Who is Hadley Gamble, the CNBC anchor who had ‘inappropriate relationship’ with NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell?

April 24, 2023

Hadley Gamble — the CNBC anchor whose alleged affair with NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell led to the executive’s ouster — was recently quoted as saying that she was looking for “trust, transparency, kindness, [and] the chutzpah to tell it like it is” in a companion.

“Every relationship teaches you more about yourself and the whole point of living is to grow and become a better, stronger and hopefully, more interesting person,” Gamble, 41, told Harper’s Bazaar Arabia last year when asked about her personal life.

Gamble’s hunt for the right mate has put her at the center of the growing scandal involving Shell, who submitted his resignation Sunday after the married network honcho admitted he had “an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company.”

On Monday, Gamble’s lawyer confirmed her client had formally accused the CEO of “sexual harassment and sex discrimination” before he was dismissed.

The Post has reached out to CNBC for comment.

Suzanne McKie, a managing partner of the United Kingdom-based firm Farore Law, did not say when the complaint the filed.

Gamble, who has been with CNBC since 2010, allegedly began a tryst with Shell “11 years ago and [it] continued sporadically up until a couple of years ago when it ended,” according to Deadline.

The outlet’s report late Sunday prompted McKie’s to respond.

“Given these circumstances it is very disappointing that my client’s name has been released and her privacy violated,” McKie said in a statement obtained by the Wall Street Journal on Monday.

CNBC anchor Hadley Gamble is the employee who had an affair with NBCUniversal Jeff Shell. — CNBC anchor Hadley Gamble is the employee who allegedly had an affair with NBCUniversal Jeff Shell.

Before the bombshell news, Gamble was best known as one of the last Western reporters to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin before the invasion of Ukraine last year.

Gamble was accused by Russian state media of acting “as a sex object” who was out to distract Putin while interviewing the Russian leader at an energy conference in Moscow.

Gamble, 41, is a Dubai-based news anchor for CNBC.

During the October 2021 sitdown, Gamble wore a tight black dress while quizzing Putin, who told her that she was “too beautiful” to understand some of the answers to her questions.

Russian state media alleged that Gamble was sent to interview Putin as part of a “special operation” hatched by the US government.

Gamble was even likened to “Basic Insinct” star Sharon Stone for her body language toward Putin, which included “casting wistful glances” and acting “shamelessly” by licking her lips and rolling out her tongue.

Everything you need to know about Jeff Shell’s departure from NBC

What happened?

Jeff Shell, NBCUniversal’s now-former CEO who is also married, left his position on Sunday after admitting he had “an inappropriate relationship” with a co-worker.

It was revealed Shell had an affair, which reportedly lasted about a decade, with CNBC International anchor Hadley Gamble.

The anchor accused Shell, who has worked at NBCUniversal’s parent company Comcast, of “sexual harassment and sex discrimination,” according to her lawyer.

Comcast said Shell left his position after a company investigation “led by outside counsel into a complaint of inappropriate conduct.”

As of Monday, the media titan has yet to announce who Shell’s successor will be.

NBCUniversal, however, did announce that the organization’s senior managers will directly report to Comcast President Mike Cavanagh.

Who is Gamble?

Gamble is a veteran journalist who has worked with CNBC since 2010.

She worked as a CNBC anchor in Dubai and has interviewed the likes of Pope Francis, Jordanian King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.

Before Shell’s bombshell departure, Gamble was best known as one of the last Western reporters to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin before the invasion of Ukraine last year.

The anchor was accused by Russian state media of acting “as a sex object” who was out to distract Putin while interviewing Putin at an energy conference in Moscow.

Gamble allegedly began a tryst with Shell “11 years ago and [it] continued sporadically up until a couple of years ago when it ended,” according to Deadline.

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“Hadley squeezed into a tight black dress, fluffed up her flowing hair, and put on a pair of nude leg-lengthening Louboutin high-heel pumps,” a Russian state media commentator said.

“I had just turned 40 and this man was telling me I looked beautiful, instead of answering the question, it made me laugh,” Gamble told Harper’s Bazaar Arabia when asked about her Putin interview.

Gamble reportedly filed a complaint with management alleging wrongdoing by Shell.

Gamble was accused by Russian state media of acting overtly flirtatious during an interview with President Vladimir Putin in October 2021.

During her stint as a CNBC anchor based in Dubai, Gamble has sat down with the likes of Pope Francis, Jordanian King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.

When asked how she maintains her composure when interviewing world leaders, Gamble said: “There’s this element of no fear.”

“I don’t see anyone as more powerful than I am,” she said.

Jeff Shell, who is seen right with wife Laura Fay Shell, admitted to an "inappropriate relationship." — Jeff Shell, with wife Laura Fay Shell, admitted to an “inappropriate relationship.”

Gamble is a native of Tennessee. She graduated from the University of Miami in 2003.

“Once they are in that seat, I have them. Unless they run off the stage, they’re mine.”

Gamble told Harper’s Bazaar Arabia that she enjoys wearing three-inch heels, though she is always on the lookout for higher heels.

“The higher the better,” she is quoted as saying.

Hadley Gamble interviews Putin — During her time as a senior CNBC anchor in Dubai, Gamble has interviewed world leaders and dignitaries.

A native of Tennessee, Gamble worked on a farm grooming horses as a 10-year-old.

“I think maybe shoveling manure probably gave me a very different perspective on all of the stuff that we cover,” she told Harper’s Bazaar Arabia.

“This was not the life prescribed to me,” she said of her journalism career.

After graduating from the University of Miami in 2003, she worked as a stringer for the Associated Press and Reuters, covering Florida’s gubernatorial election.

At 22, she was hired as a production assistant for ABC’s “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings.”

Hadley Gamble on a yacht — When asked what she was looking for in a companion, Gamble said “trust, transparency, kindness, [and] the chutzpah to tell it like it is.”

“Watching Peter marking up every script in his show with his famous red crayon, sending them back for revision after revision until they were just right gave me a real sense of the importance of our work. It’s about accountability and trust,” Gamble told Harper’s Bazaar Arabia.

In 2010, she was hired by CNBC to be an anchor and reporter — a role she held for five years.

In 2018, Gamble was named senior international correspondent by CNBC. She currently hosts “Capital Connections,” which airs in the business channel in the Middle East.