Diane Johnson (born 28 June 1960), better known by her stage name Diane Louise Jordan, is a British

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

. She was the first black presenter of the children's television programme ''

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Tel ...

'', being involved in the programme from 25 January 1990 until 26 February 1996. While on ''Blue Peter'', her co-presenters were

Yvette Fielding Yvette Paula Fielding (born 23 September 1968) is an English television presenter, producer and actress. She became the youngest presenter on '' Blue Peter'' aged 18, and one of her episodes was subsequently voted the "Favourite ''Blue Peter'' mo ...

, John Leslie,

Anthea Turner Anthea Turner (born 25 May 1960) is an English former television presenter. She was a host of ''Blue Peter'' from 1992 until 1994, and of ''GMTV'' from 1994 until 1996. Early life Turner was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, and educated ...

Tim Vincent Tim Vincent (born Timothy Russell Walker; 4 November 1972) is a Welsh actor and television presenter. He appeared on the children's programme ''Blue Peter'' between 1993 and 1997 and has presented several Miss World contests. For several years, ...

Stuart Miles Stuart Miles (born 20 February 1969) is a British radio and television presenter, who has worked on the children's programme ''Blue Peter''. Career Miles studied at Bournemouth University where he developed an interest in college radio, follow ...

and

Katy Hill Katy Hill (born 15 April 1971) is an English television presenter who has worked in television and radio in the UK since 1995. She presented the long-running children's programme '' Blue Peter'' from 1995 to 2000 and the flagship Saturday morni ...

Life and career

Born in 1960, Jordan grew up in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Her parents came over to England from Jamaica in the 1950s and were part of the

Windrush generation British African-Caribbean people are an ethnic group in the United Kingdom. They are British citizens whose ancestry originates from the Caribbean or they are nationals of the Caribbean who reside in the UK. There are some self-identified Afro-C ...

. She studied theatre arts at

Rose Bruford College Rose Bruford College (formerly Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance) is a drama school in the south London suburb of Sidcup. The college has degree programmes in acting, actor musicianship, directing, theatre arts and various discipli ...

, and worked as a stage actress after graduating. She appeared on children's series '' Corners'', when she was spotted by ''Blue Peter'' editor Lewis Bronze. She became the programme's first black presenter and turned down a role in

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

'' for the job. In 1988 she played the chemist shop assistant in the

Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and further at the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Design ...

film ''High Hopes''. She later played the part of Kate Winterton in ''Coronation Street'' in September 1989. Jordan can currently be seen presenting

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

's religious programme, ''

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns sung in churches of varying denominations from around the UK. The series was first broadcast in October 1961. On that occasion, the venue was the Ta ...

''. She also is vice-president of

Action for Children Action for Children (formerly National Children's Home) is a United Kingdom, UK children's charity created to help vulnerable children & young people and their families in the UK. The charity has 7,000 staff and volunteers who operate over 475 ...

, sits on the Council of

the Prince's Trust The Prince's Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth y Tywysog) is a charity in the United Kingdom founded in 1976 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It supports 11-to-30-year-olds who are u ...

, is a Patron of the ADHD Foundation and is a trustee for

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

Children in Need. In 1997 she sat on the

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

, Memorial Committee. She is a celebrity supporter of

the Bone Cancer Research Trust (BCRT) The Bone Cancer Research Trust (BCRT) is a charity dedicated to fighting primary bone cancer. The charity funds research, raises awareness of the disease, provides patient information, and provides support services. The charity operates interna ...

She married violinist Giles Broadbent in 2007. She has a daughter, Justine, previously her niece, but whom she adopted when her sister died unexpectedly. Between February 2012 and July 2017 Jordan presented ''Sunday Half Hour'' and then '' Sunday Hour '' on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

References

External links

www.dianelouisejordan.com
* *
Interview with Diane in Xt3 Christian Magazine
1960 births Living people BBC Radio 2 presenters Black British television personalities Black British radio presenters Blue Peter presenters English television presenters Alumni of Rose Bruford College English Christians People from Hackney Central People from Hatfield, Hertfordshire English people of Jamaican descent {{Christianity-bio-stub