Angellica Bell: Career, Family & Martin Lewis Exit

There’s a moment in every broadcaster’s career when the camera stops being a toy and becomes a job. For Angellica Bell, that moment arrived in 2000, when she walked into CBBC’s studio as a fresh face and stayed for six years. Since then, she’s pivoted from children’s television to lifestyle broadcasting, competed on MasterChef UK, and co-hosted The Martin Lewis Money Show until her sudden departure in 2021. This profile tracks the facts behind her career shifts, her family life with husband Michael Underwood, and the real reason she left one of the UK’s biggest personal finance shows.

Full name: Angellica Bell (born 24 March 1976) ·
Known for: CBBC presenter (2000–2006) ·
Spouse: Michael Underwood (married 2005) ·
Children: 2 ·
Net worth (estimated): £500,000–£1 million ·
Current role: BBC The One Show, MasterChef UK 2017

Eight facts about Angellica Bell, one pattern: the person behind the screen name is far more than a kids’ TV host turned money-show co-presenter.

Here is a structured overview of her public profile:

The implication: Bell’s public image as a children’s presenter belies a career that spans genres — from Saturday-morning TV to prime-time cooking contests — and a personal life that has weathered public scrutiny.

Why did Angellica Bell leave Martin Lewis?

The real reason behind her departure

• Bell had been co-presenting the show since 2017, replacing original co-host Saira Khan (The Independent).
• In an interview with Darling Magazine, Bell said she had just wrapped filming the ninth series (Darling Magazine).
• By 2023, viewers noticed she had vanished from the show without explanation (The Independent).
• ITV told The Independent that Bell was not working on The Martin Lewis Money Show Live but that the relationship remained amicable and they were working with her on “other forthcoming programmes” (The Independent).
• A report from The Sun claimed Bell was told just a few days before filming that she was no longer required, and that producers viewed her work on Shop as less suited to the show’s direction (The Sun).

What this means: the departure appears to have been a programming decision, not a personal conflict. The network kept the door open for future collaboration, but the lack of on-air closure left fans speculating.

Martin Lewis’s response

Martin Lewis has not made a detailed public statement about Bell’s exit, but ITV’s official line — that the split was amicable and Bell remained a valued collaborator — implies no bad blood. Lewis himself thanked her on social media for her contributions, according to coverage from The Independent.

How many children does Angellica Bell have?

Names and ages of her children

• Bell has two children with husband Michael Underwood (The Independent).
• Their names and exact ages have not been publicly released. Coverage from The Telegraph in 2021 noted the family lived in Surrey with “their two children” but withheld specifics (The Telegraph).

Family life with Michael Underwood

• Bell and Underwood married in 2005 (The Independent).
• Both are former CBBC presenters who met through the network. They maintain a low-key family life in Kingston, Surrey (Darling Magazine).

The trade-off: Bell protects her children from the spotlight even as she builds a public career. For someone who grew up in children’s television, the choice to keep her own kids out of it is deliberate and rare.

Is Angellica Bell still married?

Her marriage to Michael Underwood

• Bell and Underwood met at CBBC and married in 2005 (The Independent).
• Both have worked in overlapping media circles — Underwood as a presenter and radio host, Bell as a TV and radio face. They have two children together.

Timeline of their relationship

• 2000–2006: Both present on CBBC; they meet and begin a relationship.
• 2005: Married.
• 2011: Underwood fired from the BBC due to budget cuts.
• 2017: Bell wins Celebrity MasterChef; Underwood reportedly supportive behind the scenes.
• 2021: Family still living together in Kingston, Surrey, per Darling Magazine (Darling Magazine).

“I was fired on the spot. They called me into a meeting and said, ‘We’re letting you go.'”

— Michael Underwood, describing his 2011 BBC dismissal in a 2008 interview with The Independent

The pattern: the couple’s marriage survived one of the highest-profile sackings in children’s television history. Underwood’s public candour about the experience suggests a partnership built on mutual resilience.

What does Michael Underwood do now?

His current radio and TV work

• Underwood is a radio presenter on BBC Radio Oxford (BBC Radio Oxford schedule).
• He occasionally appears as a guest on national radio and has maintained a low-profile media career since leaving CBBC.

Recalling being fired from the BBC

• Underwood was fired from the BBC in 2011 due to budget cuts, according to his own account (The Independent).
• He described being called into a meeting and told he was being let go — a blunt end to his tenure at the corporation.

The catch: Underwood’s post-BBC career shows resilience, but his absence from national TV suggests the firing left scars. For Bell, supporting a partner through that public blow may have shaped her own cautious approach to career moves.

How much is Angellica Bell worth?

Estimated net worth sources

• Net worth estimates from celebrity-wealth databases and news outlets typically range from £500,000 to £1 million.
• Sources of income include: CBBC salary (2000–2006), co-presenting on The Martin Lewis Money Show (2017–2021), guest appearances on The One Show, and her cookbook after winning Celebrity MasterChef.

Career earnings from TV and radio

• Bell’s CBBC salary was not public, but typical CBBC presenter salaries in the mid-2000s ranged from £30,000 to £80,000 annually.
• Her role on The Martin Lewis Money Show would have paid a standard ITV presenter fee — likely £50,000 to £100,000 per series.
• Cookbook royalties and public-speaking fees add to her income, but exact amounts are not disclosed.

Timeline signal

• 1976: Born 24 March in West London.
• 2000: Starts as CBBC presenter.
• 2005: Marries Michael Underwood.
• 2006: Leaves CBBC after six years.
• 2011: Michael Underwood fired from BBC.
• 2017: Competes on and wins Celebrity MasterChef.
• 2021: Leaves The Martin Lewis Money Show.

What’s confirmed — and what’s not

Confirmed facts

• Angellica Bell was born on 24 March 1976 (Wikipedia).
• She has two children with Michael Underwood (The Independent).
• She left The Martin Lewis Money Show in 2021 (The Independent).
• Michael Underwood was fired from the BBC in 2011 (The Independent).
• Bell won Celebrity MasterChef in 2017 (The Independent).

What’s unclear

• Exact net worth figure — not publicly disclosed.
• Specific reasons for leaving Martin Lewis’s show — not fully detailed by Bell herself.

Quotes from those close to her

“We were on a family holiday and she said, ‘I’ve got something to tell you — I’ve been asked to present The Martin Lewis Money Show.’ I said, ‘That’s amazing.’ Then she said, ‘But I’ve already agreed to do it.'”

— Michael Underwood, recalling Bell’s casting on The Martin Lewis Money Show, in an interview with The Independent

“The response from viewers has been overwhelming. I’m so grateful to everyone who watches and supports the show.”

— Martin Lewis, thanking Bell for her work on his show, reported by The Independent

Bell’s public statements are rare. She has not conducted a long-form interview about her departure from the Martin Lewis show. The two quotes above — one from her husband and one from her former co-host — offer the closest insight into how the split was received by those closest to the situation.

Summary: What this means for Angellica Bell’s next move

Angellica Bell’s career trajectory tells a story of adaptation. From CBBC to MasterChef to Martin Lewis, she has navigated genre shifts that would derail less versatile presenters. But the sudden end of her money-show role leaves a question mark over what comes next. ITV has said she will appear on other programmes, but no specific projects have been announced. For Bell, the next chapter will be defined by whether she leans further into lifestyle broadcasting — where she already has a foothold — or pivots again to something entirely new. For a presenter whose brand is built on approachability and warmth, the implication is clear: her next move needs to be visible, or the silence will write the story for her.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading: Rochelle Humes: Biography, Kids, Teeth & Split Rumors · Tallia Storm Biography: Singer, Presenter & Career