Sara Cox confirmed as Scott Mills’ replacement on BBC Radio 2

Sara Cox has been announced as the new host of the weekday Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2, replacing Scott Mills.

Mills, 53, was sacked from the BBC last month after it was discovered he had been the subject of allegations of ‘serious sexual offences’ against a teenage boy under 16. 

The axed star was seen walking his dog with husband Sam Vaughn, 37, near their Hertfordshire home as the news of his replacement broke.

Mills and Cox have been friends and BBC colleagues for three decades, since they both started at Radio 1 within a year of one another in the late nineties. Cox was a guest at Mills’ 2024 wedding to Vaughn in Barcelona.

Cox, 51, who currently hosts the station’s weekday Teatime show from 4pm -7pm, will launch her first show this summer.

She said in a statement: ‘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.’

Sara Cox has been announced as the new host of the weekday Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2, replacing Scott Mills

A glum looking Scott was seen out with his husband Sam Vaughan when the news broke 

‘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.

‘I honestly can’t wait to wake the nation up with the biggest most fun breakfast show ever.’ 

Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2 said: ‘I’m delighted that Sara Cox will be the new host of the prestigious Radio 2 Breakfast Show.

‘Sara is adored by her millions of listeners at Teatime, and having regularly deputised in the slot, I already know she’ll build a brilliant rapport with the Breakfast audience and get the nation going each morning with her trademark warmth and humour.

‘She captured the hearts of the country last November, raising a staggering £11.5m for Children in Need on her Great Northern Marathon Challenge and thoroughly deserves this gig. I can’t wait to hear her first show.’

The replacement presenter for Sara’s weekday 4-7pm slot will be announced in due course. 

The announcement was met by a chorus of congratulations on social media from Cox’s friends. Denise Van Outen commented ‘Amazing! Aww, congratulations.’ Lauren Laverne said: ‘YES IT HAD TO BE!!!! Well done.’

Dan Walked wrote ‘well done Sara’ and Angela Scanlon said: ‘GET IT GIRL’. 

Mills was fired by the BBC for a historical allegation of serious sexual offences.

The allegations he faced are said to have happened between 1997 and 2000, police said, while Mills was in his mid-20s. 

Mills was questioned under caution by police in 2018 but the case was rejected by the Crown Prosecution Service in 2019 due to a lack of evidence. The BBC admitted that it knew about the allegations as far back as 2017.

Mills was sacked from the BBC last month after it was discovered he had been the subject of allegations of ‘serious sexual offences’ against a teenage boy under 16

Sources close to the star branded him the ‘nicest man in showbiz’ to the Daily Mail and said friends are ‘very worried for his mental health’ as they admitted they ‘don’t know how he will get through this’.

Another said that his husband Sam, whom he met in 2016 and married in 2024, has been ‘a great source of support’ and is the ‘one thing that is keeping Scott going’. 

Announcing his sacking from the corporation, Lorna Clarke, Director of Music, told BBC staff in an email last month: ‘I wanted to personally let you know that Scott Mills has left the Breakfast show, and the BBC. 

‘I know that this news will be sudden and unexpected and therefore must come as a shock.

‘Not least as so many of us have worked with Scott over a great many years, across a broad range of our programmes on R1, 5Live, R2 and TV. I felt it was important to share this news with you at the earliest opportunity.

‘Of course, it will also come as a shock to our audience and loyal breakfast show listeners too.’

In an extraordinary statement to the Daily Mail, Mills broke his silence, insisting he ‘fully cooperated and responded’ at the time of the police probe. But he did not not address the allegations.

His full statement read: ‘The recent announcement that I am no longer contracted to the BBC has led to the publication of rumour and speculation. In response to this the Metropolitan Police has made a statement, which I confirm relates to me.

‘An allegation was made against me in 2016 of a historic sexual offence which was the subject of a police investigation in which I fully cooperated and responded to in 2018.

‘As the police have stated, a file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, which determined that the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges.

Cox is close friends with Mills and worked alongside him at Radio 2 and Radio 1 for years; Pictured together in 2014

‘Since the investigation related to an allegation that dates back nearly 30 years and the police investigation was closed seven 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.

‘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.’

In a further statement, the BBC said: ‘Scott Mills had a long career across the BBC, he was hugely popular and we know the news this week has come as a shock and surprise to many.

‘What we can confirm is that in recent weeks, we obtained new information relating to Scott and we spoke directly with him. As a result, the BBC acted decisively in line with our culture and values and terminated his contracts on Friday, March 27. 

‘The BBC has made a significant commitment to improve its culture, processes and standards. Last year, following an independent culture review, we set out the behavioural expectations for everyone who works with or for the BBC and we were clear that action would be taken if these were not met.

‘Separately, we can confirm the BBC was made aware in 2017 of the existence of an ongoing police investigation, which was subsequently closed in 2019 with no arrest or charge being made.

‘We are doing more work to understand the details of what was known by the BBC at this time.’

Cox kicked off her BBC radio career when she joined BBC Radio 1 in 1999 to present a Saturday lunchtime show, moving on the following year to present the Radio 1 Breakfast Show until December 2003. 

Over the next 11 years Sara presented various shows on the network, including the weekday afternoon show, a weekend afternoon show and weekday mornings.

She joined Radio 2 in 2011, deputising for various presenters across the schedule. She launched Sounds of the 80s on the station in 2013 and raised £1.2 million for Comic Relief by taking part in a non-stop 24-hour 80s Dance Challenge in 2017.

In May 2018, Cox began presenting a weekday 10pm-midnight show on the station, moving to host the Teatime show later that year.