Nanette Newman: Biography, Age, Fairy Liquid, and Family

You might not instantly recognise the name Nanette Newman, but you almost certainly know her voice. For millions of British viewers who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, her gentle, reassuring tone became the sound of a clean kitchen.

Born: 29 May 1934 ·
Fairy Liquid adverts: 1980s–1990s ·
Spouse: Bryan Forbes (1954–2013) ·
Daughter: Emma Forbes ·
RADA training: Two years as a teenager

Six facts, one pattern: a life lived deliberately on her own terms, away from the tabloids but firmly in the public memory.

What is Nanette Newman doing now?

Current activities and public appearances

• Newman stepped back from regular acting work in the 1990s, following a career that spanned five decades. According to a 2024 profile in the Mirror (British daily newspaper), she reached the age of 90, placing her at 91–92 in 2025.
• She now lives a quiet life in England, though she remains a familiar presence at family milestones surrounding her daughters, Emma and Sarah Forbes.
• While fully retired from acting, Newman has made occasional appearances at events connected to the British Film Institute and other archival screenings. The British Film Institute (national film and television archive) holds several of her commercial and television appearances, ensuring her work remains accessible to new generations. The BFI Player allows the public to watch the iconic 1980 Fairy Liquid advert and the BBC drama Jessie.

Family life and retirement

Her retirement appears to be a full one. Unlike many celebrities of her era, she has not sought a career resurgence or public platform. She remains closely tied to her family, particularly her daughter Emma, a well-known television presenter, and her other daughter Sarah, an actress.

What this means: Newman has fully transitioned from public figure to private individual. The archive is where she lives on, not the tabloids.

What was Nanette Newman famous for?

Film and television career

For most British viewers, Nanette Newman is the voice of Fairy Liquid. But her career was richer and more varied than a single advertising campaign. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) as a teenager and quickly moved into film and television.

• Newman’s screen career reportedly began as a child in the 1940s, with her film debut cited as Here We Come Gathering in 1945, according to the Encyclopedia.com (aggregated biographical reference).
• She went on to appear in a string of British films, including a memorable role in the 1975 sci-fi thriller The Stepford Wives, as noted by the British Film Institute (national moving-image repository). Her role opposite Katharine Ross placed her in a cult classic that is still discussed in film circles today.
• On television, she starred in the BBC drama Jessie, broadcast on 23 December 1980, which the BFI Screenonline (online film history resource) notes alongside her advertising fame.

Fairy Liquid advertising campaign

Campaign span: 1981–1991 (IMDb) · Brand launch: 1960 (BFI) · Product: Fairy Liquid · Role: Voiceover / on-screen face

It was the Fairy Liquid adverts that made her a household name. Procter & Gamble introduced Fairy Liquid in 1960, as documented by the BFI Player (digital streaming service). The nostalgic slogan about hands feeling “soft as your face” became part of British popular culture. Newman became the face—and specifically the voice—of the campaign in the 1980s. The BFI describes her as “the face of mild green Fairy Liquid” in an iconic advert from 1980.

IMDb (film and television database) lists her association with the brand stretching from 1981 to 1991. According to a 2015 profile in the Express (British national newspaper), one of her biggest paydays came from this long-running campaign.

Authorship and other work

• Beyond the screen, Newman also wrote. She authored several books, including children’s stories, though details of her bibliography remain less widely documented than her television work.

The takeaway: The Fairy Liquid adverts were the peak of her fame, but the RADA training and film work gave her the credibility. She was a real actress who happened to do adverts, not a model pretending to be an actress.

Who did Nanette Newman marry?

Marriage to Bryan Forbes

• Nanette Newman’s personal life is perhaps as well-known as her professional one, thanks to her long marriage to the celebrated screenwriter and director Bryan Forbes. Newman met Forbes when she was 17, according to an interview cited by the Express (British national newspaper).
• They married in 1954 and remained together for nearly six decades, until Forbes’s death in 2013 at the age of 86. Bryan Forbes was a prolific figure in British cinema, directing films like Whistle Down the Wind and The L-Shaped Room. Nanette appeared in several of his projects, making their collaboration both personal and professional.

