The winners of the Specsavers National Book Awards 2012, a celebration of the best of British publishing, were revealed at a star-studded awards ceremony at London’s prestigious Mandarin Oriental on 4th December 2012.

Clare Balding (DH 1998) beat off stiff competition in the hotly contested Biography of the Year award, claiming victory over rival authors who included Salman Rushdie and David Mitchell.

Balding’s autobiography 'My Animals and Other Family' won one of ten awards presented. Miranda Hart (DH 1991) triumphed in the Magic FM Non-fiction Book of the Year category for her hilarious 'Is It Just Me?'.

What a fantastic achievement for these Downe House alumnae.

Click here to watch an interview with Clare