On March 3, Sevenoaks School welcomed the BBC TV and radio presenter Gloria Hunniford, her husband Steven and two dogs, Jemma and Roxy, to their weekly Thursday Club. Thursday club is a chance for senior citizens to interact with the students of Sevenoaks School and participate in games and raffles. The Thursday Club is one of the voluntary service activities that the students do every week at the school.
Gloria’s warm, welcoming nature shone through as she spoke to everyone individually and responded to their questions openly, with very insightful answers. Throughout her interview, she reminisced about what it was like growing up in Northern Ireland, her early career and her time on Strictly Come Dancing. She spoke in detail about how she was the only woman at her first broadcasting job, and despite how intimidating that was, it made her even more determined to succeed.
Gloria currently presents shows such as Loose Women and Rip off Britain, and proudly claims she is the oldest woman to be working on television and emphasised the importance of maintaining a positive frame of mind. ‘Attitude is everything as you get older, if I sit still for too long I’m scared I’ll rust!’ She went on to explain that she is so busy, she turns down ninety percent of job offers and stressed the importance of having balance between work and family life.
Other than Jemma and Roxy, who snored loudly throughout, the audience listened intently as Gloria explained, "You must be persistent, never take no for an answer".
Aspiring broadcaster, James Scott, who drew inspiration from Gloria’s talk concluded, ‘It was an enlightening experience for all of us and I hope she visits again soon.’
Georgie Scott, Year 11
