Anthea Turner says she ‘was cancelled before we even had the word’ and thought her career was over after having affair with a married man

Anthea Turner has said that after having an affair while married to ex-husband Grant Bovey, it ‘was called off without us even knowing’.

The 65-year-old television presenter had been married to Radio 1 DJ Peter Powell for eight years when she left him for friend and property developer Grant in 1998.

Grant left his wife Della and their three daughters, aged two, four and six at the time, to live with Anthea, resulting in him being labeled a ‘homewrecker’.

Reflecting on this part of her life in a new interview, Anthea described it as a ‘tough period’ and admitted that she feared her career would end because she was deprived of all the opportunities.

‘I was ‘canceled’ before we even knew it,’ he said Mirror. ‘When I went through a difficult time, yes, I was definitely pushed aside; ‘It’s over, it’s over, I couldn’t be arrested.’

He explained that when the scandal was finally over and ‘came back into the light’ he realized the TV industry had changed.

The 65-year-old television presenter was married to Radio 1 DJ Peter Powell for eight years and left him for friend and property developer Grant in 1998 (they were seen together in 2008)

“Unless you were a gardener, a cook, an interior designer or an expert in history or wildlife, you were stuffed,” Anthea recalled. ”I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m probably done with this.”

She and Grant were together for 15 years and married in 2000, then split in 2012 when she discovered Grant was having an affair with interior designer Zoe de Mallet Morgan.

Although they reconciled for a short time, the couple completely separated in 2013 after Anthea discovered that he was continuing to see Zoe, then 24 and 26 years younger than Grant, and they divorced in 2015.

But the Celebrity Big Brother star said looking back he was glad the marriage ended because it gave him “emotional and professional freedom”.

Anthea said: ‘After my divorce I reacquainted myself. The me I am now in my sixties is much closer to the me I was in my thirties, but now I have the golden ticket to the experience.

‘I did everything I could to keep my marriage to Grant together, but if I had stayed in it, I wouldn’t be the woman I am now with the freedom I have emotionally and professionally.’

She insisted she was on ‘good terms’ with both her ex-husbands and said: ‘There are absolutely no hard feelings. Grant and I have had some great years, Peter and I have had some great years too.’

Evaluating the reactions she previously received due to her relationship with Grant, Anthea said: Telegram: ‘I stood by that, because when people leave and say, ‘There’s no one else involved in this,’ you know damn well there is.

‘I asked a lawyer friend of mine to give a statement because otherwise they would have investigated and something would have come out.’

He admitted: ‘Looking back now, it was a series of unfortunate events.’

But despite his infidelity, the former Blue Peter star insisted she has no regrets marrying Grant.

She and Grant were together for 15 years, marrying in 2000, then splitting in 2012 when she discovered Grant was having an affair with interior designer Zoe de Mallet Morgan, then 24 (she was seen with Grant in 2013).

He still remains close to Grant’s children, Amelia, Lily and Claudia, and declared ‘nothing has changed’ in their relationship following the divorce last year (he was seen with Lily in 2019)

‘As my relationship continues to deteriorate like this, I can understand why some people think I’m serving my time,’ he said. ‘But I loved Grant and I can’t regret the 15 years we spent together. ‘There were very happy times.’

She added to the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden in 2023: ‘I’m a glass-half-full woman and I’m always thinking about all the good things that have come from our marriage.

‘People who walk around with a lot of regret and blame can never move forward properly. ‘I’m moving on, I’m not a natural calmer and I think it’s a female sense of survival.’

Anthea previously revealed that she wrote a letter to Grant, begging him to understand how menopause was responsible for her behavior in their marriage, without knowing that Grant was cheating on her with a 24-year-old boy.

He said his commitment to his job made it difficult to have a proper conversation with his ex, so he tried to put the changes he was experiencing on paper.

She remains close to Grant’s children, Amelia, Lily and Claudia, and last year said “nothing has changed” in their relationship following the divorce.

‘They’ve been in my life since they were two, five and six,’ she told OK. ‘When their father, my ex-husband Grant, and I broke up, I have to admit I thought, ‘Oh my God…’ because you never know what’s going to happen when a relationship ends.

‘But nothing has changed with the girls and me. Claudia lived with me for a while after sharing her home with her friends.

‘It’s a great relationship; especially considering it’s not the umbilical cord. ‘No one forces us, we are in each other’s lives because we truly love each other.’

She too became a grandmother after Claudia and Lily held their baby boy in their arms and proudly declared: ‘I am Grandma Anth! ‘I couldn’t be happier.’

Fast forward to today, Anthea found love again with millionaire businessman Mark Armstrong, and the couple got engaged during a romantic trip to Italy in 2019.

Fast forward to today, Anthea found love again with millionaire businessman Mark Armstrong, and the couple got engaged during a romantic trip to Italy in 2019 (they were spotted last year)

She recently gushed that she had been ‘given a second chance at love’ and said she still felt positive about marriage despite their divorce, saying that she and Mark were planning to marry this year after it was delayed due to Covid and her mother’s death.

However, following her infamous ‘Flake Gate’ wedding to Grant, she insisted she would opt for a smaller ceremony this time.

Anthea and Grant’s lavish wedding in 2000 sparked outrage after the couple were posed eating Cadbury’s Flake chocolate bars at a promotional event.

They were reportedly paid £450,000 for the embarrassing photos, which fans roundly criticized and mocked.

Reflecting on this extravagant day 26 years later, Anthea admitted that it was ‘not even close to what I wanted’ and stated that big ‘flashy’ weddings were now falling out of fashion.

During an appearance on Vanessa Feltz’s Channel 5 show in February, he said: ‘It was so over the top. I actually look back now and remember thinking: “This isn’t me, I really don’t want it to be this big. This wasn’t even close to what I wanted.”

‘But I just sort of got into it all and it got bigger and bigger and bigger and then of course I got a chocolate bar shoved in my face and then that was the end of it all.’