After 17 years on air, CITV officially closed on September 1, leaving fans and former presenters bereft.
The channel was home to many British TV classics and kick-started the careers of stars such as Holly Willoughby, Cat Deeley and Ant and Dec.
But while the presenters always appeared on air with boundless energy, beaming smiles and butter not melting attitudes, things backstage were not so innocent.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, former CITV presenter Danielle Nicholls revealed what the stars were really up to behind the scenes, as well as the strict rules they had to follow on air.
Danielle started hosting the children’s channel in 1998 after beating out 900 applicants for the role.
The Secrets of CITV: Danielle Nicholls reveals the VERY raunchy backstage antics, strict (and sexist) dress code and on-air blunders with Stephen Mulhern (pictured in 1998)
She auditioned for the show alongside Stephen Mulhern and quickly formed a strong bond, with the pair forming a dynamic on-screen duo and becoming fast friends.
Danielle revealed that meeting Stephen was the highlight of her time on CITV, explaining: ‘TThe audition process was similar to Popstars with lots of cheesy activities, but we connected immediately. It was as if we had known each other all our lives.
‘Stephen comes from working class backgrounds, his father was a market trader, so we completely understood each other and it went from there.
‘He was a real prankster and found it hysterical to excite the cast and crew! We always joked together.
“I used to tell people I get paid to talk about. Imagine if I had to have a good job? The whole job was to duck around and laugh.
“They would give us a loose script. So we didn’t have any scripts, they just told us how long the link was and what they wanted to get out of it.
“They were some of the best years of my life, just having fun and hanging out with my best friend.”
But while they enjoyed working together, Danielle revealed it was still hard work, with the presenters tasked with keeping the show going as well as the practical aspects of working on live TV.
She explained: “The producers put a lot of trust in us and I don’t think anyone realizes the foundation it gives you.
‘The great thing is that because it was live there was so little time between connections that you could never take your microphone off, so we had to go to the toilet with our microphone still on and the sound crew could hear everything!’
Stephen and Danielle looked after each other during their time on the show, with Danielle recalling the time the Catchphrase presenter saved her from an on-air blunder.
She explained, “Once I almost gave out my phone number live on air! I literally got to the last number and Stephen’s face just went white and he said “woooo” and coughed and I stopped. We always saved each other.’
The pair first started looking out for each other during the audition process, with Danielle revealing that the casting team took the candidates out for drinks at the end of the three-day test.
Raunchy: While Danielle kept things professional while on the job, she revealed there were some racy antics backstage (pictured last month)
Strict Rules: While Danielle may have lost a few items of clothing in her dressing room, she was required to cover up completely on air
“Stephen turned to me and said ‘don’t get drunk’ because we knew they were testing us,” she explained. ‘You have to remember that there was no internet at that time you couldn’t investigate someone. Thank God there wasn’t social media because we were crazy!’
While Danielle kept things professional while on the job, she revealed there was some racy antics backstage, confessing to seducing a pop star in her dressing room after he appeared on the show.
“I had a cheeky kiss with a pop star who I shall keep nameless!” Danielle confessed. ‘We had finished filming because it was a Friday night and he said something like, “come back to the locker room and I’ll give you a phone number,” something so innocent.
‘So I kissed him! I had a huge crush on him for ages and I just thought, you know what, s*d it and I said, “Can I kiss you?” So we kissed for a bit.”
Recalling another spicy backstage quirk, Danielle revealed that she invited her boyfriend into her dressing room for some X-rated fun.
She confessed: ‘I got a bit cheeky with a footballer! And we did a little more than kiss in that locker room!’
And 20 years later, the two are still together as Danielle revealed her racy dressing room antics were with her now husband, former footballer and Charlton Athletic manager Dean Holden, who she married in 2006.
While Danielle may have lost a few items of clothing in her dressing room, she had to cover herself completely while in mid-air.
The dress code meant that Danielle was not allowed to wear clothing that the channel deemed too tight, including cardigans with spaghetti straps.
Danielle – who was a D-cup at the time – revealed: ‘It was so strict. I had to wear a special bra, a reduction bra that squashed my breasts, and I had to have a layer of padding in case the studio was cold.
‘You had to have these kinds of conversations because of children’s television, but you know what children don’t sexualize breasts!
‘We had to be given guidelines because we were wearing our own clothes. It’s a conversation, there’s nothing wrong with saying what they expect from you and I thought it was definitely cool.”
After more than three years as a presenter at CITV, Danielle left the channel in 2001 but returned to work in children’s television in ITV’s Diggit and Sooty Heights.
Danielle now works at Talk TV, where she presents Saturday Night Talkaway with Andre Walker, but revealed viewers complain about her naturally large breasts.
She explained: ‘I have always had a large bust and after breastfeeding it never went away. So I went from a double D on CITV to a G cup after I gave birth, and they never went down.
‘I’ve been attacked because of my breasts and had Ofcom complaints on my chest and I think it’s really cruel.
‘Women are so ashamed of their breasts, but mine has nursed all my babies. I’m proud of my breasts, they did the work.
‘It seems like in this world you can do anything, except for a woman who does actually embracing her sexuality.
Complaints: Danielle now works at Talk TV, where she hosts Saturday Night Talkaway with Andre Walker, but revealed viewers complain about her breasts
‘I’m getting on my high horse because these are my breasts, they belong to my body and I shouldn’t be ashamed. If someone else sexualizes your body, that’s their problem, not your problem.”
Danielle hasn’t ruled out a return to children’s television, but with the closure of CITV she doesn’t have much hope for future programming.
She revealed: ‘I would like to tell people that there is no better way to learn your craft than on children’s television, but it’s a shame now because I don’t think there will be the same path now.
“I think this is the end of the era and things won’t be the same again.”