Better Homes and Gardens host and former champion swimmer Johanna Griggs has announced the death of her mother, Leigh, sharing the heartfelt news with fans on Instagram on Sunday morning.
Griggs, who has fronted the long-running Seven Network lifestyle program for more than two decades, described her mother as the family's guiding force in an emotional tribute posted to social media.
Johanna Griggs Pays Tribute to 'Fearless Leader' and Matriarch
"Early this morning our beautiful matriarch passed away," Griggs wrote in her post. "She was our fearless leader. Our guiding light. Our voice of reason. Our inspiration."
The television personality went on to describe her mother as someone who shaped the family's core values, writing that Leigh "gave us our values, our principles… and taught us the difference between what's right and wrong."
Griggs painted a vivid picture of a woman who was at once nurturing and fiercely protective. "She was a total boss lady who would fight for all of us like a lioness if we needed protection," she wrote, adding that her mother was "beautiful, loving, kind, passionate, vocal, forthright, sometimes crazy and so unbelievably generous."
Leigh had worked as a teacher during her lifetime, and was known for instilling in her children a bold, determined outlook on life — what Griggs' sister Emma Lo Russo once described as a "very much we'll take on the world" attitude.
A Career and Life Shaped by Her Mother's Influence
Griggs was unequivocal about the role her mother played in her remarkable career, both as a champion swimmer and as one of Australian television's most recognisable faces. The former elite athlete has remained a prominent public figure long after her competitive swimming days.
"I quite simply wouldn't have the life or career I have without her," she wrote in the tribute. "She has shaped us all in ways that are hard to truly capture."
Griggs concluded her post with a message of enduring love and gratitude on behalf of her family. "We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful woman to have been our mum," she wrote. "You are so loved, valued and appreciated and always will be."
No further details about Leigh's passing have been made public at this stage.
