Gloria Hunniford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gloria Hunniford OBE
Hunniford in 2011
Born	Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford (1940-04-10) 10 April 1940 (age 85) Portadown, Northern Ireland, UK
Nationality	British
Occupation	Television and radio presenter, singer
Years active	1947-present
Television	Open House with Gloria Hunniford Rip Off Britain Loose Women
Spouse(s)	Don Keating ​ ​ (m. 1970; div. 1992)​ Stephen Way ​ ​ (m. 1998; died 2024)​
Children	3; including Caron Keating

Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford is a well-known television and radio presenter, broadcaster, and singer from Northern Ireland. She was born on April 10, 1940. Gloria is famous for hosting shows on the BBC and ITV, like Rip Off Britain. She is also a regular guest on the popular show Loose Women. Many people know her from her reports on This Morning and The One Show. Besides her TV work, she also had a singing career from the 1960s to the 1980s.

Early Life and Education

Gloria Hunniford grew up in Portadown, Northern Ireland. Her family was Protestant. Her father was a magician, and she had an older sister, Lena, and a younger brother, Charles. When she was a teenager, Gloria lived in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. She has said that this time helped her to see the world in a wider way.

Career in Television and Radio

Early Career and Singing

Gloria Hunniford first started her career as a singer. Later, she worked behind the scenes as a production assistant for UTV in Belfast. She also became a local radio broadcaster for the BBC. In the 1970s and 1980s, she hosted shows like Good Evening Ulster and Sunday Sunday on the ITV Network. She also appeared on many other popular programmes.

Gloria recorded two music albums in the 1970s. In 1985, she performed at the Royal Variety Performance. She sang "Secret Love" from the film Calamity Jane.

Hosting Popular TV Shows

In 1995, Gloria became one of the presenters for the BBC chat show Pebble Mill at One. She even hosted a special episode where she interviewed the famous singer and actress Doris Day.

From 1998 to 2003, Gloria had her own show called Open House with Gloria Hunniford on Channel 5. Since 2009, she has been a co-presenter of Rip Off Britain on BBC One. This show helps people with consumer complaints. She hosts it with Angela Rippon and Julia Somerville.

In 2012, Gloria presented a BBC One documentary series called Doorstep Crime 999. Since 2014, she has been a regular panel member on the ITV chat show Loose Women. She has also hosted the show a few times.

Gloria presented the first series of Home Away from Home on BBC One in 2014. She has also co-presented three series of Food: Truth or Scare with Chris Bavin since 2016. In 2022, she appeared on The Masked Singer as "Snow Leopard".

Strictly Come Dancing Appearance

In 2005, Gloria Hunniford took part in the third series of the BBC's dance competition Strictly Come Dancing. She danced with Darren Bennett. They were eliminated from the competition in the third week.

Radio Career

Gloria Hunniford had her own daily radio show on BBC Radio 2. She started with a lunchtime show in 1982. In 1984, she moved to an afternoon slot, where she stayed for 11 years until 1995. She also hosted Sounding Brass, a music request show with a live brass band.

Other Work and Charity

Gloria Hunniford has created a health and exercise video called Fit for Life. She also wrote an Irish recipe book with her sister Lena, called Gloria Hunniford's Family Cookbook.

Gloria is involved with several charities. She is a Patron of Hope for Tomorrow, a charity that provides Mobile Cancer Care Units. She also supports The Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks, which is a community arts venue.

Personal Life

Gloria Hunniford was married to Don Keating from 1970 to 1992. They had a daughter named Caron Keating, and two sons, Paul and Michael. Don Keating passed away in 1997.

In 1998, Gloria married hairdresser Stephen Way. They lived in Sevenoaks, Kent. Stephen passed away in August 2024.

In June 2022, Gloria had a fall at home and broke a bone near her eye. This meant she could not take part in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Caron Keating Foundation

Gloria's daughter, Caron Keating (born 1962), sadly passed away from breast cancer in 2004. After her daughter's death, Gloria set up a cancer charity in her name, called the Caron Keating Foundation.

For her work with cancer charities, Gloria Hunniford was awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2017.

Public Views

Gloria Hunniford has shared her opinions on public matters. In 2014, she was one of many public figures who signed a letter opposing Scottish independence before a vote on the issue.

Filmography

Television

Discography

Albums

• That's How I Spell I.R.E.L.A.N.D. (1970), Outlet
• Good Evening...Gloria Hunniford (1979), Release
• A Taste of Hunni (1982), Ritz (compilation)

Singles

• "Are You Ready for Love" (1969), Metronome
• "Give the Children Back Their Childhood" (1979), Release
• "True Love" (1987), Honey Bee – Foster & Allen with Gloria Hunniford
• "Give the Children Back Their Childhood" (1988), Ocean
• "Pudsey's Picnic" (1989), President – Gloria Hunniford, Adrian Love & Graham Dolby

See also

In Spanish: Gloria Hunniford para niños

• List of Strictly Come Dancing contestants