The Queen Of Clean Joins My Weekly!
Anthea Turner
Anthea Turner is one of the most recognisable faces on British TV and we are delighted to reveal that from this week, the “Queen of Clean” will be joining My Weekly to provide lifestyle tips, household hacks and other wisdom gathered over many years of juggling family life and work.
It’s a busy time for Anthea, who turns 60 next month. She is contemplating an exciting new chapter in her life. She is engaged to be married, and is juggling multiple TV and radio projects, including taking part in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. Her zest for life and enthusiasm for everything she gets involved in has led her to becoming something of a figurehead of a “Second Spring” – women who remain active and engaged as the years go by.
Before setting her mind to writing for My Weekly’s lovely readers, we caught up with Anthea to discuss her many years in the spotlight.
Anthea has been a regular presence on TV for 30 years. Indeed, eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed her on BBC4’s reruns of Topofthe Pops1989!
“I started my presenting career in 1986 on BluePeter and am delighted to still be doing what I love,” she said. “Most recently I have been presenting SundayBrunch with Chris Rogers on Scala Radio, and I also have a series on London Live called Anthea Turner’s Hot Topics, which tackles current issues of interest, and I’m loving it.”
Anthea is also renowned for her practical side. She has become a real authority figure on all manner of topics relating to home life – so much so that she is widely known as the Queen of Clean.
“I did CelebrityBigBrother on Channel 4 in 2001 for
ComicRelief – the first ever one, and we were told we could take in one luxury item and I took in my trusty marigolds! I’ve always been into manicures and cleaning so it was the perfect luxury item for me. Nobody realised the celebrity version of the show would take off in the way it did but it turned out the whole nation was watching. Anyway, I had to make my bed in the dormitory with Clare Sweeney and Vanessa Feltz and I showed the girls my top tip to putting on a duvet and they thought it was brilliant and so they did the same.
“Little did I know it was picked up by Richard Madeley on ThisMorning who did a big article about it. Then BBC3 commissioned AntheaTurner Perfect-Housewife and never have I enjoyed a programme so much.”
Juggling so many different things means that every day is full, so how does she manage it, and does she have
“Run your home with the same efficiency you would run a hotel!”
a particularly favourite hack?
“Organisation, organisation, organisation! Lists and planning can make life much simpler. I’m often quoted as saying ‘Run your home like a little hotel’, with the same efficiency that you would run a business. Organisation gives you freedom to do the more fun things in life! A tip I swear by is, ‘Blue for the loo, pink for the sink’. Hygiene is top of our list at the moment so never has it been more important to take it into the home. Colour code your cloths so you always know which one gets used where!”
Anthea’s refreshing positivity has served her well over the years and she is an inspiration to many, but who are her heroes?
“So many people have inspired my career,” she said. “Women like Esther Rantzen and Gloria Hunniford because they are still out there doing what they do best, great broadcasters and incredibly wise women.”
Now Anthea is set to inspire people herself – in the pages of this very magazine. “I have grown up with My Weekly!” she continued. “My grandma Doris read it, my mum Jean read it, so it feels the perfect place for me to share some of life’s insights and bright ideas.”
■ Turn to page 59 for the first of Anthea’s new Bright Ideas columns.
www.myweekly.co.uk