and I know that if you feel like crying, it is okay to do so. Above all else though, my family have been amazing. They have
helped me so much.”
Whilst the scar above her eye is permanent, Danni has grown a fringe to cover it and learned to love her new look. After all, she knows only too well how fragile life can be, given her former travel show co-star Jonnie Irwin has terminal cancer.
Today, out of respect for him, she doesn’t want to discuss his tragic diagnosis but it is clear how important it is to embrace everything, including her glamorous job as a presenter on A Place in the Sun.
Sadly, for the programme’s loyal viewers, it will be her last series.
Danni, who is single, says she has made the decision to quit the show after seven years because travelling so much was making it harder and harder to find love.
“I will be incredibly grateful to the A Place in the Sun team,” she says. “And I still, to this day, can remember when I got offered the job. I screamed with delight! It’s been brilliant to do and we had an absolute hoot with one of the couples I help on the new series. They end up buying a house in France that hadn’t been touched for years.
“I’ve loved my time on the programme, but I started to struggle with being away so much. I struggled to do normal things like dating when I was back.
“You would go on two or three dates with someone but then be away for three weeks.It’s hard to develop a relationship.
“I had one boyfriend for a while who I met abroad. He was self-employed and he used to come at weekends to wherever I was. That was ideal, but it’s a rare thing.
“When friends start getting married and having babies and you are packing your bag again, you start to think, ‘Oh, I want to do those things!’”
Smiling, the bubbly presenter admits she would love to have children one day.
“The clock is ticking,” she confides. “I do want to settle down but I don’t want to do it with the wrong guy.
“I know people who are getting divorced already and I would rather wait until I meet the right person.”
After taking a break from her work to get over the crash, Danni is now filming a new series for Channel 4, details of which she is keeping under wraps, as well as launching Menzies at Home – a furniture and home accessories range she created whilst recovering.
“It’s launching very soon and it’s combining my love of property, interiors and making a home a home,” she says.
“I would also love to make a crime documentary too because it can affect people’s lives in such a big way.”
When she isn’t working, Danni exercises four times a week and loves to throw herself into sporty activities.
She is also in discussions with the charity Mind about doing a campaign with them to raise awareness about mental health.
Danni hints that the campaign would be focused on social media, which she insists “isn’t real”.
“I am talking to Mind about doing something with them,” she says. “I hate the fact social media is a fantasy world.”
She then pauses, smiles warmly and then declares: “I feel sorry for people who don’t have the support I’ve had.
“Getting over the crash was very hard but I feel mentally strong now and am raring
to go. I am looking forward to what lies ahead for me…”
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