Kathryn Apanowicz

Kathryn Apanowicz
Born (1960-06-03) 3 June 1960 (age 64)
Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Occupation(s)Actress, presenter
Years active1971-present
PartnerRichard Whiteley (1994–2005; his death)

Kathryn Apanowicz (/əˈpænəvɪtʃ/ ə-PAN-ə-vitch;[1] born 3 June 1960) is a British actress and presenter.[2] Apanowicz grew up in Horsforth, Leeds, with a brother, Stephen. Her father was a Polish RAF pilot in the Second World War. She first became involved with television at the age of eleven when she presented a junior-aimed programme on ITV, before joining Calendar and then turning to acting.[3]

Apanowicz is best known for her 1980s television appearances in the BBC soap operas, Angels,[2] where she played Nurse Rose Butchins, and EastEnders, where she played the caterer Magda Czajkowski.[4] She has also had minor roles in Emmerdale and Coronation Street,[2] and, as a child, appeared in the film Bugsy Malone.[5] Before being cast in these shows, Apanowicz had worked in children's programmes for Yorkshire Television with Mark Curry.[6]

In the early 1990s, she worked at cable channel Wire TV and launched the channel on 4 May 1992.[7] She presented its talk-based magazine programme Afternoon Live.

In 2000, she enjoyed a regular stint as one of the presenters of ITV's daytime magazine show for women, Live Talk. She is both a presenter for BBC Radio Leeds, and a guest presenter for BBC Radio York.[8][9]

From 1994 to 2005, Apanowicz was the partner of Countdown host Richard Whiteley.[10] Whiteley died on 26 June 2005 aged 61 after a failed emergency operation due to endocartitis. After his death, she published a biography of Whiteley titled Richard by Kathryn.[11] Apanowicz donated three pairs of Whiteley's spectacles to optical charity Vision Aid Overseas (VAO), who sent them with a team of optical professionals to Ethiopia, where they were fitted to three locals with the same prescription. The BBC followed this story on their Inside Out programme which was broadcast on 19 September 2007.[12]

Apanowicz became friends with Whiteley's Countdown co-host Carol Vorderman. In July 2008, Apanowicz made numerous appearances in the British media lambasting Channel 4 bosses for their refusal to negotiate an acceptable pay deal with Vorderman, which had resulted in her departure from the show.[13]

  1. ^ "Wire TV Bristol 'Afternoon Live' with Kathryn Apanowicz 1993". Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "'Richard wasn't perfect'". The Scarborough News. 26 September 2006. Archived from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Kathryn Apanowicz – You can count on me Richard". The Mirror. 2 December 2000. ProQuest 338498594.
  4. ^ Perry, Chris (2013). The Kaleidoscope British Christmas Television Guide 1937–2013. Birmingham: Kaleidoscope. p. 202. ISBN 978-1-900203-60-9.
  5. ^ "Kathryn Apanowicz". bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  6. ^ "YTV 40 years...the golden years". Yorkshire Evening Post. 22 July 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  7. ^ YouTube: Wire TV opening 4 May 1992
  8. ^ "All change at BBC Radio York". York Press. 16 December 2005. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  9. ^ Barker, Dennis (28 June 2005). "Obituary: Richard Whiteley". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  10. ^ Stokes, Paul; Iggulden, Amy (8 March 2006). "The women in and out of Whiteley's will". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  11. ^ "Richard By Kathryn by Kathyrn Apanowicz". penguin.com.au. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  12. ^ Katie Baldwin "A star in their eyes...", Yorkshire Evening Post, 19 September 2007
  13. ^ Tom, Richmond (5 March 2009). "Bosses should leave numbers to Carol, says Mr YTV's partner". The Yorkshire Post. ProQuest 335361630.