Sarah-Jane Honeywell reveals heating crisis amid cost-of-living strain after CBeebies exit

Sarah-Jane Honeywell, a former CBeebies presenter, has told listeners on BBC Radio Lincolnshire that rising energy bills left her unable to heat her home in some winters and that she has resorted to using a log fire. The 51-year-old, who starred on the BBC children’s channel from 2002 to 2011, said she could not afford to turn the heat on at times and relied on a log fire instead.

On Monday’s mid‑morning show, Honeywell recalled the hardship, saying: 'A few years ago I didn't put my heating on at all over the winter because it had gone up so much, I just could not afford to put my heating on. We do have a log fire which I know is a bit naughty.' She referenced social media regular Thrifty Mum and added: 'This year thrifty Mum would not be proud of me because I haven't even ordered the logs yet for the fire.' She told listeners she hopes to have money by the end of October to either pay heating bills or buy more logs.

Honeywell’s TV career on CBeebies included roles on Tikkabilla, Tweenies, ZingZillas and Mighty Mites, and she served as the channel’s links presenter. In 2011 she posed topless for a PETA campaign in London, a decision she has said cost her work opportunities and status within the organization. She has described the campaign as triggering a wave of backlash, including debt of around £100,000 and thoughts of self-harm during the darkest period. She said she learned through a newspaper article that the BBC had decided she no longer worked on the channel and recalls a hostile online response, including a Facebook group calling for widespread dislike of her.

She has been candid about the personal toll the fallout took. In Fabulous magazine, she said: 'I felt like I’d let my husband down. I’d let my parents down. I’d let everybody down.' She described a moment when she walked toward a train station in Liverpool and felt an urge to end her life, only a memory of her unborn child, Phoenix, kicking pulling her back from the edge and giving her a reason to press on. She has since described Phoenix as rising from the ashes, and that moment helped prompt a broader life and career reboot.

Beyond the controversy, Honeywell has detailed how the aftermath affected her professionally and financially. She still cherishes memories of close collaboration with co‑stars like Justin Fletcher, who played Mr Tumble, though she says he drifted away after the campaign’s fallout. She has spoken about how the industry’s emphasis on a squeaky-clean image at the time shaped her career path, including an earlier incident in which she was admonished for a tattoo of fairy wings on her back. She has described how a mix of media coverage and online trolling complicated her return to screen work. In recent years, Honeywell has rebuilt a presence in local broadcasting and now anchors a mid-morning program on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, using her platform to discuss everyday challenges such as energy costs and the cost of living while reflecting on the lessons from her experiences.