Monica Rose

Monica Angela Rose (11 February 1948 – 2 February 1994) was a British TV quiz show hostess on Double Your Money and The Sky's the Limit, both presented by Hughie Green.

Monica Rose
Born
Monica Angela Rose

(1948-02-11)11 February 1948
London, England, UK
Died2 February 1994(1994-02-02) (aged 45)
Leicester, England, UK
Cause of deathDrug overdose
OccupationGame show hostess
Years active1963–1977
Height4 ft 9 in (1.45 m)[1]
Spouse(s)
Terry Dunnell
​
​
(m. 1982; her death 1994)​

Biography and showbusiness career

Rose was born in White City, London in 1948. Her father was a London Underground train driver and mother a cleaner at White City Stadium. In 1963, at the age of just 15, whilst working as a young accounts clerk, she was given tickets for a recording of the Hughie Green quiz show called Double Your Money. The show offered a choice of 42 subjects and offered £1 for the answer to a question given by the host with the chance to double their money from £1 up to a maxmimum of £32. The top prize was £1,000. Rose was plucked from the audience to take part and despite only winning £8 (on her chosen subject of 'Famous Women') she had the personality to persuade Green (he was "impressed by her cockney charm and manner") to invite her back as a guest hostess on the show six weeks later. She stayed for three years until leaving although returned to the show before it was taken off air in July, 1968 as a result of the broadcaster, Associated-Rediffusion, losing their franchise later that month.[2]

She later worked on The Sky's the Limit which was first broadcast on 10 July, 1970 until 5 July, 1974. This was a travel-themed version of the show Double Your Money. The questions were based on geography and the top prize was 21,000 air miles and £600 in spending money (equivalent to £9,349 in 2019)[3]

In December 1966, Rose performed a duet with her co-presenter Hughie Green which was recorded on the 'B' side of the single 'Cuddle up Baby' called 'Clap Your Hands'.[4]

Personal life

Rose left show business in 1977 and was admitted to hospital three years later suffering from a nervous breakdown. In 1982 she married Terry Dunnell a Baptist lay preacher and officer of a religious group called the Frontier Youth Trust. Dunnell wrote several books on christianity including Mission and Young People at Risk: a Challenge to the Church written in 1985. Monica became a Christian and settled with him in Leicester where she worked as a checkout operator in a supermarket. She paid regular visits to a local young offenders' centre up until 1993.[3] After battling depression, Rose committed suicide by overdosing on antidepressants and tranquillisers in 1994.[5][6]

References
  1. Monica Rose Obituary www.independent.co.uk Retrieved 27 June 2020
  2. Monica Rose Obituary www.independent.co.uk Retrieved 27 June 2020
  3. Hayward, Anthony (11 February 1994). "Obituary: Monica Rose". The Independent. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  4. Clap Your Hands by Hughie Green and Monica Rose www.discogs.com Retrieved 8 September 2020
  5. "Celebrity's suicide". The Independent. 17 March 1994. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  6. Randall, David (22 June 2008). "Whatever happened to Monica Rose after doubling her money?". The Independent. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
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