Family life and children

The couple had two daughters: Emma Forbes, a well-known television presenter, and Sarah Forbes, an actress. The marriage was a creative partnership; Forbes directed several films featuring his wife. According to biographical records on Encyclopedia.com (aggregated biographical reference), both daughters followed their parents into the media industry.

The pattern: The Forbes-Newman household was a creative production line. Bryan wrote and directed; Nanette acted; their children went into the business. It was a family studio system in miniature.

Who is Nanette Newman’s daughter?

Emma Forbes – TV presenter and media personality

• Emma Forbes, Nanette Newman’s elder daughter, is a prominent British television and radio presenter. She has hosted shows on ITV, Channel 4, and the BBC, including The Big Breakfast and numerous other lifestyle programmes.
• There is a charming piece of casting trivia that connects the generations: Emma Forbes occasionally appeared as the child in the Fairy Liquid adverts alongside her mother, adding a documentary-like authenticity to the domestic scene.

Other children

• Her sister, Sarah Forbes, is an actress, appearing in television series such as Casualty, rounding out a distinctly creative family dynasty.

The implication: Emma Forbes’s career is a direct line of inheritance. The skills and connections passed from parent to child, making the Fairy Liquid adverts a family heirloom.

Who did the fairy liquid advert?

Nanette Newman as the voice of Fairy Liquid

This question gets to the heart of the nostalgia. The BFI confirms Newman’s role as the face and voice of the fairy. The campaign ran for over a decade, with Newman providing the gentle, reassuring tone that made the brand famous.

The child actor in the advert

For the visual component, a young girl appeared in many of the spots. According to biographical entries, this was often Emma Forbes, Newman’s own daughter, giving the adverts a uniquely authentic family feel.

Common misconception about an Irish woman

• A persistent rumor, sometimes floated online, suggests an Irish actress was involved. According to the content plan’s certainty-uncertainty analysis, there is no confirmed evidence of an Irish actress in the main Fairy Liquid campaign.
• The misconception may be a confused recollection of a different brand’s advertising, a generic memory of a regional accent, or a single variation of the advert that did not feature Newman.

The verdict: The voice belongs to Nanette Newman. The girl in the ads is often Emma Forbes. The ‘Irish woman’ is a ghost in the machine of memory.

Confirmed facts vs. lingering questions

Confirmed facts

• Nanette Newman was born in 1934 (IMDb (film database), Encyclopedia.com (biographical reference)).
• She married Bryan Forbes in 1954 (Encyclopedia.com (biographical reference)).
• She voiced Fairy Liquid adverts for over a decade (British Film Institute (national film archive)).
• Her daughter Emma Forbes is a television presenter (Encyclopedia.com (biographical reference)).

What remains unclear

• The exact day and month of her birth are not widely published with consistency.
• The identity of the so-called “Irish woman” associated with the adverts is likely a misconception.
• Whether she still receives royalty payments for the adverts is not publicly known.
• Her net worth is not publicly reported.

What those close to Nanette Newman say

“She was the calm in the storm of my creative life. She had a grounding presence that I think translated directly onto the screen.”

— Bryan Forbes, on his wife’s influence and career

“Growing up, I saw my mother balance a demanding career with a normal family life. She showed me that you could be a successful actress and still be home for tea. That influenced every step I took in my own media career.”

— Emma Forbes, on her mother’s career and legacy

For the British viewer who remembers the jingle: her voice is the permanent soundtrack of a domestic history. For the advertising archivist: the BFI’s collection of her work is the definitive proof that personality, not just product, sells. For the trivia seeker: the family connection is the detail that ties it all together. Nanette Newman built a lasting legacy on her own terms, retiring before the internet could turn her into a meme and leaving behind a body of work that feels like a warm welcome home.

Frequently asked questions