HE was once a 90s TV star who presented hit kids show Diggit - but he has now been convicted of rape and killing two people in a cocaine-fuelled car crash.

       Paul Ballard faces years behind bars after falling wayward following his early rise to fame.

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       Ballard (back row second from right) with co-stars Reggie Yates (centre) and Fearne Cotton (bottom right) 5

       Ballard was jailed for nine years for causing the deaths of two people in a collision Credit: Universal News & Sport

       The 39-year-old was found guilty of raping a woman in a hotel room, telling her she was "dying tonight" during the horror attack.

       Ballard also lost control of his VW Golf before ploughing into cars while high of cannabis and cocaine, killing two people.

       The former children's TV presenter, from Theydon Bois, Essex, starred as Des on Diggit from 1998 to 2002.

       He appeared alongside big names Fearne Cotton, Craig Doyle, and Reggie Yates is the Disney-themed weekend block that aired on ITV on the GMTV breakfast show.

       But Ballard made his television debut three years earlier in an episode of BBC sitcom Bottom.

       He then co-presented The Disney Club in the mid-1990s, followed by Roadhog which saw him travel up and down the country in a VW Camper Van, visiting schools and viewers' homes.

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       He became a kids' TV staple, and in 1998 launched a new interactive Disney slot on GMTV - Diggit.

       Ballard left the show in the early 2000s and disappeared off our screens, seemingly vanishing into obscurity.

       Ten years later, his former colleague Cotton said they had lost touch and she had no idea what he was up to.

       In an interview with a student newspaper, the now 39-year-old said: "I don’t know where Des has gone.

       "We were like brother and sister, we worked together for years and years.

       "We must’ve spoken on the phone about three years ago and then I haven’t heard from him since.

       "He’s got a different number, I don’t know what he’s doing."

       We were like brother and sister, we worked together for years and years.

       Fearne Cotton

       A Facebook group was said to have been set up to help find him, but it is no longer in action.

       Fearne added at the time: "I will join that group because I want to know where he is. It’s bizarre."

       Nothing was reported about his whereabouts until 2012, when a man named Lee said he had been "pestering" Fearne but had had no response.

       It was later revealed Ballard had received residential treatment for cocaine dependency in 2017, but he had been "abusing cocaine "on most days" in the years that followed.

       And in February 2020, Ballard was driving "between 88mph and 104mph" in a 30mph zone when he hit the back of another vehicle while high on the drug, as well as cannabis.

       Eileen Haskell, 64, who was travelling in a Ford Kuga, was killed in the crash in Romford, east London.

       The second victim, schoolteacher Richard Trezise, 48, was waiting at a bus stop with his wife and children when he was struck in the chest by the car and killed in the pile-up.

       DOUBLE FATAL SMASH

       Eight cars were involved in the collision just after 1pm on February 20, and at least seven people were treated in hospital.

       Cocaine addict Ballard was driving with his 12-year-old son in the front passenger seat and claimed he suffered a seizure before the crash, the Old Bailey heard.

       Blood samples revealed that Ballard's blood contained 3.5mg of THC, the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis, and 32mg of cocaine - more than three times the legal limit.

       Ballard admitted two counts of causing death by dangerous driving but denied two counts of causing death by driving while uninsured, which will not be pursued.

       He was jailed for nine years and will be disqualified for seven once he is released from prison.

       Later last year, Ballard raped a woman in a hotel room in Hatfield Heath, Essex, in the early hours of September 19.

       His terrified victim managed to escape the room and informed a member of staff about the attack who called the police.

       'TERRIFYING ORDEAL'

       A court heard how Ballard told her she was "dying tonight" during the "terrifying ordeal".

       Ballard denied raping and threatening the victim, claiming that they had consensual sex.

       Ballard was found guilty of rape, attempted rape, assault, criminal damage, and threats to kill.

       He is awaiting sentencing for the rape charges after being convicted after a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

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       Ballard was Des in 90s TV show Diggit alongside Ferne Cotton Credit: Central News 5

       Ballard killed two people in a horror car crash in Romford, east London in February 2020 Credit: PA 5

       Ballard was on kids TV with Fearne Cotton, Craig Doyle, and Reggie Yates Credit: Central News