During a recent DJ gig in Grimsby, Jo Whiley fell on stage. Despite presenting for decades, this was the first time she had ever fallen in front of her audience. It could have been humiliating. But the 58-year-old star has enough experience with live shows to be able to deal with such hiccups.
"It was actually funny," she says. "You just have to say, 'oh my God.' It's much nicer to see someone being honest and vulnerable than trying to hide something."
It is perhaps this approach that helps explain the enduring appeal of the veteran broadcaster, whose reassuring radio voice several generations of listeners have grown up with. From 1993 to 2011, her career at BBC Radio 1 spanned the heyday of Britpop and beyond. She then moved to BBC Radio 2, where she continues to present today.
Then there are the gigs, in which she plays nineties anthems to audiences across the country, ranging from music fans in their late fifties 'who have attended Britpop and all the festivals', to the children of those music fans, who turn up with their parents .
Whiley has also fronted the BBC's Glastonbury coverage since 1997 and is the thread that connects us to a pre-internet music era, indulging the nostalgia of her listeners ("who [Nineties] songs stand the test of time"), while maintaining her status as a cool pop-cultural godmother.
How does the mother of four keep herself fit and healthy for a job that is so busy? "I never sleep enough." Yet it has not escaped the attention of viewers that she does not seem to be aging. Then what are her secrets?
I'm not the best cook, but I'm trying to eat better
Whiley is a vegetarian, but she is the first to admit that she is not the best cook. Still, she is "trying really hard to eat much better," she explains when we talk. "We went to Thailand for Christmas because my father-in-law lives there, and I noticed I was eating so much sugar. It's a very sweet diet there, and I have arthritis in my fingers and hands, and every morning I would wake up and my fingers were like balloons.
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When she got home, she decided to give up sugar, take vitamins and watch her diet. Since January, she has been trying to eat more vegetables, nuts and legumes and cut out sweet foods. "It is difficult!" she exclaims. "You definitely get hungry by mid-afternoon."
She and her husband Steve Morton, a music manager, are also undergoing health checks. During one, Morton discovered he had high cholesterol despite being "very fit and healthy". He prefers to avoid medications, focuses on his diet and consumes Benecol yogurt to lower it.
The passing of my best friends has made me health conscious
The trip to Thailand wasn't the only reason for Whiley's health kick. She has lost several close friends in recent years. "All our big players we were around have passed away. So we have to be the party hosts, because all the children of all the dead people come to us. That's a real downer, but it's the real truth."
It all happened alarmingly quickly: in 2021, her boyfriend Simon Willis, a BBC radio producer, died of a brain tumor; another friend died of Covid and a third died of cancer, all around the same time.
"They were the ones we went out with and did a lot of fun things with, so all of a sudden you're like, 'What do we do now?'" Whiley says.
"Honestly, it was a ridiculous phase where everyone disappeared within a very short period of time."
Coming to terms with these losses was "very, very difficult." Whiley adds: "You have your routine, 'It's Friday night, so everyone's probably coming over.' And you just wait, look at the door and say, 'Oh no, he's not coming around anymore, no, he's dead, he's not coming around anymore.' So you have to fill your time... You still miss them like crazy, but you have to work very hard to change your life to fill the huge gaping holes they left behind. In that respect, it's been a pretty tough two or three years."
Another recent loss is fellow Radio 2 DJ Steve Wright, who died last month at the age of 69. "He meant so much to everyone. The outpouring of love and thanks to him was truly moving."
The death of her friends has made her determined to do everything she can to stay fit and healthy herself. "I think that's why the diet change happened and the exercise routines happened."
I felt a little weak, so I started lifting weights
A few years ago Whiley felt she was getting "a bit weak" so she started lifting weights. She sees a personal trainer who prepares her for festivals and helps her tone up with arm work and lots of crunches. An avid swimmer, she is in the water three or four times a week and goes running with Morton a few times a week. "I just like to keep fit. I notice that it really helps my head and my body. I feel stronger."
Whiley says she's not a natural runner - "I'm one of those people who just runs around saying, 'I hate running'" - but she has no qualms about completing a 5K and would "really love to do it again." want to run a half marathon" to give her something to aim for.
