As Sara Cox was celebrating finally taking the helm of the Radio 2 Breakfast show this week, one person who wasn’t exactly cheering was the former custodian of that prestigious slot: Scott Mills.
The Sun has learnt that, since being sacked by the BBC back in March after new information about a police investigation about alleged sex offences with a boy aged under 16 in 2018 came to light, Scott is struggling to adjust to his life in showbiz exile – and feels too upset to listen to Sara broadcasting from his old studio,
We’re told he is especially disappointed that Sara, who has been plastered over TV and magazines to promote her new show, has avoided talking about him at all in any of her interviews.
A source close to Scott’s camp explains: “Scott’s downfall was his own doing, but that hasn’t stopped him from feeling sorry for himself and smarting about being left out in the cold.
“Watching Sara step into his radio job was difficult, especially after she also took on his Eurovision hosting duties, but he doesn’t blame her, it’s more the BBC he feels betrayed by.
“He knows the BBC will have had a line they wanted everyone to stick to when asked about him in interviews, and mostly Sara has avoided talking about him, but he feels like the bosses at the Beeb want to erase him from their history.”
When asked about taking over from Scott, Sara told Radio Times: “I understand why you’re asking about Scott but I don’t know any more than what’s been in the media, so I’m not commenting further.”
Similarly, she told Sunday Times magazine “I know no more than you do about the whole thing,”
Our source continues: “Sara is in a very difficult position because if she says anything positive about Scott and their friendship, it looks like she is excusing his actions, so you can’t blame her for avoiding the subject- there is a lot riding on her making the show a success and steering it away from all the controversy.
“Scott totally gets that, and he thinks the world of Sara, but of course it’s hard for him to see her success come at the demise of his career.
“It’s all very raw for him. He can’t bring himself to listen to Radio 2 at all, especially the Breakfast show.”
Sara, along with Zoe Ball and Rylan, have left heart emojis on Scott’s husband’s post back in June, where he celebrated their 2 year wedding anniversary, but beyond that nobody has wanted to say anything on record.
“Ultimately nobody wants to risk their own reputation by backing Scott. A lot of them only know what they have read, and Scott isn’t saying a lot He’s sort of retreated into his bubble at home.
“Regardless of whether you support Scott or feel he is reaping what he sowed, what he is feeling is the reality of life after being publicly cancelled. He’s definitely feeling abandoned by the Beeb, and it’s hard for him to see life go on and his mates doing so well while his life feels like somebody has hit the pause button.
“When everything was going well, everyone wanted to be around him but now it’s a very different story. Former colleagues have reached out to him privately, but publicly noone can say anything.”
Despite losing all his jobs, from the Radio 2 slot, to his Eurovision semi-finals hosting gig and his Race Across The World podcast, insiders tell us Scott is still pinning hopes on making a comeback.
“Scott genuinely believes he’ll be back one day though and still talks as though this is just a bad chapter for him and that another big opportunity will come along,” reveals our source.
“Nobody else is convinced – it’s like he’s struggling to accept how much things have changed. Those closest to him are trying to be kind by telling him not to focus on this right now cos it’s too soon.
“His days are pretty empty now, compared to what his life used to be like when he was working all the time. He spends most of his time with Sam, who has stood by him throughout all of this, and their dog, although to be honest, he doesn’t go out a lot. He doesn’t like the idea of people staring at him or whispering.
“He has toyed with doing an interview and giving his side of the story, but that still hasn’t transpire because he is unable to say much right now. Scott has instructed lawyers since he lost his job, and for now he is unable to say anything until all of that is sorted. The hard reality of it all though is that, even if he could speak, he’s become untouchable in the industry now.
“Scott might always have his hardcore fans but there’s very little public sympathy about this, yet Scott finds it hard to accept that because he is so used to being at the top of his game and massively in demand.
“He’s thought about bringing in some crisis PRs too but nobody in the business wants to book him for work- even with the best spin doctors in the world trying to rehab his image. He’s very much persona non grata, and as it stands, there’s no way back.”
