Francesca Cumani is a popular ITV Racing presenter, who regular appears on our TV screens
Francesca Cumani has returned to our screens(Image: Kirstin Sinclair/Getty Images for Royal Ascot)
Francesca Cumani is a popular ITV Racing presenter – but who is her famous dad and co-star ex?
Francesca is known for presenting at a variety of horse racing events for ITV. She has previously been part of the coverage of the Melbourne Cup with Seven Network and 10 Sport.
She returned to screens on Thursday (August 20) to present ITV‘s coverage of the second day of the Ebor Meeting in York, alongside her co-star Ed Chamberlin.
Analysis came from Jason Weaver, Adele Mulrennan and Ruby Walsh, with reporting by Matt Chapman, Oli Bell and Mick Fitzgerald, and commentary from Richard Hoiles.
The coverage will continue on Friday (August 21), leading up to the feature race, Nunthorpe Stakes. As Francesca continues to delight ITV racing fans, some may be surprised to learn that the star has a famous dad and a co-star ex away from the cameras.
Who is Francesca Cumani’s famous dad?
Francesca’s father is Luca Cumani, a renowned former thoroughbred racehorse trainer.
The Italian trained racehorses for over four decades from Bedford House Stables in Newmarket. Luca notably trained numerous Group 1 winners globally, including two Epsom Derby victories.
Francesca remembers the day her father’s horse won the 1998 Derby. She previously told the Daily Mail: “I had to play in a [tennis] match that afternoon. Luckily my games teacher was a real racing fan and let me duck out of the match to watch the race. I was too excited to play the rest of the match.”
Luca was also a champion amateur jockey in his youth, before becoming a prominent trainer and mentor to top jockeys.
After attending university, Francesca worked in the family business of training and breeding race horses, before delving into the world of presenting.
Francesca Cumani’s co-star ex
Francesca was previously in a relationship with her ITV Racing co-star Oli Bell – the son of sports commentator Rupert Bell.
She married Australian international polo player Rob Archibald in 2014, two years before their son, Harry, was born. The couple split in 2018, with Francesca later exploring a romance with Oli.
But ahead of the 2020 Cheltenham Festival, Oli and Francesca decided to end their relationship. Despite their split, they have continued to work together at various ITV Racing events over the years. In April, they notably attended ITV’s 2026 Showcase together, alongside their colleague Ed Chamberlin.
Francesca is now in a relationship with triathlete Max Johnson. They welcomed their first child together, Teddy, in 2022, before Francesca gave birth to another baby in December 2023.
ITV Racing is free to stream on ITVX