Preparing for a performance requires its own routine that includes pre-show stretching and, if possible, swimming, to limber her up. "When I first started [the gigs]I was really sore after the shows and I learned that I needed to become fitter and more flexible. My shoulders and neck really suffered the next day."
She compares performing on stage to a Jane Fonda workout. "For 90 minutes I literally jump up and down with my hands in the air the entire time."
Even though she never drinks while DJing ("I'm too afraid I'll press the wrong button"), she still gets a feeling similar to a hangover afterwards. "Because your head moves," she says. "I just wake up saying 'ugh'."
A third of vodka makes me feel terrible
Like many midlifers, Whiley has noticed that her tolerance decreases dramatically with age. "I just can't drink much," she explains. "It doesn't take much. I definitely want to have a few vodkas, but no more than two. If I have a third I will feel terrible the next day."
When she and Morton throw parties at their Northamptonshire home - a converted 18th-century barn surrounded by fields and farmland - she is usually the one clearing away the rubbish while the party is in full swing. 'I lie in bed and listen to it all happen. It's so annoying. I drink cider and vodka, but literally only on weekends and I know my limitations."
It feels "unfair" because "my tolerance used to be so much better when I was younger," she adds. "But I've just had to tone it down... because my head feels terrible the next morning and I don't enjoy that feeling."
The upside of her declining drinking ability is that she is forced to be healthier. "I was going through a phase and I'm looking at pictures of myself [during that phase] now and I can see the bags under my eyes," she says. "There are a lot of years where I look at my face and think, 'God, you really drank too much and you look really unhealthy,' and now I don't understand that."
Gardening and swimming help me relax
Whiley has what many would consider a dream job: making music for a living. But it's harder than she makes it seem. "It's stressful," she says. "There are things that make me very anxious. I'm quite anxious, so if I have a big gig coming up, I'll be in a really bad mood a few days beforehand because I'm worried... It doesn't matter how many times you walk on stage in front of of people it's scary. It's not something natural."
Although some are natural born entertainers, she does not consider herself an entertainer. "There are people who are introverts, they have to become a different person [on stage]and I definitely fall into that category.
To relax in her spare time, Whiley enjoys gardening. On a typical weekend day, she goes swimming, has breakfast, meets up with her kids, tries to do some yard work and walks the dogs. Her eldest child, India, 31, lives in London, "so sometimes we go and see her". Whiley and Morton are also parents to Jude, 25, Cassius, 22, and Coco, 15.
On Saturday evenings Whiley waits until 6:30 or 7:00 PM before having a drink. "Then I say, 'Okay, drink time,' then eat and watch TV, unless we have a party at our house... We never get invited to other people's parties, so we throw our own parties. "
Not using sunscreen continues to haunt me
Emerging from a stint at Glastonbury with a healthy glow intact is no easy feat, as any festival-goer will confirm. Whiley has regular facials and has perfected her skincare routine: cleansing with an exfoliating balm in the morning and evening, applying a serum, hyaluronic acid and a moisturizer "to make sure I get a layer." She also uses a L'Oréal Age Perfect product to reduce age spots. "When you get to my age, it suddenly becomes a thing and you think, 'Why didn't I use sun protection?'" she says. "It will come back to haunt you eventually. That's why I'm trying to fight it right now."
As I got older, I became more interested in fashion
Like her presentation style - warm, unflappable and just the right amount of enthusiasm mixed with understated authority - Whiley's signature rock chick look has stood the test of time. "I love boutiques," she reveals, revealing that there are certain places she will call or message to see if they have anything. Favorites are The Mercantile London and 32 The Guild in Northampton.
"I got more and more into fashion as I got older," she explains. "But I also know what suits me and will tailor everything to ultimately a pair of jeans and what else goes with it."
As with any working mother, there is a juggling act
Whiley's day (and night) job is not comparable to most people's. But like any working mother, there is a juggling act. "I guess I'm just like everyone else: I just muddle through, do what I have to do and try to stay healthy while I do it," she says. "There will be times when I have a lot of work to do and I'm absolutely exhausted. But my family is so important to me and my friends are very important, so I will always try to see them as much as possible... Just being able to talk to my friends is very important."
As exhausting as her job can be, she can't imagine doing anything else. "I love doing it," Whiley adds. "I've had a great career. I'm really lucky to be able to do what I do and I don't really want it to stop.
