Experienced TV, radio and podcast broadcaster, No1 best selling author, counsellor, therapist, Master NLP practitioner and Psychotherapist with CBT. Anna uses this diverse skillset as the dating expert and presenter on Celebs Go Dating (E4), One Night Stand (E4) and Save Well, Spend Better (C4). She is also the weekly therapist and life coach columnist for Closer magazine and monthly relationship expert and columnist for Psychologies magazine. She’s tackled several hard hitting films for BBC 1 show Inside Out and was the mental heath expert for many years on For Your Info on Sky Kids.
Anna is host to the extremely successful LuAnna: The Podcast alongside friend and co-host Luisa Zissman. With over 1 million monthly downloads the girl’s honest and frank opinions on all things topical has proven to be a huge hit. Due to popular demand the podcast airs twice weekly with an additional show Totally Xtra available every Thursday and voted Top 20 Listeners Choice two years running .
The girls produced a live touring show in 2019 which was put back to 2022 due to Covid. The 19-date UK tour of LuAnna: The Big Night Out sold out, with venues like the Palladium and the Manchester Opera House selling out in minutes!
Anna first found fame over 10 years ago on big hitting children’s television shows on CITV, Nickelodeon, Channel 5 and the Disney Channel. However, away from her successful TV career and behind closed doors, she suffered from an almost crippling battle with generalised anxiety disorder. On speaking out about her experiences, she realised there was a huge stigma attached to mental health issues. Since then she has gone on to train as a counsellor, write several self-help books, provide her advice and expertise across several television shows and offers a 1 to 1 private coaching practice for those in need.
An acclaimed writer, Anna's first book with Bloomsbury Publishing, Breaking Mad: The Insiders Guide to Conquering Anxiety went straight into #1 on Amazon, pushing Mary Berry's smash hit 'Bake Off' book into second place. Sharing her own experiences of being diagnosed with anxiety, it challenged the myths around anxiety and was an easy to read, accessible guide to helping readers through anxiety issues. Written in collaboration with friend and clinical psychologist, Dr Reetta Newell, it was a national bestseller, and got some incredible press, including ITV's Lorraine, The Telegraph and The Daily Mail.
Anna's follow up book 'Breaking Mum and Dad', aims at parents coping with all that a new baby can bring. In her empathetic and searingly honest tone, the focus is on post natal mental health and anxiety and offers practical advice to all parents needing a helping hand with 'the mental baby stuff', it enjoyed similar success, and across the board 5 star reviews. Alongside an accompanying podcast series was born, Breaking Mum and Dad: The Podcast, now a double British Podcast Award nominee.
The third book HOW NOT TO LOSE IT: Mental Health Sorted published by Scholastic, is the go-to guide to empower children and support strong emotional well-being. It covers a wealth of key topics such as anxiety, panic attacks, low mood, depression, as well as lifestyle factors that can impact children such as social media, exam stress, grief, divorce, blended families and toxic relationships. ChildLine said the book is “A fabulous message for young people – believe in yourselves!” The book can be found in supermarkets, book stores and schools nationwide.
Anna’s most recent release ‘Where is the Love? The Honest Guide to Dating and Relationships’ is a 21st century bible for anyone looking for love. Told in Anna’s wonderfully maverick tone there’s advice, opinions, tips and techniques for all in there. The book has also been up for numerous awards and recently shortlisted at the Health and Well-being Awards.
In addition, the NHS commissioned Anna to write a short story aimed at 7-11 year olds to help raise awareness in young children about mental health. 'Flo & The Funny Feelings' focuses on a 9-year-old girl who is experiencing worry, stress and anxiety for the very first time. The book is part of the I Am Whole Campaign and is available for free, digital download through schools - https://www.whole.org.uk/primaryschools/
Previously Anna has used her skill set to front several weekly strands called ‘Ask Anna’, on multi award winning ITV daytime show This Morning. Due to the features great success, Anna enjoyed a regular stint as part of the This Morning team, covering issues spanning mental health, family relationships, parenting and teens issues, and has hosted phone ins on cases such as the Rotherham sex scandal and bullying. In addition she has been the expert on Good Morning Britain (ITV), agony aunt and the 'psych' expert on Big Brother’s Bit on the Side (C5) and relationship expert on celebrity dating show Single AF (MTV).
Anna also hosted the National Lottery Xtra and the Wednesday Lotto draw for several years, whilst fronting her own show on talkRADIO every Saturday night; Later With Anna Williamson, a heady mix of showbiz, sex and relationships. Most recently she has been hosting and running the desk for her own mental health show The Anna Williamson Show, on BBC 3 Counties radio.
