Jenni Murray showed great kindness when in the 1990s I was an occasional guest on Woman’s Hour, discussing the novels I had written around issues including motherhood and dieting.
She taught me all about radio – how in the green room you should never touch on the subject you had been brought in to talk about, so as not to throw away your best lines. I also learned from her always to turn off your mobile phone before going into the studio. Occasionally she forgot to herself, much to the consternation of her producers.
She never rushed off at the end of a show, often staying on for a glass of wine in the BBC canteen.
Jenni was very human and big-hearted. When I was on the committee of YOUcare, a charity supporting the Young Oncology Unit at the Christie hospital in Manchester, Jenni was the speaker at our first fundraising dinner, all pro bono, and she was marvellous – very funny, and everyone loved her. Because of her we went on to hold more dinners and raised a great deal of money.
