Annabel Giles was born in Griffithstown, near Pontypool, Monmouthshire. She is the eldest of three sisters. She was expelled from boarding school aged 16 with no qualifications. Between 1977 and 1982, she trained and worked as a secretary before landing on her feet as a model and becoming the face of Max Factor cosmetics. She was married to Midge Ure, lead singer of Ultravox and pioneer of Band Aid and Live Aid. Their daughter, Molly McQueen, was born in March 1987. Molly became the lead singer of pop punk group The Faders. Annabel and Midge split up in 1989 but remain good friends. Annabel had a second child, a son named Ted Giles, in February 1998.

Besides being a model, Annabel Giles has also been a television and radio presenter, an actress, and a comedienne during her 26-year career (1982-present). Highlights from those careers include being a regular reporter on Loose Ends and starring in several pantomimes. Her one-woman show at the Edinburgh Festival, called Looking for Mr. Giles, was a sellout. She is now an author: her first novel, Birthday Girls, was published in 2000, and her third, The Defrosting of Charlotte Small, in spring 2006. She currently lives in Brighton, UK with her son Ted.

Giles has had a varied career in television and radio. She has been a panelist on many game shows ranging from Have I Got News for You to Shooting Stars, was a regular on Through the Keyhole and has made several appearances on BBC Radio 4's program Just a Minute. On Noel Edmonds's House Party she famously guessed a Gotcha! before it had even started.