ATV Icon: Gloria Hunniford

In our week of festive specials taking us up to Christmas, the next star to enter our hall of fame is a presenter and singer who is the first lady of Northern Ireland…

Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford, OBE was born on the 10th of April 1940 and became a household name in Ireland and Northern Ireland in the sixties and seventies through initally singing and later as host of UTV’s live evening news programme.

In the 1980s she headed to London and joined BBC Radio 2 and ITV hosting shows regularly on both networks across the decade and into the 1990s. With a career spanning over seven decades, she has become a beloved figure in British media.

Gloria Hunniford hosting her Radio 2 programme

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Born in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, Gloria began her performing arts journey at the age of seven, singing alongside her father in a troupe of entertainers. She later pursued a singing career, performing in cabaret and releasing two albums in the 1970s. In 1985, she showcased her vocal talents at the Royal Variety Performance, singing “Secret Love” from Calamity Jane.

Other music performances included on Children In Need both solo and alongside host Terry Wogan.

Transitioning from stage to television, Gloria presented Good Evening Ulster on UTV and later hosted ITV’s chat show Sunday Sunday (LWT), magazine show Sunday Live (YTV) and quiz We Love TV (LWT). She was a team captain opposite Kenny Everett on the Mike Smith hosted entertainment quiz That’s Showbusiness and for spell in the mid-90s was one of a rotation of hosts on daily chat show Pebble Mill on BBC One. From 1998 to 2003, she fronted Open House with Gloria Hunniford on Channel 5, focusing on lifestyle and human-interest stories.​

In 2009, she co-launched the BBC One consumer affairs program Rip Off Britain, alongside Angela Rippon and Julia Somerville. The show addresses consumer issues and has been a staple of daytime television.​

Gloria as host of LWT’s telly quiz, We Love TV for ITV

Gloria has also been a regular panellist on ITV’s Loose Women since 2014, contributing to discussions on current events and personal experiences. Her other television credits include This Morning, The One Show, Doorstep Crime 999, and Food: Truth or Scare.​

In 2005, Gloria participated in the third series of Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with Darren Bennett. She was eliminated in the third week. In 2022, she appeared on The Masked Singer as “Snow Leopard” and was the second contestant to be unmasked.​

Gloria made history in 1982 by becoming the first woman to have her own daily radio show on BBC Radio 2. She hosted the program for 13 years, establishing herself as a prominent voice in British radio.

Gloria was married to Don Keating from 1970 until their divorce in 1992; they had three children, including television presenter Caron Keating. In 1998, she married hairdresser Stephen Way, who passed away in August 2024.​

Gloria Hunniford was Snow Leopard on The Masked Singer / ITV

Tragically, her daughter Caron died of breast cancer in 2004. In her memory, Gloria established the Caron Keating Foundation, a charity supporting cancer patients and their families.​ In recognition of her services to broadcasting and charity, Gloria was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).​

Gloria has authored several books, including Next to You and Always With You, which detail her daughter’s battle with cancer.​ Glorious Grandparenting: Having the Time of Your Life with Your Grandchildren, celebrating the joys of grandparenthood and My Life, her autobiography, chronicling her extensive career and personal experiences.​

Gloria Hunniford – Rip off Britain