Anne Gregg
Anne Gregg | |
---|---|
Born | Anne Deirdre Gregg 11 February 1940 |
Died | 5 September 2006 London | (aged 66)
Occupation(s) | Television presenter, travel writer |
Anne Deirdre Gregg (11 February 1940 – 5 September 2006) was a travel writer and TV presenter from Northern Ireland. She is perhaps best known for presenting the BBC's travel programme Holiday throughout the 1980s. She was one of the first people from Northern Ireland to become a national British television personality.[1]
Early life
Gregg was born in
Gregg was educated at
Career
Gregg joined
She changed to print journalism in 1966,[2][4] working as a features editor and later deputy editor on the Good Housekeeping magazine. She was editor of Woman's Journal from 1978 to 1980.
Gregg returned to television broadcasting in 1980, as a presenter on the Holiday programme from 1980 to 1991. She was its main studio presenter from 1990 to 1991, attracting a weekly audience of 12 million.[2] With a warm, personable manner, described by The Guardian as "unstuffy directness and warmth combined with an impish sense of fun",[5] she was popular with viewers.
She was counted as "
In retrospect, Gregg was glad to have been given a chance to explore other interests.
Gregg also continued with the freelance interests that she had pursued while presenting Holiday. She produced videos for English Heritage; she wrote in newspapers and magazines; and she appeared on radio programmes. In 1997, she presented one series of Breakaway on BBC Radio 4.[4]
For many years, she produced magazines for the French Tourist Office in London with business partner Ken Wright. In 2003, she was awarded the Médaille d'Or du Tourisme.[4] She wrote several books, including The Perfect Holiday (1989), Dalton's Directory of British Holidays (1993), a series of Heritage Guides to Great Britain (1995), and Tarragon and Truffles (2006).
Personal life
Gregg lived in London, but also kept a house in Provence. She never married. She died in 2006 of cancer, aged 66.[1]