Sara Cox has been announced as the replacement for Scott Mills on the BBC Radio 2 breakfast show.
The news was confirmed just under a month after Mills was fired from his popular slot following allegations about his personal conduct, bringing an end to his three-decade career with the BBC.
Cox, who until now had been hosting the station’s weekday teatime show between 4pm to 7pm, will being presenting the breakfast show to its weekly 6.5 million listeners this summer.
In a statement, the radio host, 51, said: “There are not enough adjectives to really sum up how I’m feeling about being trusted with such an iconic show but let’s start with ecstatic, honoured and incredibly chuffed.
“It’s been a dream to host the Breakfast Show since I joined Radio 2 and it feels like a bit of a full circle for me. I’ve had the most glorious seven years of my career on Teatime so thank you to my brilliant Teatime listeners who hopefully will join me at Breakfast for excellent music and all my usual nonsense plus some superstar guests.”
She added: “I honestly can’t wait to wake the nation up with the biggest most fun breakfast show ever.”
Cox started out on BBC Radio 1 in 1999, replacing Zoe Ball on the breakfast show and hosting it for three years. She stayed with the station until 2014, when she officially moved over to Radio 2.
She started out hosting Radio 2’s Sounds of the 80s on Saturday nights before replacing Simon Mayo in the drivetime slot in 2019.
Cox made her TV debut in 1996 as co-host of The Girlie Show, before presenting the Brit Awards red carpet and joining the UK’s Eurovision team as a UK Commentator in 2011. Last year, she took on a walking challenge for Children in Need, raising £11.5m for the charity.
She is reportedly set to replace Scott Mills as a main commentator for this year’s Eurovision following Mills’ firing from the broadcaster. The BBC said in a statement at the time: “While we do not comment on matters relating to individuals, we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted to work with the BBC.”
The BBC fired Mills in March after receiving “new information” regarding the police’s investigation into allegations of serious sexual offences about the presenter in 2016, with the alleged victim having been under 16.
Mills was questioned under caution in July 2018, however the police closed its investigation the following year after the Crown Prosecution Service found that “the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges”.
In April, Mills released a statement, confirming that he had been fired by the BBC and that an allegation of a historic sexual offence was made against him in 2016.
“Since the investigation related to an allegation that dates back nearly 30 years and the police investigation was closed 7 years ago, I hope that the public and the media will understand and respect my wish not to make any further public comment on this matter,” he said.
“I wish to thank from the bottom of my heart all those who have reached out to me with kindness, my former colleagues, and my beloved listeners, who I greatly miss.”
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