Former TV favourite Anthea Turner is all set for a TV comeback after winning a lucrative presenting job on Channel 5.
Back in the 1990s, Anthea was a regular on TV presenting shows such as Top Of The Pops, Blue Peter, the National Lottery and GMTV. At one point, she was the second highest-paid female presenter in the UK, the highest paid being Cilla Black.
But i n 2000, the star received negative publicity in the tabloid press after a series of photos of her wedding reception were published in OK! magazine. In an exclusive deal worth £450,000, the photos showed Anthea and her new husband Grant Bovey, apparently using their wedding to publicise a chocolate bar.
Soon after, Anthea’s career went into decline and she has been trying to make a return to TV ever since.
In 2006, she presented the BBC3 programme Anthea Turner: Perfect Housewife, in which the super-organised star passed on her housekeeping skills to men and women who struggled with cleaning and running of their homes.
Since then, she’s mostly appeared in reality shows such as Hell’s Kitchen, Dancing On Ice, Celebrity Big Brother and The Jump.
Now, Anthea – who hosted the first National Lottery draw in 1994 – is to present the National Health Lottery draw shows on Channel 5. She will take over from Anne Diamond in the next few weeks to present the Saturday and Wednesday programmes.
A source told the Sunday People: “Anthea really wanted this gig as she has not been doing too much lately. This will get her face back on TV.”
Anthea, 55, split from Bovey, 53, in 2013 after he was linked to designer Zoe de Mallet Morgan. The couple recently completed their divorce.
The couple were forced to sell their £5million mansion in Surrey after Bovey’s property firm went bust, but Anthea is still a major investor in his Yummi Media Group, which lost £6million over two years.
“The cash from the new job will come in very handy as the separation has been tough,” the source told the newspaper.
