Jenni Murray


Dame Jennifer Susan Murray, is an English journalist and broadcaster, best known for presenting BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour between 1987 and 2020.
She is married, for the second time, with two grown-up sons.

Early life

Murray was born in Barnsley in Yorkshire and attended Barnsley Girls High School, a grammar school, leaving with A levels in French, English and History. She has a degree in French and Drama from the University of Hull.

Career

Murray joined BBC Radio Bristol in 1973 before becoming a reporter and presenter for local news programme South Today. She was a newsreader and later one of the presenters of the BBC's Newsnight television programme for two years from 1983, before moving to Radio 4 to present the Today programme. She took over from Sue MacGregor as presenter of Woman's Hour in 1987. She has also presented Radio 4's The Message and written for magazines and newspapers including The Guardian, Daily Express and the Daily Mail.
She has written several books, including
Murray married her first husband Brian Murray when she was 21 years old. She later married David Forgham. She has two sons.

Views

Murray has been criticised for alleged transphobic viewpoints. Writing for the Sunday Times in March 2017, Murray penned an article headlined "Jenni Murray: Be trans, be proud – but don't call yourself a 'real woman'." Rachel Steins, campaigns director for Stonewall, criticised Murray's views as "reductive and hurtful."

Health issues

On 21 December 2006, Murray announced at the end of Woman's Hour that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She informed her audience that her prognosis was good; she did indeed return early in 2007. She reported that the most emotionally upsetting moment was losing her hair, and used this as an item on the centrality of hair to definitions of femininity.
In 2008, she had a hip replacement following avascular necrosis.
Murray had a sleeve gastrectomy in June 2015, and had lost over by October of that year.

Honours

Murray was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to broadcasting in 1999 and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2011 Birthday Honours.
In 2007 she was awarded a Doctor of Letters honorary degree from the University of St Andrews in recognition of her major contribution to broadcasting, journalism and writing.
In March 2012 she was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Salford to recognise her contributions to the media industry as well as the growing links between the University and its neighbours at Salford Quays.
On 5 November 2019 Murray was awarded an honorary degree in Doctor of Letters from the University of Chester. This was in recognition of her outstanding contribution to journalism and broadcasting.

Charities

In November 2007 it was announced that Murray had been named patron of British medical research charity, Breast Cancer Campaign. She is also patron of the Family Planning Association, vice-president of Parkinson's UK and a supporter of Humanists UK.