15 OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS!

TV star Anthea Turner on the things she loves the most

- GEMMA CALVERT

Anthea has been a showbiz stalwart since making her name on Blue Peter in the early 1990s. More recently, she’s competed in The Jump and The Real Dirty Dancing. Anthea, 61, who is engaged to half-Italian businessman Mark Armstrong, 56, is also step-mum to her ex-husband Grant Bovey’s daughters Lily, 30, Amelia, 28, and Claudia, 25. We talk to the TV star and author about what makes her happiest.

1 Item in your wardrobe

I was a teenager in the 70s so I love a pair of flares. I own many pairs of white jeans but my white Donna Ida flares, which have a sewn seam down the front, are my favourite. I bought them last year; on price per wear, they owe me nothing.

2 Reality show

I did the very first Celebrity Big Brother for Comic Relief in 2001 with Vanessa Feltz, Jack Dee, Keith Duffy, Claire Sweeney and Chris Eubank. Comic Relief co-founder Richard Curtis said: ‘I need a good group of people who are going to be entertaining and emotional. My neck is on the block here!’ The rest is TV history. Viewing figures hit 10 million! Vanessa was very raw over the break-up of her marriage. We weren’t used to celebrities sharing their feelings on TV. It broke the mould.

3 CELEBRITY HERO

The grande dames of my business – Gloria Hunniford and Esther Rantzen. Esther anchored a BBC entertainment show at a time when women didn’t do that sort of thing. Likewise, Gloria was the first woman to have her own radio show on BBC Radio 2, and they are both still riding high. The older I get, the more I appreciate that staying power.