Claire Rayner

Claire Rayner OBE (born Claire Berenice Berk, January 22 1931) is a British journalist best-known for her role for many years as an agony aunt.

Born to Jewish parents in London, she originally trained as a nurse at King's College London. She was awarded an OBE in 1996 for services to women's issues and to health issues. Rayner is a noted humanist and has served as President of the British Humanist Association.

She remains a Vice-President of the British Humanist Association, a Distinguished Supporter of the Humanist Society of Scotland and an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society. She is also a prominent supporter of the British republican movement.

She is president of The Patients Association and is the author of a chapter in The Future of the NHS (2006) (ISBN 1-85811-369-5) edited by Dr. Michelle Tempest. Her autobiography How Did I Get Here from There? was published in 2003, and revealed details of a childhood marred by physical and mental cruelty at the hands of her parents. The writer Jay Rayner is her son.

Claire's son Adam Rayner is a motoring journalist who appears on BBC Breakfast to comment on motoring topics. He is also currently Editor of Talk Audio, an on-line magazine dealing with car audio and in-car entertainment. Adam is married with one son and lives in North London.

On 4 January 2007, she hosted an episode of the BBC 4 radio quiz, "The Personality Test".

She is an Honorary Associate of the UK's National Secular Society. Rayner was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 at the age of 71. She became a breast cancer activist in order to promote the work of the charity Cancer Research UK.

Claire is delighted to be an Ambassador for Hearing Concern in the charity’s Diamond Jubilee year.

“I feel that this charity represents people like me who have been part of the hearing world for most of their lives and have suddenly found themselves having to cope with a hearing loss. It changes your perspective on things which is why I am so pleased to be able to help Hearing Concern raise awareness of this hidden disability and get rid of the taboo that sounds the deaf and the hard of hearing once and for all.”