Leila Williams was born in 1937 in Walsall, England. She rose to prominence at age 20 when she won the national Miss Great Britain title at the Morecambe contest, which qualified her to represent Great Britain at the Miss World pageant later that year in London, where she competed but was unplaced. Her parents’ names are not publicly documented.

The following year, at 21, she became the first female Blue Peter presenter, co-presenting with Christopher Trace. Williams recalled Michael Bond being a cameraman on the very first episode, and that she did not expect even to be invited back again.

Williams left Blue Peter at the start of 1962, after being made redundant by Clive Parkhurst, a newly appointed producer, with whom she did not get on. She recalled that “he could not find anything for me to do.” Williams is the only Blue Peter presenter of whom no footage survives, as episodes were either not recorded or were erased due to the BBC’s wiping policy at the time.

Leila gave up the television industry and stayed at home to look after her husband Fred Mudd and their young daughter, Debra. She and Fred eventually moved into the pub business, running The Liverpool Arms at Kingston-upon-Thames and the Royal Oak at Surbiton. She retired to Spain and still sends Blue Peter a birthday card every year.