Anneka Rice thought break would make her ‘un-famous’

Anneka Rice thought she would stop being famous when she took a break from the spotlight.
The 61-year-old television presenter became a household name in the 1980s before taking several years away from the industry in the mid-90s, when she decided she wanted to focus on raising her children – Thomas, 31, Josh, 30, and Sam, 20 – instead.
And now, the ‘Challenge Anneka’ star has revealed she thought her break would make her "un-famous", and was shocked when people still remembered who she was.
Speaking during an appearance on ‘This Morning’ on Wednesday (18.03.20), she said: "I had a lovely year out, yes. Bringing up my kids and just sort of grounding myself. Pressing that reset button that we’ll all be doing so much more of at the moment. And it was lovely, I had a lovely year out, but it’s really funny that thing because actually you don’t become un-famous. I just presumed if I disappeared off the telly, I’d become un-famous but it just doesn’t work like that, because of course when you’re on telly you are in everyone’s homes."
Now, Anneka has moved into trying her hand at stand-up comedy, and says she finds it "touching" that so many of her fans are people who grew up watching her on TV in the 80s and 90s.
She added: "What’s so gratifying and sweet now is people in their 30s who have grown up with me, you know, there’s still that audience out there. Which is why, now I’ve started doing this stand-up comedy, it’s so particularly touching when the audience are 30 year olds who go ‘Oh, I grew up with you’."
Anneka’s latest comedy show, ‘My Head’s In Wookey Hole’, is being broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Friday (20.03.20), and the star has explained the title of the show was inspired by her waxwork figure, the head of which is now located in the English tourist town.
Explaining the title, she said: "Oh, that was my next stand-up comedy. I had a waxwork in Madame Tussauds, and I was really proud of it. And then Channel 4 came round to interview me about the honour, and they said ‘And how do you feel now you’ve been melted down, and your head’s in Wookey Hole?’ If you Google Wookey Hole you’ll see all these shelves of decapitated heads just left there. It was such a strong image, and I just thought it was a gift for comedy."