Greg James was left in tears during his gruelling Red Nose Day challenge after receiving an emotional voice note from his mum on Mother’s Day, as his father continues recovering from a stroke.
The Radio 1 Breakfast host, 40, is currently taking on an extraordinary 1,000km tandem bike challenge in just eight days for Comic Relief. But on day three of the exhausting journey, the usually upbeat presenter was overcome with emotion when he heard a loving message from his mother.
In her voice note, she told him: “Hello sweetheart, it’s Mother’s Day, and I’m so lucky to be your mum. You make me proud every day. But I’m especially proud of the courage and determination you showed in tackling this massive challenge. You know how much I love you, and you know that I will be with you every inch of the way. Keep going, darling. You can do this.”
The touching message hit especially hard as Greg has been facing one of the most difficult periods of his life. Just days earlier, he was forced to cancel his Breakfast Show after his father suffered a stroke during what had been planned as heart surgery.
Greg later returned to the air and shared that his dad, affectionately known as “big Al”, was still with them and fighting hard. He told listeners: “Thank you to Sam and Danni for Friday, as there was a slight mishap with my dad. My dad’s not very well at the minute. I know that he would want me to get back on the show. And he’s still with us, which is good!”
He also revealed that his father now faces a long recovery, saying he would be taking “small steps” on the road back.
Speaking candidly in a video update, Greg admitted he had been having a “terrible time” and opened up about the devastating moment his family learned the operation had gone wrong. He said: “He was supposed to go in for heart surgery on Thursday, and I was on the Breakfast Show on Thursday because I thought, ‘That’s a good distraction.’”
He continued: “And then on Thursday night, we found out that, sadly, the operation didn’t go to plan, and he had a stroke. Which is really s**t.”
Despite the heartbreak, Greg has chosen to continue with the massive fundraising challenge, determined to keep going through the pain. He also shared that in the middle of all the fear and uncertainty, small moments of humour had helped his family cope — including joking about one of the doctors caring for his dad. Thanking the NHS, Greg quipped: “Particularly the handsome doctor that he’s having by his bedside.”
The emotional ride has already seen Greg cheered on by huge crowds, with supporters lining streets and country roads to urge him forward. He has spoken movingly about how strangers appearing in unexpected places have kept him going when exhaustion and emotion have threatened to overwhelm him.
Giving an update from the road, Greg said: “Today is very, very tough. I started the morning cold, tired and a bit low after barely sleeping, and every time I thought I’d found a rhythm another massive hill appeared out of nowhere.”
He added: “But what’s keeping me going is everyone turning out in the most unexpected places – people standing at the ends of farm tracks, in lay-bys, on their doorsteps banging saucepans like it’s the pandemic again. When you’re exhausted and emotional and you see kids at the top of a hill cheering you on, it’s honestly overwhelming. I can’t thank everyone enough. It’s magical, and it means more than I can say.”
Before taking on the challenge, Greg also revealed a deeply personal detail about his mum, explaining live on air that she had been a PE teacher and had given him one of her whistles to take with him — a small but powerful reminder of home as he battles through one of the toughest weeks of his life.
