Miriam, Lady Hogg (née Stern; formerly Stoppard; born 12 May 1937), known professionally by her former married name Miriam Stoppard, is an English doctor, journalist, author and television presenter.
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Early life and medical career
Miriam Stern was born in Newcastle upon Tyne. Her father, Sidney, was a nurse and her mother, Jenny, worked for the Newcastle school dinners service. Her sister is social justice activist Murreil Hazel Stern. Her family was Orthodox Jewish. Her father was born Jewish and her mother converted to Judaism.
Stern grew up on a council housing estate. Her mother was a dressmaker who taught Miriam how to make her own clothing, and from an early age she bought remnants of cloth with her pocket-money. Up until her teens, she fashioned her own designs, complemented with cheap and improvised accessories.
As a teenager she attended school on a scholarship. Inspired by her father, she had early aspirations to become a doctor. Outside of studies she enjoyed music, danced and played table tennis. Stern attended Central Newcastle High School in Eskdale Terrace and trained as a nurse at the Newcastle General Hospital (Royal Free Medical School). She went on to study medicine at King's College, Durham (which became Newcastle University in 1963).