Biography
Anneka Rice (born Anne Rice, 4 October 1958 in Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan) is a British television presenter.
She changed her name to Anneka when she joined the British actors union Equity, as her birth-name had already been registered with that organisation.
Beginning her TV career as a trainee PA working on The World Today for the BBC World Service , at age 19 she moved to Hong Kong where she presented the news on English language television station TVB Pearl. Upon returning to the UK three years later, she worked as a secretary in the BBC Children’s department.
In 1983, she landed her first major TV job as the jump-suited, constantly-in-motion skyrunner in Treasure Hunt which was hosted by former BBC newsman Kenneth Kendall. Cameraman Graham Berry was nominated for three BAFTA awards for his camerawork on Treasure Hunt, of which he won one in 1984 . Both Berry and helicopter pilot Keith Thompson went on to become minor celebrities, whilst Rice left the show when she fell pregnant in 1988 (being replaced by former tennis player Annabel Croft ). Treasure Hunt was also nominated for a BAFTA award in 1986 in the category “Best Light Entertainment Programme”.
In 1986, she was awarded the “Rear of the Year” award via The Sun newspaper ; an unsurprising award, since her posterior had featured so much in the lens of Berry’s camera.
After hosting the BBC’s Children In Need appeal, Rice launched her own programme Challenge Anneka in 1989, a series which was to run for another 5 years and was recently revived by ITV as part of their Christmas 2006 schedule.
Rice was married to theatre boss Nicholas Allott. Allott and Rice split in 1992, and from that year she dated TV executive Tom Gutteridge. But they parted six months after her third son, Sam, was born in 1997. In 1994 Rice presented Capital Woman, a weekly women’s magazine programme for Carlton Television (ITV), which, like Challenge Anneka, was produced by Tom Gutteridge’s company Mentorn. Later she also presented Holiday for BBC1. In 1995 Challenge Anneka was axed by the BBC.
Rice decided to quit television to spend time with her two children Thomas (born 1989); and Josh (born 1990), and spent five years studying painting at Chelsea College of Art. So total was Rice’s disappearance from the public eye that Madame Tussaud’s even melted down her waxwork. In 2005 she was linked to writer Simon Bell.
As a result of her owning the rights to Challenge Anneka, Rice returned to TV in a co-producer role in September 2001 when she was approached by the ABC network in the U.S. to produce a new series based on the same format, where it was branded Challenge America hosted by Erin Brockovich .
After finishing her art degree, in 2003 Rice returned to presenting on the Five show Dinner Doctors alongside the relationship advisor Jenni Trent Hughes.
As well as all her TV and radio work, Rice has also written books on skiing and scuba-diving. In 2005, she endorsed a line of anti-aging products .
Returning to the limelight, Rice had the lead role in The Vagina Monologues which played at Birmingham Hippodrome from 31 January to 4 February 2006.
On 9 June 2006 it was announced that Challenge Anneka is returning, but this time on ITV. The first of three specials was broadcast on Boxing Day 2006 . A further episode was aired on 6th June 2007. In September 2007, she is appearing in the third series of Hell’s Kitchen.
10 Comments to "Biography"
1 | shirley hewitt
1 de January de 2010 to ● 6:18 pm
Hello Anneka, my name is Shirley Hewitt and we are making a challenge type programme on the Costa Blanca in Spain. I am a volunteer for animal rescue groups and at the moment I am trying to help a refuge run by young Spanish people. The dogs are kept in derelict buildings with now windows, electricity, drains, one tap, leaking roof etc. Half of the dogs are inside for 23 and a half hours a day. A local English TV company SOL Productions is filming us at the moment. We are waiting for some land from the Town Hall and we are hoping to get building companies and local people to donate building supplies and also to help build us a new refuge. I am writing to you to see if you can help us in anyway. A german couple who rescue dogs and work with groups in Germany have taken over 40 dogs from APADAC and found homes for them. On the Finca Lucendum website, http://www.lucendum-animals.org on the news pages you can see the dogs stories (you can go back to previous months) The APADAC website is http://www.protectora-apadac.org. It is a large project and SOL Productions will be filming each step we take over the next few months. Happy New Year to you, Shirley 0034 965971829 639718309 shihew@gmail.com
2 | mark mair
25 de January de 2010 to ● 7:43 am
Hi wonder if you could helpp us by attending our fund raising event for search and rescue helicopters
mark
3 | simonh rowden
15 de November de 2010 to ● 10:19 am
hi there would it at all be possible for a signed photograph of your self. thank you very much simon
4 | Cecil R. J. Humphery-Smith
23 de November de 2010 to ● 6:28 am
Having seen your interviews and comments on TV and in the Press, I felt I should send you a line of good wishes for your future. It is so many years ago since the show under the direction of dear Daphne Wallace.
I retired this year after 50 years at the helm of the Institute in Canterbury, but am hardly retired.
Best wishes for your future,
Cecil
5 | simon rowden
30 de November de 2010 to ● 10:12 am
hello there.sorry to be forward and needy,i recently wrote a message to an 80′s tv presenter to ask a question about the series they were in.when i got a reply by post i received back a signed photograph by them which i wasn’t expecting which was a nice suprise.i showed this to people at work and they said i should have ago at getting autographs from tv presenters of our childhood era and have them put on a board at work to brighten the place up and for the youngsters to say who is that for us to tell them that they were our entertainment when we were growing up.
i would deeply appreciate it if you could send me a signed photo of yourself so that i could put it with the others i receive and make the collection larger.
thank you for your time. simon rowden.
simon rowden
29 redwood close
witham
essex
cm8 2pl
6 | Barbara Meek
7 de January de 2011 to ● 4:06 pm
Hello Anneka,
I was talking to some of my students about you today, I was telling them that you were now a artist and that I thought that you sold your work. I have been unable to find anything on the web. do you sell or exibite your art?
regards
Barbara
7 | rob savill
13 de April de 2011 to ● 6:04 pm
Hi Anneka, I so miss seeing you on the TV! Is there any chance of you appearing again please ? Id love to see you personally, so if you intend doing any public events this yr, could you please post this as soon as you know when & where, so I can come to this & see you, if we could talk that would make my day ?
Any events will suffice, but if they can be in the SE england, that would oblige?
Take care, regards to yourself & your children, who must be grown up somewhat by now?
Rob
8 | Peter
24 de June de 2011 to ● 2:06 pm
Wow – saw you just now on The One Show. I remember you Treasure Hunt-ing at Goonhilly… how long ago? You haven’t changed a bit – just as gorgeous!
9 | Tina Mendolia
7 de January de 2012 to ● 3:03 pm
My mum is from Swansea and she was was at school with a boy called Keith Rice who she thinks looked like you – she wants to know if he could be your father? He maiden name was Pat Evans.
10 | Chris Francis
20 de January de 2012 to ● 11:45 am
Hi Anneka
Caught you on Cash in the Attic (satellite) and learned that you are now a.professional artist. Therefore as President of the United Society of Artists, I invite you to submit pictures for our Annual Open from April 17th to 21st at the Menier Gallery. Handing-in day is Sunday 15th April from 10am to noon.
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