TV-am’s health legend Lizzie Webb says present was NOT the joyful household it seemed to be with ‘egos and resentment’ behind the scenes

Health teacher ‘Mad’ Lizzie Webb has revealed the present was not the joyful household it seemed to be.

TV-am first hit screens in 1983 and had a bunch of well-known faces on display screen together with Anne Diamond, Nick Owen, Jayne Irving, Lorraine Kelly and Mick Morris.

Lizzie, 74, who appeared on the present till 1992, has claimed ‘egos and resentment’ precipitated points behind the scenes. 

She advised the Sunday Categorical: ‘On air it seemed just like the presenting staff at TV-am was a cheerful household, nevertheless it wasn’t. The camaraderie did not exist in actuality.

‘In a short time my health slot grew to become standard and in about 1986 David Frost stated that TV-am scores and a survey confirmed I used to be the preferred presenter. So maybe there was resentment in the direction of me from these sitting on the couch.

‘However Nick Owen and Mick Morris had been completely beautiful. I would gone from educating, the place you labored collectively and instantly I used to be on this planet of tv with all these egos and folks not talking to you.’  

Lizzie joined the present 1983 with a purpose to compete with Diana Moran ‘the Inexperienced Goddess’ on the rival BBC One present Breakfast Time.

Till the present led to 1992, the health guru led viewers by means of two each day exercises and launched pop movies reminiscent of Pop Dance with Lizzie, Shake-out with Lizzie and lots of extra.

Lizzie additionally starred in her personal Channel 4 tv collection within the Eighties and Nineties, referred to as ‘Joggy Bear’ which was based mostly on a youngsters’s character created by Simon Gould.

In 2018, she appeared on Unfastened Ladies the place she advised how she created Creativity In Sport in 2003 which presents steerage for youngsters with behavioural difficulties.

TV-am ended its ultimate broadcast on December 31 1992 after 9 years and 10 months on the air. 

Regardless of being absent from our screens for 30 years – in 1993 TV-am misplaced its franchise to GMTV, who introduced in new presenters – Lizzie remains to be steadily recognised on the road.

The odd joker will method her and begin doing star jumps. ‘Then I am going to get flash, kick my leg up excessive and say, ‘Do this, then!’ she says, blue eyes twinkling. A dance trainer, she will be able to nonetheless do the splits, though that is simply ‘an occasional get together trick’.

Then there are the passers-by who ask if she’s the Inexperienced Goddess. ‘I’ve a inventory reply: ‘No, I am the opposite one’.’ That was Diana Moran, now 83, the BBC’s Breakfast Time health guru, in opposition to whom Webb was employed to compete in 1983.’

She was this beautiful, statuesque lady in a inexperienced leotard and TV-am should’ve thought, ‘We want somebody utterly totally different’,’ she says.

She received the gig as a result of the PA of channel boss Greg Dyke was a daily at one in every of her lessons on the Dance Centre in London’s Covent Backyard (the place Arlene Phillips and Bruno Tonioli had been additionally educating).

She really helpful Webb, enthusing about her ‘mad’ teacher’s wisecracking, high-energy type. The nickname caught and Webb has at all times embraced it, though she wonders whether or not it might be fairly as acceptable as of late. Was Moran her mortal enemy?

‘No! We have solely met on a few events. I do not know the way she considered me, however I’m grateful to her. I would not have had my job with out her.’