[9][10] Born in Meriden, Solihull, England, Turness was educated at St Francis' College and The Knights Templar School in Baldock, Hertfordshire.

[2] During 2002, she worked on Channel 4's RI:SE as Producer before quitting after six months to rejoin ITV News as Deputy Editor.

[6] Also in 2008, she was the co-winner of an Amnesty International UK Media Awards for the television news report 'Too Young to Die - Children of the Frontline'.

[9] As Editor of ITN, Turness presided over a series of scoops and world exclusives including the arrest of the London bomber and the leaked investigation report on the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.

Vanity Fair reported that several NBC News executives were displeased at her work and felt she was not qualified to do the job.

[2] On 26 August 2011, she married John Toker, the former Director of Communications for Security and Intelligence at the Cabinet Office and an ITN producer.