Janet Street-Porter facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Janet Street-Porter CBE
Street-Porter on Loose Women in 2024
Born	Janet Vera Bull (1946-12-27) 27 December 1946 (age 78) Brentford, Middlesex, England
Education	Lady Margaret School
Alma mater	Architectural Association School of Architecture
Occupation	Broadcaster journalist writer producer media personality
Years active	1967–present
Spouse(s)	Tim Street-Porter ​ ​ (m. 1967; div. 1975)​ Tony Elliott ​ ​ (m. 1975; div. 1977)​ Frank Cvitanovich ​ ​ (m. 1979; div. 1981)​ David Sorkin ​ ​ (m. 1997; div. 1999)​
Partner(s)	Peter Spanton (1999–present)

Janet Vera Street-Porter is a well-known English broadcaster, journalist, and writer. She is also a media personality. Born on December 27, 1946, she started her career in 1969. She became famous for her unique style and strong opinions.

Janet began as a fashion writer for the Daily Mail. Later, she became the fashion editor for the Evening Standard. In 1973, she started working in radio. She co-hosted a show on LBC. She then moved into television in 1975. She presented many youth-focused shows. She also worked as an editor and producer. From 1987 to 1994, she was an executive at BBC Television.

Janet was the editor of The Independent on Sunday newspaper from 1999 to 2002. Since 2011, she has been a regular panelist on the ITV talk show Loose Women. She has appeared on many other TV shows. These include Question Time and Have I Got News for You. In 2016, she received an award. She was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This was for her important work in journalism and broadcasting.

Janet Street-Porter's Early Life

Janet Street-Porter was born in Brentford, Middlesex, England. This area is now part of the London Borough of Hounslow. Her father, Stanley W. G. Bull, was an electrical engineer. He served in the Royal Corps of Signals during the Second World War. Her mother, Cherry Cuff Ardern, was Welsh. She worked as a school dinner lady and in a tax office.

Janet grew up in Fulham, West London. Her family later moved to Perivale, Middlesex, when she was 14. They often spent holidays in her mother's hometown of Llanfairfechan in North Wales. Janet went to Peterborough Primary and Junior Schools. She then attended Lady Margaret Grammar School for Girls. She studied English, History, and Art. After school, she spent two years at the Architectural Association School of Architecture. There, she met her first husband, Tim Street-Porter.

Janet Street-Porter's Career Journey

Janet Street-Porter started her career as a fashion writer. She worked for the Daily Mail newspaper. In 1969, she became the deputy fashion editor. She then became the fashion editor of the Evening Standard in 1971.

Radio Work

In 1973, Janet began working in radio. She co-hosted a morning show on LBC (London Broadcasting Company). She worked with Fleet Street columnist Paul Callan. They had very different styles.

Television Career

Street-Porter at London Victoria station in November 2005

Janet started working in television in 1975. She joined London Weekend Television (LWT). She was a reporter on youth-focused shows. These included The London Weekend Show. She also presented the chat show Saturday Night People. Later, she produced Twentieth Century Box.

In 1987, Janet became the editor of the Network 7 series on Channel 4. This show won an award for its graphics. In the same year, she became head of youth and entertainment features at BBC2. She was in charge of shows like DEF II. She helped create shows like Rapido and Red Dwarf. She also decided to end the long-running music series The Old Grey Whistle Test.

In 1992, Janet helped create the story for The Vampyr: A Soap Opera. This was a BBC adaptation of an opera. In 1994, she left the BBC. She then worked for Mirror Group Newspapers. She helped manage the L!VE TV channel. She left in 1995. In 1996, Janet started her own production company. She has appeared many times on the BBC show Have I Got News for You. She has also been on Question Time.

In 2007, Janet starred in an ITV2 reality show called Deadline. She played a tough editor. She worked with celebrity reporters to create a gossip magazine. She decided who to fire each week.

Since 2011, Janet has been a regular panelist on ITV's chat show Loose Women. In 2013, she competed on Celebrity MasterChef. She reached the final three. She returned for a Christmas special in 2020 and won. She also appeared on the TV show QI. In 2014, she co-hosted A Taste of Britain. This was a cooking show on BBC One.

Janet has also appeared on other reality TV shows. These include Call Me a Cabbie. She also tried working as a primary school teacher on So You Think You Can Teach.

Newspaper Work

Janet Street-Porter became editor of The Independent on Sunday in 1999. Under her leadership, the newspaper's circulation increased. In 2001, she became its editor-at-large. She continued to write a weekly column and other features.

Other Activities

Janet Street-Porter enjoys walking in the countryside. She was president of the Ramblers' Association for two years. In 1998, she walked across Britain for a TV series called Coast to Coast. She also walked from Edinburgh to London for another TV series and her book, As the Crow Flies.

In 2003, she performed a one-woman show. It was at the Edinburgh Festival. In 2004, she published her autobiography, Baggage. It was about her childhood in London. She also wrote a book called Life's Too Short. This book shares her ideas on how to get what you want in life.

Janet Street-Porter's Personal Life

While studying architecture, Janet married Tim Street-Porter. They were together until 1975. She later married Time Out editor Tony Elliott. Her third marriage was to film director Frank Cvitanovich. She also had a brief marriage to David Sorkin. Before marrying Sorkin, she lived with TV presenter Normski.

Since 1999, she has been in a relationship with restaurateur Peter Spanton. Janet does not have any children. She lives in Haddiscoe in Norfolk. She also has homes in Kent and London. She used to live in Nidderdale, North Yorkshire. She was active in the Nidderdale community. She helped with local causes. She was president of the Burley Bridge Association. This group campaigned for a crossing over the River Wharfe.

Health

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Janet often appeared on This Morning. She discussed government decisions from her home in Kent.

In January 2020, Janet was diagnosed with basal-cell carcinoma. This is a type of skin cancer. She shared this news on Loose Women on June 23, 2020.

Janet Street-Porter's TV and Film Appearances

Television

Film

Honours and Awards

Janet Street-Porter was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This honor was given to her in 2016. It was for her important contributions to journalism and broadcasting.