Diane-Louise Jordan has shown compassion toward her false accuser.,,,
Jesus-loving presenter Diane-Louise Jordan’s smiling TV persona hides heartbreak and insecurities her faith has helped her overcome.
Diane-Louise, Blue Peter’s first black presenter, has been the epitome of television bubbliness during a career in which the 62-year-old also featured as one of the happy faces fronting Songs of Praise.
But she’s revealed previously that such broadcasting roles in a high-profile industry can leave people feeling “really, really insecure”, and credited her faith with helping her cope “because my anchor (is) in Jesus”.
Her Christianity also brought her through a three-year court case nightmare, after she was falsely accused of verbally and physically attacking the girlfriend of her former son-in-law.
Her accuser, Kayla Thomas, was eventually convicted of perverting the course of justice and given an 18-month suspended sentence and a ten-year restraining order, but not before subjecting the presenter to years of legal torment.
Diane-Louise told the Daily Mail: “It’s been like living in a nightmare, watching my reputation being ruined.
“I’ve always been an optimist, whose cup isn’t just half-full, it’s overflowing, but for the first time I now know how people can feel depressed and hopeless. It felt like an insidious poison that overwhelmed me.
“I look in the mirror and I can see the impact etched on my face.”
She began shunning invitations to public appearances for fear people would stare at her in judgement, and says the case has harmed her charity work.
Throughout the ordeal her accuser – the girlfriend of the father of her grandchildren – made accusations in public, which was devastating for such a private woman.
A little-known legal mechanism called a Public Information Notice allowed the lies to be levelled without any evidence, and Diane-Louise has since gone public to highlight the “unfair” procedure.
Typically, though, her faith fostered compassion for her accuser.
“I was feeling so anxious about what her sentence was going to be. She’s a mother, and it’s so important for mothers to be there for their children.
“Of course, there were times I wanted her to go to prison for what she put me through. But I felt huge relief when she wasn’t given a custodial sentence.”
Her forgiveness comes from her faith. “It’s been my lifeline. Regardless of the circumstances you’re in, it brings a sense of peace.
“Forgiving her is for me, too. I don’t want to be eaten up by feeling vengeful and hating anybody.”
Earlier this year, Diane-Louise launched The Making of Black Britain digital archive which is compiling life stories and experiences at themakingofblackbritain.org
