Kathy Secker (born Catherine Barnfather ; 18 February 1945 – 15 December 2015)
was a British
broadcaster, best known for her work at
Tyne Tees Television and
BBC Radio Newcastle. During her early broadcasting career at Tyne Tees (1976-1984) she was usually credited as Cathy Secker.
Career
After she had worked as a secretary to an
ENT specialist
Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...
and as a
bank clerk
''The Bank Clerk'' is a 1919 American short comedy film directed by and starring Fatty Arbuckle. The film is considered to be lost.
Cast
* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle
* Molly Malone
See also
* List of American films of 1919
This list of Amer ...
,
her husband persuaded her to consider a career as a model, which proved to be successful. Secker became the face of an advertising campaign for the Northern Gas Board.
In later years, she also fronted TV adverts for
Co-op stores in the North East.
The popularity of the gas board campaign led to Secker's being offered a role as a
continuity announcer
In broadcasting, continuity or presentation (or station break in the U.S. and Canada) is announcements, messages and graphics played by the broadcaster between specific programmes. It typically includes programme schedules, announcement of t ...
and newsreader for
Tyne Tees Television in 1976.
Following the 13-week
1979 ITV technicians' strike, Secker was the first presenter back on air on 24 October.
She left the station in 1984, before returning to her continuity role in 1990. Secker was one of Tyne Tees' last locally based announcers — in later years, sharing duties as chief announcer with
Bill Steel
Bill Steel (born 20 May 1939) is a broadcaster and actor from North East England, best known for his work at Tyne Tees Television and Metro Radio.
Career Early career
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Steel was educated at Pendower Boys School in ...
. She also presented the daily features ''Lookaround'' and ''The Birthday Spot''.
When continuity from Newcastle ended in 1996, she made a permanent move to programming, presenting breakfast news bulletins and the magazine show ''Tonight'', alongside her own series, ''Kathy and Co''. Secker also contributed features for the nightly news programme ''
North East Tonight'' before leaving Tyne Tees in 1998.
In 1994, Secker became a presenter on BBC Radio Newcastle, hosting a Sunday afternoon dedications show. She made her final broadcast on the station on 29 November 2015, just over a fortnight before her death. She also ran her own business, First Impressions, offering women advice on style, beauty and fashion.
She was a founder and patron of Grace House in
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
, a
hospice
Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by ...
for children and young people with disabilities.
Personal life
Secker was raised in
Bedlington,
Northumberland. She was married to childhood sweetheart Wally Secker from the late 1960s until the early 1990s, when they divorced. She later married Tyne Tees colleague James Whiteley in Kenya in 1997.
She had two children, a son, David, and a daughter,
Jayne (born 1972),
who is a presenter on
Sky News
Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...
.
Death
On 16 December 2015, it was announced she had died at home in
Jesmond the previous day, aged 70. Secker was due to present her BBC Radio Newcastle show the following Sunday.
A funeral service for her was held at the West Road Crematorium, Newcastle, on 30 December 2015.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Secker, Kathy
1945 births
2015 deaths
BBC radio presenters
English radio presenters
English television presenters
English female models
Radio and television announcers
People from Bedlington
British women radio presenters
British women television presenters