CNN International sports anchor and correspondent based in Atlanta, Don Riddell, has a wife who is an artist, whom he admires the most.
Don studied at Trinity and All Saints College, part of the University of Leeds, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors in Public Media/Communication and Cultural Studies.
Following his studies, Riddell began his broadcasting career in British regional television.
His first on-air roles were at Yorkshire Television in Leeds, where he worked as a sports reporter and presenter.
Later, he moved to the London News Network (LNN). There, he was a sports presenter on the “London Tonight” programme.
In 2002, Don Riddell joined CNN International. This was a major step in his career, moving from regional UK television to a global news network.
CNN Sportscaster Don Riddell has an artist wife!
Don Riddell is married to Jennifer (often called Jen) Stallone Riddell, who is an artist.
Her paintings and commissioned portraits are known to be in private collections in Atlanta, New York, and the United Kingdom.
She often organizes art exhibitions and is involved in multiple art events around Atlanta.
Don Riddell and his wife Jennifer, have two sons, twins, Liam and Cameron. These are their only childrens.
The twins were born around 2006, and as of 2025, they were leaving for university, which Riddell discussed in interviews.
In a CNN Segment, Don talked about his kids leaving for college and how it has impacted him and his wife. In the media, he said;
You have to plan for it. You have to be ready. My wife and I have been thinking about it for years because we only had twins, so we knew that they were going to leave on the same day and that was going to be it. And then what? Because for 17, 18, 19 years as parent We were raising them, so it is all about them. And all of a sudden it is not, and they’re just fine, I think in many cases as they take off. But the parents then have to figure it out.
Now that his kids are on their own at university, Don and his wife, Jen, seem to be living a fulfilling life, balancing their respective careers.
In Case You Don’t Know
- Apart from World Sport, Riddell has also hosted other CNN programmes, including CNN Today, World News, and the long‑running feature show Living Golf.
- Riddell was named a finalist for ‘Best Sports Anchor’ at the 2016 New York Festivals.
- Beyond broadcasting, he is also known as a photographer and award‑winning filmmaker, with his pictures featured alongside his CNN reports.
