Monica Rose
Monica Rose | |
---|---|
Born | Monica Angela Rose 11 February 1948 |
Died | 2 February 1994 Leicester, England, UK | (aged 45)
Cause of death | Drug overdose |
Occupation | Game show hostess |
Years active | 1963–1977 |
Height | 4 ft 9 in (1.45 m)[1] |
Spouse(s) | Terry Dunnell (m. 1982) |
Monica Angela Rose (11 February 1948 – 2 February 1994) was a British TV quiz show hostess on Double Your Money and The Sky's the Limit, both presented by Hughie Green.
Biography and showbusiness career[]
Rose was born in White City, London in 1948. Her father was a London Underground train driver and her mother a cleaner at White City Stadium. In 1963, at the age of just 15, whilst working as a young accounts clerk, she was given tickets for a recording of the Hughie Green quiz show called Double Your Money. The show offered a choice of 42 subjects and offered £1 for the answer to a question given by the host with the chance to double their money from £1 up to a maximum of £32. The top prize was £1,000. Rose was plucked from the audience to take part and despite only winning £8 (on her chosen subject of 'Famous Women') she had the strength of personality to persuade Green (he was "impressed by her cockney charm and manner") to invite her back as a guest hostess on the show six weeks later. She stayed for three years until leaving although returned to the show before it was taken off air in July 1968 as a result of the broadcaster, Associated-Rediffusion, losing their franchise later that month.[1]
She later worked on The Sky's the Limit which was first broadcast on 10 July 1970 until 5 July 1974. This was a travel-themed version of the show Double Your Money. The questions were based on geography and the top prize was 21,000 air miles and £600 in spending money (equivalent to £9,488 in 2020).[1]
In December 1966, Rose performed a duet with her co-presenter Hughie Green which was recorded on the 'B' side of the single 'Cuddle up Baby' called 'Clap Your Hands'.[2]
Personal life[]
Rose left show business in 1977 and was admitted to hospital three years later suffering from a nervous breakdown. In 1982 she married Terry Dunnell a Baptist lay preacher and officer of a religious group called the Frontier Youth Trust. Dunnell wrote several books on Christianity including Mission and Young People at Risk: a Challenge to the Church written in 1985. Rose became a Christian and settled with him in Leicester where she worked as a checkout operator in a supermarket. She paid regular visits to a local young offenders' centre up until 1993.[1] After battling depression, Rose took her own life by overdosing on antidepressants and tranquillisers in 1994.[3][4]
References[]
- ^ a b c d Hayward, Anthony (11 February 1994). "Obituary: Monica Rose". The Independent. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
- ^ Clap Your Hands by Hughie Green and Monica Rose www.discogs.com Retrieved 8 September 2020
- ^ "Celebrity's suicide". The Independent. 17 March 1994. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
- ^ Randall, David (22 June 2008). "Whatever happened to Monica Rose after doubling her money?". The Independent. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
External links[]
- Monica Rose at IMDb
- 1948 births
- 1994 deaths
- British game show hosts
- British television presenters
- Television personalities from London
- Drug-related suicides in England
- 1994 suicides