Rhythm and news! Face of STV2 Halla Mohieddeen’s secret drumming talent

NEW television news anchor Halla Mohieddeen has revealed a secret talent – as a drummer.

The 37-year-old face of STV2’s new weeknight Scottish Seven news programme is already proving a big hit with viewers.

But before she graced our screens, Halla enjoyed another job where being a hit was a prerequisite, playing the drums in a Brazilian band that performed for tourists visiting the Great Wall of China.

Halla – who described it as the “craziest job” she ever had – said: “I ended up playing in the snow to a big audience of Chinese who were expecting something special.

“I was still a beginner at the time but, being Scottish, I gave it my best.

“I was sitting in the snow on the Great Wall of China thinking, ‘if only my friends back in Scotland could see me now’.”

The married, Borders-born broadcaster travelled widely before taking up her new role as the face of the country’s first evening news magazine programme. She believes her experiences have made her a more rounded journalist, able to think quickly on her feet.

“Landing this job has been a great opportunity for me,” she said. “It’s my dream job.”

It was in China that she got her first break in broadcasting, as a weather presenter. However, she was forced to return home when her Lebanese dad Jawdat became ill with cancer. He died in 2013.

“I know he would have been so happy to see me anchoring the news on TV,” Halla added.
After her dad passed away, she headed to France where she worked for France24, as their Morning News and Middle East Matters presenter.

The keen scuba diver – who also speaks Mandarin, French, German and Italian – was shocked after a colleague was killed in the Paris terror attacks.

But the experience did nothing to shake the Heriot-Watt University graduate’s resolve to report the news fairly and fiercely.

The only surprise? She eschews high-tech help in favour of her favourite lucky pen, and prefers the back-up of note pads and papers over computers that can play up and let her down on screen.

“I’m old fashioned in that respect,” she adds.

Catch Halla weeknights at 7pm on STV2.