Who Is Sheila Tarrant? The Story of Chris Tarrant’s First Wife

Chris Tarrant became one of Britain’s best-known television presenters, but an important part of his family history began long before Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? made him an international household name. Sheila Tarrant, also identified by her maiden name Sheila Roberton, was his first wife and the mother of their two daughters, Helen and Jennifer.

Their marriage belonged to an earlier chapter of the broadcaster’s life, when he was developing his career in British television. Although Chris eventually became familiar to millions of viewers, Sheila’s own background and later activities received considerably less attention.

Her story is therefore different from that of a conventional entertainment celebrity. The publicly documented facts center on her marriage, motherhood and eventual divorce, while details about her education, professional ambitions and later relationships remain limited.

Understanding Sheila’s place in Chris Tarrant’s life also means looking at the broadcaster’s early career, the family they established together and how his personal circumstances changed as his professional reputation grew.

Profile Summary

Details	Information
Full Name	Sheila Tarrant
Maiden Name	Sheila Roberton
Known For	First wife of Chris Tarrant
Gender	Female
Date of Birth	Not publicly confirmed
Birthplace	Not publicly confirmed
Nationality	Not independently verified
Profession	Formerly reported as a secretary
Former Husband	Chris Tarrant OBE
Marriage Year	1976 (some records state 1971)
Divorce Year	1982
Children	Two daughters
Daughters’ Names	Helen and Jennifer Tarrant
Famous Connection	Chris Tarrant, British television presenter
Current Marital Status	Not publicly confirmed
Net Worth	Not publicly disclosed
Current Residence	Not publicly confirmed

Who Is Sheila Tarrant?

Sheila Tarrant is known primarily as the first wife of English television and radio presenter Chris Tarrant OBE. Her name appears in historical accounts of his family life, particularly those discussing his early marriage and children.

She has also been identified as Sheila Roberton, although some published records use the spelling Robertson. This variation makes it important not to treat every biographical entry as equally definitive.

Unlike her former husband, Sheila is not associated with an extensively documented career in television, radio, or another public-facing entertainment profession. Historical newspaper coverage describes her as a secretary, but detailed information about her employment is not readily available.

Her connection to Chris remains the principal reason readers encounter her name. Yet that relationship represents only the portion of her life preserved in public reporting, rather than a complete account of her personal identity.

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Sheila Tarrant’s Early Life and Background

Reliable information about Sheila’s childhood and upbringing is limited. Her exact date of birth, birthplace, parents, and educational background have not been firmly established through the available biographical material.

The surname Roberton is associated with her identity before marriage, but it does not provide sufficient evidence to determine her family origins or nationality.

Historical accounts offer more information about her marriage to Chris than about her earlier years. This is understandable given that most references to Sheila appear within biographies or newspaper articles focused on the broadcaster.

There is no reliable basis for assigning her a particular university, qualification or childhood location. Those details are not in the established public record.

How Sheila Became Connected to Chris Tarrant

Chris Tarrant was born on October 10, 1946, in Reading, Berkshire. Before becoming a major television personality, he worked in broadcasting as regional television created opportunities for new presenters.

His early career became closely associated with ATV and the children’s entertainment program Tiswas. Originally developed as a regional Saturday-morning program, it eventually gained national recognition for its unconventional humor, lively performances, and celebrity appearances.

Sheila and Chris married during this formative stage of his professional life.

The precise circumstances of their first meeting have not been reliably documented in the available material. Consequently, no established account exists of where they met, how their relationship began, or how long they knew each other before marrying.

What can be said is that their marriage preceded Chris’s greatest commercial success and formed part of his family life during the years in which his broadcasting career was developing.

When Did Sheila Tarrant Marry Chris Tarrant?

Published biographical records differ on the marriage date.

Several accounts identify 1976 as the year Sheila and Chris married, with some descriptions placing the ceremony in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Other biographical listings give 1971.

The conflicting dates have not been conclusively resolved by the material available for this biography. Rather than presenting one version as unquestionable, it is more accurate to acknowledge the discrepancy.

