[2] Buttrose's tenure has not been without criticism, notably for her alleged involvement in the termination of ABC Radio Sydney presenter Antoinette Lattouf in 2023 (see Controversies).

Buttrose was born on 17 January 1942 at Potts Point, Sydney,[4][5] and named after her maternal grandmother, Ita Clare Rodgers (née Rosenthal), pronounced /ˈaɪtə/ (rhyming with 'fighter').

Her parents divorced during her teens, after 25 years of marriage, and details of her father's private life were printed in the tabloid press, causing considerable anguish to her mother.

She completed her secondary education at Dover Heights Home Science High School, leaving at 15 to begin her career.

In 1966 she won a racetrack fashion contest run by a rival newspaper, for which the first prize was an overseas trip, including a visit to Expo 67 in Montreal.

Buttrose and her husband then stopped in England in 1967 where she worked for a time on the British national magazine Woman's Own before giving birth to her first child, a daughter, Kate.

[5] It was after her daughter's birth that she received a telegram from Sir Frank Packer, head of Australian Consolidated Press, offering her back her former job as women's editor at the Telegraph.

[12] This was originally to have been an Australian edition of the merican magazine Cosmopolitan, but the deal fell through after Hearst Magazines sold the Cosmopolitan rights to longtime Packer rivals Fairfax, so Packer and Buttrose set about creating a new publication, dubbed Cleo, which they launched in 1972 several months ahead of its rival.

Cleo was an instant hit, selling its entire original print run in just two days; the magazine broke new ground in Australian mainstream publishing, featuring the first nude male centrefold (actor Jack Thompson) and frank articles on female sexuality and other topics, leading to the inclusion of the first sealed section in an Australian magazine.

She made frequent appearances on radio and TV and in 1980, her media prominence led to her becoming the subject of the song "Ita", recorded by rock band Cold Chisel, which was included on their successful East album.

During the mid- to late 1980s, she also had a regular weekly "Ask Ita" page for the magazine Woman's Day which gave readers advice on personal issues.

She made a cameo appearance in episode 7547 of The Bold and the Beautiful alongside Brendan Jones and Amanda Keller as a news reporter airing in March 2017.

[18] In April 2018, Buttrose resigned as panelist on Studio 10 to focus on other parts of her life, including spending more time with her grandchildren and writing.

[29][30] In 1984 she was named the Variety Club 'Personality of the Year' as well as winning the Australasian Academy of Broadcast, Arts and Sciences for the 'Most Promising Newcomer to Radio'.

[citation needed] She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by Macquarie University in 2014 in recognition of her contribution to the arts.

In 2015, she was awarded a second honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Wollongong for her distinguished service to Australian society and for her commitment to advocating for vulnerable people in the community.