Wincey Willis death: ITV’s first female weather presenter

There was something about Wincey Willis that made you stop and watch — the cheerful way she delivered the weather in bright hand-knitted jumpers, a warm presence on breakfast TV long before it became routine. She was ITV’s first female national weather presenter, a quiet pioneer who broke into a male-dominated slot on Good Morning Britain back in 1983, and this article traces her career, her struggle with dementia, and the legacy she leaves behind.

Born: 8 August 1948, Gateshead, County Durham ·
Died: 19 December 2024, age 76 ·
Cause of death: Dementia ·
Known for: ITV’s first female national weather presenter, TV-am, poetry reading

For a quick reference, here are the key facts about Wincey Willis.

What happened to Wincey Willis?

Wincey Willis passed away on 19 December 2024 at the age of 76, following a long battle with dementia. The news was publicly reported several months later in June 2025, when The Independent (UK newspaper) and other outlets confirmed her death. The delay between her passing and the public announcement caught many fans off guard.

Death from dementia

• Willis died after a diagnosis of dementia, according to The Independent.
• IBTimes UK (news outlet) reports some sources identify the condition as fronto-temporal dementia, though not all reports specify the subtype.
• One secondary report suggests she was diagnosed as early as 2015, while another suggests 2016 (80s Heaven (fan history site)).

The pattern: Two different suspected diagnosis years and two possible dementia subtypes mean the exact timeline of her cognitive decline remains blurry. What is certain is that her later years were lived away from television cameras.

Public response and tributes

• TV-am’s official channels shared tributes highlighting her role as a “bubbly, colourful presenter” (BRMB Birmingham Facebook (regional station)).
• The Telegraph (UK newspaper) published a full obituary noting her conservation work and broadcasting legacy (The Telegraph).

The implication: Her death was marked with warmth from the industry, but the delayed announcement meant many viewers learned of it months after she had already gone — a quiet exit for someone who spent years waking up the nation.

What was Wincey Willis’s real name?

Her birth name was Florence Winsome Leighton. She was born in Gateshead, County Durham, on 8 August 1948, Wikipedia (encyclopedia) confirms. The name “Wincey” was a stage name she adopted early in her broadcasting career.

Birth name: Florence Winsome Leighton

• Born in Gateshead, a town in County Durham in northeast England.
• The IMDb biography (film database) lists her full name and birthplace.

The catch: While the factual record of her birth name is straightforward, the reason she adopted “Wincey” is not widely documented — and most obituaries skip over it entirely.

How did Wincey Willis become famous?

Willis rose to national fame when she joined TV-am’s Good Morning Britain in 1983 as the weather presenter, becoming the first woman to hold that role on a national ITV network. She was spotted while working at Tyne Tees Television, a regional ITV franchise, Radio Times (UK TV guide) reports.

Early career on TV-am

• She replaced Commander David Philpott as the weekday weather presenter on Good Morning Britain (The Telegraph).
• Was scouted by ITV deputy editor in chief Clive Jones while still at Tyne Tees (The Independent).
• A clip of her presenting was reportedly sent to then-director Greg Dyke, who hired her immediately, per IMDb biography (though this detail has a lower confidence level).

The trade-off. She stepped into a role that had been held by a man — and did it with a personal style defined by colourful knitwear and a warm, unscripted delivery. That contrast helped make her a household name.

Who was the first female weather presenter?

This question has two correct answers depending on which network you mean. On the BBC, the Met Office credits Barbara Edwards as the first female weather presenter on British television, starting in the 1970s. On ITV, the first female national weather presenter was Wincey Willis.

Barbara Edwards — BBC’s first

• Barbara Edwards is widely cited by the Met Office as the first female weather presenter on British television (The Independent).
• She debuted on BBC in the 1970s, years before Willis appeared on ITV.

Wincey Willis — ITV’s first

• Willis held the title “ITV’s first female national weather presenter” (The Independent).
• Her role on Good Morning Britain made her a pioneer within the commercial network.

Other pioneers — Lucy Martin

• Lucy Martin is a BBC weather presenter who is open about her physical disability — a separate milestone in breaking representation barriers in weather broadcasting.

Why this matters. Wincey Willis wasn’t the very first woman to read the weather on UK television, but on ITV’s national feed she was the trailblazer — and that distinction matters because ITV’s breakfast franchise reached millions of households that didn’t tune into the BBC.

What does Wincey Willis do now?

Wincey Willis had long since retired from television by the time of her death. Her later years were spent out of the public eye, away from the cameras and the colourful jumpers that once defined her on-screen persona.

Later years and retirement

• She retired from television after her weather presenting career wound down in the 2000s.
• She also presented Channel 4’s Treasure Hunt and read poetry on-air, though details of those appearances are sparse (BRMB Birmingham post).

Health battle and passing

• Diagnosed with dementia in either 2015 or 2016 (sources vary).
• Died on 19 December 2024.
• Her death was publicly confirmed in June 2025 by multiple outlets.

The pattern. A pioneering TV figure who spent decades in the spotlight spent her final years almost entirely unknown to the audience she once woke up every morning. That gap between public fame and private decline is the hardest part of her story.

“She was one of the most colourful and bubbly presenters of her era, and she will be greatly missed.”

— TV-am tribute, via BRMB Birmingham

“Willis was a pioneer for women on breakfast television, bringing warmth and personality to a job that had previously been a military man’s domain.”

— The Independent obituary

Frequently asked questions

The trade-off. Many common questions about Wincey Willis’s personal life remain unanswered simply because she kept that part of her life private — a rarity in today’s social-media age, but characteristic of a broadcaster from a different era.