However, their 1982 divorce is consistently recorded.

The marriage matters in Chris’s biography because it marks his first experience of married family life, before his later marriage to television personality Ingrid Dupre-Walsh.

Although the broadcaster’s career eventually drew extensive media coverage, the first marriage itself was not documented in as much detail as his later personal relationships.

Sheila Tarrant and Her Two Daughters

Sheila and Chris Tarrant had two daughters together, Helen Tarrant and Jennifer Tarrant.

Historical accounts commonly identify Helen as having been born in 1977 and Jennifer in 1980. Their births established the family connection that continued beyond their parents’ eventual separation.

Neither daughter became as publicly prominent as her father. Information about their individual professional lives and personal circumstances is comparatively limited.

Chris has spoken in historical interviews about the significance of his children and the difficulties associated with changes in his family circumstances. Those statements offer his own recollections but do not capture the family’s experiences in full.

It is also important to distinguish Sheila’s daughters from Chris’s children from his second marriage. His later relationship with Ingrid Dupre-Walsh produced two additional children, Samantha and Toby.

The broadcaster therefore has four children from his first two marriages, with Helen and Jennifer being the daughters he shares with Sheila.

Why Did Sheila Tarrant and Chris Tarrant Divorce?

Their marriage ended in 1982.

Chris later discussed the breakdown of his first marriage in interviews, describing the relationship as having gradually drifted apart. That account offers some insight into his recollection of the separation, although Sheila’s own detailed perspective is not documented to a comparable extent.

Insufficient evidence exists to provide a complete explanation for the divorce. In particular, the public record does not justify attributing it to one specific disagreement, professional commitment, or personal incident.

The distinction matters because Chris’s second divorce, many years later, attracted substantial tabloid coverage involving allegations and discussions of infidelity. Those later events should not be confused with the circumstances surrounding his marriage to Sheila.

The couple’s separation was a significant family milestone, but its full personal circumstances cannot be responsibly reconstructed from incomplete reporting.

Chris Tarrant’s Television Career After Their Marriage

Chris’s professional achievements provide useful context for understanding why his earlier family history continues to attract attention.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, Tiswas established him as a distinctive television personality. The program became remembered for its energetic presentation, comedy sketches and unconventional approach to children’s entertainment.

He subsequently developed a substantial radio career, including a long association with Capital Radio and its breakfast programming.

His greatest international recognition arrived in 1998 when he began presenting the British version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

The quiz show became a major television phenomenon. Its format, dramatic music, escalating prize structure, and carefully paced questions attracted enormous audiences and inspired adaptations worldwide.

Chris presented the British program until 2014, becoming closely identified with its original success.

These achievements occurred after the end of his marriage to Sheila. They explain why people researching the broadcaster’s life often become interested in the relationships and family history that preceded his most celebrated work.

Chris Tarrant’s Second Marriage and Later Relationships

After divorcing Sheila, Chris married Ingrid Dupre-Walsh in 1991.

Ingrid worked in television, and their relationship became more widely reported in the press. The couple had two children, Samantha and Toby, before they divorced in 2007.

The breakdown of this second marriage received considerable newspaper attention, reflecting Chris’s established celebrity status at the time.

He subsequently entered a relationship with Jane Bird, which was publicly reported from around 2008.

These later relationships are separate from Sheila’s biography. They matter mainly because they help explain the broadcaster’s family chronology and distinguish his first marriage from the later events that frequently appeared in entertainment news.

Sheila remains the mother of his two eldest daughters, regardless of the changes in his subsequent relationships.

Did Sheila Tarrant Have a Career of Her Own?

Historical reporting identifies Sheila as a secretary, but the available record does not provide a sufficiently detailed professional history to establish her employers, career progression, or later occupation.

There are no reliably established television credits, business appointments or public awards that can confidently be attributed to her.

That does not mean she had no professional life after her marriage. It simply means that the surviving public documentation is insufficient to describe one accurately.

