Trisha Goddard
Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person
Patricia Gloria Goddard (born 23 December 1957) is a British television presenter. From 1998 to 2010, she presented the talk show Trisha, which was broadcast in a mid-morning slot on ITV, before later being moved to Channel 5. She also hosted an American version of her eponymous show, which ran from 2012 until 2014.
Goddard began her career in Australia hosting the children's show Play School (1987–1998) on ABC TV, and presenting the current affairs programme The 7:30 Report (1988–1990) on the same network. In 2010, she was a conflict resolution expert for the American talk show Maury. In 2021, Goddard began presenting on talkRADIO, and went on to join its television equivalent TalkTV when it launched the following year. In 2022, she fronted a revival series of the dieting show You Are What You Eat on Channel 5.
In 2020, Goddard was a contestant on the twelfth series of Dancing on Ice. In 2025, she appeared as a housemate on the twenty-fourth series of the reality show Celebrity Big Brother. Goddard has been diagnosed with breast cancer twice, in 2008 and 2023 respectively, and is the patron of several charities.
Early life
Patricia Gloria Goddard was born in Hackney, London on 23 December 1957, the daughter of Agnes Fortune, an auxiliary nurse from Dominica, and an unknown father.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She did not discover that the white man who raised her was not her biological father until after her mother's death, though he was the biological father of her three sisters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In her late-50s, Goddard set out to find details of her biological father after a genetics expert insisted that her skin colour made it almost impossible for her to have a white father.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As a child, she was educated at an independent school for expatriates in Tanzania, after which she returned to England to attend primary school in Heacham, Norfolk. She then joined Sir William Perkins's School in Chertsey, Surrey, which was a voluntary controlled Church of England girls' grammar school at the time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Career
Goddard's early career as a flight attendant led to travel writing for magazines and then, after settling in Australia in the mid-1980s, she embarked on a career in television.<ref name="play school">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She worked there as a television presenter, most notably on ABC's The 7.30 Report, and also as a host of the children's programme Play School.<ref name="report">Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1998, after returning to the United Kingdom, Goddard became the host of an ITV flagship daytime chat show, Trisha, produced by Anglia Television.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She launched her own independent television production company, Town House TV, with former Director of Programmes and Production for ITV Anglia, Malcolm Allsop.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September 2004, Goddard left ITV to join Channel 5 in which her show was relaunched and given the new title Trisha Goddard, which made its network debut on 24 January 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Similar in style to the previous iteration, it focussed on relationships, families in crisis, and reunions. The show was produced by Town House Productions. In the early stages of the show, it was observed that repeats of her ITV show continued to achieve higher ratings than her new programme on Channel 5.<ref name="Guard1">Template:Cite news</ref> In January 2009, Channel 5 announced it would not be renewing her contract, for financial reasons. The final episode of her chat show aired in December 2010.<ref name="Guard1" /><ref name="trisha">Template:Cite web</ref>
A parody of Goddard was portrayed by comedian Leigh Francis in the Channel 4 sketch show Bo' Selecta!, which Goddard said her children suffered from bullying as a result.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Goddard made several appearances as a panellist on ITV's Loose Women from 2002.<ref name="lw">Template:Cite web</ref> She appeared as herself in satires of her chat show in various television shows. In 2003, a specially-shot clip of her show appeared in the ITV religious fantasy drama The Second Coming.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2004, she filmed two short scenes for the romantic zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead. Both scenes were filmed on the set of Trisha. In 2004, a facsimile version of her show was featured in the first episode and last episodes of the third series of sitcom Fat Friends, where she interviewed the "slimming group" consisting of the main characters, where Betty (Alison Steadman) unintentionally revealed her secret that she had given up a baby at the age of fifteen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The episode showed the director telling Goddard to remain on Betty and wait until she revealed her secret.<ref name="fat friends">Template:Cite web</ref> Her show was also featured on a Comic Relief episode of Little Britain where the character Vicky Pollard met up with her long-lost father.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For a What Not to Wear Christmas special aired on 22 December 2004, Goddard was given a fashion makeover by Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She appears very briefly in the 2006 Doctor Who episode "Army of Ghosts" in a parody episode of her own show entitled "I Married a Ghost".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2006, Goddard appeared as a guest on the BBC's The Kumars at No. 42 and was also the guest host for an episode of the second series of The Friday Night Project, for Channel 4.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Goddard also had her own talk show on Liverpool radio station City Talk 105.9.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Goddard also made an appearance on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? raising up to £75,000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She also made an appearance on the BBC show Shooting Stars in 2010.