Dermot O'Leary memoir from H&S

Hodder & Stoughton has acquired a personal memoir by TV presenter Dermot O’Leary for publication this autumn.

The Soundtrack to My Life will tell O’Leary’s story through the songs that were playing at key moments in his life.

Hodder, which acquired world rights to the book from Rachel Barke and Jonny Wilkinson at John Noel Management, said: “This isn’t Desert Island Discs; the songs chose him, not the other way round. Dermot went to his first gig at the age of nine, and saw Irish troubadour Brendan Shine, he roller-skated to Baby I Can’t Wait by Nu Shooz and got his first job in TV while the Macarana was playing everywhere. Constantly. But, other songs playing in the background to his life - songs by The Smiths, Elbow, The Pogues or Bruce Springsteen – are tracks and artists which he truly loves and will always love, and not just for the memories they evoke.”

O’Leary is currently the host of "The X Factor", and also has his own show on BBC Radio 2.

He said: “From year dot, music has been integral to my life, and I’ve been fortunate enough to carve out a career with music as its backdrop. It’s been my best friend, my mentor, and at times my hair-pulling older sibling. I hope readers will identify with this, and enjoy reading The Soundtrack to My Life, as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.”

Publisher Hannah Black said: "Reading the book will bring back memories for so many readers -  of where you were when these tracks were playing – but it will also reveal so much about one of our most successful TV and radio presenters.”

The Soundtrack to My Life will be released on October 9th as a £20 hardback.