'I LOST EVERYTHING BUT IT WAS A HUGE LIFE LESSON'

TV PRESENTER MIQUITA OLIVER OPENS UP ABOUT HER ROLLER-COASTER LIFE - FROM SUCCESS AS A TEENAGER ON POPWORLD TO FINANCIAL TROUBLES, THERAPY AND A TERRIFYING NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE

- KIRSTY NUTKINS

It's been more than two decades since Miquita Oliver made her TV debut on Channel 4's Popworld. Although just 16 at the time, she and her co-host Simon Amstell managed to amass a huge fan base and elevate the series to cult status with their awkward-yet-cool dynamic and offbeat humour.

Miquita, 38, and Simon, 42, were known for putting bizarre questions to their high-profile guests, including, "Have you ever licked a battery?", "Do you ever feel like you're right in the middle of a car crash?" and "Have you ever got off with Calum Best?"

Memorable moments included roping Britney Spears into a ridiculous round of speed dating and interviewing Fame Academy graduate Lemar from across a car park with a megaphone, just so they could call the chat Lemar From Afar.

For both presenters, the show provided a springboard to a successful TV career - but for Miquita, the transition was a tricky one. Being thrust into the limelight at such a young age was a shock to the system and she found it hard to deal with fame. While she went on to present on T4 and fronted her own show, The Month With Miquita, on 4Music, she made headlines thanks to her boozy nights out with her pop star best pal Lily Allen, 37.

On her friendship with Lily, Miquita still describes the singer as her "sister". She tells us, "We've known each other since we were born, that's not going to go away. We're extremely close and I love having friends that I've known since the day I came onto the planet. And I think to go through that incredibly intense experience in my 20s with Lily was great.

While the pair had lots of fun, Miquita admits she was burnt out by 26. Then, in 2012, she had to file for bankruptcy over an unpaid tax bill.