5th April 1979 - 23rd June 1980
Presented with Simon Groom, Christopher Wenner and Sarah Greene.
When Tina was chosen to replace Lesley Judd she was already a familiar face on television, having appeared in the 1978 (73 and 75 actually) children's series Lizzie Dripping, based on the books by Helen Cresswell. In the series Lizzie was supposed to be 12 years old, but in reality Tina was 20!
Tina had also appeared in the Play for Today: The Linden Tree by J.B. Priestly and in the Look and Read drama Cloud Burst (both in 1974), and the series Target and The Sweeney.
During her time with the show, Tina is probably best remembered for being the first Blue Peter presenter to become pregnant, which caused a huge amount of interest amongst viewers.
On 19th June 1980, Tina made television history. Her doctor came to the studio to show how it's possible to see how a baby is developing with an ultra-scan device, which was still a relatively new procedure. In a film report Tina was also seen being taught how to bathe a baby.
Tina left the show on 23rd June and on Monday 22nd September Jemma Victoria Cooke was born, twelve days late but healthy at 7lbs 8oz. On 10th November mother and daughter visited the studio. Tina and Jemma returned in 1993 for the show's 35th birthday, when Jemma was aged 13. Jemma also provided many of the vocals for the 2002 Blue Peter Christmas special as well as vocals for a Eurovision special.
In September 1981 Tina returned for a rather raunchy (well, by Blue Peter standards) edition joining Sarah Greene for a report where they modelled corsets throughout the ages. She also played Miss Dripping (gettit?) in Blue Peter's 2001 panto A Rock n'Roll Christmas.
Tina is a committed Christian - one of her first jobs was as part of The Sunday Gang, a religious programme. Recently, she has read passages from the bible for a range of audio books.
Top Blue Peter moment: Having an ultra-scan live on the show and climbing to the top of Westminster Abbey whilst heavily pregnant.
