The daughter of an Irish farmer who came to England in the 1950s, O'Reilly left school aged seventeen, keen to be a journalist.
12 Facts About Miriam O'Reilly
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Miriam O'Reilly applied for newspaper apprenticeships while working several jobs, including work on the children's television programme Tiswas.
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Miriam O'Reilly then worked for the BBC on the Radio 4 programmes Farming Today, Costing the Earth and Woman's Hour.
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Miriam O'Reilly worked as a television presenter on Countryfile until 2009.
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Miriam O'Reilly was well known as a co-presenter on the BBC's Midlands Today programme, alongside longtime regulars Kay Alexander and Sue Beardsmore.
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Miriam O'Reilly was included in an exhibition at BBC Television Centre of women who had made a significant contribution towards equality at the Corporation since its formation in 1922.
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In June 2011, Miriam O'Reilly returned to the BBC as the co-presenter for the third series of Crimewatch Roadshow with Rav Wilding.
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Miriam O'Reilly announced in January 2012 that she would cease working with the BBC to concentrate on her charity, the Women's Equality Network.
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Miriam O'Reilly's position was not sympathetic, complaining that the creative industries should not be seen as a platform for casting legal cases against discrimination.
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In 2017 Miriam O'Reilly appeared as one of the hosts on the Channel 5 series Secrets of the National Trust.
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Miriam O'Reilly is married to her husband Mark and has a son from a previous relationship.
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Miriam O'Reilly is the sister of the playwright Kaite Miriam O'Reilly, winner of the Ted Hughes Award for her version of Aeschylus' tragedy The Persians.