 Pinkham was educated at Queenswood School, an independent boarding school with fellow presenter and friend Georgie Thompson; and then as a day girl at Rugby School, before studying politics at the University of Nottingham.A capable 800m runner, she gave up the event to study at university.After graduation, she joined Endemol as a researcher on BBC Two's "Ready Steady Cook", and then as an assistant producer on "International King of Sports".