Music lovers have returned to Worthy Farm in Somerset for the 2023 Glastonbury Festival. As ever the BBC have been running coverage of the annual event - read how to watch here.
Glastonbury is currently taking place until Sunday, June 25 and during the coming days there are a whole host of amazing acts with Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses and Elton John all headlining.
Among the hosts in 2023 is TV and radio presenter Jo Whiley who is a Glastonbury stalwart. The 57-year-old, who is from Northamptonshire, has been one of the presenters of Glastonbury Festival coverage since 1994, both on Channel 4 and the BBC.
Read more: Glastonbury Festival: Best time to arrive, how to get there and where to park
But what are Jo's Glastonbury highlights, what does family life consist of and why has she had to fight for her disabled sister? Here's everything you need to know.
Jo's Glastonbury highlights
Jo is one of the country's most recognisable DJs and TV presenters and has worked for BBC Radio for decades, working on Radio 1 from 1993 until March 2011 and as a regular on Radio 2 since 2009. In May 2018 Jo joined the Simon Mayo drive-time show. However, later that year the BBC announced Simon was leaving and that Jo would resume her evening slot on her own, which is what she's currently up to.
As mentioned, Jo has memorably hosted Glastonbury for a number of years. She has cited chatting to Adele prior to her performance in 2016 as one of her "favourite memories" from the festival. She told OK! Magazine: “I’d played her right in the beginning and then seeing her go from being a tiny backing singer to having this amazing career felt special.”
In the same interview Jo described how interviewing Dolly Parton in 2014 was an equally great experience. Speaking of this she said: “All she cared about was whether I got my photograph with her and whether the angle was right and we looked good. She cared so much about other people.”
While she enjoyed interviewing Adele and Dolly, Jo admitted that not everyone was easy to talk to. Recalling an interview with Coldplay's Chris Martin, she said: “People are nervous. I remember interviewing Coldplay when they came off stage. We interviewed Chris and then I said at the end of it, ‘OK, let’s look at your performance,’ and he just walked out across the camera because he didn’t want to watch it back!"
Jo concluded: “I love every single second [of Glastonbury], it’s a real privilege and I’ve got the stamina. I’ll keep going for as long as they’ll have me.”
Jo's family life
Jo married music executive Steve Morton in July 1991, a year after they first started dating. Steve is the founder of Union Artists, who represent Jo.
The couple have four children together. Their eldest daughter India was born the year they were married before an eight-year gap for the birth of son Jude. The couple also share son Cassius and daughter Coco Lux and live in a converted barn in Northamptonshire.
In an interview with Country Living in 2021 Jo described herself as a self-confessed "potter" whilst at home. She said: “I do like peace and quiet and that’s what I get in the garden. I like my own company and I’m happy to potter. It’s my favourite thing: pottering around in the garden." She regularly posts pictures of her garden to social media.
Jo's fight for her disabled sister
Jo's sister Frances, who is two years younger than her, has Cri Du Chat genetic syndrome - a rare disease that is present from birth. In February 2021 Frances was admitted to hospital after testing positive for coronavirus following an outbreak in her care home.
Jo subsequently publicly campaigned for those in her sister's category to receive priority in the Covid-19 vaccination programme roll-out. On February 24 that year it was announced that all who were on the GP learning disability register would be prioritised for a Covid-19 vaccine, meaning that 150,000 people at higher risk with severe disabilities would be offered a vaccination more quickly in England.
Earlier this week Jo outlined what it's like with Frances in care in an emotional post on social media. She wrote: "It’s tricky when a family member lives in care, as I’m sure many of you will know. You want them to be happy and safe in the place they call home, but often it feels like an impossible dream. We’ve had ups and downs throughout Frances’s life - her challenging behaviour has caused issues and at times she hasn’t been happy or safe, and as a family that’s hard," she said, adding how settled Frances now was. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.
