Sara Cox has revealed she tried out for the Strictly Come Dancing hosting job as she recalled being whisked off to a ‘secret destination’ during the ‘hush-hush’ auditions.
The DJ, 51, revealed she auditioned for the hotly contested presenter gig just two days after landing the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show job following the sudden sacking of Scott Mills, 53, in March.
Despite successfully bagging the prime-time radio slot, the new Strictly hosts were confirmed on Tuesday as Emma Willis, 50, Josh Widdicombe, 43, and Johannes Radebe, 39.
The trio will take over the ballroom dance competition in September after long-serving hosts Tess Daly, 57, and Claudia Winkleman, 54, quit last year.
BBC bosses picked the trio after they invited a number of stars including Sara, Zoe Ball, 55, and Rylan Clark, 37, for chemistry tests.
After the new hosts were revealed, Sara lifted the lid on the top secret audition process during her Radio 2 show on Tuesday.
Sara Cox has revealed she tried out for the Strictly Come Dancing hosting job as she recalled being whisked off to a ‘secret destination’ during the ‘hush-hush’ auditions
The new Strictly hosts were confirmed on Tuesday as Emma Willis, 50, Josh Widdicombe, 43, and Johannes Radebe, 39
She said: ‘I tried out for Strictly. And I will say I tried out for it two days after I got offered my number one, all-time, dream job of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.
‘So I was like, “Oh, I’ll go along and try for Strictly as well, why not, and what next? News at Ten?”
‘So I went along, and it was the most gorgeous experience. I got into a car that was taking me to a secret destination.
‘It was all hush-hush, and it was basically a bit like, you know, when you can go and play the Crystal Maze interactive game? It was like that. I was like, “Great, I’m going to be a Strictly presenter for an hour!”
‘The whole thing was really great fun.’
Sara congratulated Emma, Josh and Johannes for coming out on top in the auditions, and she is relieved that their signing was announced on Tuesday following months of speculation.
Sara added: ‘I’m pleased now for all the gossip, and all the WhatsApp groups can calm the heck down, going, “Who is it?”‘
In April, the broadcaster was named as the new host of BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast Show, and she will move from her current 4-7pm Teatime slot to the morning 6.30am-9.30am show this summer, following the sudden sacking of Scott Mills.
Sara 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.
‘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.’
On March 30, Scott’s sacking from the BBC was announced just days after he was abruptly taken off air.
It later emerged that the DJ was investigated by police over alleged sexual offences involving a boy under the age of 16 back in 2018, but the case was closed in 2019 because ‘the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges’.
After the new hosts were revealed, Sara lifted the lid on the top secret audition process: ‘The whole thing was really great fun’
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said in a statement to the Daily Mirror newspaper: ‘In December 2016, the Met began an investigation following a referral from another police force.
‘The investigation related to allegations of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy. These were reported to have taken place between 1997 and 2000.
‘As part of these enquiries, a man who was in his 40s at the time of the interview was questioned by police under caution in July 2018.
‘A full file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, who determined the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges. Following this advice, the investigation was closed in May 2019.’
It has not been confirmed if Mills’ dismissal from his role at the company is linked to the previous police investigation.
The BBC said in a statement: ‘While we do not comment on matters relating to individuals, we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted to work with the BBC.’
