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Jo Frost

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Jo Frost
Frost in 2009
Born
Joanne Frost

(1970-06-27) 27 June 1970 (age 54)
London, England
NationalityBritish
Occupations
Years active1989–present (nanny)
2004–present (TV personality)
Known forSupernanny and related shows
Spouse
Darrin Jackson
​
(m. 2016)​
Websitewww.jofrost.com

Joanne Frost (born 27 June 1970) is an English television personality, nanny, and author. She is best known for the reality television programme Supernanny UK, in which she was the central figure. The show first aired in the United Kingdom in 2004 and she has branched off into several other reality shows in the United Kingdom, United States and the Netherlands. Family S.O.S. with Jo Frost addressed issues such as addiction and abuse. Frost has written six books on child care.

Early life

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Joanne Frost was born on 27 June 1970 in London, England.[1] She grew up with one brother[2] in Southwest London.[3][4] Her father was an English builder and her mother, born in Gibraltar, was an interior decorator. Frost had a happy, physically active childhood. Because her father was interested in history, she frequently visited a number of castles and museums as a child. Frost's mother died of breast cancer[5] when Frost was 24.[6]

Career

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Nanny

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Frost worked as a nanny for over 30 years, beginning in 1989, when she was 18 years of age.[3][7] She was employed in the United Kingdom and the United States[8] and Frost's clients included celebrities such as John Lloyd, a television producer.[3]

Television

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Frost filming at the Children's Museum in Easton, Massachusetts, U.S. in 2009

Frost was hired for the Channel 4's[3] Supernanny television show that launched in the United Kingdom in 2004. In each episode she visited a family and implemented consistent disciplinary, behavioral, and entertainment techniques to improve troubled families' lives.[3] In their book Handbook of Psychological Assessment, Case Conceptualization, and Treatment, Children and Adolescents, Michel Hersen and David Reitman state, "With considerable skill, Super Nanny Jo Frost implements standard, evidence-based contingency management procedures, as well as heavy evidence of creating alternative positive activity structures."[9] The show has had its critics, and not all child-care experts agree with her approach.[3][7] Some people find that the children's right to privacy has been violated[10] and that children are embarrassed when put on the "naughty step".[11] Newcastle University media and cultural-studies lecturer Tracey Jensen believes that the format results in the mother being "shamed before she is transformed".[10]

The show, viewed by six million people in its first year, was an "instant success." Shows were created in 48 countries by 2014 that were tailored after Supernanny.[3][7] The UK show ran six seasons.[12] The United States version aired on ABC.[2] Like the UK version, the American Supernanny was also a success and garnered Frost invitations to Late Show with David Letterman, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[3] In 2011, Frost quit Supernanny, and Deborah Tillman, who ran a group of play schools, was hired as her replacement for the United States show.[citation needed]

Jo Frost: Extreme Parental Guidance aired in the UK for Channel 4 beginning in 2010.[13] It had an issue-based format, with limited home visits.[14] Family S.O.S. with Jo Frost premiered 28 May 2013, on TLC in the United States with a 90-minute episode. Supernanny focused on discipline issues, but Family S.O.S. tackled serious, complex issues, such as blended families, addiction, abuse, and marital problems in family's homes.[15] TV critic Hank Stuever commented, "For all its noise and uncomfy moments, Family S.O.S. is relatively genuine stuff, especially for the current incarnation of TLC. Viewers who know Frost's previous work will have no trouble believing that she cares about the outcome and sincerely wants to help these families patch things up."[15] Frost was one of the executive producers for the show.[16]

Beginning 18 April 2014, she hosted the talk show Family Matters for ITV. Prior to the show, families underwent taped interviews about the nature of their difficulties, to be addressed during the talk show.[17] The show relied on Frost's intuition and experience to resolve difficult situations, sometimes dealing with parents more directly than she may have done in other shows.[4] Over time, Frost has softened her image, including stopping her common gesture of pointing her finger at people, and stopped wearing severe suits, both of which had been iconic during her time on Supernanny.[citation needed] Twofour Broadcast planned in July 2014 for a new UK show with Frost that would "help to restore harmony and balance to their family life" over the course of a family retreat.[8]

A twenty-episode season of Supernanny[18] premiered on 1 January 2020, eight years after the ABC version finished.[19]

In 2020 Frost was announced as the star of Australian program The Parent Jury.[20] However, due to restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, she was unable to travel for filming and the show proceeded without her.[21]

Activism

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Frost is an advocate for the United Nations Foundation's Shot@Life movement, which aims to decrease vaccine-preventable childhood diseases and deaths.[22][23] In March 2015, she visited legislators at Capitol Hill to show her support for the movement.[22] Frost operates a blog to promote vaccination of children and is one of the celebrities that has shown her support for #Givingtuesday, the International Day of Giving.[24]

Personal life

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In 1994, Frost's mother died of cancer.[3]

Frost previously lived with her father when she was not taping or meeting other career obligations.[3][7] As of 2014, she is living with her husband Darrin Jackson, a location coordinator, in Orange County, California.[4][7]

