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Telegraph

The unusual rise to power of Trump’s new special envoy – an Essex-raised TV titan and former ‘manny’

Telegraph
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Donald Trump appoints Mark Burnett , 64 , as special envoy to the UK .

Burnett is a former British Army paratrooper turned reality TV producer who created The Apprentice .

The 64-year-old was raised in Dagenham , Essex to parents who worked at the Ford factory.

He rose through the ranks in the British Army and saw action in the Falklands War and Northern Ireland .

Burnett married Northern Irish actress Roma Downey , a devout Catholic , in 2007 .

Together they launched a faith-based production company that created a series of Christian -themed shows.

They became a TV power couple, as Burnett was named President of MGM in 2015 .

Time magazine named Burnett one of the Most Influential People in the World Today .

Burnett is a master storyteller and myth maker who managed to convince the US public that Trump was an icon of American success.

Burnett does, at least, have experience in international philanthropy.