 He was quoted as wanting stars to appear on the programme as that is what he thought would persuade viewers to tune in.From 1958 to 1975, Yates was married to actress and author Elaine Smith (whose stage name was Heller Toren, and who later wrote under the pseudonym Helene Thornton), and had a daughter Paula, born in 1959.His TV presenting career ended in 1974 when it was publicly revealed that he had been having an affair with young actress Anita Kay, although he was separated from his wife at the time.