Wincey Willis – Death, Cause of Death, and Career Highlights

Wincey Willis, the broadcaster who became ITV’s first female national weather presenter, died in December 2024 at the age of 76. News of her passing emerged publicly several months later, in June 2025, prompting renewed interest in a television career that broke new ground for women on British screens.

Born Florence Winsome Leighton in Gateshead, Willis joined TV-am in 1983 and quickly became a household name. Her bright presentation style and colourful knitwear made her a familiar presence in living rooms across the country throughout the 1980s.

Her death followed a long illness with frontotemporal dementia, a condition she was first diagnosed with in 2015. After her diagnosis, she withdrew from public life and returned to north-east England, settling in Sunderland.

What was Wincey Willis’s cause of death?

Multiple sources report that Willis died from frontotemporal dementia, a progressive neurodegenerative condition. The Sun, in its obituary, stated that she passed away following a battle with dementia. A Facebook memorial post from the sixties.timemachine page also cited frontotemporal dementia as the cause.

Detailed medical circumstances surrounding her death have not been publicly released. The Radio Times noted the announcement delay, reporting that the news of her death was not made public until June 2025, several months after she had died.

Reports vary on the exact date of death. Some sources cite 18 December 2024, while others — including the English Wikipedia entry — give the date as 19 December 2024. The later date is the more commonly referenced.

Overview of key facts

Key insights about Wincey Willis

• Willis was a pioneering female weather presenter, becoming the first woman to present national weather forecasts on ITV.
• She died after a battle with frontotemporal dementia, a lesser-known and less common form of dementia.
• Beyond weather presenting, she appeared regularly on the Channel 4 adventure game show Treasure Hunt as an adjudicator.
• Despite her public television profile, details about her personal life — including her husband and whether she had children — remain scarce in major published sources.
• No comprehensive English-language biography has been published, and the English Wikipedia entry remains brief, limiting accessible information for a wider audience.

Key facts at a glance

Who was Wincey Willis’s husband?

Willis married journalist Malcolm Willis in 1972, according to Eastern Eye and The Sun. The marriage later ended in divorce, and some biographies note that she continued to use the surname Willis after the separation.

Available obituaries do not identify a later husband or partner. Reports also differ or remain unclear about whether she had children. No reliable obituary evidence establishes a surviving spouse or children at the time of her death.

What is known about her private life

After her dementia diagnosis in 2015, Willis returned to north-east England and lived in Sunderland, largely away from the public eye. The move marked a clear withdrawal from the television world in which she had built her career.

The lack of detailed information about Willis’s later relationships and family is consistent with her decision to live privately after her diagnosis. Public figures who step away from the spotlight often leave minimal personal records in accessible sources.

Malcolm Willis: a brief note

Malcolm Willis, also a journalist, was married to Wincey for a period beginning in 1972. Beyond the fact of the marriage and its eventual divorce, no further biographical details about him appear in the top search results or major obituaries.

What was Wincey Willis famous for?

Willis is chiefly remembered as a television pioneer. She joined TV-am in 1983 and became the first woman to present national weather forecasts for ITV. Her work on Good Morning Britain — the TV-am breakfast programme — brought her into millions of homes each morning.

Weather presenting on ITV

At a time when national weather presenting on British television was dominated by men, Willis’s appointment marked a significant step forward. International Business Times described her as a pioneer who opened national television weather presenting to women. Her on-screen warmth and distinctive knitwear became her trademarks.

Treasure Hunt and beyond

She later served as an adjudicator on Channel 4’s adventure game show Treasure Hunt, working alongside presenter Anneka Rice and host Kenneth Kendall. Reports place her involvement mainly from 1984 or 1985 until 1989. The show, which sent contestants on location-based challenges, was a popular fixture of 1980s daytime television.

The exact start and end dates of Willis’s role on Treasure Hunt are not consistently reported across sources. Most accounts place her tenure between 1984 and 1989, but precise seasonal or episodic records are not widely available.

Later activities

After leaving regular television work, Willis authored books and was listed as an author on the Penguin Random House website. She also became involved with animal welfare and conservation causes, though details of this advocacy work are not extensively documented.

When did Wincey Willis die?

Willis died in December 2024, with the most commonly cited date being 19 December. Some reports give 18 December as an alternative. News of her death was not made public until June 2025, creating a delay that several media outlets noted in their coverage.

Timeline of her life and career

1. 8 August 1948: Born Florence Winsome Leighton in Gateshead, County Durham.
2. 1972: Married journalist Malcolm Willis.
3. 1983: Joined TV-am and became ITV’s first female national weather presenter.
4. 1984–1989: Served as an adjudicator on Channel 4’s Treasure Hunt.
5. 2015: Diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
6. Post-diagnosis: Moved to Sunderland, north-east England, and withdrew from public life.
7. 19 December 2024: Died at age 76.
8. June 2025: News of her death was publicly reported.

What is known and what remains unclear about Wincey Willis’s death?

While several facts about Willis’s death have been confirmed across multiple sources, other details remain uncertain or unverified.

Her date of birth, 8 August 1948, is confirmed by Wikipedia, IMDB, and multiple obituaries. The date of her death, 19 December 2024, is the most commonly cited across sources. She was ITV’s first female national weather presenter, a fact widely reported. The Sun and Wikipedia both report her diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia in 2015, and the cause of death is likewise stated to be frontotemporal dementia by The Sun and a Facebook memorial post.

Other aspects remain less clear. The exact diagnosis is reported by news outlets and social media but has not been confirmed by a medical statement or official family announcement. No verifiable information about a later spouse exists in top search results, and no reliable obituary evidence establishes surviving children. The exact location of her death has not been publicly reported, and the precise date varies slightly between 18 and 19 December 2024 across sources.

Where was Wincey Willis from?

Willis was born in Gateshead, County Durham, in north-east England. She was British by nationality. After her dementia diagnosis, she returned to the north-east and lived in Sunderland, a city near her birthplace, spending her later years away from the media spotlight.

Her connection to the north-east of England remained a consistent thread throughout her life. She grew up in the region, built her career nationally, and ultimately returned there in her final years.

Is there an English Wikipedia page for Wincey Willis?

Yes, an English Wikipedia page for Wincey Willis exists and is actively maintained. It provides a concise biography covering her birth name, birth and death dates, television career, and cause of death. A Hausa Wikipedia page also exists, confirming the same core biographical details.

“Wincey Willis, who etched her name in history as ITV’s first female national weather presenter, passed away following a battle with dementia.”

— The Sun obituary, June 2025

“Wincey Willis (8 August 1948 – 19 December 2024) She passed away from frontotemporal dementia in Dec 2024.”

— Facebook memorial post (sixties.timemachine)

“Wincey Willis (an haife ta Florence Winsome Leighton; 8 ga Agusta 1948 – 19 ga Disamba 2024)”

— Hausa Wikipedia

What is Wincey Willis’s legacy?

Willis is remembered as a pioneer who opened national television weather presenting to women in the UK. Her work on Good Morning Britain and Treasure Hunt made her a recognisable figure of 1980s British television. She is also remembered for her later advocacy connected with animal welfare and conservation. For readers interested in other prominent British television presenters, see Susanna Reid – Biography, Age, Relationships, Net Worth, who followed a similar path on ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

Frequently asked questions about Wincey Willis