View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Publishers
  2. Magazines
October 12, 2010

Claire Rayner – the 1,000-letters-a-week agony aunt

By Press Gazette

Claire Rayner, the former agony aunt of The Sun, the Sunday Mirror and Woman’s Own, has died at the age of 79.

At the height of her fame, in the 1970s and 1980s, she was said to receive 1,000 letters a week and to answer them all.

Her parting shot was: “Tell David Cameron that if he screws up my beloved NHS I’ll come back and bloody haunt him.”

Her husband Des said: “Through her work she helped hundreds of thousands of people and doubtless, by talking frankly about the importance of safe sex in the eighties when almost nobody else would discuss it, helped to save thousands of lives.

“Through her own approach to life she enabled people to talk about their problems in a way that was unique.

“Right up until her death she was being consulted by both politicians and the medical profession about the best way to provide the health services the nation deserved and nothing mattered to her more than that. Her death leaves a vacancy which will not be filled.”

Rayner began her career as a nurse and while on maternity leave to have her first child became a freelance journalist.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

As well as being a newspaper and magazine agony aunt she was prolific broadcaster and author of more than 90 books, both fiction and non-fiction.

Her family have asked that the media leave Mr Rayner to grieve in peace.

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network