Banfield was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the daughter of Suzanne Elizabeth (Holland) and John Alexander Banfield. She was known for her "trademark rectangular eyeglasses, the object of countless remarks, pro and con, after her arrival on the national media scene."Dumas, Timothy (Jan-Feb 2009). Truth and Consequences: Meet Ashleigh Banfield. She spoke out about TV war coverage and paid a high price. Would she do it again?, New Canaan-Darien Magazine (from archive), retrieved April 7, 2017. In 2016, she had refractive lens exchange surgery which corrected her far-sightedness. Banfield is a cousin of television writer and director Michelle MacLaren.
