Anthea Millicent Turner (born May 25, 1960 in Stoke-on-Trent) is an English television personality.

Career

Anthea's move into television was through Sky Channel (UK) presenting live music programmes from July 1986 - 1989. Her debut on national television was with the BBC on But First This, which led to Anthea fronting two series for the BBC on the Saturday morning show Up2U. She then spent three years as the only non-Radio One DJ to regularly present Britain's most successful TV music show Top of the Pops. Her first adult TV show was Best of Magic which she co-hosted with Simon Mayo.

The short-lived Saturday morning children's show UP2U was a flop, and is chiefly remembered today for a motorcycle stunt that went wrong. She was to stand forward of a truck, the motorcycle would do its thing, then pyrotechnics would be ignited, then it would link back to the Studio. Unfortunately there was a big communications breakdown; at the last minute it was decided that Anthea would sit on the back of the truck, she would also take her cue from somebody behind the camera which, unknowingly to the camera crew, became the same cue used to ignite the pyrotechnics. She suffered burns and temporary hearing loss, which led to her successful lawsuit against the BBC.

Turner later became famous for presenting the children's television show Blue Peter, and around this time, was also associated with publicising 'The Y Plan', a system of exercise developed by the London YMCA. She moved on to presenting on Totally Live on pan-European music channel Music Box, the ITV morning television station GMTV, as well as the first National Lottery draw on BBC1 in 1994, and the ITV travel show Wish You Were Here...?. Turner's nickname by Eamonn Holmes, during her time at GMTV, which is intended to be an insult, is Princess Tippy Toe. The relationship between them was so frosty that Holmes gave an ultimatum to the GMTV management that either they sacked Anthea, or he would leave; they decided to sack Anthea.[2]

After her present husband Grant Bovey left his wife Della for Anthea, the ensuing tabloid interest, and then the "Flakegate" scandal (see below), Turner's career went into a decline.

In 2001, to try reviving her career, Turner appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, and was the third contestant to be evicted, after Chris Eubank left, followed by Vanessa Feltz. In 2003, she came 15th in a Channel 4 poll of 100 Worst Britons.

In February 2006, Turner made a television comeback on BBC Three in Anthea Turner: Perfect Housewife, where she taught disorganised housewives how to fold towels, clean and run their houses and prepare perfect canapés, amongst other accomplishments. Later in 2006, she appeared as a guest on BBC Two's music-based panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks.

Currently she is presenting the show Help me Anthea - I'm infested for BBC Three, as she tackles people whose homes have been overrun by pests.

Turner is rumoured to be making a guest appearance on Channel 4's Big Brother Celebrity Hijack alongside Dermot O'Leary in 2008.

Personal life

Turner's private life has made her a tabloid staple. After a long relationship with fellow Stoke resident and one-time DJ co-worker Bruno Brookes, she married her manager, British DJ Peter Powell.

However, the marriage was short lived, and in 1998, Turner's present husband, Grant Bovey, left his wife Della for her; he then reconciled with Della, before leaving her again. Bovey and Turner eventually married on 23 August 2000, and now live in Chiddingfold, Surrey.

Turner is keen to start her own family with Bovey, but for various reasons, this has not yet been achieved. She is stepmother to Bovey's three daughters Lily, Amelia and Claudia, from his previous marriage.

Flakegate

In 2000, Turner received more bad publicity from the British tabloids after photographs of her wedding reception, published in the magazine OK! in an exclusive deal worth £450,000, showed the couple (apparently) using their wedding to publicise a new Cadbury chocolate bar, Snowflake. OK! issued the photo to the media with the caption "Anthea Turner and Grant Bovey: exclusive OK! wedding photograph, enjoying Cadbury's new Snowflake. For the complete wedding coverage and a free Cadburys Snowflake, buy OK! magazine this weekend. OK! First for celebrity news." The Sun described it as "the most sickening wedding photo ever", and the event is now referred to as "Flakegate". However, Turner, Bovey, Cadbury's and OK! all denied that the chocolate was part of a sponsorship deal. However the wedding was rumoured to have cost in excess of £150,000 which was paid for by OK! magazine. Pictures of their wedding and their subsequent honeymoon were in the magazine for the next two weeks. Turner and Bovey insist that someone had stuck the chocolate bar in her hand and snapped a picture before she knew what was happening. Richard Desmond the proprietor of OK! and his wife were sitting next to the newly married Boveys at the time.

Charity work

Turner had a widely reported falling-out with the Douglas Macmillan Hospice in 2004 for failing to turn up to fund-raising events. She was subsequently dropped by the charity as one of their fund-raising patrons. She has allegedly had disagreements with other organisations for similarly failing to deliver satisfactory support and publicity.

Recently, she was disowned by the local charity, NSAAA for failing to contribute to their £5 million campaign which only raised £15,000 since it started.