Born in Coventry to Irish Catholic parents, Maguire studied English & Drama at the University of Wales Aberystwyth from 1979–1983. After leaving university, she worked as a Copywriter in publishing before doing a postgraduate degree in journalism at City University, London.
In 1987, she began a career in television, working as a researcher for The Media Show (C4) and then as a producer/director at BBC’s The Late Show. She then went on to direct several documentaries for BBC’s Omnibus and Bookmark, before leaving the Corporation to direct commercials. Bridget Jones's Diary marked Maguire's feature directorial debut.
In 2016, she co-founded the television production company, 7 Stories, which creates scripted drama for TV.
