McCall given death threats

Davina McCall was told "you'll be killed live on air" and hasÂ…

12:20 07 September 2009

Big Brother presenter Davina McCall was threatened that she would be killed by a stalker live on air, according to reports.

The Daily Mirror wrote that threats were made in emails sent to the BB studios as she prepared to film the reality show, prompting the host to hire a private detective to find the stalker.

Police were alerted and extra security brought in to protect the mother of three who has been hosting the show since its inception.

A source said: "She was really, really terrified. On the show you wouldn't have realised anything was wrong, but behind the scenes, she was very scared."

The threats were sent four days before Big Brother 10 was due to start. The producers reported the threats to Hertfordshire Police.

A similar case happened two years ago when the star was plagued with chilling phone calls and someone even turned up at her £2m home.

To avoid any further close calls, McCall has hired her own private detective this time, who then traced the emails to a 19-year-old living near Manchester.  

The source continued: "She was very relieved when he was found. It was a very worrying time for everyone."

BB10 finished on Friday, with model Sophie Reade, announced as the winner. However, just two million watched the 10th series, compared with 10 million for the first final. It was recently revealed that the show will be axed.

A spokesman for Davina declined to comment, while a BB source only said: "We always have the appropriate security in place."