BBC Radio 2 DJ Sara Cox has opened up about her family life, admitting that her son often blanks her at the gym as he gives her a “little look to say ‘go away'”
Sara admitted her teenage son finds her embarrassing(Image: Dave Benett, Dave Benett/Getty Images for Newbury Racecourse)
Long-time BBC Radio 2 presenter Sara Cox confesses that one of her family members occasionally acts like he doesn’t recognise her. She recently generated over £11 million for Children in Need by tackling 135 miles on foot – essentially completing five marathons across five days.
Yet despite her remarkable feat, she acknowledges that she can remain a source of embarrassment to her offspring as her 17 year old son Isaac frequently ignores her at the gym.
“I’ll give him a lift there and it will be lovely,” she revealed to The Times. “Then in the gym if I walk past him he gives me that little look to say, ‘Go away.’ He knows people there and he doesn’t want me going up to him all sweaty.”
Due to her role hosting Radio 2’s Drivetime programme between 4pm and 7pm, she’s seldom able to attend parents’ evenings at her children’s schools.
Sara’s spouse, advertising boss Ben Cyzer, typically manages that responsibility, and has been labelled “a tiger dad” by educators because he’s so involved. Sara acknowledged that her professional obligations mean she cannot be present at home as frequently as she might like.
Sara with husband Ben Cyzer(Image: Getty Images)
She explained: “I often say to the kids I am sorry I am not there, I am sorry I missed that, but they know what I do. I hope they won’t have to have therapy in the future because they had an absent mother.”
The pair’s son Isaac arrived in 2008, with his sister Renee following two years afterwards in 2010. She also has daughter, 21-year-old Lola Anne with first husband Jon Carter. Sara revealed that taking maternity leave felt “unsettling”. She said: “You wonder what your career will be like afterwards.”
She continued: “Luckily, when I had my two younger children I was with my husband, Ben, and had a great support system. I was able to get back to work, but you always feel like you have taken a couple of steps back.”
Sara raised millions for charity with her epic journey(Image: PA)
Isaac and Renee’s generation holds vastly different values compared to the wild lifestyle she once embraced. Sara, alongside celebrities like Denise van Outen and Zoe Ball, earned the “Ladettes” label during the 1990s – a term she now despises.
Sara famously told BBC Radio 1 listeners that the Queen Mother “smelled of wee” during the late royal’s 100th birthday celebrations in 2000.
This “unfortunate momentary lapse,” which would likely spark outrage in 2025, prompted merely 12 complaints. However, Sara now shows considerably more reverence towards the Royal Family. She reveals: “I get on well with Prince William. He’s really chilled.”
She continued by explaining her multiple encounters with the Prince of Wales stem from his role as patron of youth homelessness charity Centrepoint, where she serves as an ambassador.
Sara expressed some anxiety about taking time off for maternity leave(Image: PA)
Whilst Sara has mellowed considerably in recent years, her offspring display far more restraint than she demonstrated at their age. She observes: “Our teenagers are pretty tame compared with us. They go to the gym, they eat protein, they look after themselves. It’s vastly different from how we were, sneaking out to clubs and raves.”
This comes after Sara confessed to struggling with sleep following her intense five-day marathon challenge for Children in Need. Her monumental trek for the renowned charity started in Kielder Forest, Northumberland, and ended in Pudsey, West Yorkshire, on Friday, November 14.
She admitted it was the “hardest thing” she’d ever done once she finally reached the much-anticipated finish line.
Her current life is a far cry from her 90s clubbing era(Image: Daily Record)
Since completing the impressive distance, Sara is clearly still dealing with the aftermath of the journey, as her body continues to recover from the gruelling challenge. The broadcaster, who recently became emotional while discussing a heartbreaking family loss, was “shocked by how much it hurt”.
Sara said: “Since finishing the Children in Need challenge, it’s been really tough. I am not sleeping well. I am so stiff and sore, especially my knees and shins, because they took a pounding.”
In an honest admission, Sara described how even walking her dogs had become a struggle: “Normally I am so fast, but I took the dogs out this morning and I was hobbling. They were like, ‘What is wrong with you?'”