Carry On star Julie Stevens dies aged 87

Julie Stevens was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019

Play School presenter and Carry On actress Julie Stevens has died aged 87, her daughter has confirmed.

The children's TV presenter - who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019 - died on 5 December, according to a statement from her daughter Rachel New on Monday.

Ms New, the radio presenter and podcast host, said: "Julie Stevens will be remembered for her joyful spirit, her ability to make every child feel seen, and her lasting legacy in the world of children's television."

She leaves two children, four grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Julie Stevens and Brian Cant on the set of Play School in 1971

Born on 20 December 1936, in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, it was Stevens winning a talent contest aged 20 that led to a contract with the former broadcaster ABC Television Limited.

She joined the cast of spy series The Avengers in 1962 as nightclub singer Venus Smith, who would help Patrick Macnee's character John Steed in his missions, before she was picked to play Gloria in 1960s comedy film Carry On Cleo.

In 1964, her daughter said she was heavily pregnant with her first child Daniel when she auditioned for children's programme Play School.

The popular show made its debut during BBC Two's launch in April 1964, and ran until March 1988.

It shaped the childhood of millions and catapulted many of its presenters to fame, including Rick Jones, Brian Cant, Johnny Ball, Toni Arthur and Floella Benjamin, a presenter, actress and writer and now a Liberal Democrat peer.

Stevens was also known for comedy shows Girls About Town and and children's comedy show Cabbages And Kings as well as Play Away, a series for older children, and appeared on Holby City.

She was also a personal assistant and later the manager of former Goon Show comedian and Oliver! actor Sir Harry Secombe's.

Stevens, who lived between Provence, France and London, was married to presenter John White, whom she divorced in 1974, before marrying actor and theatre director Michael Hucks, in 1980 until 2001.

She moved back to the UK in 2016 to be near her daughter, who said the last few years were difficult "but she faced it as she did all challenges, with good humour and great charm".