The distinction matters most when researching individuals who became known through relationships with entertainers rather than through their own public careers.

A biography can identify a documented occupation without turning that limited fact into an unsupported account of professional achievements or career changes.

Sheila Tarrant’s Net Worth and Financial Background

An exact and independently verified net-worth figure is not publicly available for Sheila.

Her financial circumstances cannot be determined from Chris Tarrant’s broadcasting success, and his reported earnings do not establish her personal assets.

Likewise, the publicly available information does not provide a reliable basis for calculating her income from employment, investments or other activities.

Online estimates that assign specific figures without supporting financial documentation should therefore be treated cautiously.

Her financial position is not a necessary part of understanding her established role in the broadcaster’s family history.

Where Is Sheila Tarrant Today?

As of October 2026, the information available for this biography does not establish a reliable recent public update about Sheila’s activities or residence.

A photograph preserved in the Getty Images editorial archive identifies her as Chris Tarrant’s first wife and is dated July 18, 1996. It offers a documented historical appearance but does not establish her circumstances in later years.

There is no sufficiently verified information here to identify a subsequent husband, a current occupation or a present home.

Nor does the lack of frequent newspaper coverage show that she retired, deliberately withdrew from public life, or made any particular decision about media attention.

The most accurate description is that her later personal circumstances are not extensively documented in accessible, reliable reporting.

What Makes Sheila Tarrant’s Story Distinctive?

Sheila’s place in British entertainment history comes from her connection to a broadcaster whose professional life changed considerably after their marriage ended.

She was part of Chris Tarrant’s family during his early television career, before the commercial success and international recognition associated with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Their daughters, Helen and Jennifer, remain the clearest documented connection between the former couple.

Her story also demonstrates the limits of celebrity biography. While a presenter’s television credits, awards, and professional milestones may be readily accessible, former partners’ and relatives’ documentation does not necessarily exist.

Recognizing those limits yields a more accurate account than trying to turn a few established family facts into a dramatic personal narrative.

Final Thoughts

So, who is Sheila Tarrant?

She is Chris Tarrant’s first wife, also known by her maiden name, Sheila Roberton, and the mother of their daughters, Helen and Jennifer. Their marriage began in the 1970s, although published sources differ on the exact year, and ended in divorce in 1982.

Her former husband subsequently became one of Britain’s most recognizable broadcasters, while information about her own later activities remained comparatively limited.

The established details place Sheila within an important early chapter of Chris Tarrant’s family history. Beyond those documented connections, much of her personal story remains her own.

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(FAQs)

Who is Sheila Tarrant?

Sheila Tarrant, née Sheila Roberton, is best known as the first wife of British television and radio presenter Chris Tarrant. They married early in his broadcasting career, before he gained international recognition with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? They had two daughters together and divorced in 1982.

When did Sheila Tarrant and Chris Tarrant get married?

Several published biographies list their marriage year as 1976, while some other records give 1971. The discrepancy has not been conclusively resolved by the available evidence. Their 1982 divorce is more consistently documented, making that the clearer date in the established history of their relationship.

How many children does Sheila Tarrant have?

Sheila has two publicly documented daughters with Chris Tarrant, named Helen and Jennifer. Historical accounts commonly give their birth years as 1977 and 1980, respectively. Chris also has two children, Samantha and Toby, from his later marriage to Ingrid Dupre-Walsh, making four children across his first two marriages.

What is Sheila Tarrant’s net worth?

No independently verified public figure reports Sheila’s net worth. Historical reporting describes her as a secretary, but her full employment history and financial circumstances are not publicly established. Therefore, assigning her a specific wealth estimate based on her former husband’s broadcasting career would be misleading.

Is Sheila Tarrant still married to Chris Tarrant?

No. Sheila and Chris Tarrant divorced in 1982. Chris subsequently married Ingrid Dupre-Walsh in 1991, and that marriage ended in 2007. Sheila’s later marital status is not reliably confirmed in the information available for this biography, so do not assume she remarried or remained single.