Anna’s personal experience, expertise and caring nature have led to her own agony aunt columns for teen magazine Girl Talk, fitness magazines Women Fitness and Top Sante, and parenting mecca Mother and Baby. Plus working as a highly credible source in the showbiz industry, with her own successful column in Digital Spy. She can also be seen speaking on mental health, and giving motivational and resilience advice, in schools, businesses and at corporate events, whilst also fronting online videos for the likes of AOL and Youtube to great success.
In 2014 Anna took part in ITV’s prime time celebrity diving show Splash! alongside Olympian Tom Daley, where she swan dived her way through to the semi-finals, and became the last female standing in the competition.
Anna is very proud of her celebrity ambassador and national spokesperson roles for Mind, The Princes Trust and Childline, the latter of which she is a trained volunteer counsellor. 2022 saw her join Ant and Dec for the 9th year running, to host the Princess Trust Celebrate Success Awards alongside HRH The Prince of Wales. Anna is also currently working closely with PANDAS and Birth Trauma Association to shine the light on, with the intent on improving what is going on in Pre and Post Natal maternal mental health care.
Credits include:
Celebs Go Dating (Dating expert - E4)
Closer Magazine (Columnist, weekly live coach)
Psychologies Magazine (Columnist, monthly relationship expert)
One Night Stand (Voice Over - E4)
Save Well, Spend Better (Presenter & Expert, C4)
LuAnna: The Podcast (Host and producer)
LuAnna: The Big Night Out (Host, Live show)
Breaking Mum and Dad: The Podcast (Host and producer)
FYI: For Your Info (Sky News, Sky Kids, expert)
Life Hacks (Expert, BBC Radio 1)
TOWIE (Expert/Cameo - ITVBe)
Boundless Magazine (Well-being columnist)
The Big Night In (Host - Live Stream)
National Lottery Xtra (Presenter, Online)
The Anna Williamson Show (Host - BBC Radio 3 Counties)
Single AF (Expert - MTV)
Inside Out (Presenter - BBC One)
Later with Anna Williamson (Radio Host - talkRADIO)
TalkRADIO (Showbiz correspondent)
Where is the Love? The Honest Guide to Dating and Relationships (Author - Published by Bloomsbury)
How Not To Lose It: Mental Health Sorted (Author - Published by Scholastic)
Breaking Mum and Dad (Author - Published by Bloomsbury)
Breaking Mad (Author - Published by Bloomsbury)
Flo and the Funny Feelings (Author, commissioned by NHS)
Big Brother's Bit on the Side (Psychology Expert - C5)
Splash (ITV)
This Morning (Psychology Expert - ITV )
The O'Brien Show (Expert, ITV),
BAFTA (Event Host & Online)
Christmas Campaign (Voice Over, Smyth Toys)
Toy Fair (Host, Olympia)
Busy Bees (Speaker & Compere)
My Wedding Scrapbook (Presenter, Videojug/Youtube)
European Music Awards (Host, Viacom/corporate)
Lorraine (Showbiz Correspondent - ITV)
Digital Spy (Showbiz Columnist)
Kung Fu Panda (Red Carpet Host, Fox Movies)
Nickelodeon Christmas Party (Presenter, Nickelodeon)
Girl Talk (Columnist, Expert)
Top Sante (Columnist, Expert)
Gumball Rally (Presenter)
Pantomime (Various),
Daybreak (Showbiz Reporter, ITV)
BetSafe Football show (Mastroc, Sweden),
GMTV (Showbiz Reporter, ITV)
GMTV (Competition Host, ITV)
The Princes Trust (Celebrity Ambassador)
Mind (Celebrity Ambassador)
Dream Toys (Host, Annual Launch)
N-View (Voice Over, Nickelodeon & MTV)
Camp Orange (Presenter, Nickelodeon)
House of Anubis (Presenter, Nickelodeon)
Jamie & Anna's Big Weekend (Presenter, Nickelodeon)
Kids Choice Awards (Red Carpet Host, Nickelodeon)
Scary Sleepover (Presenter, CITV)
Toonatik (Presenter, CITV)
Continuity (Presenter, CITV)
Rescue Robots (Presenter, CITV)
Disney Channel (Presenter)
Robot Wars (Presenter, C5)
Summer Roadshow (Presenter, C5)
The Core (Presenter - C5)
Milkshake (Presenter - C5)
Blush (Singer in band)]