How Sara Cox spends ANYDAY

What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
I try not to look at my phone but, if I do check the time, I might get embroiled in the weather and I’ll see if we’ve had much response to the Twitter question I asked the day before on my Radio 2 show. I’m annoyingly bright in the morning and I’ll leap from my bed with a can-can kick, which my husband, Ben, laughs at. Sometimes I get back into bed and my cat, Watson, comes through the bedroom window and I feel too guilty to move him because it’s the only time we have a cuddle in the day. I’ll maybe write my opening link while being pinned to the bed by the cat.

What’s your most used emoji? Who did you last WhatsApp and what did you say?
The emoji is definitely the awkward grin and the last WhatsApp is cute! It’s from the [other owners] of my dog’s litter. Daisy is turning one, so we’re going to a pool party with her brothers and sisters – she’s a flat-coat retriever and she loves the water.

Describe the style of your home in five words
Busy, quite noisy, animal-centric.

What do you have too much – and  too little – of?
I do love a decorative platter, so I don’t think you can have too many of them, but mine are stacked really badly. We also have too many trainers as me and my husband have a bit of a Nike addiction. For me, we don’t have enough animals, but if I suggested another rescue cat Ben would make me choose between him and them. Claudia Winkleman’s got a house rabbit and the kids were trying to persuade me to get one of those instead.

What does an average day at home look like for you?
I get up, feed the dogs and cats and sort out the two tortoises if they’re around. If the kids aren’t at school, I’ll let sleeping teenagers lie in and then I set off to see my horse. I ride most mornings and come back by 11ish, by which time the kids might be up and foraging for food.  

I’m writing my second novel at the moment, so I’ll go to the shed at the end of the garden and try not to look at Twitter, stare into space and keep coming back to make cups of tea. My husband might pop his head around the corner and make some 1970s sexist quip and then I’ll do my serious ‘I’m trying to write a bestseller’ face at him.  

I cycle in for my teatime show, but I’m so slow I’ll get overtaken by elderly labradors. It’s my dream job and I always leave in an even better mood than I turn up in. By the time I get back, everybody’s already eaten, but I’m a bit of a batch cooker, so there’s always something I can defrost.

What would you most likely eat for lunch?
Something involving balsamic vinegar, big tomatoes, prawns and avocados, plus a tin of hearts of palm.

What’s the weirdest thing we’d find in your kitchen?
A hammer for tenderising meat. It’s good if you’ve got ice stuck together, too, or to clobber an assailant if they attack you from behind while you’re making your schnitzel.

Can we wear shoes in your house?
Ah, you can wear them in the hallway and kitchen, which have wooden floors, but not upstairs – we have a greyish carpet on the stairs, which I was terrified of, so it’s strictly shoes-off. What I love is that it’s called ‘Pennine Mist’, which I remember because it’s where I’m from. When no one’s in the house I’m a massive hypocrite though, because if I need to grab something from upstairs I’ll really wipe my feet, then tiptoe up there like a cartoon criminal. 

What would you save if your house was on fire? And what would you be glad got burned to a crisp?
I’d save my nana’s old purple 1970s vase because I look at it and think of her. What would I leave? My son has a goal in the garden that spoils the look of the lovely lawn and it’s also not great when you have tortoises – I’m always like David Attenborough untangling the poor things from a net, so I would definitely leave that behind. We’ve got two tortoises – they’re great vibes because they go to sleep for six months and then they just mooch around… when they’re not getting trapped in football nets.

Do you have pictures of yourself in your house?
No, but in the garage, which is sort of a gym and laundry room (it’s not very relaxing working out next to everyone’s pants, but whatever), there is a picture from The Sun awarding me DJ of the year in 2001. I can’t have it up in the house though, it’s too vain.

Got any subscriptions?
I’ve got thousands – Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, Amazon Prime. On my phone I’ve got the Calm app too, so I went to sleep with Harry Styles last night. I feel I’m a little old for that, but he tells one of the stories on there.

Where’s your happy place?
Atop my Irish sports horse, Nelly, who I got in October 2020. We’ve really bonded and she knows that I’m her mum. I hadn’t had my own horse since I was a teenager, but I’d kept my hand in riding for charity – I raced at Goodwood a couple of times… until I crashed. We have the best time together. I ride her out in north London where there are lots of bridleways, so it’s a beautiful place to escape.

Can you keep a plant alive?
Plants recoil and scream as I approach them, but I’ve got a lovely local shop and I love the woman who runs it because I’ll be like, ‘Will I kill this? How long has it got once I take it home?’ and she’ll only sell me things I’ll be able to keep alive. I’m not a natural with plants, but I do have one in the bedroom I’ve managed to keep alive. 

What’s on your bed? And on your bedside table?
My bedroom’s navy, so it’s like we’re at the bottom of the sea and I’ve got really soft, blue bedding, which is gorgeous to make a little nest out of. On my bedside table, there’s my CBD oil and pillow spray, which are largely the hangover of pandem times when sleep wasn’t great. Always earplugs and noise-cancelling AirPods in case I need to listen to Harry in the middle of the night, and a big pile of books because I’ve just started reading for the next series of [BBC Two’s] Between the Covers. 

Sara Cox presents her weekday show on BBC Radio 2 from 5-7pm

Photos: Ray Burmiston