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Also that year, she began to make occasional appearances on the American talk programme Maury as a consultant and a guest host.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In October 2011, NBCUniversal Television Distribution announced that the network would launch an American version of her eponymous talk show to start in September 2012.<ref name="trisha goddard">Template:Cite web</ref> In April 2014, it was announced that the programme had been cancelled after two seasons.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In August 2017, Goddard guest hosted the Channel 5 programmeThe Wright Stuff for five episodes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She was a regular panellist on Channel 5's Big Brother's Bit on the Side.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In February 2018, Goddard appeared on an episode of BBC One game show Pointless Celebrities, appearing alongside Katie Derham.<ref name="pointless">Template:Cite web</ref> In January 2020, Goddard took part in the twelfth series of Dancing on Ice. She was paired with Łukasz Różycki.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They were the first couple to be eliminated from the competition after the judges chose to save ITV News presenter Lucrezia Millarini and her skating partner Brendyn Hatfield.<ref name="doi">Template:Cite web</ref> In February 2021, Goddard appeared on Piers Morgan's Life Stories.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In March 2021, it was announced Goddard would present a revival series of You Are What You Eat, which aired the following year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In August 2021, she served a guest presenter on Jeremy Vine during Vine's absence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The same year, she joined Talkradio and began presenting its television station equivalent, TalkTV from April 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In August 2024, Goddard appeared as a guest presenter on Good Morning Britain.<ref name="gmb">Template:Cite web</ref> In April 2025, Goddard entered the Celebrity Big Brother house to appear as a housemate on the twenty-fourth series.<ref name="cbb">Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
Relationships and family
Goddard has three younger sisters, Pru, Paula, and Linda.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her youngest sister, Linda, battled schizophrenia and died in 1988 from complications arising from self-inflicted injuries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Goddard has cited this as one of her inspirations in becoming a mental health activist.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She has also suffered her own mental health issues, having battled addiction and attempted suicide on at least two occasions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Goddard has been married four times and divorced three times. Her first marriage was to Robert Nestdale, an Australian politician and erstwhile director of Unicef Australia; whom she met in 1985 whilst working as a flight attendant.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The marriage was short-lived: Nestdale was rumoured to be gay, and died from AIDS in 1989.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Goddard has recorded that Nestdale was abusive to her during their relationship.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> She met second husband Mark Grieve, a television producer, in 1987 and they were married in 1993. They had two children together and separated in 1996.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her third husband, Peter Gianfrancesco, worked as a mental health services professional. They married in 1998, with Goddard's children taking their stepfather's surname. The couple divorced in 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Goddard has been based in the United States since 2010. In January 2022, Goddard announced on social media that she and her partner of four years, Allen, whom she often colloquially refers to as "Boo", had got engaged.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They married in August of that year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Goddard resides in Connecticut, U.S.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Health
Goddard has been diagnosed with breast cancer twice. First, in 2008, the cancer was treated and cured.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2023, Goddard was diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time, however, this time it was stage IV.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In February 2024, she announced the diagnosis and revealed that it was treatable but not curable.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In August 2024, Goddard spoke about her diagnosis, saying that she initially kept it quiet as she just wanted to work and be [herself].<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Template:Abbr |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–1998 | Play School | Presenter | <ref name="play school"/> |
| 1988–1990s | The 7:30 Report | Presenter | <ref name="report"/> |
| 1998–2010 | Trisha | Presenter | <ref name="trisha"/> |
| 1999 | Late Lunch | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="film">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1999 | Good News Week | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 1999 | An Audience with... Diana Ross | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 1999 | Stars in Their Eyes | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2000 | Aladdin | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2002 | TV Nightmares | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2002–2003 | Trisha: Extra | Presenter | <ref name="trisha"/> |
| 2002–2003, 2014, 2019, 2021 | Loose Women | Guest panellist; 13 episodes | <ref name="lw"/> |
| 2003 | RI:SE | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2004 | Fat Friends | 2 episodes | <ref name="fat friends"/> |
