ITV's first female weather forecaster Wincey Willis dead at 76
ITV's trailblazing weather forecaster Wincey Willis has died at the age of 76 following a battle with dementia.
ITV's first female weather presenter Wincey Willis has died aged 76.
The trailblazing forecaster passed away in December 2024 following a battle with dementia but her death was only made public on Wednesday (18.06.25).
Wincey - who was known for her blonde hair, bubbly character and colourful knitwear - became the channel's first female weather forecaster on national TV when she was hired to join Good Morning Britain in 1983 and was credited for bringing a brighter approach to weather reporting during a period when the small screen often had a gloomier style.
She told the Liverpool Echo of her approach to the job: "Most people don't want to know about high pressure over the Azores. All they care about is whether they need their umbrella."
Wincey - born Florence Winsome Leighton in 1948 - was seen as blazing a trail for other female forecasters such as Ulrika Jonsson, who started out on breakfast TV before moving into other programming.
As well as breakfast TV, Willis starred on the show Treasure Hunt with Anneka Rice and also devised a board game titled The Weather Game.
She left the small screen in 1987 and concentrated on wildlife conservation - also starring in pantomime and penning the books It's Raining Cats and Dogs and Greendays.
At one point, Wincey lived in a tent in Greece for six months as she guarded a turtle population while her TV appearances became increasingly rare.
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies took to social media to pay tribute to Willis as he recalled how she sought him out after she was mentioned in his series Queer as Folk.
He wrote on Instagram: "That's a sad loss! I mentioned Wincey in the dialogue of Queer as Folk 2, and she hunted me down!
"She got hold of my email address just to tell me how delighted she was to be mentioned! She was absolutely hilarious and full of joy, what a lovely woman.
"We corresponded for years, having a wonderful laugh, she was a hoot. And what a great career! Adored her. Well done, Wincey, night darling."
