Jenni Murray

Dame Jennifer Susan Murray, DBE (née Bailey; born 12 May 1950[1]) is an English journalist and broadcaster, best known for presenting BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour between 1987 and 2020.

Dame

Jenni Murray

DBE
Murray in 2011
Born
Jennifer Susan Bailey

12 May 1950 (1950-05-12) (age 70)
Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England
OccupationJournalist and broadcaster
Spouse(s)Brian Murray (div)
David Forgham
Children2

She is married, for the second time, with two grown-up sons.[2]

Early life

Murray was born in Barnsley in Yorkshire and attended Barnsley Girls High School, a grammar school, leaving with A levels in French, English and History. She has a degree in French and Drama from the University of Hull.[3][4]

Career

Murray joined BBC Radio Bristol in 1973 before becoming a reporter and presenter for local news programme South Today. She was a newsreader and later one of the presenters of the BBC's Newsnight television programme for two years from 1983, before moving to Radio 4 to present the Today programme. She took over from Sue MacGregor as presenter of Woman's Hour in 1987. She has also presented Radio 4's The Message and written for magazines and newspapers including The Guardian, Daily Express and the Daily Mail.[3][4]

She has written several books, including

  • 1996 – Woman's Hour, 50 years of British Women
  • 2003 – That's My Boy
  • 2003 – Is It Me or Is It Hot in Here: A Modern Woman's Guide to the Menopause
  • 2009 – Memoirs of a Not So Dutiful 'Daughter'
  • 2011 – My Boy Butch: The heart-warming true story of a little dog who made life worth living again
  • 2017 – Woman's Hour: Words from Wise, Witty and Wonderful Women[3]
  • 2018 – A History of the World in 21 Women: A Personal Selection

Personal life

Murray married her first husband Brian Murray when she was 21 years old. She later married David Forgham. She has two sons.[5]

Views

Murray has been criticised for alleged transphobic viewpoints. Writing for the Sunday Times in March 2017, Murray penned an article headlined "Jenni Murray: Be trans, be proud – but don't call yourself a 'real woman'."[6][7] Rachel Steins, campaigns director for Stonewall, criticised Murray's views as "reductive and hurtful."[8]

Health issues

On 21 December 2006, Murray announced at the end of Woman's Hour that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.[9] She informed her audience that her prognosis was good; she did indeed return early in 2007. She reported that the most emotionally upsetting moment was losing her hair, and used this as an item on the centrality of hair to definitions of femininity.[10]

In 2008, she had a hip replacement following avascular necrosis.

Murray had a sleeve gastrectomy in June 2015, and had lost over 4 stone (56 lb; 25 kg) by October of that year.[11]

Honours

Murray was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to broadcasting in 1999 and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours.[12][13]

In 2007 she was awarded a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) honorary degree from the University of St Andrews in recognition of her major contribution to broadcasting, journalism and writing.[14]

In March 2012 she was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Salford to recognise her contributions to the media industry as well as the growing links between the University and its neighbours at Salford Quays.[15]

On 5 November 2019 Murray was awarded an honorary degree in Doctor of Letters (DLitt) from the University of Chester. This was in recognition of her outstanding contribution to journalism and broadcasting.[16]

Charities

In November 2007 it was announced that Murray had been named patron of British medical research charity, Breast Cancer Campaign.[17] She is also patron of the Family Planning Association, vice-president of Parkinson's UK and a supporter of Humanists UK.[18]

References
  1. "Birthdays today". The Telegraph. 12 May 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2014. Ms Jenni Murray, broadcaster, 61
  2. "Jenni Murray: Woman of the hour". The Independent. 8 October 2006.
  3. "Jenni Murray". BBC. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  4. "Jenni Murray". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  5. Murray, Jenni (15 July 2008). "Jenni Murray: 'I've joined the hip-op generation'" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  6. "Radio 4 host cancels talk amid trans row". BBC News. 8 November 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  7. Kennedy, Maev (5 March 2017). "Jenni Murray: trans women shouldn't call themselves 'real women'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  8. "Trans women are women". Stonewall. 5 March 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  9. "Radio 4's Jenni Murray has cancer". BBC News. 21 December 2006.
  10. "Woman's Hour, 27 February 2007". BBC. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  11. "Jenni Murray: 'I had 75% of my stomach removed". BBC News. 21 October 2015.
  12. "No. 59808". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2011. p. 7.
  13. "Main list of the 2011 Queen's birthday honours recipients" (PDF). BBC News. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  14. "Honorary graduates". www.st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  15. "University of Salford". University of Salford. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  16. "University of Chester". University of Chester. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  17. "Article from". radiotoday.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  18. "Dame Jenni Murray". British Humanist Association. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
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