Angellica Bell reveals she was 'on her knees' financially and almost lost her home as she struggled to get TV jobs after shooting to fame on CBBC

Angellica Bell has revealed that she was 'on her knees' financially and almost lost her home as she struggled to get TV jobs after shooting to fame on CBBC.

The presenter, 50, is best known for presenting on CBBC between 2000 and 2006.

During her younger years, she had a paper round and even worked in McDonald's before landing her first TV job as a roving reporter for the Big Breakfast on Channel 4 in the late 1990s.

Her big break came when she started working for CBBC in 2000, hosting in between shows before eventually landing main presenting stints on shows including Xchange, 50/50 and That's Genius!

But in a new interview she has explained how things got tough when work dried up in the years that followed.

She said this week: 'There was a moment where I've nearly had to sell my house...'.

She added on Hello! magazine's podcast Second Act: 'I've been on my knees, but I've been on TV, and people wouldn't know that. 

'When that kicks in. You're like, 'Well, I have to pivot.'

'I think what women don't give themselves enough credit for is that we are adapting at so many stages of our lives, and it's incredible…

'So there's been so many times where I've thought maybe the second act is here, or the third act or the fourth act… I'm proud of myself. We don't say we're proud of ourselves enough.'

Angellica shares two children with her husband Michael Underwood. 

Angellica previously revealed the 'ridiculous purchase' she made during her early career, because she felt 'compelled to look smaller on TV'.

Appearing on an episode of the Spent podcast, in association with Nationwide, she admitted that in an effort to slim down, she bought a machine that used electrical pulses to cause contractions in her abdominal muscles, in the hopes it would give her abs.

Reflecting on how she started her career in TV, Angellica explained she'd never imagined becoming a presenter while growing up, because she didn't believe she was 'anything special to look at'.

She also confessed that her insecurities didn't disappear overnight as she detailed her desires to appear 'smaller' onscreen.

Speaking to host Matt Edmondson, Angellica recalled: 'For me, I wouldn't say necessarily, being on CBBC was something that I thought could happen to me. 

'Maybe because I didn't know how to get there. I'd grown up watching it and just thinking that looks so cool, but I never envisioned myself in the spot.

'Growing up, I was like a little fat chubby child with national health glasses, so I wasn't anything special to look at. So I just thought, yeah, we'll see what happens.'

She went on to explain how she ended up splashing the cash on an abs machine, before realising it was ineffective and couldn't replace traditional exercise and diet.

She said: 'I once bought one of those machines that gives you a six pack. Back in the day, there used to be these things where you'd put it on and they put like electric shocks to make your tummy go in. And they would be like, 'You'll have a six pack in six months!'

Angellica detailed: 'They're saying the idea is that it helps you, because all these things give you a little electric shot so your muscles are sort of tensing up. And then you will look like an Adonis.'

But when Matt asked how consistently she used it, she confessed: 'No. I used it for a bit and nothing was happening. 

'I think it definitely is a con, because at the end of the day, we know that in order to get a body like that, you've got to eat a lot of protein and do a lot of sit ups. 

'And sleep. And don't have any fun. Don't eat an ice cream. Don't eat any cakes. And I'm not prepared to do that.'

She candidly acknowledged it had been a poor investment and that she had since realised the importance of exercise and being comfortable with her body.

Angellica said: 'It was a waste of money. And I think there was a time where I felt compelled maybe to look smaller on TV. And I just thought, 'Let me try these.' It's like the idea of Spanx, really.

'Now I don't wear Spanx at all because I'm just like, 'Look, this is me and I want to have that cake.' 

'But if I want to be smaller, a little bit more fit, then I need to do some work and go to the gym. I just can't be bothered.'

She added: 'It was a rare purchase before I really understood about exercise. I liked exercise growing up, but not excessively. 

'I think that's when I signed up to do the marathon when I was at CBBC. I was like, 'I've got to do something where I'm raising money for charity, but it'll force me to get fit.' 

'And that's when things started turning around. I was like, actually, you've just got to put a bit of work in.'