Trivia

She is a passionate supporter of homosexual rights and a close friend of the rock star Elton John since the 1970s. She was a guest at his 1984 wedding to Renata and praised the Tony Blair government for allowing legal recognition of homosexual relationships and legalising adoption by homosexual couples.

She was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to Journalism and Broadcasting. She is a journalist and broadcaster in London, England.

Danny Baker described her as the best director-general the BBC never had.

She was Managing Director of UK cable channel L!VE TV in 1995.

She had a four year relationship with Normski.

She was voted the sexiest female spectacles wearer in a 2004 poll by Specsavers opticians.

She was editor of The Independent on Sunday (UK) 1999 - 2001.

She was famously impersonated in the BBC's 1993 Christmas tape, made by BBC staff, engaging in a conversation with unpopular Director-General John Birt, himself portrayed as Davros from Docteur Who (1963), before they break into a song based on "I Wanna Be Like You" from Le Livre de la jungle (1967).

She was Head of BBC Youth & Entertainment Features 1987-94. She is credited with cancelling The Old Grey Whistle Test (1971) and bringing Le prince de Bel-Air (1990) to the BBC.

Married four times, she has described herself as a "serial monogamist".