Janet Ellis, the former Blue Peter presenter, is set to become the next president of Humanists UK in January 2026, succeeding geneticist and broadcaster Adam Rutherford. The 70-year-old, known for her elfin movements and penetrating gaze, lives in London with her 21-year-old grandson and a large Italian spinone dog named Angela. She describes herself as having 'never been scared of saying what I think,' and supports the group's campaigns for secular schools and assisted dying laws.
Ellis was born in 1955 in Kent and left school at 17 to study at the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art. Her first job was a small theatre role where she spent most of her time on stage as a plant pot. She aspired to be a theatre actor, but television work came her way, including a part in Doctor Who and presenting on the children's show Jigsaw. At 23, she became pregnant with her eldest child, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, now a singer.
Ellis joined Blue Peter in 1983 and stayed until 1987, a period she describes as seared into the consciousness of her generation. She was a single mother during much of this time, having divorced when Sophie was four. She recalls that the high-profile role on a 'squeaky clean' children's programme could have been career-ending if publicised, but she managed to separate her public and private lives. She later met television producer John Leach, whom she married; he died in 2021.
Reflecting on her new role, Ellis says she has 'always been struck' by Humanists UK's 'steady calmness' and finds the idea of prioritising an afterlife over the present 'a really weird concept.' She acknowledges that taking on the presidency at a time of political polarisation and imported US battles is tough, but asserts that getting older makes it easier to speak her mind.
