The Hull Daily Mail Interviews Nickelodeon UK Presenter Anna Williamson

From the Hull Daily Mail via This is Hull and East Riding:

'Sometimes, all children want is a platform to talk about their feelings'

She is the bright and perky face of Nickelodeon and CiTV and has been performing on stage and screen since her early teens.

But Anna Williamson faced her own dark times when she started experiencing panic attacks.

"It was 2005 and I developed this panic disorder," said Anna, in a rare break from a hectic interview schedule.

"As a result I went to see a counsellor – and it worked. I could see the benefits of talking therapies and it resonated with me for years after."

Having been in the business of entertaining children for ten years – she is a Daybreak correspondent and entertainment reporter for Digital Spy, as well as presenting on the hugely popular Nickelodeon and CiTV – Anna felt well-placed to be able to "give something back", as she put it.

"Being around kids for a long time, I know it's not an easy life for them out there.

"There are some extreme cases but, sometimes, all kids want is a platform to talk about their feelings. They want to ask questions about the things they are thinking about."

So, since January, Anna has been volunteering with the national children's helpline, ChildLine – founded by Esther Rantzen – something she considers her biggest challenge to date.

"I work on the phones every week," she said. "I'm making my shifts fit in with my other commitments.

"I want to make a difference and I think it's like everything, I'm just chipping away.

"You do feel you are doing your bit. I like to think the young people I have talked to feel better and I have helped them to come up with a solution.

"I think my ChildLine work is going to continue to be very challenging, fun and rewarding."

In addition to her television and stage career, Anna gained a diploma in counselling in 2009.

A keen charity supporter and volunteer, she is very proud of her ambassador role for The Prince's Trust and The Young Variety Club.

Her gritty determination saw her complete the London Marathon in 4hrs 45mins, all in the name of charity – an achievement she is particularly proud of as she was still recovering from a recently broken ankle.

You also can't mention Anna Williamson without mentioning pantomime – she is a huge fan of the theatre genre and has played every role going in her ten years treading the boards.

"To say I love the camp-ness of it all is an understatement," said Anna, who is North London-born and now lives in Hertfordshire. "I'm Cinderella in Milton Keynes this Christmas.

"There are lots of things going on. I'm doing a show this month with Nickelodeon called Camp Orange (the hit show is in its second series) and I've got Skillicious with CiTV running at the moment.

"I've got my entertainment journalism going on with Digital Spy (it allows Anna to do what she loves most, stalking the red carpets, chatting up A-list stars and reporting back to her legions of fans)."

Anna said she makes sure she gets some downtime and there is nothing she likes better than tramping the countryside around her home in her wellies.

"My home isn't anything special, but the country estate that I live on the edge of, is.

"It makes a complete change from my work life, which can be fast-paced, glamorous and quite materialistic."

So are children of her own on Anna's horizon at all?

"Oh, I hope so, and not in the too-distant future," she said. "My boyfriend has a 13-year-old daughter and she comes down, we have a really good relationship."