An Adelaide native, born 29 August 1966, she studied at Seymour College and at the Magill campus of the South Australian College of Advanced Education (now a part of the University of South Australia).^{[citation needed]}

She graduated in 1987 and joined Nine News as a reporter. Just a year later she was appointed weekend news anchor, which job she continued to 2011, along with filing special reports. During this time, her bulletins consistently rated higher than the rival Seven News Adelaide in its timeslot.^[1] In 2002, she was the anchor of the short lived local version of A Current Affair.^{[citation needed]}

Until 2007, McGuinness was also the co-anchor of the annual Adelaide Christmas Pageant telecast which airs in early November each year.^{[citation needed]}

In October 2011, it was announced that McGuinness would not have her contract renewed with the Nine Network.^[2] In early 2012, McGuinness joined the staff of South Australian Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond as a speechwriter.^[3]

After a number of years presenting as both Georgina Allan, and later Georgina Thomas, she married former Adelaide Crows captain Tony McGuinness in 1999.^[4] She is the mother of four children,^[5] with 3 children from a previous marriage.^[4]

One of her pastimes is marathon running. She has run marathons in Amsterdam, Berlin and London.^[5]

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