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Born and raised in Brighten, England, Lisa Griffin is the “go to” person at The Shopping Channel for anyone needing a “sweetie” - that’s “British” for a candy or chocolate! Her drawer is always chock full of all the delicious treats from her childhood including her personal favourite, Galaxy Minstrels.

Although Lisa was 12 when she came to Canada, her love of all things British is still very strong. “I just love to eat curries and all of the British sweets and, of course, I have a not so secret crush on Simon Cowell and Colin Firth,” laughs Lisa.

Lisa started with The Shopping Channel in 2001 after a very successful career in radio on some of Toronto’s top stations. Why the move? “As a loyal customer of The Shopping Channel, it was always my dream job,” confesses Lisa. “One day I just decided to go for it. I sent in my resume and got hired on part-time.” After four years Lisa became a full time host and remains a favourite of Shopping Channel viewers from coast-to-coast. Lisa hasn’t completely abandoned her radio career, with an in-house studio in her home, she continues to lend her talents to voice-over work and commercials.

Working at The Shopping Channel presents some logistical challenges for Lisa who is a single mom to a beautiful daughter, Lily. “With really unpredictable hours, childcare can be a bit tricky,” says Lisa, “but I’m really blessed to have a very strong support network of family and friends that can help out on a moment’s notice.” Lisa really thinks of the other hosts and celebrity guests at The Shopping Channel as her extended family and remembers how caring everyone was when her mom passed away recently. “I especially remember how comforting Joan Rivers was during this difficult time. She’s really one of the nicest people I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with.”

Lisa enjoys hosting a wide variety of shows at The Shopping Channel but her personal favourites are jewellery, health and beauty and anything to do with cooking. “I’m really a foodie,” says Lisa. “I just love trying new foods and when I’m home I relax by cooking and baking up a storm!” Lucky Lily!

Looking back over her time at The Shopping Channel, Lisa feels fortunate that she has had very few on-air bloopers. “One does come to mind,” laughs Lisa. “I had a guest on years back and he was so scared to be on air that as we spoke he slowly started moving his chair further and further back until he was right out of the shot. Then he jumped up and ran out of the building. In under three minutes he was gone and there I was, left to fend for myself, and it was an electronics show with some pretty tricky products!” Always the professional, Lisa made it through that show and credits her radio background with her ability to think quickly on her feet and ad lib when needed. “I actually thrive on the unknown and the unpredictable nature of this job,” says Lisa. “Although it is very rare that anything goes wrong, with live TV the possibility is always there.”