Heather Unruh

Heather Unruh (born June 28, 1968) is an American journalist and former television news anchor. She worked for News Center 5 at WCVB for more than fifteen years.[1][2]

Heather Unruh
Born (1968-06-28) June 28, 1968
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
NationalityAmerican
OccupationJournalist
Known forFormer anchor for News Center 5 in WCVB
Spouse(s)Nick Little
Children2

Education

Unruh is a 1989 graduate of DePauw University.[3]

Career

Unruh went to WCVB in June 2001 after working at KFOR in Oklahoma City where she was early evening anchor and medical reporter. She has also worked at WVTM-TV in Birmingham, Alabama; both WBNG-TV and WMGC-TV in Binghamton, New York; and WVEU-TV in Atlanta.[3]

Unruh received four regional Emmy Awards for journalism,[4] the Clarion Award from Women in Communications, Inc., and the Gracie Allen Award from the American Women in Radio and Television.[5] Her last airdate was on October 14, 2016,[2] and as of 2017 she was working on documentaries.[1]

Activism

Unruh is an advocate for lung cancer awareness and has received multiple awards from the American Cancer Society and Uniting Against Lung Cancer.[6]

In 2013 Unruh helped to establish Stand With Everyone Against Rape (SWEAR), a non-profit organization promoting speaking out against rape.[7]

Family

Unruh is married to Nick Little. They have a son and a daughter.

Accusations against Kevin Spacey

On November 8, 2017, Unruh held a press conference in Boston, during which she stated that American Beauty film star Kevin Spacey sexually assaulted her then 18-year-old son in July 2016. The alleged assault occurred at the Club Car restaurant in Nantucket.[8][9][10] Unruh's son told police he was texting with his girlfriend throughout the alleged "groping" incident. Spacey spent months trying to obtain copies of the texts and the phone itself. In mid-May 2019, the son's personal attorney informed the court that the cell phone in question is missing.[11] On June 4, 2019, the defense learned that when Heather Unruh gave her son's cell phone to police in 2017, she admitted she had deleted some of the text messages.[12] On June 26, her son filed a lawsuit against Spacey, claiming emotional damages. Two weeks later, her son voluntarily dismissed the claims with prejudice.[13] On July 17, 2019, the criminal assault charge against Spacey were dropped by the Cape and Islands prosecutors.[14]

References

  1. Shanahan, Mark (2 August 2017). "Former Channel 5 anchor Unruh says women in TV news encouraged to dress 'more provocatively'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  2. Fee, Gayle (15 October 2016). "Heather Unruh signs off at WCVB". The Boston Herald. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  3. "Heather Unruh '89 jumps to Boston TV Market". depauw.edu. DePauw University. 7 June 2001. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  4. Hart, Caroline (30 October 2017). "Sometimes you just have to say "F_CK IT"". HuffPost. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  5. "Boston's Heather Unruh '89 receives Emmy Award". depauw.edu. DePauw University. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  6. "Honorees: Heather Unruh". giving.massgeneral.org/cancer/honorees. Massachusetts General Hospital. 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  7. Pennington, Juliet (16 May 2015). "The VIP Lounge: Heather Unruh". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 11 January 2019. After a close friend’s daughter was raped at college, she [Unruh] co-founded SWEAR (Stand With Everyone Against Rape), a nonprofit organization that “educates young men about the myths, stereotypes, and repercussions of sexual assault and rape.” She hopes to expand the program, currently underway at Dover Sherborn Regional High School, to other schools in the future.
  8. Corpuz, Bernice. "Former Boston TV News anchor says Kevin Spacey sexually assaulted her son". WBZ NewsRadio 1030. CBS Boston. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  9. Hill, Libby (8 November 2017). "Former Boston news anchor accuses Kevin Spacey of assaulting her son, then 18, last year". LA Times. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  10. Brucculieri, Julia (8 November 2017). "Former TV anchor says Kevin Spacey sexually assaulted her 18-year-old son". Huff Post. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  11. Tempera, Jacqueline (June 21, 2019). "'Help me;' Court filings in Kevin Spacey case show text messages accuser sent during alleged sexual assault". masslive.com.
  12. Times, Wheeler Cowperthwaite | Cape Cod. "Attorney: Mother of Spacey's alleged victim deleted evidence". providencejournal.com.
  13. Andone, Dakin; Casarez, Jean (2019-07-05). "The man who accuses Kevin Spacey of groping him dropped his civil lawsuit against the actor". CNN. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  14. Finucane, Martin (2019-07-17). "Prosecutors drop assault charge against actor Kevin Spacey". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
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