Lynn Faulds Wood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lynn Faulds Wood
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Lynn Faulds Wood in January 2010
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| Born | 25 March 1948 Glasgow, Scotland
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| Died | 24 April 2020 (aged 72) |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow (MA) |
| Occupation | Television presenter, journalist, cancer campaigner |
| Years active | 1970–2020 |
| Employer | BBC |
| Television | TV-am BBC Breakfast Time Watchdog GMTV Watchdog: Test House |
| Spouse(s) |
John Stapleton
(m. 1977) |
| Children | 1 |
Lynn Faulds Wood (born March 25, 1948 – died April 24, 2020) was a famous Scottish television presenter and journalist. She was well-known for co-hosting the British TV show Watchdog with her husband, John Stapleton. This show helped people with problems they had with products or services.
Early Life and TV Career
Lynn Faulds Wood was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1948. She grew up near Loch Lomond, a beautiful lake. She studied languages at the University of Glasgow. After university, she taught French for a couple of years.
Lynn started her career in journalism, writing for magazines and newspapers. In the early 1980s, when breakfast television began, she joined TV-am as their "Consumer Champion." This meant she helped people with their consumer rights. Later, she moved to the BBC's Breakfast Time.
She became most famous for her work on Watchdog. She helped turn it into a very popular show on BBC One. From 1985 to 1993, she presented Watchdog with her husband, John Stapleton. The show investigated companies and products to make sure they were fair and safe for consumers.
In 1990, Lynn even appeared as herself in an episode of the comedy show French and Saunders. She also returned to Watchdog in 2014 for a new daytime series called Watchdog Test House.
Helping Others with Cancer
In 1991, Lynn was diagnosed with bowel cancer. After surgery, she was declared clear of the cancer five years later. She also survived skin cancer. Because of her own experiences, Lynn became a strong voice for cancer awareness.
She made TV programmes to teach people about cancer symptoms. One show in 1993, called "Doctor Knows Best," was very popular. It showed that the symptoms for bowel cancer were not always taught correctly to doctors. Another important investigation in 1996, "Bobby Moore & Me," looked into the case of footballer Bobby Moore, who had died from bowel cancer after being misdiagnosed.
Lynn also helped create the world's first guide to bowel cancer symptoms based on scientific evidence. The Department of Health officially adopted this guide in 2000. Her work on cervical cancer in 1995 earned her the "medical broadcaster of the year" award from the British Medical Association.
Campaigning for Change
Lynn Faulds Wood was a dedicated campaigner. In 2002, she helped start the European Cancer Patient Coalition. She led this group for many years, working to make cancer a more important topic in Europe. She also helped create a group called MEPs Against Cancer, which worked with politicians in Europe.
She was often on TV talking about cancer and consumer issues. She also led the British Standards Institution Consumer and Public Interest Network until 2013. Lynn was a president and patron for many charities and health groups. She even received an honorary doctorate for all her important work on bowel cancer.
Personal Life
Lynn Faulds Wood met her husband, John Stapleton, while working in a pub in Richmond upon Thames. They got married in 1977. They lived together in St Margarets, London.
In 2016, Lynn shared that she had turned down an award called an MBE. She explained that she would have liked an honour, but she didn't agree with the word "empire" in the award's name. However, she did accept an honorary doctorate from her old university, University of Glasgow.
Lynn Faulds Wood passed away on April 24, 2020, at the age of 72, after having a stroke.
