Her IMDb profile lists 21 February 1993 as the birth date for Ava Santina Evans, the political editor at PoliticsJOE — which would make her 33 as of 2026. That’s worth flagging clearly. IMDb is the only traceable source for this detail. Neither Evans nor a news outlet has confirmed it independently. Everything else about her is far better documented: her job, her career path, and the incident that made her a household name in UK politics. That’s really the more interesting story.
Quick Facts
| Name | Ava-Santina Evans (also known professionally as Ava Santina or Ava Evans) |
| Role | Political Editor, PoliticsJOE |
| Known for | Westminster political correspondence; central figure in the 2023 GB News/Laurence Fox controversy |
| Age | 33 (per IMDb; unconfirmed elsewhere) |
| Nationality | British (inferred from UK-based career; not independently confirmed by a named source) |
| Education | University of Sussex, BA English Literature |
| Based in | London / Westminster |
Early Life and Education
Evans studied English Literature at the University of Sussex, graduating around 2018. Her entry into journalism started while she was still a student. In an interview with Journo Resources, she described landing an assistant producer role at LBC during her final year. The schedule was brutal. She caught an early train from Brighton, attended lectures, worked evening shifts at BBC Sussex, and took supermarket shifts on weekends to cover her commuting costs. She calls getting hired full-time at LBC after graduation her proudest career moment. Months of uncertainty had come before it.
Career: From LBC Radio to PoliticsJOE Political Editor
Evans built her early career in radio production. She worked her way up to lead producer on James O’Brien’s LBC lunchtime show, a role she held for more than two years. Much of that stretch fell during the pandemic. She’s described that period as the hardest to switch off from, given how fast-moving and high-stakes the coverage was.
|
Stage |
Role |
|---|---|
| LBC / BBC Sussex | Assistant producer, then broadcast journalist |
| LBC (Global) | Lead producer, James O’Brien programme |
| PoliticsJOE (from Oct 2021) | Political correspondent |
| PoliticsJOE (2025–present*) | Political editor |
Promotion timing corroborated by a BBC Question Time social post and a professional listing, not a primary company announcement.
She joined PoliticsJOE in October 2021 as political correspondent, covering Westminster and trade union affairs for the digital-first outlet, which targets under-35 audiences. PoliticsJOE promoted her to political editor in 2025. BBC Question Time’s own social media account reflected the title change publicly, introducing her that way ahead of a panel appearance. At PoliticsJOE, she’s helped secure the outlet’s parliamentary lobby pass. She’s also contributed to longer-form video work, including reporting on the Port Talbot steelworks closures and the 2023 Paris riots.
The 2023 GB News/Laurence Fox Controversy — and Ofcom’s Ruling
Evans became a much more widely recognized name after 26 September 2023. That’s when GB News presenter Laurence Fox made derogatory, sexually charged comments about her on air, during an appearance on Dan Wootton Tonight. The remarks came in response to a BBC Politics Live clip, in which Evans had taken part in a discussion about calls for a “minister for men.” Fox questioned what “self-respecting man” would want to sleep with her. It was a comment about her physical desirability, not her political views, as BBC News reported at the time.
The backlash was immediate. GB News suspended both Fox and Wootton within days, then dropped Fox entirely. Both men apologized publicly. The episode went on to receive 8,867 complaints to Ofcom by the end of the year. That made it the most complained-about UK broadcast moment of 2023, narrowly ahead of complaints over ITV’s coronation coverage.
Ofcom investigated the segment but ultimately declined to pursue further action. The regulator called the comment “a personal observation” made within a wider panel discussion covering multiple viewpoints. Its decision also weighed the right to freedom of expression.
In the aftermath, Evans spoke publicly about the response. She received both support and threatening messages. She also described the pressure of a broader “agenda” narrative — the idea, in her words, that she was somehow part of a campaign against men. Through it, she tried to keep the focus on the substance of political discussion rather than on herself.
Media Appearances and Public Profile
Beyond PoliticsJOE, Evans is a regular contributor across UK broadcast media. That includes the BBC, Sky News, ITV’s Good Morning Britain, TalkTV, the Newscast podcast, and the BBC’s Question Time. She’s also appeared on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. She’s active on X under the handle @AvaSantina — the account she posted from right after the Fox controversy, per contemporaneous coverage of the incident. That’s also where the “Santina” name most people search for actually comes from. It’s the version of her name she uses on social media, distinct from her full byline name, Ava-Santina Evans.
Ava Santina Age: What We Actually Know
To circle back to the headline question: IMDb lists Evans’ date of birth as 21 February 1993, which would make her 33 in 2026. It’s the only specific source for this figure. No interview, press profile, or public statement from Evans herself confirms it. Several biography sites repeat the same date, but they appear to simply copy IMDb rather than source it independently. Her career history and the 2023 controversy rest on BBC and ITV reporting plus her own on-record interviews. Her exact age doesn’t have that same footing — it sits in a genuine gray area. If she confirms or updates this publicly, this article will be updated to reflect it.
