During a DJ gig in Grimsby recently, Jo Whiley fell on stage. Although she had been presenting for decades, this was the first time she had done somersaults in front of her audience. This could be embarrassing. But the 58-year-old star has enough live show experience to know how to deal with such disruptions.
“It was actually funny,” he says. “You need to go, ‘oh my God’. “It’s so much nicer to see someone being honest and vulnerable rather than trying to hide anything.”
It’s perhaps this approach that helps explain the enduring appeal of the veteran broadcaster, whose reassuring radio voice has seen several generations of listeners grow up. His BBC Radio 1 career from 1993 to 2011 spanned Britpop’s heyday and beyond. He then moved to BBC Radio 2, where he continues to present today.
There are also gigs where he plays Nineties anthems to crowds across the country, from music fans in their late 50s who have “been into Britpop and all the festivals” to the children of music fans who take to the stage with their songs. parents.
Whiley, who has also led the BBC’s Glastonbury coverage since 1997, is a channel that connects us to the pre-internet age of music and indulges its listeners’ nostalgia (“he [Nineties] songs stand the test of time”) while maintaining her status as the godmother of cool pop culture.
So how does the mother of four keep herself fit and healthy for such a busy job? “I never get enough sleep.” Still, viewers didn’t fail to notice that he didn’t age. So what are his secrets?
I’m not the best cook but I’m trying to eat better
Whiley is a vegetarian but is the first to admit she’s not the best cook. When we chat, though, he explains that he’s “trying really hard to eat a lot better.” “We went to Thailand for Christmas because my father-in-law lives there, and I realized I was eating too much candy. “I’m on a very sweet diet, I have arthritis in my fingers and hands, and every morning when I wake up, my fingers feel like balloons.”
When she returned home, she decided to quit sugar, take vitamins and pay attention to her diet. Since January, she has been trying to eat more vegetables, nuts and legumes and cut out sweet foods. “Difficult!” he exclaims. “Definitely cravings in the afternoon.”
She and her husband, music manager Steve Morton, are also undergoing medical checks. At one of these, Morton discovered that although he was “really fit and healthy”, he had high cholesterol. Preferring to stay away from medications, she focused on her diet and consumed Benecol yoghurt to reduce it.
The deaths of my closest friends made me health conscious
The trip to Thailand wasn’t the only trigger for Whiley’s health. He has lost many close friends in the last few years. “All the great players we used to hang out with are dead. That’s why we have to host the party because all the children of the dead people are coming to our house. “It’s really depressing, but it’s the real truth.”
It all happened alarmingly quickly: in 2021, fellow BBC radio producer Simon Willis died of a brain tumour; At similar times another friend died of Covid and a third died of cancer.
“They were people we used to go out and do a lot of fun things with, and all of a sudden it’s ‘what do we do now?'” Whiley said. “You start to think,” he says.
“To be honest, it was a ridiculous phase for everyone to disappear in such a short period of time.”
These losses have been “really, really hard” to process. Whiley adds: “You have a routine: ‘It’s Friday night, so everyone’s probably going to come here.’ And you’re just waiting, you’re looking at the door, you’re like ‘oh no, he’s not coming, no he’s dead, he’s not coming anymore.’ So you have to fill your time… You still miss them like crazy but you have to work really hard to change your life to fill those huge holes they left. In that respect “It’s been a pretty tough two or three years.”
Another recent death was Radio 2 DJ Steve Wright, who died last month aged 69. “It meant a lot to everyone. “The wave of love and gratitude that came thanks to him was truly touching.”
The deaths of his friends made him determined to do whatever he could to stay fit and healthy. “I think that’s why the diet change and exercise routines happened.”
I was feeling a little weak so I started weight training
A few years ago, Whiley felt she was “getting a little skinny” and started weight training. He sees a personal trainer who prepares him for festivals, helping him get in shape by exercising his arms and doing plenty of sit-ups. He’s a good swimmer, is in the water three or four times a week, and goes running with Morton a few times a week. “I just like to stay in shape. I think it really helps my head and body. I feel stronger.”
Whiley says she’s not a natural runner – “I’m one of those people who runs around, ‘I hate running'” – but she has no trouble completing the 5k and would “love to do another half marathon” to give her something to aim for.
