Linda Barker (born 26 October 1961) is an English

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

er and

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people ...

Education

Born in Shelf, on the outskirts of Halifax in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

, Barker was educated at

Bradford Girls' Grammar School Bradford Girls' Grammar School is a free school for girls aged 5 – 16 and boys aged 5 – 11. Founded in 1875, the school is on the outskirts of Bradford city centre in West Yorkshire, England. Recent public examination results put the schoo ...

before studying fine art at the Surrey Institute of Art & Design in

Farnham Farnham is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a tributary of the ...

, now the

University for the Creative Arts The University for the Creative Arts is a specialist art and design university in Southern England. It was formed in 2005 as University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester when the Kent Institu ...

. She then did odd jobs in various areas including

fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...

, before settling into a career as an interior designer. An accomplished painter, she did up her flat in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park. Hist ...

and was the subject of a ''House Beautiful'' magazine spread on interiors.

Career

Barker began her work in television as a set designer, where she met her husband. She was one of the group of people including

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen Laurence Roderick Llewelyn-Bowen (born 11 March 1965) is an English interior designer and television personality best known for appearing on the BBC programme '' Changing Rooms''. Name He is sometimes credited as "Laurence Llewelyn", and the ...

approached by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

in 1996 to work on a

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

show called ''

Changing Rooms ''Changing Rooms'' is a do-it-yourself home improvement show broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC between 1996 and 2004. The series was revived on Channel 4 in 2021. The show was one of a number of home improvement and lifestyle shows ...

'' as designers. Barker also started co-presenting ''House Invaders'' in 1999, and co-presented a three-part special called ''Planet Christmas'' in 2001. After six years of ''Changing Rooms'', restricted by the BBC's position on commercial endorsement and disappointed to be overlooked as a replacement presenter to

Carol Smillie Carol Patricia Smillie (born 23 December 1961) is a Scottish former television presenter, actress and model. Smillie became famous as a presenter on British TV during the 1990s and early 2000s. She was best known for assisting Nicky Campbell on ...

, she left the show. Barker launched her more commercially focused career by appearing in the second series of the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

reality show '' I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!'', on which she finished in third place on the final day. Barker adopted a new personal image, being featured in lads' magazine shoots and making a

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

DVD. Commercially, she designed and advertised

sofa A couch, also known as a sofa, settee, chesterfield, or Davenport (sofa), davenport, is a cushioned piece of furniture that can seat multiple people. It is commonly found in the form of a bench (furniture), bench with Upholstery, upholstered ...

s for retailer

DFS DFS may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Dancer Fitzgerald Sample, advertising agency, now Saatchi & Saatchi * DFS Furniture, a furniture retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland * DFS Group (Duty Free Shoppers), Hong Kong * DFS Program Exchang ...

and cabins for

Thomson Holidays Thomson Travel Group plc was a business formed by the Thomson Corporation of Canada, when it was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1998. It was acquired by Preussag AG, an industrial and transport conglomerate, in 2000. The group continu ...

. She also brought out her own wallpaper range with Crown. She began presenting series for ITV, including ''

With A Little Help From My Friends "With a Little Help from My Friends" is a song recorded by English rock band the Beatles for their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and is sung by drummer Ringo Starr (a ...

'', ''Building the Dream'' and a daytime lifestyle series, ''Under Construction''. In 2007 Barker took part in the

CBBC CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...

children's show '' Hider in the House'', as the hidden celebrity. Barker also appeared on a celebrity edition of ''

Come Dine with Me ''Come Dine with Me'' is a British reality series that has aired on Channel 4 since 10 January 2005 and is narrated by Dave Lamb. Format The original format features five amateur chefs who live in the same town or area, who each host a three-c ...

'', aired on 17 September 2008, alongside

Peter Stringfellow Peter James Stringfellow (17 October 1940 – 7 June 2018) was an English businessman who owned several nightclubs. Early life Stringfellow was born in the City General Hospital, Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, on 17 October 1940, to Elsi ...

Michelle Heaton Michelle Christine Heaton (born 19 July 1979) is an English singer, stage actress and television personality. She is best known as member of the pop group Liberty X. Early life Heaton was born in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, on 19 July 19 ...

and

Lee Ryan Lee Ryan (born 17 June 1983) is an English singer, songwriter, and voice actor. He is best known as the lead singer of the boy band Blue. Early life Lee Ryan was born in Chatham, Kent. His parents split up when he was six years old. Ryan most ...

. Linda finished in joint first place with Ryan, both of whom scored 26 points. In 2009 she joined the design team on the ITV daytime series ''

60 Minute Makeover ''60 Minute Makeover'' is a British home interior design television programme broadcast on ITV, and later by Quest Red. In 2013, the show's name changed to reflect the change in presenter to Peter Andre. Format The challenge was to redecorate ...

''. In 2013, Barker went on to take part in '' Splash!'', ITV's celebrity diving show with Olympic diver

Tom Daley Thomas Robert Daley (born 21 May 1994) is an English retired diver, YouTuber and television personality. He is an Olympic champion in the men's synchronised 10-metre platform event at the 2020 Olympics and double world champion in the FI ...

as her mentor. She finished in third place. Barker, who wore a

bikini A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features one piece on top that covers the breasts, and a second piece on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but usually exposing the navel, and the back generally covering ...

throughout the series, received widespread admiration for her slim, toned figure and became an ambassador for

Playtex Playtex is an American brand name for undergarments, baby products, gloves, feminine hygiene products, and sunscreen. The brand began in 1947 when International Latex Corporation (ILC) created a division named Playtex to produce and sell latex p ...

shortly after. In 2017, she presented ''The Home Game'', a new daytime series for

. Today Barker writes, publishes design books and writes a column for the weekend ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...

'' magazine. In April 2021, Barker launched a collection of fabrics, curtains and blinds with home furnishings retailer Terrys under the brand name "Linda Barker Home".

Personal life

She is married to TV executive Chris Short, and the couple have a daughter and two dogs. The family currently lives between Battersea London and the East Riding of Yorkshire.

References

External links

*
Really Linda Barker – personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Linda 1961 births Living people People educated at Bradford Girls' Grammar School People from Clayton, West Yorkshire Alumni of the University for the Creative Arts English television presenters Designers from Yorkshire English women writers