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TV sports presenter Jake Humphrey funds uni student

News imageBBC Jake HumphreyBBC
Jake Humphrey was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of East Anglia in 2012

A TV sports presenter who failed his GCSEs and was sacked from McDonald's is to help fund a student at university.

The Jake Humphrey scholarship will be offered from 2019 to a media studies undergraduate at the University of East Anglia (UEA).

The £18,500 bursary will be awarded to a "talented student" from a low-income household.

"The reason I am where I am today is because someone believed in me," said Humphrey, who lives in Norfolk.

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BT Sports anchor Humphrey, 40, said he wanted to take a chance on someone who may otherwise be unable to afford the opportunity to go to university.

"A lot of young people may be put off by a career in media or further education because they don't think they have the skills, or they physically can't afford it.

"I wasn't the best when it came to education but I was lucky enough to have the support and the backing of some amazing industry leaders."

News imageN Chadwick/Geograph UEA squareN Chadwick/Geograph
The scholarship is being offered to film, television and media studies students at the UEA

In addition to the cash, which will be split over the duration of the degree, two people will be offered work placements at Humphrey's TV production company Whisper Films.

The placements will see one student get the chance to work alongside Humphrey's team which includes Sunil Patel and David Coulthard.

Upon graduating, the company will offer another student a contract of up to a year at its London headquarters.

David Ellis from UEA said the funding "will be a game changer for the lucky students' career prospects".