Biography

October 25, 1957 · St Pancras, London, England, UK

Elizabeth Sarah Greene

5′ 3″ (1.60 m)

Mike Smith and Sarah Greene were seriously injured on 10 September 1988 when the helicopter that Mike Smith was piloting crashed in Gloucestershire. Mike Smith broke his back and an ankle; Sarah Greene broke both legs and an arm. Both made full recoveries. They became engaged soon after the accident and were married the following year. Mike Smith was cleared of blame after an investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority.

At age 22, became the youngest ever presenter of the long running children's series Blue Peter (1958).

Sarah and Mike met during the first London Marathon in 1981. Sarah was working for Blue Peter and Mike was a Radio broadcaster.

Daughter of Marjie Lawrence and Howard Greene.

Her sister Laura Greene is also a sometime television presenter, and was previously a weather presenter.

I was 22 when I joined Blue Peter, the youngest presenter they'd had then. My audition was terrifying. I was a trained actress but instead of playing a part, I just had to be me, which I had no idea how to do. That was the greatest gift the show gave me: learning to feel comfortable in my own skin.

Presenting had never been part of my plan. I was in a BBC Sunday night drama called The Swish of the Curtain (1980) and was interviewed on Blue Peter (1958). Unbeknown to me, one of the hosts, Tina Heath, was leaving, so they asked me to audition. My agent said, 'Do not do this. You will get sucked into presenting and never act again.' So when I was offered the job, I panicked over whether to take it. My mum was working in the West End with Richard Briers, and he said: 'Darling, do it - it's regular work.' That's the best advice I've ever been given.