Anthea Turner has revealed the toll her affair with ex-husband Grant Bovey took on her career, admitting she was “cancelled” long before the term even existed. In an emotional reflection, the 65-year-old television presenter recounted how her high-profile relationship and subsequent divorce from Grant, after he left his wife and children for her, led to being shut out from the media and TV industry for years.
In a candid interview with The Mirror, Anthea described the affair as a “difficult time” and recalled fearing that her career had come to an end. “I was ‘cancelled’ before we even had the word,” she said, admitting that after the scandal, she couldn’t get a job in the industry. “Once it all happened, I felt completely pushed aside. I couldn’t get arrested.”
The drama unfolded when Anthea left her husband, Radio 1 DJ Peter Powell, for property developer Grant Bovey in 1998. The affair became a public spectacle, and Anthea was labeled a “homewrecker” after Grant left his wife and three young daughters to be with her. It was a time when Anthea feared she would never be able to bounce back from the public backlash.
But after years of quiet reflection and eventually walking back into the spotlight, Anthea found that the industry had changed—and so had she.
Looking back, she said, “I remember thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, that’s probably me done,’ but the TV world evolved, and I came back, with a little more perspective.” Though she doesn’t regret the 15 years spent with Grant, the affair and its aftermath have shaped the woman she is today. “After my divorce, I met myself again. The woman I am now is so much closer to the one I was in my thirties, only with more experience.”
Anthea’s resilience is clear—she’s moved on from her past without bitterness and built new relationships with Grant’s children, maintaining a strong bond with them despite the upheaval. As for her future, Anthea is set to marry again. She’s engaged to millionaire businessman Mark Armstrong, and despite the challenges of her past, she remains hopeful and positive about love.
In a final twist of irony, Anthea now looks back at her infamous “Flake Gate” wedding to Grant, a lavish affair that sparked public ridicule after they posed with Cadbury’s Flake bars for a promotional tie-in. Reflecting on that extravagant day, she admits, “It was so much bigger than I wanted. I was caught up in the whole thing, and it just spiraled.”
But today, Anthea is looking forward to a smaller, more intimate wedding with Mark, saying the big flashy weddings are “falling out of fashion.” With a second chance at love and a new outlook on life, Anthea Turner has truly found her personal and professional freedom.
