Edwina Currie
Edwina Currie was born in Liverpool, UK in 1946 and went to
the same school as Beatles George Harrison and Sir Paul
McCartney. Much of her education was spent in the Cavern
Club listening to their music. She won a scholarship to
Oxford University to read Chemistry; surrounded by Nobel
prize winners, she switched to Philosophy, Politics and
Economics. Also present (1968) was William Jefferson Clinton,
hiding behind a beard. She took her Master's degree in economic
history at the London School of Economics, an experience
which turned her into a life-long Conservative.
Edwina has had three successful careers - so far! After a decade
of public office in the city of Birmingham, she stood for
Parliament in 1983 and represented a Midlands seat for 14
years. She became one of the nation's best known MPs and
served in Margaret Thatcher's government 1986-88, in the
Department of Health. She became famous for her campaigns
on heart disease, women's cancer screening and the promotion
of healthy lifestyles. She was also involved in the first
AIDS campaign in the UK that saved many lives. She resigned
over food safety (salmonella) in December 1988, and turned
down John Major's request to return to government in 1992.
By then she was involved with career number two - writing.
This has turned out to be a lot easier than politics, and
in some ways loads more fun. In all she has published ten
books. She started with non-fiction, then turned to novels
which were instant best-sellers in the UK. Her "Diaries
1987-1992" were published in 2002 (paperback October 2003)
to excellent reviews. Career number three started after
the General Election in 1997 which trashed the Tories and
brought Mr Blair to power. Edwina lost her seat, and was
promptly offered a job by the BBC.
For five years she had her own very successful radio programme,
"Late Night Currie," with live phone-ins and reportage on
topical issues. She is also a TV presenter, most recently
for "Currie Night" for HTV in 2002 and 2003. During May/June
2004 Edwina has appeared in "Hell's Kitchen" and was also
winner of BBC TV's "Celebrity Mastermind 2004." In ITV's
"The Big Call" July 2005 she helped one contestant win £20,000
and another almost £50,000 on Britain's National Lottery.
In 2006 Edwina appears in both Celebrity Stars in Their
Eyes and Celebrity Wife Swap. Edwina has been called "the
best communicator the Tories have," and "a brash and energetic
life force." Her life to date has been summed up by fellow
writer and MP Sir Julian Critchley: "Edwina Currie has a
brass neck, a silver tongue and a golden pen."
