Teacher in TV row breaks her year's silence

Maths teacher Marian Painter became famous as the Ilkley woman seen by millions when she starred in an episode of Ready Steady Cook alongside celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott at the beginning of 2002.

It was widely but wrongly reported in national and local newspapers, as well as on television news, that Mrs Painter was off work with a broken thumb when filming for the programme had taken place the previous November.

At the time, the national press and television was full of the lurid details of a trial of a young Canadian teacher accused of having sex with pupils. She was later acquitted.

Then another bombshell broke when it was revealed that a supply teacher, who had taught at Ilkley Grammar, had featured on Channel Four speaking about her thriving sex life.

Mrs Painter now feels she was swept up in the wake of the sex scandals, giving her story much more national prominence than it deserved.

Now the media frenzy has died down, Mrs Painter, who still lives in the area, has agreed to put forward her side of the story in the hope that the people who had been misled by the lurid headlines will see the situation as it really was.

Mrs Painter, 47, is originally from Kent where she started her teaching career. In early 1982, she moved to Ilkley, seduced by the wonderful hilly countryside of northern England, to teach maths and PE.

She said: "My best memories are maths lessons with those pupils who found the subject difficult. Their progress for me was the most rewarding.

"Many of the most exciting moments have been at athletics and cross-country events. I believe Ilkley Grammar School still holds the 4x100 senior boys relay record. That was some day."

In 2001, Mrs Painter should have been enjoying her senior position as Head of Year after almost 20 years at the school but there were problems on the horizon.

She said: "I am an enthusiastic and positive person by nature and I became frustrated by the intransigence of many of the management processes.

"As Head of Year I had responsibilities for monies donated for school fund, fund raised for charity, and year group social functions.

"I became concerned about the accounting of this money. This led to greater concerns about the financial situation at the school and despite letters to both the headmaster and the chairman of governors, I felt my concerns went unheeded."

In September 2001 Mrs Painter went on sick leave. She was diagnosed as suffering from work-related stress.

Some of her fears over school finances were realised in December that year when the Gazette reported that £20,000 worth of cheques donated by parents and businesses were discovered at the school after the six-month deadline for cashing them had passed.

The school was forced into the humiliating position of having to write to people who had donated money for extra-curricular activities such as trips and music lessons asking to re-send their cheques.

Education Bradford, the private company running the district's education system, later said that the school had not been following the proper accounting procedures.

Mrs Painter said: "The financial 'crisis' hitting the headlines in December 2001 had a devastating effect on my health."

She had earlier applied to go on Ready Steady Cook and completed the filming, fully expecting to have recovered her health and be back at work before it was screened.

"It was like a nightmare coming true," said Mrs Painter, who had by then resigned from her job as Head of Year.

She said: "I even had parents question as to whether my resignation had been in some way mixed up with the financial problems. I could not believe that my integrity in that area could possibly be questioned."

But her continued absence from school, because of the health setback, meant that the television programme would go out when she was still off work.

Mrs Painter said: "For several years watching Ready Steady Cook had been my way of de-stressing at the end of a day. The idea to apply was to celebrate my sister's 50th birthday.

"I took this decision in April 2001. There was no problem with the decision as I made it well in advance of my absence from work. Other circumstances that were not in my control created the subsequent problems. I had hoped to return to work in the new year."

"The medical profession fully support that to aid recovery from stress-related illnesses one should not hide away but to lead an active life as far as possible."

To compound her distress at the time, Mrs Painter had crushed her thumb in a boating accident, an injury which has led to permanent restricted use of her right hand.

She said: "I had no concerns about publicity. I knew many pupils watched the programme but problems arose when my television appearance was reported alongside a 'sex scandal'.

The school then informed me through the media that I was being 'investigated'. When Look North reported that '15 minutes of fame could have cost her, her job' I was devastated."

After that Mrs Painter has received verbal harassment about the affair from both adults and children in the town who have said she should have been back at work. But she remains convinced that any adverse reaction to her from the people of Wharfedale is out of character.

She said: "That reaction wasn't normal, I have never had a run- in with a parent that has not been reconciled. I have so much respect for parents I have had dealings with. I can't think of a time when I have fallen out, but people have had problems trying to support me because they haven't understood."

She was determined to set the record straight that she was not off sick, as reported in the press, just with a broken thumb, and did not resign because of any direct connection with appearing on television.

"It was the manner in which the school handled the situation, my concerns for the future of the school and education in general that prompted my resignation.

"I do not feel confident that I can now offer the support to the school that would be expected of me," said Mrs Painter.