Diane-Louise Jordan was born on 28 June 1960 in Hackney, London. Her parents came over to England from Jamaica in the 1950s and were part of the Windrush generation. She grew up in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Her parents were concerned about the family being subjected to violence in London and relocated when Diane was around four years old.

She studied theatre arts at Rose Bruford College and worked as a stage actress after graduating. Starting out in acting following a dare from her school classmates to audition, it was in 1990 when she was discovered and selected to appear on Blue Peter, becoming the first Black presenter of the show. She appeared on the children’s series Corners, where she was spotted by Blue Peter editor Lewis Bronze.

When Diane decided to move on from Blue Peter, the show dedicated two whole shows to her departure — a first in the programme’s history. After Blue Peter, she took up a position on Songs of Praise on BBC One, where she spent two decades. She also hosted The Sunday Hour on BBC Radio 2.

Jordan is a Christian. She married violinist Giles Broadbent in July 2007 at the chapel of Rugby School, Warwickshire. Giles died in September 2023. Diane is a single parent to daughter Justine, whom she adopted in the wake of her sister’s tragic death in 1988. In December 2023, Loughborough University awarded her an honorary degree in recognition of her outstanding contributions to broadcasting.