Reporter Audrey found diet fame

TRIBUTES have been paid to a former Accrington Observer reporter who went on to created the famous F-Plan diet.

Audrey Gray, whose married name is Eyton, was just 16 and straight out of school when she got a job as a young reporter.

After three years at the Observer, Audrey moved to London where she worked for Woman magazine.

She later became its beauty editor where she became interested in dieting before giving up work to have children.

Audrey found fame in 1982 when she penned The F-Plan Diet which became an instant bestseller.

She passed away at her home in Canterbury on Monday, July 1, at the age of 82.

The news was confirmed by a trustee at the Matthew Eyton Animal Welfare Trust, which was set up for Eyton’s son.

The trustee said Eyton was “razor sharp, extremely funny, and utterly unique”.

She said: “She will be missed by all of us who knew her.”

Speaking to the Observer in 2013, Audrey said she fondly remembered her time at the newspaper.

She said: “I did enjoy it but my goodness they worked us – we might do three evenings a week and Saturdays as well.

“I would have gone and dug coal if they asked me to as well though.

“We had to go to amateur dramatics in the evenings as well.

“And you had to call at undertakers and call at people’s houses in your district who’d died to get the details and in those days they’d say would you like to come and see him.

“I remember seeing three dead people in one morning once.”