The BBC Radio DJ’s drink-fuelled previous has resurfaced after shock BBC exit.
The BBC Radio DJ’s drink-fuelled previous has resurfaced after his shock BBC exit. (Picture: Getty)
There was a time when one of many BBC’s most acquainted voices was barely holding it collectively behind the mic. Lengthy earlier than the headlines now surrounding Scott Mills, the Radio 2 DJ had already battled by means of a deeply troubled interval — one marked by grief, heavy ingesting and moments that almost value him his profession. The turning level got here after the sudden loss of life of his boyfriend Mitch, who died from a drug overdose shortly after the Brit Awards — information that left Scott spiralling.
In a 2012 interview with Now Journal, he admitted: “I felt every little thing was bleak. I had no buddies. My flatmate Fraser was the one particular person I noticed.” Scott added: “I used to be presenting the early present, so I’d get up at 2.30am, do the present, come residence and return to sleep. “Then I’d get up within the night and drink two bottles of wine or a bottle of spirits in entrance of the TV. It was a strategy to escape.”
Scott revealed he even went on air whereas drunk. (Picture: Getty)
That spiral quickly spilt into his work, with Scott revealing he even went on air whereas drunk.
He mentioned: “One morning I went on air drunk. That might have been a large f**k-up for me. Even I might’ve sacked me. However thank God for Radio 1 – they knew about Mitch and why I used to be having a nasty time. It was a correct wake-up name.”
It wasn’t the one time alcohol blurred the strains between his private life and profession. Again in 2003, Scott turned as much as his early morning present nonetheless drunk after partying on the Brit Awards — forcing his producer to intervene.
Wanting again, he admitted: “I completely shouldn’t have gone on air.” He defined: “The producer was telling me to take a seat there, play one other track and never say a phrase whereas she made me a espresso.
“However as quickly as she left the room I used to be slurring away. I couldn’t even say artists’ names correctly.”
Regardless of the seriousness of the incident, Scott managed to maintain his job — one thing he admits nonetheless surprises him.
He mentioned: “I used to be very fortunate to stroll away with my job, but it surely did educate me a lesson and I’ve not carried out something like that since,” including that the episode has since change into “a part of Radio 1 folklore”.
At his lowest level, help got here from an sudden supply — Take That star, Robbie Williams.
Scott revealed: “It’s stayed underneath the radar as a result of that’s how I wished it, however Robbie was somebody I might speak to about my ingesting.”
Opening up about their bond, he added: “He’s knocked all of his issues on the top. I discovered speaking to him very comforting. I see a lot of myself in him – my insecurities, not understanding should you’re ok, the melancholy and the alcohol.”
The singer’s social circle additionally helped pull him out of isolation, with Scott saying: “He holds these superb quiz nights at his home with Gary Barlow, James Corden, Peter Jones from Dragons’ Den and Susie Amy.”
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Profession setbacks added to the stress. After eight years on the coveted drivetime slot, Scott was changed by Greg James — a transfer he admitted felt “like a punch within the abdomen.”
Years later, Scott rebuilt his profession — rising by means of the ranks to change into one of many BBC’s greatest names. That previous has now been thrust again into the highlight following his shock BBC sacking over allegations linked to a “historic relationship” greater than a decade in the past.
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