CHILDREN’S TV presenters are famend for his or her saccharine personalities and clean-cut existence, so mother and father across the nation gasped after near-naked photographs of Sarah-Jane Honeywell hit the headlines.
The 49-year-old former Cbeebies host, from Nottingham, posed topless, mendacity on a large plate of meals in London’s Trafalgar Sq., for a now notorious Peta advert in 2011.
Sarah-Jane Honeywell chatted to Fabulous and revealed what her life’s been like after the presentCredit score: BBC
The now notorious snap hit the headlines again in 2011Credit score: Alamy
Further photographs of her in a skimpy vest, suggestively pouring Food plan Coke over her braless chest, put the nail within the coffin of her child’s TV profession.
“After that, all of the doorways had been slammed in my face,” says Sarah-Jane, talking solely to Fabulous for Telly Timewarp, our new sequence the place we chat to former small-screen icons.
“I couldn’t get any auditions as a result of individuals didn’t take me critically and simply handed me off as a kids’s TV weirdo. Financially it was an absolute catastrophe.”
The sacking precipitated Sarah-Jane’s private life to spiral. She was left homeless, suicidal, in £100k price of debt and estranged from her former pal, Mr Tumble aka Justin Fletcher.
Sarah-Jane, who has two kids, Indiana, 5, and 7-year-old Phoenix, together with her Hollyoaks actor husband Ayden Callaghan, 41, says: “We misplaced every part. In consequence we had been pressured to dwell within the storage of my mother and father’ dwelling for 3 years.
“In addition to shedding my job at Cbeebies, I had additionally been by way of a breakup and it left my monetary state of affairs in ruins.
“Ayden and I each labored actually arduous all our lives, after which we all of a sudden discovered ourselves dwelling on this tiny area with two kids.”
Sarah-Jane says she “couldn’t imagine her luck” when she landed her first presenting job on Cbeebies in 2001.
She says, “I used to be engaged on Tickabilla. I all the time felt like I understood kids much better than I did adults so it simply felt like the right surroundings to be in.
“It actually was every part I ever dreamed of, actually I had a lot enjoyable, I used to be incomes round £300 per episode however I might have finished it for a fiver.
Sarah-Jane thrived on the broadcaster however admits she was shocked by the strict guidelines presenters needed to comply with.
“Producers hated you being impolite or crude in any method,” she says.
“I might perceive if kids had been on set or if the cameras had been rolling however even when we had been off-air with solely adults round we needed to watch what we mentioned.”
She provides: “Not that it ever stopped me, I might commonly flash my bra to the digicam between takes!
“It was all the time amusing and nobody ever took it too critically.”
Sarah-Jane angered producers after getting a large tattoo of fairy wings on her again.
“I didn’t assume something of it as a result of it’s not like I’d typically have my again out on youngsters’ TV,” she says.
“However my producers had been horrified, I could as properly have finished one thing disgusting on their desks. I discovered it a bit archaic, loads of mother and father have tattoos and it definitely doesn’t make you a monster!”
Sarah-Jane angered producers after getting a large inking of fairy wings on her againCredit score: Sarah-Jane Honeywell
Sarah-Jane says she stored severe well being illnesses from her colleagues over concern of getting the boot. “I had been on Prozac for a lot of my life after growing an consuming dysfunction aged 12 ,” she explains.
“After I went for my medical on the BBC they requested if I had ever been on unlawful medication or antidepressants and I knew it could be finest to lie about that.
“From the age of about 26-28 I had been dabbling in cocaine and drugs however I used to be utterly sober from 2000 onwards.
“I used to be in all probability one of many few individuals at Cbeebies who didn’t even drink.”
Sarah-Jane labored intently with Fletcher for 12 years on reveals together with Higgledy Home and Tikabilla, however says she seen an enormous disparity between their roles.
Letting my boys watch Cbeebies would make me unhappy as a result of I actually did love that job.”
Sarah-Jane Honeywell
“There was one event after we had been each engaged on separate reveals not lengthy earlier than I obtained fired,” Sarah-Jane remembers.
“On the time Justin had two dressers and Winnebago and a driver, I had none of these issues.”
Sarah-Jane struggled to get on with some members of the workforce and felt like she grew to become a goal, recalling one incident the place a colleague informed her she seemed “previous, ugly and her hair was too lengthy”.
She says: “I needed to drive myself to the set, I obtained modified behind the automotive and did my very own make-up.
“I believe the producer actually hated me and wished me gone, she simply needed to look forward to me to provide her an excuse, and I definitely didn’t disappoint!
Sarah’s two kids usually are not allowed to look at Cbeebies, the previous star revealedCredit score: Sarah-Jane Honeywell
“I haven’t heard from Justin since then, which was heartbreaking, I believe he wished to distance himself from me however I actually remorse shedding that friendship.”
Sarah-Jane admits she remains to be “too bitter and twisted” to let her kids watch Cbeebies.
“Letting my boys watch Cbeebies would make me unhappy as a result of I actually did love that job,” she says.
“If I used to be imagined to be there at 7am you’d discover me there at 6am and I simply actually gave it my all.
“I don’t want the channel any hurt as a result of I adore it, it’s brilliantly entertaining, however I keep away from it as a result of it makes my soul damage.”
Sarah-Jane is now again on her toes with a secure job at BBC Radio Lincoln the place she presents the Sunday afternoon present, in addition to operating her personal drama college Curious Theatre.
The mum says that it was her husband Ayden, who’s at the moment starring within the bodyguard, who helped her get to the place she is as we speak.
“Now we have been by way of an unbelievable quantity collectively,” she says.
“Now we have suffered job loss, devastating debt, and we additionally suffered a devastating miscarriage in summer season 2014 and Ayden has been my rock all through.
“I wouldn’t be the place I’m as we speak with out him.”
And, 12 years after her profession got here crashing down, she says she has nothing however pleasure for her notorious animal rights shoot.
“I’m proud that I I attempted to do one thing good,” she says.
“I don’t know if I went about it the suitable method however I simply, I simply tried to assist a charity actually and I just like the photograph. I look good.”
The BBC declined to remark when approached by Fabulous.
Regardless of getting fired, the 49-year-old mum mentioned she had nothing however pleasure for the PETA shotCredit score: Sarah-Jane Honeywell
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