My client and friend John Singleton passed away from a stroke. It's a wonder that I ever appeared on children's television."The revelations about her sex life and long list of lovers shatter that strait-laced reputation.With her no-nonsense school ma'am manner, she became the subject of many a smitten schoolboy crush during her 10-year stint on the children's TV show.When Valerie quit her London flat to live in Dorset in 2005, she said: "I feel I'm leaving not just part of my life but a whole lifetime behind. 5:30PM BST 23 Jun 2008. "We were on an assignment out of London ... and after a day's filming we had a few glasses of wine at our hotel, and one thing led to another. Up-to-date lists for broadcast, cable and streaming seriesWe want to hear from you! She joined Blue Peter in 1962, the year I was born, and I was a massive fan of both the programme and Singleton throughout my formative years. In 1978, Singleton interviewed Joan Armatrading in Manchester for BBC1's current affairs programme Tonight In Town. He thinks he's got everyone fooled. When I was already a seasoned lesbian, in my late teens, the rumours began circulating that Singleton was also one, and, to add icing on the cake, had slept with Armatrading. She had a brief fling with Peter Purves while they were both presenting Blue Peter and he was "between marriages". I don't know how he gets away with it with the tabloids in London. I want to be in a club with those who neither deny their sexuality, nor try to dress it up as something sexually stimulating for the boys. Word was put around that after the interview, the two ended up in bed together, and swiftly embarked on a three-year love affair. Far from it. Then, we relied on rumours from "the community". But I suspect it wouldn't have worked.Then smirking Valerie chipped in: "That was another time."She said: "I am no goody-two-shoes. She was playing a lesbian, then running home to normality. "Many people confuse the notion of a lesbian icon with a women in the public eye who some women fancy. See what Valerie Singleton (sewvns) has discovered on Pinterest, the world's biggest collection of ideas. The relationship lasted four years. In the 1970s and 1980s, the height of Singleton's popularity, there were barely any out gay men and women. But even in the world of limited media snooping, Singleton was an enigma. Years ago, John took a chance on me to be his manager, in only a way John could do, he went from being a client, to a mentor and a friend in a matter of days. She doesn't sing about being in love with women, she sings about not having a boyfriend, or having her heart broken by one.
It was always that bit easier for male TV stars and celebrities, as they could play the camp role and become objects of affection. Valerie, who trained at Rada drama school, recalled a steamy session with Albert Finney at a party in Chelsea in the 50s, although she stopped short of full sex. In 1993 Singleton told a national newspaper that, "If you accuse me of something that I'm not, I get terribly upset - and I get terribly upset with this stupid, daft rumour. With Valerie Singleton's revelation this weekend that she is the "opposite of gay", another lesbian icon bites the dust.