Andy Thorpe

Who is Andy Thorpe?

Andrena 'Andy' Thorpe, was a former model and radio personality who worked at several Australian radio stations in the 1960s and 1970s. She is remembered most for her long running partnership with Bob Francis.

She was a successful model in Melbourne modelling for noted photographers such as Helmut Newton and Athol Smith. In 1952 she won the "Camera Model of the Year" and in 1953 she was crowned "Queen of the Southern Beaches" and won a trip to Europe which proved to be a powerful influence on her. In She moved to Adelaide to open a school for models and married businssman Tony Gwynn-Jones. She was encouraged to work in radio after being spotted at a dinner party when outspoken women were still a rarity in Adelaide at that time. She was offered a morning chat program at Adelaide's 5DN with Lionel Williams. In 1966 she moved to 5AD she was initially paired with Rob Lynch although after a couple of seasons she was paired with the conservative Bob Francis. Despite a frosty start the pair came to work very well on air with a fiery 'odd couple' relationship that was a ratings hit for almost a decade.