Frost is an active supporter for those who live with anaphylaxis[25] and life-threatening allergies, and is the 2014 ambassador for FARE (Food, Allergy, Research and Education)[25][26] and is also an activist for children of neglect and poverty.[citation needed]

Works

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Programmes

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  • Supernanny. United Kingdom. 2004–2008.[3]
  • Supernanny. United States. 2020 [First aired 2005–2011].[3]
  • Jo Frost: Extreme Parental Guidance. United Kingdom. 2010–2012.[14]
  • Family S.O.S. with Jo Frost. United States. 2013.[15]
  • Family Matters. United Kingdom. 2014.[17]
  • Jo Frost: Nanny on Tour. Netherlands. 2015.[27]
  • Jo Frost: Nanny On Tour. United States. 2016.[27]
  • Jo Frost On Britain's Killer Kids. United Kingdom. 2017.[28]

Books

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See also

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  • Sharon Carr – Britain's youngest female murderer, whom Frost has presented documentaries on

References

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  1. ^ Supernanny Jo Frost on Raising Kids in Crazy, Challenging Times, Women of Impact. Event occurs at [time needed]. Retrieved 23 June 2023 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ a b Calhoun, Ada (16 October 2005). "Supercalanormalistic". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Sean Macaulay (28 January 2010). "Jo Frost interview: How a nanny from South London went on to become an Oprah-approved, world famous, multimillionaire childcare phenomenon". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Philby, Charlotte (10 March 2013). "Jo Frost: 'I've had some real head-on situations with the fathers'". The Independent. UK. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  5. ^ "6Yr Old Boy Has Lost All Memories Of Mom - Supernanny". YouTube. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  6. ^ "The Mihalik Family - Season 3 Episode 5 - Full Episodes - Supernanny USA". YouTube. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e Gordon, Byrony (13 September 2014). "Jo Frost interview: The day Supernanny came to tea". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Families Wanted for New TV Show". Dispatch. Hucknall, England: Johnston Publishing Ltd. 23 July 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  9. ^ Michel Hersen; David Reitman (13 May 2008). Handbook of Psychological Assessment, Case Conceptualization, and Treatment, Children and Adolescents. John Wiley & Sons. p. 333. ISBN 978-0-470-17357-2.
  10. ^ a b Campbell, Alex (3 May 2013). "Six childcare gurus who have changed parenting". BBC News. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  11. ^ Duerden, Nick (8 September 2007). "Jo Frost: Nanny state". BBC News. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  12. ^ "Supernanny TV Episodes". Supernanny TV Series, UK, Ricochet Limited. Archived from the original on 14 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  13. ^ Preston, John (10 February 2010). "Jo Frost: Extreme Parental Guidance, Channel 4, review". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Archived from the original on 20 October 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  14. ^ a b Raeside, Julia (5 July 2011). "TV Highlights — Jul 6th". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  15. ^ a b c Stuever, Hank (27 May 2013). "TLC's 'Family S.O.S.': Supernanny Jo Frost returns to the unhappiest of homes". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  16. ^ "Family S.O.S. with Jo Frost". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  17. ^ a b "Prince George's parents love Supernanny Jo Frost!". LTV.com. 4 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  18. ^ Andy Dehnart (28 March 2019). "Supernanny is returning to Lifetime again, this time with Jo Frost". Reality Blurred. Archived from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  19. ^ LaScala, Marisa (31 December 2019). "'Supernanny' Returns to Lifetime, and Jo Frost Says That the Family Struggles Have Gotten Worse". Good Housekeeping. Archived from the original on 3 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  20. ^ "The Parent Jury: The original Super Nanny coming to Nine". Mediaweek. 16 September 2020. Archived from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  21. ^ McManus, Bridget (30 October 2021). "Parental Guidance, the new reality TV series putting parents to the test". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  22. ^ a b Heil, Emily (14 December 2012). "Cause Celeb: former 'Supernanny' Jo Frost lobbies Hill on vaccinations". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  23. ^ "Jo Frost Encourages Everyone to Support Global Childhood Vaccines on #GivingTuesday through the United Nations Foundation's Shot@Life Campaign". Vaccine Weekly. 10 December 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  24. ^ "Celebrity Supporters and 16,000 Partners Rally Behind #Givingtuesday, the International Day of Giving". States News Service. 18 November 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015. (The article states that Frost's United Nations Foundations Shot@Life blog is: shotatlife.org/blog/jo-frost.html)
  25. ^ a b "Food Allergy Research & Education" (Press release). FoodAllergy.org. 6 August 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  26. ^ "A Conversation with Jo Frost, National Ambassador for the FARE Walk for Food Allergy". FoodAllergy.org. 21 September 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  27. ^ a b Preston, John (19 January 2015). "In brief: Simon Cowell & Supernanny". Broadcast Now. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  28. ^ "Jo Frost on Britain's Killer Kids". Crime and Investigation. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
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