Born:
May 25, 1960
in
Stoke-on-Trent
Best Known For:
Dozens of TV presenting projects and her public love life.
Early-life:
Anthea Millicent Turner was born on May 25, 1960, in Stoke-on-Trent, where her father ran a furniture business and her mother worked as a teacher. She had two younger sisters - Ruth, who died from kidney problems at the age of 15, and Wendy, who went on to become a TV presenter. Anthea initially did badly at her local comprehensive, so her parents sent her to private school where she was diagnosed as suffering from dyslexia. She left with six O-Levels and two A-Levels.
Career:
Turner began her broadcasting career reading traffic reports for a local radio station, before moving to London with then-boyfriend DJ Bruno Brookes. She worked as a video jockey for Sky TV, which led to appearances on Top of the Pops, but she got her big break in 1992 when she became a Blue Peter presenter. In 1993, she joined GMTV and landed the job of hosting the National Lottery the following year, becoming one of the highest paid women on British TV. However, shows like Your Kids are in Charge and Turner Round the World failed to find an audience and tabloid revelations about her private life damaged her girl-next-door image. She appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2001 and tried to revive her career with two shows on BBC Three - Anthea Turner: Perfect Housewife and Help Me Anthea, I'm Infested. In early 2014, she was a celebrity contestant on Channel 4's reality series The Jump.
Quote:
"Actually, I like having someone to look after and care for. Until now, I've tried to deny myself because it wasn't politically correct, but I'm now prepared to admit I love it."
Trivia:
Turner was a contestant on Dancing on Ice but she was one of the first celebrities to be eliminated.