Radio 2 presenter Sara Cox says she’s no longer afraid to ‘crumple a man’s fragile ego’ as she replaces ex colleague Scott Mills on BBC’s Eurovision coverage

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Sara Cox says she’s comfortable speaking her mind and isn’t worried about hurting men’s feelings as she takes over from Scott Mills to host the BBC’s Eurovision coverage.

The 51-year-old Radio 2 presenter has talked about her goals and how she’s become more confident in speaking her mind, especially after experiencing bullying during her school years.

Sara recalled a difficult experience from her childhood during an interview with Good Housekeeping UK, sharing that she wasn’t athletic in school and was often picked last for teams. She explained that starting around age 10, she avoided walking with others to school because she was severely bullied for her legs – specifically, being knock-kneed and very thin.

Being bullied is an experience that can stay with a person for a lifetime. Even as adults, those old feelings of exclusion and not fitting in can unexpectedly resurface. It’s something that likely never fully goes away.

Sara hosts the afternoon shows on Radio 2, starting at 4pm on weekdays, and has recently learned to prioritize her own needs instead of always trying to please others.

She explained that she’s become much more comfortable speaking her mind. She’s no longer as worried about hurting someone’s feelings just by sharing what she thinks.

‘I don’t really care what people think as much. It’s liberating, actually.’ 

Sara, a mother of three and wife of tech director Ben Cyzer, shared her thoughts while featured on the cover of the May issue of Good Housekeeping magazine.

She spoke shortly after news broke that she would be hosting Eurovision, replacing Scott Mills. This change follows allegations of serious sexual offenses against Mills involving a teenage boy.

The Daily Mirror reported on Tuesday that the firing of Mills may be connected to a 2016 police investigation into allegations of serious sexual offenses against a teenager that occurred between 1997 and 2000.

The case was dropped around seven years ago due to a lack of evidence.

On Monday, the BBC announced it had fired Scott, 53, after 28 years with the company. The dismissal reportedly followed allegations of a past relationship.

The BBC announced it has cancelled all upcoming projects with the presenter, including their planned coverage of the event in May.

Since 2011, Scott has regularly commentated on Eurovision’s semi-finals, which are broadcast on BBC One the week before the grand final.

He’s recently been working with Rylan Clark on the shows, and also hosted live coverage of the Eurovision final on BBC Radio 2.

Sara will be taking over the role, having previously commentated on the semi-finals for a radio show last year with former commentator Rylan.

Vienna, Austria will host the Eurovision Song Contest final on May 16, 2026. The semi-finals are scheduled for May 12 and 14.

Scott and Sara were good friends and coworkers. Scott recently helped Sara with her fundraising efforts for Children In Need and publicly praised her work.

Last November, he shared a photo with Sara and wrote, ‘WHAT. A. HERO. So proud of @djsaracox.’

The Daily Mail reported that the person accusing Scott of sexual offenses from the 1990s was a minor – under the age of 16 – at the time of the alleged incidents.

Police questioned Mills, who was 24 years old at the time of the accusations, under caution in 2018.

Detectives at Scotland Yard submitted a case file to prosecutors, but it was rejected because there wasn’t enough evidence. The investigation, which involved a man in his 40s, was closed in 2019.

The Daily Mail suggests the person who made the complaint might have been prompted to come forward again because of the recent Huw Edwards documentary.

Sources inside the BBC suggest the individual in question may have contacted the corporation because of the significant media attention surrounding the Martin Clunes documentary, ‘Power: The Downfall Of Huw Edwards’.

I still can’t believe it! They fired Jeremy just six days after his last show on Radio 2 – the very same day his amazing Channel 5 show finally came out! It’s like they deliberately waited to get rid of him the moment everyone could actually see how brilliant he is. It’s just… cruel!

Last month, rumors surfaced that Sara was being considered to take over from Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly as a host on Strictly Come Dancing.

Someone familiar with the show revealed to The Sun that viewers like and trust Sara, and producers believe she’s a great addition to the team.

Listeners of Sara’s show on Radio 2 are familiar with her natural, spontaneous style and know she’s a dedicated and reliable professional.

‘Execs have mentioned her name as someone who would be a good fit for the job.’

Last November, Sara’s Great Northern Marathon Challenge successfully raised an impressive £11.5 million for Children In Need.

She walked an incredible 135 miles over five days, crossing four counties – Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire. That’s like completing five marathons!

Overcome with emotion after finishing the race, Sara expressed her gratitude to Chase & Status and Stormzy for their song, ‘Backbone’.

I want to apologize to my son because the documentary might show me singing a lot, and it’s really embarrassing!

I feel terrible that my kids had to listen to me! We were listening to Radio 2, and I got really into it – I was belting out songs by Blur and everything else, just trying to stay awake and keep going.

The full interview can be read now in the May issue of Good Housekeeping UK.

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2026-04-01 03:39