Former Blue Peter host Richard Bacon has shut down rumours that he snorted cocaine off the show's two tortoises.
The 45-year-old TV presenter was sacked from the children's show back in 1998 after a drug scandal that was HUGE news back in day.
Richard recently made an appearance on Dave series Unforgivable, where the topic of why he left the series came up after guest Judi Love wanted to know why he left the show.
TV host Mel Giedroyc used the opportunity to poke fun at an urban legend that Richard once snorted cocaine lines off the tortoises shells, saying jokingly, "Do you remember Fred and Frieda the tortoises? Big white lines."
Being unfamiliar with Richard's past on Blue Peter, Judi had missed Mel's joke and asked "he gave them coke?"
In a swift response to shut down further rumours, Richard emphasised "I didn't give any tortoises coke. So I got fired for taking drugs."
We're glad that's cleared up.
Blue Peter presenters: where are they now?
Where are your favourite '90s Blue Peter presenters now?
1 of 16Tim Vincent (1993-1997) then
Tim joined Blue Peter in 1993 and was quite possibly our first celeb crush EVER. Like, we once sent him a letter professing our undying low. His reply must've got, um, lost in the post.
2 of 16Tim Vincent (1993-1997) now
Tim's done bloody well for himself since leaving the show back in 1997. Not only did he play Adam Forrester in Emmerdale, but he only went and cracked America. He was a temporary presenter on the US version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and is a correspondent for Access Hollywood over there. Oh, and who can forget his stint on Dancing on Ice?
3 of 16Stuart Miles (1994-1999) then
Stuart Miles joined BP (as the kids called it) in '94 and defined an entire generation with those blonde curtains. Very Backstreet Boys, babes.
4 of 16Stuart Miles (1994-1999) now
Stuart's very much still in the presenting game, now co-hosting the Heart Four Counties breakfast show with none other than former Blue Peter fave Katy Hill. Speaking of whom...
5 of 16Katy Hill (1995-2000) then
Katy was absolute goals for her entire five-year run on the show, wasn't she? Kind of felt like a big sister (who didn't annoy us by stealing our Spice Girls CDs and breaking our Tamagotchi.)
6 of 16Katy Hill (1995-2000) now
As well as working alongside Stuart on the radio, Katy's now a blogger and is married to Live & Kicking presenter Trey Farley. You might've seen her in those Arm & Hammer toothpaste ads, too.
7 of 16Romana D'Annunzio (1996-1998) then
Romana might only have been on the show for two years, but she was just so bloody sassy and stylish. The girl had a lipstick collection Kylie Jenner would be proud of, tbh.
8 of 16Romana D'Annunzio (1996-1998) now
Romana went on to study an MA in English and Italian at the University of Edinburgh and has since become quite the jet setter; even living in Dubai at one point.
9 of 16Richard Bacon (1997-1998) then
Two words: COCAINE GATE. Yup, Richard was fired from Blue Peter after just 18 months after he admitted taking drugs. It sort of feels like yesterday despite the fact it was, um, twenty years ago. WHERE DOES TIME GO?
10 of 16Richard Bacon (1997-1998) now
Richard's cocaine scandal wasn't too detrimental to his career, to be honest. He went on to host Top of the Pops and The Big Breakfast; and has more recently worked on National Geographic's talk show Explorer in New York.
11 of 16Konnie Huq (1997-2008) then
Konnie hosted the show for over a decade, working on it from 1997-2008. Bloody hell.
12 of 16Konnie Huq (1997-2008) then
Who can forget Konnie's iconic presenting gig on The X Factor spin-off The Xtra Factor, eh? Perhaps the biggest update, though, is that she married Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker and even co-wrote an episode with him.
13 of 16Simon Thomas (1999-2005) then
Simon joined the show in 1999 after reportedly applying for the role THREE times. The lesson here? Never give up on your dream, kids.
14 of 16Simon Thomas (1999-2005) now
Simon's since moved into the world of sport, hosting Sky's Premier League and EFL Cup coverage.
15 of 16Matt Baker (1999-2006) then
Presenting the show from 1999-2006, our favourite memory of Matt's probably the fact he adopted Blue Peter's pet dog Mabel and even took her with him to his new telly venture. Cute.
16 of 16Matt Baker (1999-2006) now
Matt now hosts BBC's The One Show and Countryfile; surely making him one of the most successful Blue Peter presenters ever.
After Judi had sparked the conversation on why Richard had left Blue Peter, the guests- including comedian Jimmy Carr, started chatting about Richard's past on the show.
Mocking his dismissal, Richard went on to proclaim "I got fired for punctuality because if you take a lot of coke you’re always late." He added: "They would shout 'that's a wrap' and I would shout 'where?'"
With Judi and Jimmy in hysterics beside him, he certainly made the best out of a tricky situation.
Richard made history by becoming the first host to ever be sacked form the children's show, in 1998 after he openly admitted to taking drugs. At just 22 years old and only 18 months into his dream role.
Amid Richard's dismissal, BBC released a statement from the head of children's programmes, which read: 'It is sad that such a talented presenter as Richard Bacon has not only let himself and his colleagues down but, most important of all, he has let down the millions of children who watch Blue Peter.'
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Blue Peter wasn't against his return 20 years later, though. Richard made his comeback to the show in 2018 for a special episode to celebrate the show's 60th birthday alongside other Blue Peter legends.
He said: "I can never hold down a job for long. I’ve hosted a lot of shows in a lot of places. And yet the one I have the most affection for is the one I got fired from. Happy Birthday Blue Peter. I love you."
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