| 2004, 2019–2020 | This Morning | Guest; 11 episodes | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2004 | Have I Got News For You | Guest; 1 episode | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2004 | Shaun of the Dead | Cameo role | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2005 | The Most Outrageous TV Moments Ever | Presenter | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2005 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? | Contestant; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2005 | Comic Relief | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2005 | Kelly | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2005 | Out of Africa: Heroes and Icons | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2005, 2007, 2010, 2013 | This Week | Guest; 4 episodes | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2005, 2017–2018 | The Wright Stuff | Guest / Presenter; 7 episodes | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2005–2007 | 8 Out of 10 Cats | Guest; 4 episodes | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2006, 2012 | Harry Hill's TV Burp | Guest; 2 episodes | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2006 | Britain's Psychic Challenge | Presenter | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2006 | Doctor Who | Episode: "Army of Ghosts" | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2006 | Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2006 | The Friday Night Project | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2006 | Never Mind the Buzzcocks | Guest; 1 episode | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2006 | 1 Leicester Square | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2006 | The Kumars at No. 42 | Guest; 1 episode | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2006 | Saturday Night with Miriam | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2006 | The Story of Light Entertainment | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="film"/> |
| 2006 | The Best of the Worst | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="film"/> |
| 2006 | Family History | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="film"/> |
| 2007 | I Blame the Spice Girls: The Monster Quiz of the Decade | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="film"/> |
| 2007 | Jackie Magazine: A Girl's Best Friend | Guest; 1 episode | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2007 | Life without Lost | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="film"/> |
| 2008–2009 | The One Show | Guest; 2 episodes | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2008 | Al Murray's Happy Hour | Guest; 1 episode | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2008 | Would I Lie to You? | Guest; 1 episode | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2008 | Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong | Guest; 2 episodes | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2009 | Plus One | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2009 | Question Time | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2010 | The Funny Side Of... | Episode: "Chat" | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2010 | The Alan Titchmarsh Show | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2010 | Daily Cooks Challenge | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2010 | Shooting Stars | Guest; 1 episode | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2010 | Maury | Conflict resolution expert | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2012–2014 | The Trisha Goddard Show | Presenter | <ref name="trisha goddard"/> |
| 2012 | Daybreak | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2017 | Me and My Mental Health | Documentary | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2017–2021, 2024 | Good Morning Britain | Guest / Guest presenter | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2017–2020, 2024 | Lorraine | Guest; 5 episodes | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2017–2018 | Big Brother's Bit on the Side | Panellist | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2018 | Pointless Celebrities | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="pointless"/> |
| 2019, 2021 | Jeremy Vine | Guest / Presenter; 13 episodes | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2020 | Dancing on Ice | Contestant; series 12 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2020 | The Ned Late Late Show | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2020 | Newsnight | Guest; 1 episode | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2020 | When TV Guests Go Horribly Wrong | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2021 | Piers Morgan's Life Stories | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2021 | Sky News at Ten | Presenter | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2021 | Sky News Tonight | Presenter | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2021 | Sky Midnight News | Presenter | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2021 | Sky World News | Presenter | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2021 | Reliable Sources | Guest; 1 episode | <ref name="filmography"/> |
| 2021 | 1000 Years a Slave | Presenter | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2022 | You Are What You Eat | Presenter | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2022 | Blankety Blank | Guest; 1 episode | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2022–present | TalkTV | Presenter | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2023 | Piers Morgan Uncensored | Guest; 1 episode | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2025 | Celebrity Big Brother | Housemate; series 24 | <ref name="cbb"/> |
References
External links
- 1957 births
- Black British television personalities
- English children's television presenters
- English expatriates in Australia
- English expatriates in the United States
- English people of Dominica descent
- English women television presenters
- English television talk show hosts
- Living people
- People educated at Sir William Perkins's School
- People from Surrey