asked the Tory minister: “DId you threaten to overrule him?” over a dozen times.

Ms Maitlis said: “We never played the game of who can ask the question 15 times, but there was a sense of ‘How tough can you be?’

“I have learnt that in some of my best interviews I was lovely, but they still yielded extraordinary moments.”

One of Ms Maitlis’ most memorable recent interviews was with Prince Andrew, who she questioned about his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in prison last year, and allegations that Andrew had sex with a girl trafficked by Epstein.

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