60 SECONDS: Angellica Bell
TV presenter Angellica Bell fronted Children's BBC for six years before moving on to grown-up telly with stints on the Holiday Hit Squad and Fame Academy. Angellica can currently be seen on week nights as a roving reported on The One Show on BBC1. She also presents the Dance X post-mortem show, Dance Xtra, on BBC3 on Saturday nights.
After your turn on Fame Academy, can you empathise with the Dance X contestants?
When Rana [a contestant on Dance X] had to sing on the audition programme, she nearly had a nervous breakdown and started crying. I know how that feels. I wanted the stage to eat me on my first night on Fame Academy. My first song was Jamelia’s Superstar. It was shocking. Even Jamelia said I was bad when she saw it afterwards. I came fifth out of 13, though, so I didn’t do that badly.
You did children’s TV for ages. Did you ever swear or make accidental adult remarks?
No never. Something in my brain programs me not to swear. We had a Mona the Vampire day. The topic was: ‘Like Mona the Vampire, what is the one thing you want to get your teeth into?’ All the texts said, ‘Angellica’s breasts’, or ‘Angellica’s bum’. So the researcher and I decided to phone the people who texted in. I rang back and said: ‘You’ve sent a text to CBBC’ and they all said: ‘No, it wasn’t me – my mate made me do it.’ When I told them it was me, they all wet themselves. That was one of the best afternoons I had working there. It was hilarious.
You did an FHM shoot. Did it help you get taken seriously as a grown-up presenter?
It was nice to be asked and I had a good time. They didn’t have to do much Photoshop work – I need to point that out. It helps make people realise I’m not a child. I’m 28 but sometimes people talk to me like I’m two. Just because I present children’s programmes, people think I’m a child. Who wouldn’t want to have nice pictures of themselves anyway? I felt like a woman.
You were on the brink of a law career. Why did you become a TV presenter?
I’d done a politics degree and had booked my place on a law conversion course. Everyone has dreams to be an actor or presenter or whatever but I never thought that would come true. I was temping at the BBC before I was going to start my course and was in the right place at the right time. I wanted to temp at the BBC because it was cool – even though I was doing admin, I got to meet people such as the Spice Girls. Someone liked the look of me and I started presenting on BBC Knowledge. Once you get a start, more opportunities arise.
Who is your least likely showbiz pal?
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson. We know each other from Fame Academy. She’s mad and we just really clicked. We’re both quite open and she’s really honest. I go to her house and watch TV and go to her local Chinese takeaway, which is amazing. She had all these Christian Louboutin shoes with her on Fame Academy and lent me a different pair every night I went on stage. When we finished the programme, she bought me a pair – and they’re expensive. She’s so sweet.
I'm 28 but sometimes people talk to me like I'm two - just because I present children's programmes
Doesn’t she drag you into her crazy party life?
She’s not that much of a party animal. She’s out a lot but she goes home early. She introduced me to her mate Kate at a party and it was Kate Middleton. She won’t remember who I am, though. She was very pleasant.
What’s the last thing you bought on eBay?
I’ve never bought anything; I’ve only been selling. I’ve made about a grand on eBay. I put anything on there: shoes, stuff around the house. I got married in February, and, the week before the wedding, I put the dress on and the zip and buttons fell off. I bought a new one with just two days to go because it caused me so much hassle. I’ll be putting that one on eBay soon as it has got bad memories.
You’ve presented holiday programmes. Have you ever had a mystery foreign illness?
I got the worst food poisoning of my life in Senegal. I had an omelette in the morning. I noticed the egg was a bit runny but I was really hungry and didn’t have time to get anything else. We were flying home that night, I got
inthttp://ww my room and I was on all fours with the pain and projectile vomited across the bathroom. I couldn’t move. The plane crew were so lovely and gave me ginger ale all the way back.
Metro
