Gloria Hunniford has spoken of her joy at becoming a great grandmother, tempered by the absence of her late daughter, Caron Keating, who died of breast cancer in 2004 at the age of 41. The former Blue Peter presenter, 86, said her daughter would have adored the new arrival, Freddie, born last month to her eldest son Charlie, 32, and his partner.
A Bittersweet Arrival
Hunniford, who also has a son Gabriel, 29, said she was thinking of Keating on the day Freddie was born. "Of course, I can't help but be very emotional about Caron, because she would have adored Freddie, she would have been so thrilled. Charlie was her first born and she would have really taken to being a grandmother, so the day that Freddie was born, I was very much thinking of her as well," she said.
"Freddie is such a joy, he's beautiful and when I see him, I think Caron would have been having the most marvellous time, because I've got such vivid memories of her with her own two sons."
Super Gran Duties
Despite her new role, Hunniford, who presents BBC1's Rip-Off Britain, will not use the title 'great granny.' "I prefer Super Gran, or maybe I'll be called Super Glue, because I'm always there to see him! I wasn't called Granny either. My grandsons initially called me Nanna, but they ended up calling me Glo," she said.
She has no plans to slow down, hoping to still be working at 90. "In my head, I'm not 86 at all. I'm more in my 50s or something like that. In work nobody makes me feel like I'm in my 80s – they don't treat me like an old codger. I started broadcasting in 1969 and sometimes they appreciate the experience and the knowledge," she said.
"I used to think that all the researchers and crew could be my children. Now I think some of them could be my grandchildren, but they don't make me feel like that and that's a great joy. Medical issues might stop me, or television might change, but I feel lucky that I have got this far and that I'm still working. I still have that zest for doing what I do. I like the fact that I learn something every day - I'm lucky to have a job that I love."
Life After Loss
Work has been a lifeline since the death of her husband Stephen Way two years ago, after 30 years together. She has no plans to find love again. "Some people will say, 'would romance be an option?' But my view is absolutely not. At 86, I have no interest in finding a new partner," she said.
"So, socialisation, both in and outside work, becomes more important and your friends – old friends and new friends – all come into play much more than they might have done if you were in a relationship. I keep myself busy and that's the way that I've tried to carve out a different way of life. Because when you lose your partner, it suddenly does make you feel a bit aware of mortality."
"Stephen was 86 when he died, but a very young 86. I thought, if we were lucky enough, we might have hit our 90s together, because we were both reasonably fit and active, but sadly that wasn't to be."
She has remained open to new friendships, recently becoming close to a family she met by chance at the theatre. "I went to see Phantom of the Opera and I met a really lovely new family and I've got to know them very well. They've taken me on board like a family member and I love them – the father, the daughter, her husband and their children," she said.
"We agreed to meet up, so I've been to their house for dinner and we've been out to dinner. They've invited me for New Year's Day. It's really lovely. You're never too old to make new friends and good friends. You make casual friends, but these are good friends and I hope they're always friends. We keep in touch regularly by text and see each other as and when we can."
Remembering Caron
Reflecting on the darkest days after Keating's death, Hunniford said: "There were times when I thought I would never make it, because it's worse than you can ever even think of." She added that she thinks about her daughter every day, finding comfort in white feathers, which Keating believed were an angel's calling card.
"Some people think it's a crazy idea, but I don't care," she said. "Caron believed that when you found an isolated white feather it was an angel's calling card. And I do find them in the most unusual places. It could have been a stressful day and I'll come home and on the doorstep there's a beautiful white fluffy feather. I think 'now that's Caron's calling card.'"
Hunniford, who received the Freedom of the City of London last month, began her career aged six, singing in Northern Ireland. She switched to broadcasting in 1969, working on shows such as Pebble Mill and Sunday Sunday. Her memories of interviewing stars like Audrey Hepburn and Doris Day have inspired a Hollywood Heroes show, planned for the spring at London's Langham Hotel.
The money raised will go to the Caron Keating Foundation, which she set up in her daughter's name. "I'm about to pay out 88 grants to different charities dealing with cancer. I'm very proud of that and I'm thrilled that we've managed to keep it going for 25 years," she said. "We don't aim to raise millions and millions, but we raise enough to make a difference; I think Caron would be proud of what we are doing in her name to help people."
