Monica Angela Rose (11 February 1948 – 2 February 1994) was a British TV

quiz show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, sh ...

hostess, who appeared on ''

Double Your Money ''Double Your Money'' was a British quiz show hosted by Hughie Green. Originally broadcast on Radio Luxembourg since 1950 and based on the American radio quiz '' Take It Or Leave It'' (1940–1947), it transferred to ITV in September 1955, a fe ...

'' and '' The Sky's the Limit'', both presented by

Hughie Green Hugh Hughes Green (2 February 1920 – 3 May 1997) was an English radio and television presenter, game show host and actor. Early life Green was born in Marylebone, London, to a Scottish father, Hugh Aitchison Green, a former British Army offic ...

. Rose was known for her

Cockney Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or b ...

accent, a novelty among TV presenters of the time.

Biography and showbusiness career

Rose was born in

White City White City may refer to: Places Australia * White City, Perth, an amusement park on the Perth foreshore * White City railway station, a former railway station * White City Stadium (Sydney), a tennis centre in Sydney * White City FC, a football clu ...

, London in 1948. Her father was a

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

train driver and her mother a cleaner at

White City Stadium White City Stadium was a stadium located in White City, London, England. Built for the 1908 Summer Olympics, it hosted the finish of the first modern marathon and other sports like swimming, speedway, boxing, show jumping, athletics, stock car ...

. In 1963, at the age of just 15, whilst working as a young accounts clerk, she was given tickets for a recording of the

quiz show called ''Double Your Money''. The show offered a choice of 42 subjects and offered £1 for the answer to a question given by the host with the chance to double their money from £1 up to a maximum of £32. The top prize was £1,000 (£ as of ). Rose was plucked from the audience to take part and despite only winning £8 (on her chosen subject of 'Famous Women') she had the strength of personality to persuade Green (he was "impressed by her

cockney Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or b ...

charm and manner") to invite her back as a guest hostess on the show six weeks later. She was quoted as saying "Coming from a rough council estate, it was a lot to take in. Being picked up in a Rolls (referring to a Rolls-Royce motor car) and travelling by private plane." She stayed for three years until leaving although returned to the show before it was taken off air in July 1968 as a result of the broadcaster,

Associated-Rediffusion Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV franchise holder for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 22 September 1955 and 29 July 1968. It was the first ITA franchisee to go on air, ...

, losing their franchise later that month. Success for Rose had included a stage act with Green, based on the programme Double Your Money's format. The stage act was popular in summer seasons and their act was even shown in a Royal Variety Performance. In 1965 when Double Your Money was taken to the Soviet Union, the Soviet cultural attache, who was based in London, made it a condition that 'the little cockney girl Monica' had to go with the performance. A year later, in December 1966, Rose performed a duet with her co-presenter

which was recorded on the 'B' side of the single 'Cuddle up Baby' called 'Clap Your Hands'. The music to 'Clap Your Hands' was written by

Barrie Gosney Barrie Gosney (1926, Surrey – 24 January 2008) was a British television, film and theatrical actor. In a career spanning five decades, Gosney played roles in ''Up Pompeii'', ''Last of the Summer Wine'', ''Believe Nothing'', ''Time Gentlemen P ...

a presenter who appeared in many television commercials and advertising magazines. She later worked on The Sky's the Limit which was first broadcast on 10 July 1970 until 5 July 1974. This was a travel-themed version of the show ''Double Your Money''. The questions were based on geography and the top prize was 21,000 air miles and £600 in spending money (£ as of ).

Personal life

Rose left show business in 1977 and was admitted to hospital three years later suffering from a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

. In 1982 she married Terry Dunnell a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

lay preacher and officer of a religious group called the Frontier Youth Trust. Dunnell wrote several books on Christianity including ''Mission and Young People at Risk: a Challenge to the Church'' written in 1985. Rose became a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

and settled with him in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

where she worked as a checkout operator in a supermarket. She paid regular visits to a local young offenders' centre up until 1993. After battling depression, Rose took her own life by overdosing on

antidepressant Antidepressants are a class of medication used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain conditions, and to help manage addictions. Common side-effects of antidepressants include dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, hea ...

s and tranquillisers in 1994.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Monica 1948 births 1994 deaths British game show hosts British television presenters Television personalities from London Drug-related suicides in England 1994 suicides