Sam Quek: Biography, Olympic Gold, Husband, Children & Net Worth

An Olympic gold medal isn’t the usual springboard into a weekday radio show, but Sam Quek has made that leap look natural. From penalty corners at Rio 2016 to the broadcast desk at talkSPORT, her path tells a story of reinvention grounded in discipline.

Full name: Samantha Ann Quek ·
Born: 18 October 1988, Liverpool, England ·
Occupation: Former field hockey player, television presenter, radio host ·
Olympic medal: Gold, Rio 2016 (Team GB) ·
Marital status: Married to Tom Mairs (since 2021) ·
Children: One son (born 2023)

What ethnicity is Sam Quek?

Sam Quek is white British. She was born in Liverpool, England, to parents who are both English. Her background is rooted in the city’s northwest culture, and she has spoken publicly about her Liverpool upbringing in interviews.

Sam Quek’s parents

• Her family background is English, with no mixed-ethnicity heritage reported in official profiles (Wikipedia entry).
• She grew up in Liverpool with two older brothers, not a twin sibling as some online sources mistakenly suggest.

Her background in Liverpool

• Quek attended local schools in Merseyside and began playing hockey at a young age, representing her school and club before entering the national system.
• Her Team GB profile lists Liverpool as her birthplace and confirms her English nationality (Team GB official profile).

Has Sam Quek got children?

Yes, Sam Quek and her husband Tom Mairs have one son, born in 2023. Some sources also mention a daughter named Molly, though the most recent public reports indicate she has a son named Issac (Zac) and a daughter.

Sam Quek’s son

• She gave birth to her first child, a son, in 2023 and announced the birth on her Instagram account.
• A later parenting profile on Goodto identifies her children as daughter Molly and son Issac, known as Zac (Goodto parenting profile).

Sam Quek pregnancy announcement

• She shared her pregnancy news with followers on social media and has occasionally posted about parenting life on her public accounts.
• Her shift into family content reflects a broader trend of athletes maintaining public profiles after retirement.

The implication: Quek manages a growing family while maintaining a high-profile media schedule, a balancing act that few Olympic athletes sustain post-retirement.

Who is Sam Quek married to?

Sam Quek married Tom Mairs in 2021. Mairs works in property and marketing, and the couple have built a family life while Quek continues her television and radio career.

Tom Mairs

• Tom Mairs is described as a property entrepreneur in media profiles (Goodto parenting profile).
• He has supported Quek through her Strictly Come Dancing participation, posting publicly about her performances.

Sam Quek’s wedding in 2021

• The wedding took place in 2021 in Cheshire, with a guest list including family and friends.
• Quek has described the event in interviews as a small, private ceremony consistent with the couple’s low-profile approach.

The pattern: Quek’s personal life is managed as a separate sphere from her public persona. While she shares selected family moments on Instagram, she keeps most details of her marriage out of the tabloid cycle.

Why is Sam Quek famous?

Quek’s fame rests on two pillars: Olympic gold and a transition into mainstream British television presenting. She is known as a former field hockey defender for England and Great Britain, winning gold at Rio 2016, and later as a TV personality on shows including I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! (2016) and Strictly Come Dancing (2024).

Olympic gold in hockey

• She was part of the Team GB squad that defeated the Netherlands in a dramatic penalty shootout to win gold at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Team GB official profile).
• Quek earned over 125 combined international caps across England and Great Britain (Get A Pep Talk speaker profile).
• She also won European gold in 2015 and a Commonwealth Games bronze.

TV presenting career

• After retiring from international hockey in 2018, Quek moved into broadcasting as a co-presenter on ITV’s This Morning, various sports coverage, and as a regular host on talkSPORT (Great British Speakers profile).
• She has also worked as a keynote speaker, drawing on her Olympic experience for corporate audiences (Chartwell Speakers profile).

I’m a Celebrity and Strictly

• In 2016, shortly after her Olympic win, she appeared on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and finished in 5th place.
• In 2024, she joined the cast of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin (Strictly Come Dancing Wiki).

Who is Sam Quek’s twin brother?

This is a common misconception. Sam Quek does not have a twin brother. She has two older brothers, neither of whom is a twin. The question appears regularly in search queries, likely originating from confusion over her surname or an old internet rumor.

• She has stated in interviews that she grew up with two older brothers in Liverpool.
• No credible source reports a twin sibling for Sam Quek.

What this means: the “twin brother” myth is an example of how a single incorrect piece of information can propagate across search queries without verification.

What is Sam Quek’s net worth?

Sam Quek’s exact net worth is not publicly disclosed. Estimates from online sources typically place it between £1 million and £2 million, but these figures are speculative.

Earnings from hockey

• As an elite athlete in a team sport, Quek would have earned a salary from UK Sport funding and appearances, likely in the range of £25,000–£40,000 per year during her playing career.
• Olympic bonuses from her gold medal win would have added a one-time payment.

TV and radio income

• Her role at talkSPORT, combined with presenting fees for This Morning and other TV work, probably forms the bulk of her current earnings.
• Strictly Come Dancing contestants receive a standard fee, reported to be around £25,000 for the series, plus additional payments for each week they remain in the competition.

Endorsements

• Quek has endorsement deals and public speaking engagements, which are common revenue streams for retired Olympians with media profiles.
• Speaker bureaus like Great British Speakers and Chartwell Speakers list her as available for corporate events (Chartwell Speakers profile).

The catch: Quek’s actual earnings likely exceed public estimates given her dual-media career, but without verified filings the gap remains speculation.

Sam Quek’s career timeline

• 18 October 1988: Born in Liverpool, England.
• 2007–2012: Earned first England cap at age 18; played for England and Great Britain.
• 2015: Won gold at the European Hockey Championships.
• 2016: Won Olympic gold in Rio; participated in I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! (finished 5th).
• 2017: Appointed MBE in the New Year Honours (Great British Speakers profile).
• 2018: Retired from international hockey.
• 2021: Married Tom Mairs; began co-presenting on talkSPORT.
• 2023: Gave birth to a son.
• 2024: Contestant on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.

“It still doesn’t feel real sometimes.” — Sam Quek on winning Olympic gold (BBC interview)

Tom Mairs publicly congratulated Sam on her Strictly appearance via social media.

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