Anne Diamond facts for kids

Anne Margaret Diamond (born 8 September 1954) is a well-known British journalist and TV presenter. She is also a champion for children's health. Currently, she co-hosts the weekend breakfast show on GB News with Stephen Dixon. Many people remember her from Good Morning Britain on TV-am. She also co-hosted Good Morning with Anne and Nick for BBC One.

In 1991, Anne Diamond's third son, Sebastian, sadly died from cot death. This led her to start a successful campaign to raise awareness and fund research into this condition. Her campaign helped reduce the number of cot deaths in the UK significantly. In 2023, she was made an OBE for her important work in children's health. She is also the first person who is not a doctor to receive the Royal College of Paediatrics College Medal.

Early Life and First Jobs

Anne Diamond was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, on 8 September 1954. She grew up in Malvern, Worcestershire. She went to Worcester Grammar School for Girls.

Before becoming a journalist, Anne worked at a Butlins holiday camp. She was a "redcoat" and also cleaned chalets. She then started her journalism career at local newspapers. These included the Bridgwater Mercury and the Bournemouth Evening Echo.

Anne Diamond's Career Journey

Television Work

Anne Diamond began her television career at BBC West in Bristol. In 1979, she moved to ATV Today as a reporter and newsreader. When ATV became Central Television in 1982, she started presenting Central News with Nick Owen.

On 6 June 1983, Anne joined TV-am. She became a popular presenter on Good Morning Britain. She left TV-am in 1990. From 1992 to 1996, Anne reunited with Nick Owen to host the BBC daytime show Good Morning with Anne and Nick.

In 2002, Anne took part in Celebrity Big Brother. She was the second person to leave the show. From 2003, she was a regular guest and sometimes a stand-in presenter on The Wright Stuff. Later, she appeared on its follow-up show, Jeremy Vine.

Anne also joined ITV's chat show Loose Women as a regular guest in 2016. She left the show in 2018. In 2018, she appeared in Channel 5's Costa Del Celebrity. Since 2022, Anne has been hosting the weekend breakfast show on GB News.

Radio Work

In the late 1990s, Anne Diamond presented the breakfast show on the London radio station LBC. She left the station in 1999. In October 2004, she joined BBC Radio Oxford to present their weekday breakfast programme. She left this role in March 2006.

Anne also presented the mid-morning show on BBC Radio Berkshire. She kept a regular blog on the BBC website until 2015.

Pantomime Appearances

Anne Diamond has also performed in pantomimes. In 2005, she played the Wicked Queen in Snow White in Stoke-on-Trent. She said she really enjoyed being part of the show.

Campaigning for Children's Health

Cot Death Awareness

Anne Diamond became a strong voice for raising awareness about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). This is also known as "cot death." Her son Sebastian died from SIDS in 1991. She led the "Back to Sleep" campaign. This campaign taught parents to make sure babies slept on their backs.

Since this campaign, the number of SIDS cases in the United Kingdom has dropped greatly. It went from over 2,000 cases per year to around 300. This big drop is believed to be because of the "Back to Sleep" campaign. Anne Diamond received the Gold Medal of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. She is the only person who is not a doctor to get this award.

Anne also spoke out about a cot death storyline in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders. She felt the plot was "tacky sensationalism."

Other Campaigns

In 2008, Anne Diamond wrote an article about violence in video games. She said that the game Resident Evil 4 "shouldn't be allowed to be sold, even to adults."

Honours and Awards

Anne Diamond was given the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours. This award was for her services to public health and charity.

She is also the first person who is not a medical professional to receive the Gold Medal of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Personal Life

Anne Diamond has five children. Her third child, Sebastian, died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) when he was three months old.

Anne Diamond enjoys railway modelling as a hobby. In June 2023, Anne shared that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She had surgery and received "intensive radiotherapy" as part of her treatment.