Former CITV Presenter's Heartbreaking Warning After Daughter's Meningitis Death
Fourteen years after a family holiday turned to tragedy, former children's television presenter Danielle Nicholls is issuing a chilling public health warning about the deadly speed of meningitis B. The 47-year-old, once a familiar face on CITV alongside Stephen Mulhern, lost her 18-month-old daughter Cici to the disease within hours during a trip to Lanzarote in 2012.
The Holiday That Became a Nightmare
Danielle and her husband, football coach Dean Holden, were travelling with their three toddlers for what should have been a dream vacation. "We had been delayed at Manchester airport for hours, and the kids were exhausted," Danielle recalls. "Cici was lethargic and had the beginnings of a cold, but we put it down to the travel."
By the following morning, the situation had deteriorated alarmingly. "She was sort of whimpering, like something was hurting, and she felt cold and clammy," Danielle remembers with painful clarity. "Within three hours, she was gone."
Spanish doctors later confirmed the toddler had meningococcal septicaemia – blood poisoning caused by meningitis B. At that time, there was no publicly available vaccine for the strain that claimed her daughter's life. "It was only introduced in 2015," Danielle explains. "She never had a chance."
The Rapid Onset That Terrifies Parents
Danielle's warning comes amid a recent meningitis B outbreak in Kent that has dominated national headlines, described by health officials as "unprecedented and explosive." As of early April 2026, twenty-one confirmed cases have been linked to the strain, with two fatalities reported.
"Meningitis isn't some story from the nineties," Danielle insists. "It's happening today – in teenagers at parties and in young kids at nursery. People think it's rare, but when it hits, it kills within hours."
The bacteria are commonly carried in noses and throats of healthy individuals without causing harm, but can be transmitted through prolonged close contact including coughing, sneezing, kissing, or sharing drinks and utensils. The Kent student cases have highlighted even vape sharing as a potential transmission route.
Recognising the Warning Signs
Danielle emphasises that the initial symptoms can be deceptively mild. "Cici didn't have the rash at first. It's not always there. She just looked tired, floppy and cold, like she wanted to sleep."
She urges parents to watch for specific warning signs: cold hands and feet, a high fever, confusion, vomiting, mottled skin, and a high-pitched cry. "Every parent needs to know these symptoms," she stresses. "You've got maybe four or five hours before it's too late."
A Family's Journey Through Grief
The aftermath of Cici's death saw Danielle vanish from television screens. "For ten years I was like a ghost," she admits. "I'd go through the motions, look after my kids, but I wasn't me anymore. I couldn't imagine ever being happy again."
She and Dean threw themselves into charity work, raising tens of thousands of pounds for meningitis research through Meningitis Now, where Danielle now serves as an ambassador. The couple later welcomed two more children – Mitzi, now 12, and Chase, now seven – though Danielle endured five miscarriages between the two pregnancies.
The Vaccination Message
Danielle's younger daughter Mitzi was among the first to receive the MenB vaccine when it became part of the NHS baby programme in 2015. "She had a massive reaction – swollen legs, fever – which the doctor said was good news," Danielle explains. "It showed she already had antibodies, probably because of me."
Her teenage sons, Joey and Ellis, have not been vaccinated as doctors believe they developed natural immunity through exposure when Cici died. "But if I hadn't known that, I'd be queuing round the block," Danielle states emphatically.
Her message to parents is unequivocal: "If you're reading this and your baby or teen hasn't had the MenB vaccine – book it. Don't think it will happen to you. Those kids who died in Kent last month were just at a club. That's how fast meningitis spreads."
Finding Purpose Through Pain
After Cici's death, the family moved to Scotland where Dean played for Falkirk. Danielle trained as a breastfeeding support worker, helping new mothers after traumatic births, and later established a group for women with postnatal depression that won a £50,000 National Lottery grant.
"Helping other women stopped me from feeling useless," she reflects. "That work gave me a purpose again."
More recently, Danielle has returned to broadcasting, hosting The Late Night Phone-In on TalkTV after a chance encounter with her former CITV producer. She's also filming a family reality-style YouTube series featuring Dean and their football-mad children.
The Ghost Child Who Remains Present
Danielle acknowledges that grief never truly disappears. "I have what I call my ghost child," she shares. "There's always a space between Ellis and Mitzi where Cici sits in my head. I imagine her at each age – what she'd look like, how tall she'd be."
"People ask if time heals. It doesn't. You just learn to live with the hole," she says, her voice trembling with emotion. "Cici's part of everything I do. When my show goes out, I still look up and say, 'That was for you, baby girl.'"
Her ultimate hope is that sharing her family's painful experience might prevent similar tragedies. "I'll never stop being her mum," Danielle concludes softly. "But if by telling our story one parent recognises those symptoms, then maybe she's still saving lives."
