Their Salford home is full of joy and laughter, with their children keeping them rushed off their feet as they juggle careers back on the rise.
But TV presenter Danielle Nicholls and ex-professional footballer Dean Holden have suffered unimaginable heartache. Only now, after almost a decade of hard work to piece their lives back together, do they feel able to talk about what happened without spiralling into despair. READ MORE: "It's like a blackmail situation": Takeaway owner furious over Just Eat 'fake refunds' The childhood sweethearts grew up in Swinton and first found fame in the late 1990s - with Danielle becoming the face of CITV alongside Stephen Mulhern, while footballer Dean was breaking into Bolton Wanderers' first team.
As Dean enjoyed a career in the Football League, including a spell as captain of Oldham Athletic, Danielle scaled back her career to spend time raising their three young children - Joey, Ellis and Cici.
Little Cici was the daughter the couple had longed for after having two boys and she was treated 'like a princess'. The family's lives would turn upside down after a grim day at Manchester Airport, spending nine hours waiting for a delayed flight to Lanzarote.
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