Known for her powerful documentaries, the rising star has become one of Channel 4‘s leading factual filmmakers,

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Who is Yinka Bokinni?

Born and raised in Peckham, London, on February 16, 1989, Yinka Bokinni is a broadcaster, DJ and writer.

As a child, she was friends with murdered schoolboy Damilola Taylor, and would later tell his story in a moving documentary, Damilola The Boy Next Door.

The truth is I’d never really dealt with his death and what it meant until we started making this documentary.

Yinka on her friend Damilola Taylor

Yinka started her rise to fame on the airwaves, as the host of the Capital Xtra Breakfast Show.

Her other presenting credits include The MOBOs, 4Music, and Wireless Festival.

She is also known for her modelling work and has worked for big brands like of Revlon, Converse, and L’Oreal

What is Yinka Bokinni known for?

Yinka is best known for her award-winning Channel 4 documentary, Damilola The Boy Next Door.

Ten-year-old Damilola Taylor was on his way home from an after school club at the local library when he was ambushed and stabbed in the leg with a broken bottle on November 27, 2000.

He collapsed on an outdoor stairwell on the estate and bled to death.

Yinka knew the young school boy, and made the film as a tribute to him to show “how loved” her friend Damilola was.

While the experience was cathartic, it was also incredibly painful, with Yinka telling Stylist magazine: “It felt like it was time to reflect.

“The truth is I’d never really dealt with his death and what it meant until we started making this documentary.

“It was emotionally draining, but I felt like I wanted to do Damilola the service of telling his story correctly. 

“Twenty years is a long time but it doesn’t take away the sting or the sense of grief. So it feels very fresh, especially because it’s the first time I’m speaking about it.

“All in all, it was a baptism of fire into the world of documentary filmmaking.”

Yinka has gone onto become a leading UK presenter, and fronted other top Channel 4 documentaries.

In 2023, she hosted Naked Education alongside Anna Richardson.

The show was aimed at “body-positive, educational series aiming to normalise all body types, champion people’s differences and break down stereotypes”.

In a statement about the show, Yinka told Channel 4 at the time: “I’m really excited to be a part of Naked Education and to start this challenge.

“I think that we have a long way to go when it comes to our perception of a ‘regular body’, and as somebody who often felt like my body didn’t fit in, I’m incredibly proud to offer my voice in this amazing new show”

After this, Yinka filmed another Channel 4 documentary How To Hire a Hitman.

The powerful two-part series saw her travel to America, to investigate how to employ an assassin.

Speaking about the doc, Yinka revealed how she didn’t realise how “easy” this could be.

She told Metro.co.uk: “The fact the website was so easy for me to access, and it didn’t take that much brain power, was really scary.

“We tag locations, we post live stories, and people know where you are.

“We are trackable by our own doing through apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter.

“Before I attended, I went to a cyber school to see how much information was about me, but as an average person, you don’t think about this.

“You don’t think about taking pictures in your house, or on the street.”

In 2024, it was revealed Yinka was part of the Celebrity Bake Off line-up.

Is Yinka Bokinni married and does she have children?

As of February 2024, Yinka is a single lady.

She does like to keep her private life out of the spotlight, and doesn’t post anything about a partner on Instagram.

Yinka also doesn’t have any children at this time.