A mum says it’s "great" being married to a former kid’s TV star - despite having no idea who he was when they met.
Nikki Golding, 39, wasn’t aware husband, Bob, 54, had one of the best-known voices on children's television.
Between 1999 and 2002, he voiced the characters of ‘Milo’ and ‘Max’ on ‘Tweenies’.
But the conversation didn’t come up until six months in - after Nikki heard him recording a voicemail message as Max on a fan’s phone.
Even now, Bob loves when people ask him to do the voices and says their daughter, Nella, five, loves her dad is a Tweenie and watches old episodes on DVD.
And Nikki says she supports his career wholeheartedly.
Nikki, an actor, from Earls Barton, Northamptonshire, said: “I didn’t even know who the Tweenies were when I met Bob - or how big they were.
“It was quite a long time, at least six months, until I found out who he was.
“When I found out, I thought ‘oh, blimey. I didn’t realise.’
“But our daughter, Nella, loves it.”
Bob and Nikki met in January 2015, over a decade after Tweenies finished.
He was working as a pantomime dame at the time, and Nikki met him through a mutual friend.
“I’d known of Bob for longer than we’d been together,” she said.
“I had a friend called Glen, who went to drama school with Bob in Hitchin.
“He asked one day if I wanted to see Bob in panto, and there he was - in a dress.
“I thought 'OK, he’s cute.’
“And we went for a drink afterwards.”
Bob added: “I’d separated from my then-wife at the time, we’d had three kids together.
“I was thinking ‘I’m not really looking for anything, I just want a girlfriend.’
“But 10 years ago, I asked Nikki for a drink.
“And we’ve been inseparable ever since.”
Nikki describes herself as a “jack-of-all-trades" - having worked in voiceover acting, stage management and wardrobe for productions.
But, despite loosely knowing Bob for years, she wasn’t aware of his work on ‘Tweenies.’
“We have a 15-year age gap,” she said.
“So ‘Tweenies’ wasn’t part of my childhood.”
Bob says he rarely had people coming up to him and asking him to “do the voices” - because they don’t recognise him.
The first time it came up in conversation during their relationship was six months’ in, after Bob’s child, Georgie, 21, asked him to record a voicemail in Max’s voice.
He said: “Georgie - who would’ve been about 12 at the time - asked me: ‘Dad, can you do Milo?’
“I’d also get asked: ‘Can you record a voicemail in Max’s voice?'
“But it largely wasn’t something we ever brought up - we’re both actors.
“I think job history gets a little dusted under the carpet.”
Once Nikki became aware of Bob’s claim-to-fame, she didn’t let that hold their relationship back.
“If jealousy and envy comes into it, it’s going to ruin your relationship,” she added.
The pair married on September 15, 2017, and Nikki gave birth to baby Nella, now five, on March 21, 2019.
They say Nella “loves” ‘Tweenies,’ and, while they can’t find it on any streaming platforms, have managed to get her all the DVDs.
Nikki said: “She has all the song DVDs - the animal one, the Christmas one.
“It’s really nice.”
Bob even wants to start a campaign to bring the preschool show back, for the next generation of little kids.
“I’m really proud of my association with it,” he added.
“Iain and Will, the guys who devised it, wanted preschool kids to develop life skills.
“The show set a template for lots of kids’ shows that came after it.
“To be honest, I want to campaign to bring it back!”
Nikki Golding, 39, wasn’t aware husband, Bob, 54, had one of the best-known voices on children's television.
Between 1999 and 2002, he voiced the characters of ‘Milo’ and ‘Max’ on ‘Tweenies’.
But the conversation didn’t come up until six months in - after Nikki heard him recording a voicemail message as Max on a fan’s phone.
Even now, Bob loves when people ask him to do the voices and says their daughter, Nella, five, loves her dad is a Tweenie and watches old episodes on DVD.
And Nikki says she supports his career wholeheartedly.
Nikki, an actor, from Earls Barton, Northamptonshire, said: “I didn’t even know who the Tweenies were when I met Bob - or how big they were.
“It was quite a long time, at least six months, until I found out who he was.
“When I found out, I thought ‘oh, blimey. I didn’t realise.’
“But our daughter, Nella, loves it.”
Bob and Nikki met in January 2015, over a decade after Tweenies finished.
He was working as a pantomime dame at the time, and Nikki met him through a mutual friend.
“I’d known of Bob for longer than we’d been together,” she said.
“I had a friend called Glen, who went to drama school with Bob in Hitchin.
“He asked one day if I wanted to see Bob in panto, and there he was - in a dress.
“I thought 'OK, he’s cute.’
“And we went for a drink afterwards.”
Bob added: “I’d separated from my then-wife at the time, we’d had three kids together.
“I was thinking ‘I’m not really looking for anything, I just want a girlfriend.’
“But 10 years ago, I asked Nikki for a drink.
“And we’ve been inseparable ever since.”
Nikki describes herself as a “jack-of-all-trades" - having worked in voiceover acting, stage management and wardrobe for productions.
But, despite loosely knowing Bob for years, she wasn’t aware of his work on ‘Tweenies.’
“We have a 15-year age gap,” she said.
“So ‘Tweenies’ wasn’t part of my childhood.”
Bob says he rarely had people coming up to him and asking him to “do the voices” - because they don’t recognise him.
The first time it came up in conversation during their relationship was six months’ in, after Bob’s child, Georgie, 21, asked him to record a voicemail in Max’s voice.
He said: “Georgie - who would’ve been about 12 at the time - asked me: ‘Dad, can you do Milo?’
“I’d also get asked: ‘Can you record a voicemail in Max’s voice?'
“But it largely wasn’t something we ever brought up - we’re both actors.
“I think job history gets a little dusted under the carpet.”
Once Nikki became aware of Bob’s claim-to-fame, she didn’t let that hold their relationship back.
“If jealousy and envy comes into it, it’s going to ruin your relationship,” she added.
The pair married on September 15, 2017, and Nikki gave birth to baby Nella, now five, on March 21, 2019.
They say Nella “loves” ‘Tweenies,’ and, while they can’t find it on any streaming platforms, have managed to get her all the DVDs.
Nikki said: “She has all the song DVDs - the animal one, the Christmas one.
“It’s really nice.”
Bob even wants to start a campaign to bring the preschool show back, for the next generation of little kids.
“I’m really proud of my association with it,” he added.
“Iain and Will, the guys who devised it, wanted preschool kids to develop life skills.
“The show set a template for lots of kids’ shows that came after it.
“To be honest, I want to campaign to bring it back!”
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FunTranscript
00:00Hello, I was the voice of Milo in the Tweenies. Yeah, we first went on telly in 1999. Oh well,
00:22that was nearly 22 years ago. Femborooni! I was also the voice of Max in the Tweenies.
00:29He spoke like that. Oh, come on now, Jakey, let's go in the garden and find doodles.
00:32It's all about, as you were singing that song, all about Big Z's made of little things,
00:39made me think of my problem on the wall. I thought, we can make a mosaic! Well, that's
00:46a big picture made for lots of little things stuck down. Oh, stick-a-roobies! The Tweenies
00:54rushed to get their own room.