[1] She was raised in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, the daughter of an English teacher and an air force pilot and attended a state comprehensive.
[2] Thomas joined University College, Oxford to study English Literature in 1984, she switched to Philosophy, Politics and Economics a year later.
[2] Thomas has reported extensively from the United States, South America, Africa, and continental Europe.
From 1997 to 2001, she was also a BBC North America correspondent, providing headline news from the impeachment of President Clinton to the global impact of the 9/11 attacks.
[citation needed] From 1990 to 1997, she was a BBC Political Correspondent reporting from Westminster, Belfast and Dublin, including extensive coverage of the Northern Ireland peace process.