At the tender age of 19, Danielle Nicholls found herself catapulted into the limelight as the youthful face of ITV's children's television channel, CITV.
Her career took a hiatus as she embraced motherhood, followed by an unimaginable tragedy, the loss of her 17-month-old daughter. But now, at the age of 43, Danielle is making an impressive and triumphant return to the screen.
The singer and model, hailing from Swinton, had initially been discovered by producer Steve Ryde. She co-hosted the daily kids' channel, which famously launched beloved shows like the Teletubbies, alongside Stephen Mulhern, from 1998 to 2001.
After her time at CITV, Danielle graced the screens as a presenter on Channel 5's celebrity karaoke extravaganza, Night Fever. By 2012, she had expanded her family to include three children with her husband, Dean Holden, who presently manages Charlton Athletic and previously helmed Oldham Athletic.
However, that year dealt the family a devastating blow when they encountered an unthinkable tragedy. While on holiday in Lanzarote, their daughter, Cici, succumbed to meningococcal septicemia, a bacterial infection that triggers blood poisoning leading to sepsis.
The family's world was turned upside down as Cici was swiftly transported to the nearest intensive care unit, but tragically, within three hours, she passed away.
Despite the heartbreak, Danielle and Dean went on to have two more children, nine-year-old Mitzi and five-year-old Chase, joining their older siblings, Joey and Ellis, aged 16 and 14, respectively.
Danielle also embarked on a journey to become a certified breastfeeding advisor, extending her support to other mothers.
By a stroke of fate, Danielle crossed paths with a former CITV colleague in London last year while accompanying Dean for an interview he had with talkSPORT. She fondly referred to it as serendipity.
"Two weeks before that meeting, I was told I was on the wrong side of 40," Danielle revealed. "They said, 'Darling, you're on the wrong side of 40, and you haven't got a hope.' But that spurred me on. Once I got over it and stopped crying, it gave me a kick up the a**e."
Danielle, now 44, swiftly secured a role as a presenter on the TV channel TalkTV, where she currently hosts the Saturday Night Talkaway show alongside Andre Walker.
Reflecting on her earlier experiences, Danielle recalled: "I remember meeting with an agent, and they said, 'We're not taking on any more northerners; we've already got one girl from Scotland.' At 19, getting famous that quickly, it was intimidating. I do think being in TV has changed. It's much nicer this time around."
In addition to her role on TalkTV, Danielle has graced small digital TV shows, including 'Text2Date,' and even ventured into the world of pantomimes after her CITV journey.
The actress played the main role in the pantomime Snow White in Manchester, Northampton, Sunderland, Southport and Weston-super-Mare, and also played another role as Fairy Crystal in the Snow White pantomime at the Grand Opera House in York.
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