Blue Peter icon accidentally flashed hot air balloon passengers as she sunbathed topless

Blue Peter legend Valerie Singleton revealed she once flashed hot air balloon passengers by accident. The legend, 88, presented on the children's TV show for 10 years from 1962 to 1972. Speaking on BBC Radio Solent, she said she used to arrange plants on her Dorset home balcony to protect her modesty so she could sunbathe topless private.

But she hadn't anticipated being seen by people floating above her, as she said: "I was sitting on my balcony and I had window boxes all around so I could sunbathe topless without all my neighbours seeing me. Then suddenly, quite a long way off, I saw a hot air balloon." She then jumped up to wave at the passengers, forgetting she was undressed, and as she was too slow to grab her towel, she accidentally showed them much more than she bargained for.

Valerie said: "Quite without thinking I stood up and waved to it and then the hot air balloon turned to me and dipped its basket to me.

"I was a bit too late to reach a towel. They must have had binoculars because they were quite a long way off."

Valerie also spoke of her impressive careerm as she went on to host The Money Programme, Nationwide and BBC Radio 4 PM.

She said in the Mail on Sunday: "I've lost count of the people who've told me they had been inspired to pursue their careers - be it designing hats, becoming a painter or an engineer - because of something they had seen on the show. That is the lasting impact of Blue Peter.

"So yes, I can happily say I loved every moment of my nearly ten years at the helm, and I missed it terribly when I left in 1972.

"But I remain a member of the Blue Peter family. Today, I'm friends with many of the presenters who came after me, from Mark Curry and Tim Vincent (who was actually born as I left) to Janet Ellis, Diane Louise Jordan and Anthea Turner.

"And I kept watching it religiously too, that is until 2012 when the powers-that-be removed it from its long-standing slot just before th