Caroline Van Vlaardingen

Birthplace: Holland

Education: Concordia University

Free time: Enjoys any sports her knees can handle, travel, photography and music.

Little known fact: Was one of the first women in Canada to perform the Changing of the Guard on Parliament Hill while serving in the Canadian Armed Forces as a Grenadier Guard. Sang in a rock and blues band for several years and co-presided over the Montreal Parents of Twins Club after the birth of her twins.

Caroline moved to Canada from Holland with her family in 1967- the year of Expo. She attended elementary and high school in Châteauguay, Quebec, developing an early interest in writing and drama. After getting her D.E.C. in Social Sciences at Dawson College, Caroline pursued a double major of Journalism and Communication Studies at Concordia University. Upon graduating, Caroline found work as a researcher at CFCF 12 for Pulse News and was later promoted to reporter/writer. She has literally 'grown up' at CTV and has the bad hair-do tapes to prove it!

Over her many years at CTV , Caroline has won several awards, hosted the annual Telethon for Research into Children's Diseases and lent support to numerous causes. Some of the major stories she's reported on include the Oka Crisis, the Polytechnique murders and 9-11. Caroline also anchors and has covered the entertainment, fitness, medical and parenting beats. Her work as host of "On-Line Montreal," a one-hour live talk-show during the mid-90's- allowed her to cover the 1995 referendum and interview everyone from the late Peter Jennings to Roberta Bondar, Charles Aznavour, Harry Connick, Jr. and Robert Shapiro, the lawyer who successfully defended OJ Simpson.

In 1999, Caroline gave birth to twin daughters and began working part-time to enjoy her most important assignment to date- mom. She also teaches journalism at Concordia and loves working side by side with some of her former students and seeing them develop in their journalism careers.