My mother, Jennifer Secombe, who has died aged 70, had a distinguished career in public relations. She was a natural communicator, leading her team in an office full of cake, laughter and press releases.
Working in Entertainment Publicity for BBC television from 1985 until 2001, she was responsible for a huge range of output, including Dad’s Army, Only Fools and Horses, Birds of a Feather, Bread, Keeping Up Appearances, One Foot in the Grave, The Fast Show and Last of the Summer Wine. She launched the BBC iterations of The Comic Strip Presents … and Men Behaving Badly; shaped the profiles of numerous household names; and gave wise counsel to many producers and executives, among them Jim Moir, Robin Nash, Jon Plowman, Gareth Gwenlan and Geoffrey Perkins.
She was born to Myra (nee Atherton) and Harry Secombe, in the Gower, South Wales. Her father was an entertainer in the prime of his career and her earliest memories were of standing in the wings on Broadway. The eldest of four children, she loved her siblings, Andrew, Katy and David, dearly and reminisced about idyllic family holidays in Barbados.
After leaving Nonsuch school, Cheam, Surrey, and a few years living in Spain, in her 20s Jennifer began working in PR in London for Theo Cowan. There she met Jane Harker, and later they set up JJ Enterprises together, handling PR for many of the agent Stella Richards’ clients.
Jennifer then met Christopher Stock, also a publicist; they married in 1976 and had three children. When the marriage ended, Mum combined the demands of full-time work and single parenthood, rearing three children under the age of six. She worked at the Yvonne Arnaud theatre in Guildford before finding her true vocation at the BBC.
In 1998 she met Alex Giannini, an actor. They married within a year and lived in London together, although Mum often accompanied Alex on tour abroad. When she called time on her BBC years in 2001, she became freelance, and when she retired a few years later, it was to a beautiful farmhouse by the sea with Alex, where she focused on writing fiction. The following years were joyous; she cherished the arrival of six grandchildren and they adored their “Glammy”.
In 2015 Alex died suddenly of a heart attack. Mum’s health fluctuated, and she was diagnosed with giant cell arteritis, which culminated in strokes and the loss of her ability to walk. Last year, she was also diagnosed with diverticular disease. Throughout, Mum somehow found great reserves of spirit and hope.
She is survived by her children, Harriet, Emily and me, her grandchildren, Harry, Molly, Megan, Ethan, Bella and Jasper, and her siblings.
