TV legend Anthea Turner has opened up on how "lucky" she is to have survived a horrifying pyrotechnic accident, which went out live on air. The presenter recalled the time she was nearly killed on a children's TV show, when a pyrotechnic display accidentally exploded in her face during a motorbike stunt gone wrong.
She began her career on UP2U, a children's TV show broadcast live from Manchester on Saturday mornings in the early 90s, where the accident happened. Speaking exclusively to the Daily Express over Zoom, she said: "I have to say, my goodness me, had I sat literally a few more inches nearer to the pyrotechnic, it would have done some proper damage to me. Had I sat slightly toward the centre of the tailgate, and I’m talking inches here, centimetres, the motorbike would have just gone into the back of my head. So I was so lucky." Despite still being here to tell the tale, Anthea was scarred in the freak incident. One of her hands is whiter than the other after several layers of skin were burnt off.
The 65-year-old star said: "My hair disappeared, my fringe, lashes and eyebrows were gone,” she remembers of the horrific moment. “But I just rolled on the floor and it all just happened so quickly.
"I remember getting taken away to a tent and looking in the mirror and thinking ‘Oh my God’, so it was quite frightening. But obviously, I’m thankfully here to tell the tale. But only just."
If there was one thing to come out of it, it’s that she has become the public face of health and safety at the BBC. Anthea joked: "I’m on the BBC safety video!"
Anthea is currently teaming up with CORGI to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Thunderbirds, inviting fans to relive one of TV’s most memorable moments, her legendary build of Tracy Island.
As part of the anniversary commemorations, Anthea has dusted off her original Tracy Island and has given it a facelift, including a repair of Thunderbird 2’s back doors and reinvigorating the palm trees. In the video, which she posted on her Instagram account.
The CORGI Thunderbirds 60th Anniversary Collection is available to purchase now on uk.corgi.co.uk
