The Nanny: Daughter in hit series makes rare public appearance all grown up

A beloved TV child star is now all grown up for a rare TV interview, decades after playing the daughter on hit sitcom The Nanny.

‘The Nanny’ star Nicholle Tom has shocked audiences by looking all grown up, saying she came of age on the classic show.

The American actor, 45, played the awkward teenage heiress Maggie Sheffield, known for her blonde bob, bordering on a bowl cut, and preppy wardrobe.

She stood in sharp contrast to Fran Fine, the titular nanny played by Fran Drescher, who wowed fans with masses of leopard print and fur.

Nicholle Tom as Maggie Sheffield on “The Nanny”. Picture: CBS.

But appearing on Australian TV screens on Monday morning, Tom shocked audiences, having swapped the blonde bob for a mane of red hair.

She also traded Maggie’s conservative outfits for a satin blazer, floral top and bohemian necklace.

She looks rather different today. Picture: Channel 7.

Tom said she was just a teenager when she was cast on ‘The Nanny’ and grew up on set alongside her co-stars.

“I was 15 at that time and it was such a growing experience, being that young,” she told hosts Larry Edmur and Kylie Gillies on Channel 7’s The Morning Show.

“I started working on the movie ‘Beethoven’ when I was 13 and got ‘The Nanny’ from that. It was an interesting childhood.”

Tom starred on the hit show for its whole run between 1993 and 1999.

Tom said she grew up on the show. Picture: Instagram.

She now has a YouTube channel. Picture: Instagram.

She also threw her weight behind rumours of a potential reunion film that would bring the cast back together 25 years after the curtain last closed on “The Nanny”.

“That would be amazing and wonderful. I think it should happen, it would make a fabulous movie,” she said.

Tom said she was open to doing a reunion film. Picture: Instagra.

Tom began her Hollywood career in 1992 after she was cast as Ryce Newton in the family movie “Beethoven”, centring around a beloved St Bernard dog. She also starred in two sequels.

Tom went on to appear in several high profile productions including “The Princess Diaries” alongside Anne Hathaway, “Gotham” and “Beverly Hills, 90210”.

But her most famous role was arguably in “The Nanny”, which followed Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from New York who becomes the nanny for a wealthy family.

Now, she mostly keeps up with fans through a DIY-based YouTube channel.