Celebrities

TV Legend Who Lit Up Mornings With Her Jumpers and Joyful Spirit Has Sadly Passed

Published on June 20, 2025

Wincey Willis, the much-loved former breakfast TV weather presenter whose cheerful jumpers and infectious energy lit up millions of mornings, has sadly died at the age of 76 after a battle with dementia.

She made her mark in the early ’80s, joining Good Morning Britain in 1983 as ITV’s first national female weather presenter. Back then, weather reports were typically dry and matter-of-fact, but Wincey changed all that. With her bright outfits and even brighter personality, she brought a burst of life to the screen. She once said, “Most people don’t want to know about high pressure over the Azores,” pointing out that viewers just wanted to know if they’d need an umbrella, reports the Mirror.

Her lively style helped Good Morning Britain soar in popularity, overtaking BBC Breakfast Time. Viewers loved the chemistry between Wincey and the rest of the GMB gang, like Anne Diamond, Rustie Lee in the kitchen, and “Mad Lizzie” Webb leading fitness sessions. She even shared screen time with the cheeky Roland Rat from time to time, showing her fun-loving side went way beyond the weather charts.

But Wincey wasn’t just breaking the mould on-screen. She paved the way for other women in weather presenting, like Trish Williamson and Ulrika Jonsson, who followed in her footsteps. She was born in Gateshead in 1948, originally named Florence Winsome Leighton. Adopted by Florence and Thomas Dimmock, she picked up the nickname Wincey at school after kids playfully linked her middle name to the nursery rhyme Incy Wincy Spide, reported Liverpool Echo.

She left school at 16 and moved to France, where she not only completed her baccalauréat but also went on to study at Strasbourg University. Her media career kicked off behind the scenes at Radio Tees in the northeast after she returned to the UK in the ’70s. From there, her on-screen break came when she was asked to audition as a weather presenter for Tyne Tees TV. It didn’t take long before she landed her own show on Granada called Wincey’s Pets, combining her love for animals with her growing TV fame.

By the mid-80s, she was popping up on big shows like Treasure Hunt with Anneka Rice, but things took a turn in 1987 when she left TV-am following a contract dispute. After that, her presence on television gradually faded.

In the years that followed, Wincey dedicated herself to conservation work, volunteering her time to help endangered species across the globe. She also returned to her radio roots, hosting shows on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, and later for BBC Hereford and Worcester.

Her marriage to Malcolm Willis, which began in 1972, ended in divorce. In her later years, Wincey lived more quietly, bravely facing dementia. She died in December, though news of her passing has only just been made public.

Her warmth, charm, and trailblazing spirit left a lasting mark on British television. For many who watched her in the mornings, she was a comforting and cheerful presence who made the weather something to smile about.

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