Mirror deputy editor Gemma Aldridge named new Sunday Mirror and Sunday People editor

Outgoing Sunday Mirror and Sunday People editor Gemma Aldridge, who has just announced her departure from the titles. — Sunday Mirror and Sunday People editor Gemma Aldridge. Picture: Reach

Mirror deputy editor Gemma Aldridge has been appointed editor of the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People.

Aldridge succeeds Paul Henderson who announced in December he would step down as part of restructuring at publisher Reach.

Aldridge will take over the role at the start of April and also remain deputy editor of the Mirror alongside Tom Carlin and Paul Cockerton.

She will be supported by Angela Wormald, head of news for the Sunday titles who becomes assistant editor.

Mirror editor-in-chief Alison Phillips, who has overall responsibility for all three of Reach’s national titles, said Aldridge “has worked on the Sunday titles for nine years during which time she has overseen such scoops as the Telford child sex scandal and Prince Philip’s car crash victim”.

Aldridge said of the titles they were “two newspapers that hold an important place in the tapestry of British life, past and present, as well as in my heart”.

She said: “It has been an enormous privilege to deputise to departing editor Paul Henderson. I wish him the very best in the future and hope to build on his good work as I take the papers into the future.”

Her previous roles have included features editor and assistant editor of the two Sunday titles.

Henderson became editor of the two Sunday titles in February last year as part of his role as deputy to Phillips when the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People moved to a joint seven-day operation.

Reach group editor-in-chief Lloyd Embley said at the time this was necessary because of falling print circulations and the resultant need to work as efficiently as possible to protect the resources needed to break big stories and run campaigns.

Henderson later decided to leave following Reach’s plans for a more centralised editorial structure, the aim of which was to bring together national and regional print and digital teams “to remove duplication while maintaining the strong identity of our news brands”.

His former roles included Mirror executive editor (seven days), Mail on Sunday investigations editor and news editor, and chief investigative reporter and executive news editor at the Daily Mail.

The Sunday Mirror had an average circulation of 300,314 in February and the Sunday People was on 118,748 (latest ABC figures).

Aldridge joins a strong line-up of female Fleet Street editors which as well as Phillips includes the Guardian’s Kath Viner, FT’s Roula Khalaf, Sun’s Victoria Newton and Sunday Times’ Emma Tucker.