Preparing for a concert requires its own routine, which includes pre-show stretching and, if possible, swimming to get it going. “When I first started [the gigs]After the shows it really hurt and I learned that I needed to be more fit and flexible. “My shoulders and neck really hurt the next day.”
He compares being on stage to doing a Jane Fonda exercise. “I’m literally jumping up and down with my hands in the air for 90 minutes.”
Even though he never drinks while DJing (“I get so worried I’ll press the wrong button”), he still experiences a hangover-like feeling afterwards. “Because your head is moving,” he says. “I wake up like ‘ahem’.”
A third vodka makes me feel awful
Like many middle-aged people, Whiley found her tolerance dropping significantly in later years. “I can’t drink too much,” he explains. “It doesn’t require much. I’ll definitely have a few vodkas, but no more than two. “If I take a third of it, I’ll feel terrible the next day.”
When she and Morton host parties at their home in Northamptonshire (a converted 18th-century barn surrounded by fields and farmland), she’s often the one clearing up the rubbish while the party is in full swing. “I’m going to get into bed and listen to what’s going on. Very disturbing. I drink cider and vodka but literally only on the weekends and I know my limits.
I think this is “unfair” because “my tolerance was much better when I was younger,” he adds. “But I had to cut back on it… because I feel so bad the next morning and I don’t like that feeling.”
The upside of reducing the ability to drink is that it forces you to be healthier. “I went through a phase and I’m looking at photos of myself [during that phase] “Now I can see the swelling under my eyes,” he says. “There’s been a lot of years where I’ve looked at my face and thought, ‘God, you’re really drinking too much and you look really unhealthy,’ and now I just can’t understand it.”
Gardening and swimming help me relax
Whiley has what many consider a dream job; He plays music to make a living. But it’s harder than it looks. “It’s stressful,” he says. “There are things that worry me a lot. I worry a lot, so if I have a big concert coming up, I get in a really bad mood a few days before because I worry…No matter how many times you go on stage in front of people, it’s scary. This is not a natural thing.”
While some people are naturally fun people, he doesn’t consider himself one. “There are people who are introverts, they have to be another person [on stage]and I definitely fall into this category.
To relax in her spare time, Whiley enjoys gardening. On a typical weekend, she’ll swim during the day, go out to breakfast, meet her kids somewhere, try to do some gardening, and take the dogs for a walk. Her eldest child India (31 years old) lives in London, “so we go and see her sometimes”. Whiley and Morton are also parents to Jude, 25, Cassius, 22, and Coco, 15.
On Saturday nights, Whiley waits until 6.30pm or 7pm before having a drink. “Then I’ll say ‘okay, drink time’, then I’ll eat and watch TV, unless there’s a party going on at our house… We never get invited to other people’s parties, so we throw our own party. ”
Not using sunscreen is starting to bother me
As any festival-goer can attest, emerging from a Glastonbury stint with a healthy glow is no small feat. Whiley gets facials regularly and has perfected her skincare routine: cleansing with an exfoliating balm in the morning and evening, applying serum, hyaluronic acid and moisturizer “to make sure I’m layering.” She also uses L’Oreal Age Perfect to reduce age spots. “When you get to my age it just happens and you wonder ‘why didn’t I use sunscreen?’ “You say,” he says. “It will come back to haunt you eventually. “So I’m trying to combat that right now.”
As I get older, I become more interested in fashion.
Whiley’s distinctive rock chick look stands the test of time, as does her delivery style – warm, cool and just the right amount of enthusiasm mixed with understated authority. “I love boutiques,” she says, and says she’ll call or text to see if there’s anything on. His favorites include The Mercantile London and 32 The Guild in Northampton.
“As I got older, I became more interested in fashion,” she explains. “But I also know what looks good on me, and I will eventually adapt everything to fit a pair of jeans and whatever else goes with it.”
Like every working mother, there is a juggling act involved
Whiley’s day (and night) job doesn’t compare to most people’s. But like every working mother, there is a juggling act involved. “I guess I’m just like everyone else, just messing around, doing what I have to do and trying to stay sane while doing it,” she says. “I’ll go through times where I have a lot of work to do and I’m absolutely exhausted. But my family is very important to me and my friends are really important, so I will always try to see them as much as possible… Just being able to talk to my friends is very important.”
No matter how exhausting his job is, he can’t imagine doing anything else. “I love doing it,” Whiley adds. “I’ve had a great career. I’m really lucky to do what I do, and I don’t particularly want it to stop.